Excellent Birthday

What more could a gal want on her birthday then to spend the day with Jersey cows and a busload of men? That’s just what I did yesterday.

We went to Corso Lecheria, a dairy farm near Poasito on the way to Poas Volcano. Actually, it is far more then just a dairy farm - they grow strawberries, practice reforestation, experiment with different crops and so on. They also offer tours which are very interesting and you get to interact with the cows! They have hundreds of hectares and about 800 to 900 dairy cows, all Jerseys I assume.

Where did all the men come from? Well, there was Lance of course and then a busload of men from a church group arrived for our 0900 tour - so I was the only lady - an enjoyable situation to be in. One dad brought his little boy and he was doted on. I said to Lance, that kid is only three years old and has better Spanish then I do.

At an elevation of 10,000 feet it is cool up there so jackets/sweaters are recommended. Our guide, Jonathon (bilingual by the way), pointed out that we were very fortunate this day because the sun was shining. This is cloud forest country and it can be socked in with rain and clouds. Corso Lecheria lies between Poas Volcano and Barva Volcano  Diary farms all over, incredible views, contented cows lying in waving green grass. I could be tempted to live in this area if it wasn’t for the weather. Dairy cows do well at this altitude because of the cool temperatures.

We ate breakfast at the restaurant on the grounds - La Antigua - it opens at 0800. I ordered the desayuno criollo (typical Costa Rican food) and Lance had the desayuno americano. At the checkout, there are coolers to buy Jersey milk, cheeses and freezers for the ice cream they make. Also eggs from their hens and their various artisanal breads.

Walkway to restaurant:

Some of their beautiful hens near the restaurant. A great life, not penned up all the time.

Looking down from the restaurant to the parking lot where you get the tour. Hydrangeas grow very well here. 

Here’s where you buy your tickets. I had made the reservations earlier in the week via email.

Price for the tour was 6,000 colones each (about $10 USD). I believe if you are a foreigner and not a national or a legal resident, the cost is higher. We climbed aboard a wagon pulled by a tractor. This is how you travel around to the different “stations” - a dairy barn, a forest, the strawberry greenhouse and so on. There are twenty seats inside and plastic can be rolled down in case of rain. No shocks on this baby!

Off we went to a dairy barn to see the beautiful Jerseys. This is Rosita. I was able to try my hand at milking her but I think she got irritated!

After eating, these ladies were sent back out to pasture.

I was able to visit the calves. These ones are a cross between Jersey and Angus, so bred for meat.

Cows! Oh boy!

Lance with Princesa in the background:

Next ride on the wagon took us to a forest walk. Jonathon pointed out so many interesting things that we probably would not have noticed. He identified trees and explained the symbiotic relationship between trees, birds, plants and insects. We even learned how to tell if water in a stream is good and not stagnant. It’s an easy walk.

Then off to one of the strawberry greenhouses. How do they pollinate the plants? They buy boxes of male bees and release them. No females because they don’t want a hive to be started.

Back to where we started - a tasting of the cheeses they make and the strawberries they grow. Sorry for the blurry photo but you get the idea. They were all excellent.

When the tour was over, I walked back up to the restaurant and bought Jersey milk, two types of cheese, bread and eggs - all products of the farm. Did you know Jersey milk has an average butterfat content of 5%? It is very rich and creamy. The cheese is cheddar at the front and chili behind. Excellent ciabatta bread.

Lucky us - Corso Lecheria has an off site outlet in our town of Grecia - it’s the only one in Costa Rica. So now I can buy their products right where we live.

The drive home was spectacular - the views unbelievable. A word to the wise: we use Waze to navigate here a lot. There is no way we could find our way  through so many areas even when we are familiar with them. No street signs - do we turn left, right, go straight ahead? 

View from the drive home:

We had a great morning and highly recommend the Corso Lecheria tour.

Fun Times with Friends

Late last year, I was contacted by Linda from Arizona - she had read my entire ten year plus Costa Rican blog in one night! She wanted to try living in Costa Rica for a period of time, to see what it was like and if it suited her. We upset her plans to live in Atenas by moving to Grecia, so she decided to live near our new town.

After Linda’s arrival, we got together and it was fun to show her around and go to different places. When we first moved here, we met our Canadian friends Diane and John and they were so generous with their time and driving us around, showing us the ropes. So we were more then happy to pay it forward. Unfortunately, Linda has now returned to the USA but says she will be back and is going to try out Atenas next trip. 

Linda took lots of photos and here they are.

Breakfast at Kay’s Cafe y Restaurante in Atenas - me and Linda.

I always order the BELT sandwich (bacon, egg, lettuce, tomato) at Kay’s. Lance usually gets the egg and bacon breakfast with gallo pinto because he says Kay’s gallo pinto is the best!

