January Goal Completed: Take a Surf Lesson

Alright. So I had been putting it off for ages. We moved here in September (4 months ago!) and I just had my first surf lesson. I was terrified. A year and a half ago I had a near death experience in the water in Dominical, Costa Rica that made me fear waves in a big way. Looking back on it now, it was clearly my fault. Jim and I went swimming as the tide was going out, when there were signs everywhere warning how deadly the riptides are. Then I had the excuse that I had severely injured my chest last year and I didn’t want to reinjure it. Fear. Fear. Fear.

Jim took his first lessons with “Surfer Mike” of Tortuga Surf School in Jaco, back in May of last year. It kicked his butt, but he loved it. When we moved here, Jim quickly took some more lessons which then lead to borrowing a board and practicing, to then buying a board and all the accessories (rash guard, board shorts, board wax, etc.) and surfing most days a week. He loves it and surfs most days a week now.

When Jim’s dad came to visit, he learned from Mike. When we had friends come into town and one of them wanted to take a lesson, he learned from Mike. It’s funny because truth be told, Jim chose to take his first lesson with the Tortuga Surf School because he liked the logo (Shhh! Don’t tell him I told you that.) When he was done with his first lesson he got a sticker from them that he promptly put on his laptop. BUT I’ve got to say, when people suggest surf instructors in town Jim and I almost get offended because we wouldn’t have anyone teach us or our friends and family other than Mike. He’s just that good. His standard of teaching is far superior to others we’ve seen from the beach.

Since we’ve been in Costa Rica we’ve befriended Mike. He’s the most cheerful and easy going guy. Mike is originally from the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. He grew up helping with his family’s fishing business, then worked for a diving school, spent three years in Canada, and now has his own Surf School in Jaco. When he was young his grandfather told him that “Wa-ta” is in his blood and therefore (if he knew what was good for him) would make a living off the water. He’s doing  just that!

He’s 135 pounds of lean muscle (check out the photos). I call him He-Man sometimes. He’s ripped, which is good when you’re teaching lessons to touristas who need someone to “tow” them out to the waves. He does this by throwing them his surf board leash and letting them hold on while he paddles for both of them. He hasn’t done that for me yet, but he did maneuver my board quite a bit for me.

For months, Mike has been asking me “When you going to have a lesson Sammy?” (Where he got the privilege to call me by that name, I don’t know.) I kept telling him I wasn’t ready due to the chest injury I had last year. I did tell him I was building up my strength though, which I was by walking, swimming, yoga, and practicing push-ups. As time progressed he pointed out that I’ve lost weight (25+lbs!), wearing different clothing, and look more tico than before (referring to my current tan as I was super white). I told him that by the end of January I’d have a lesson.

Yesterday (just barely making it before the month changed) I had my first lesson. Mike was incredible. He made me feel safe, he taught me SO much, helped me catch waves (including my first one), feel excited, have fun, and make me look good. Jim was such a trooper that he watched and documented the entire two hours. (See the fun video at the bottom which he created!) Sure I wiped out, sure I inhaled a ton of salt water, but I also pushed through fear, learned a ton, and had a blast! Later in the evening and into today I’ve been super sore (mainly tired and bruised muscles and bones) but I’m looking forward to practicing my “pop-ups” and getting out there for another lesson after we get back from our short trip up to Nosara next week!

Quading on the Beach with Raeann

I hadn’t been quading since I was a kid. All the neighborhood kids would get together and quad in the desert.

My friend Raeann who lives in our community invited me to quad down the beach to the estuary for sunset. It was fun riding fast along the beach where I walk every day. We did a couple jumps by the estuary and then chatted until the sun set. Riding back was fun too but with the light having gone a bit flat, I didn’t see a hole that I drove though. Ah well, just made for a more bumpy and exciting ride. I think we’ll go for a ride up into the mountains this week. Should be fun!

Side Note: Raeann owns The Tree Houses Hotel by the Arenal Volcano.

Siamese Banana

Watermelon!

Sleepy-faced Jim with his morning watermelon smile!