Lance and myself at our house in Hacienda el Paseo:

Visiting our wonderful neighbours in Vista Atenas (where we used to live) - Rose Mary and Tony:

Tony, Lance and Rose Mary. They fed us good food! Linda fell in love with their house and the location. This is their outdoor kitchen which I think is so practical in a tropical environment. They also have an indoor kitchen. Like us, Rose Mary and Tony are from the Pacific Northwest.

One day, we planned on having breakfast at Dave’s Restaurant at Zoo Ave but discovered it had been renamed Kivu and didn’t seem to be open for breakfast. There’s a story behind the name Kivu and the lion icon - find out here. On to Plan B - you always have a Plan B in Costa Rica.

Plan B - breakfast at Restaurante La Casona del Maiz in La Garita. This is a super place to try typical Costa Rican food, at reasonable prices, and if you sit near the back there are great views as you can see. I usually get the omelette, which is a very generous size, and a fresh fruit drink.

Next stop - Vivero Central La Garita  because I needed orchid supplies. This photo is funny because .... Lance looks amused, I’m desperately trying to convey to my assistant in Spanish that I’m looking for clay orchid pots with holes in the side and my assistant is giving me the “okay lady, try again” look! Having an assistant in a store is common in Costa Rica - you can wander around but as soon as you find what you want, you give it to the assistant, who puts it all in a pile somewhere. When you are finished, he tallies up the bill, which you take to the caja (cashier), pay, and your assistant loads everything into your vehicle. We always tip them.

Thanks so much for the photos, Linda. It was great meeting you and come back soon!

Eyes on Costa Rica and Weather Records - March 2019

During March, visits to this blog were received from the following countries:

My video posted in this blog on August 27, 2017 (Landing at Juan Santamaria International Airport) continues to attract interest. There have now been over 3800 views. During the last 6 months, the average has been about 100 views per month. I have no way of determining which countries the views are coming from. I expect many are from persons oblivious to this blog.

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Now for the weather. The following is a summary for the month of March in the area where we live:

Still no rain except threatening clouds and distant thunder on some days and an unmeasurable dribble of rain for a few minutes on one day. The lack of rain is now 4 months in row (December, January, February, March). The thunder came both from the direction of the Caribbean coast and the Pacific coast. As the crow flies, neither coast is very far away from where we live.

On some days, the measured temperature was relatively high - but was mitigated by low humidity leading to "feels like" temperatures lower than the actual temperature. An overnight low temperature of 57°F (13.9°C) was recorded on one day. Except when we drove to an altitude of about 11,000 feet (3350 m.) to walk around the area and view the Irazu Volcano, this was the lowest temperature we have yet encountered in Costa Rica.

By the way, if you are ever of a mind to visit the Irazu Volcano, shorts with tank tops or T-shirts are not the way to go. The temperature will probably be in the forties (Fahrenheit) or below 10°C and the UV index from the sun can be brutal. When we were there, it was amusing to see how many people were totally unprepared for the experience.

There are occasions in Costa Rica when you should wear full length pants and long sleeved shirts or other tops. A visit to the Irazu Volcano is one of them. For good measure, a sweater or jacket can help. As for your head, wear a hat or bring an umbrella.

Moona Lisa Goes Home

This is Moona Lisa:

She is one of my paintings, acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas, 35”x35”. Moona Lisa was consigned to Kyo Gallery in Arlington, Virginia. I kept the painting in our house.

Our friends Linda and Clifford (who live in Washington State) were visiting us last summer and Linda fell in love with this heifer. She said she was going to talk to Clifford about purchasing it but I heard nothing more. Much to my surprise, last fall I received an email from Clifford addressed to me and Kyo Gallery. He wanted to buy it as a surprise present for Linda, who had a milestone birthday coming up in April of this year.

So we had a big secret to keep for about six months. Clifford used his dad’s credit card so Linda wouldn’t see any charges to the gallery and I shipped the painting to one of their friends. To further add to the fun, I posted on Facebook that Moona Lisa had sold to a hereford breeder on the east coast. Linda said “no! I wanted that painting!” I apologized but, well, a sale is a sale, he who hesitates and so on.

With so many people involved in this subterfuge, it’s amazing that Linda never found out what we were up to. 

The birthday party was recently held at a restaurant which displayed a number of paintings, including my own. However, before the party began, a white cloth was thrown over Moona Lisa with the excuse that it was covering damage to the wall and patrons wouldn’t want to look at it. The party started at 4:00 pm and it wasn’t until well after 5:00 pm that the big reveal happened.

It seems that Linda was really surprised:

And here is Moona Lisa in her new home:

Happy birthday, Linda! I’m delighted that your wish came true! And thank you also, Clifford, for making it happen.