Check out a couple things we’ve enjoyed eating with watermelon…

These pancakes were fun to make and even better to eat. I added coconut milk to the batter (which I probably won’t do again as it made the pancakes too chewy) and shredded coconut in and on top of the pancakes (which was totally delicious). The best was mixing the coconut milk with some real maple syrup. This is my new favorite pancake topping.

Scrambled eggs and some sauteed onions and peppers in a tortilla with hot sauce. Good then, but I can’t stand the smell of eggs being cooked lately. Ick.

Yay for watermelon! It’s so juicy and excellent blitzed up in the blender with a tad of agave, with breakfasts or even just on its own any time of day. Yum!

Our Hammock and Tales of The Naughty Puppy

At the beginning of November Jim and I were up in Monteverde with his mom Susy. Jim had been wanting a hammock for our place bad. In a small shop he found the one (I helped choose the color). It took a while for us to see our landlords and get their permission to drill holes (which they swiftly gave us the green light on as they had been meaning to do the same for ages) and then borrow a drill from a neighbor. Jim spent the first part of an afternoon getting it all set up and then the latter part reading and relaxing in it.

Now for a tale of the naughty puppy. The naughty puppy is our youngest, Lita (a.k.a. Litalu, Lita Lubeck, LuLu, Baby Hippo, Racing Pig, Blackie, Pero Negro y Cafe, and Monkey). So since we’ve been in Costa Rica both she and her sister, Sasha, have loved their freedom to roam the neighborhood and run on the beach when we take walks in the afternoon. At the beginning there were a couple times when Lita would go on one of her morning adventures and not come back when we would call her. But we had to leave for appointments in Jaco, so we left her, always finding her patiently waiting on the porch when we got back. She also would sometimes go swimming in the river behind our house, returning a yucky mess. Other times she’d eat all the cat food left out for the neighborhood cats at the guard shack or get fed human food (which is a big no-no in our house) by people and then vomit it up later (thank you tile floors). She also had been spotted by the tienda closer to the main road, in a neighboring community, and down the road toward the beach playing kissy-face with her boyfriend. We let all these things pass, forgiving her but then a couple bigger events occurred.

First, one morning I heard what I thought was two men yelling at each other. I found it strange, but let it go as it stopped after about five minutes. Shortly after that our neighbor (and H.O.A. president) Arlene walked up to the house with Lita trip-tropping behind her. I went out onto the porch to greet her and she told me that is would probably be best if I kept Lita inside for the day. I asked why and she explained. There was a guy (whom she had never met) working on one of the houses in our community. He had put his food for his lunch on the ground and Lita (being her curious, always hungry self) ate it. He had caught her in the act and had thrown a fit, yelling (it was only him I had heard, not two men) at her and threatening to hack her to pieces with his machete. Luckily Arlene intercepted.

Two weeks later she was escorted by one of our guards, Luis, back to our house explaining in Spanish (thank goodness for Jim’s sister Meg’s Spanish capabilities) that she was out by the guard shack and had run into the road when a man and his girlfriend were riding by on their motorcycle. The driver had swerved (in order not to hit her) and they fell, getting only a couple scratches but the bike got trashed a bit. Luis had gone out and explained that the dog belonged around here and to please not harm her. We asked him if he could ask the man with the motorcycle (who lives in the area) if there is anything we can do to mend their motorcycle and to please let them know we were so very sorry. The next day we found out the man requested that we pay for the repairs, which were going to cost $100. We gladly gave Luis the money, he gave it to the man who was grateful, and the bike was fixed in couple days later.

We may have mended that situation, but that was the last straw concerning Lita’s naughtiness. We had been keeping a close watch on her, not allowing her to wander anymore, but that wasn’t making her or us happy. When in town one day, Jim picked up some items from the hardware store and then created a pulley-system that allows her to lay on our front porch, drink from our outdoor water bowl, be in the grass, under the carport, and even walk to the end of our driveway to see people walking by. It’s a bit like a dog-run and I must say it’s working, even if she does wrap herself around the carport poll sometimes. She also still gets to run free at the beach with Sasha when we take our afternoon walks. Happy Lita and happy us. Look how cheerful she looks?

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