Just in Time For Christmas Art Show and Music Festival, Atenas

As I mentioned in my November 29th post, I had been invited to participate in this art show and of course I accepted. It was to run from December 9 to 11, 2022, with setup of art works, etc., on December 8. The show was held at Colinas del Sol. Our plan was to stay in the Atenas area from December 8 to 12 rather then drive back and forth from Grecia.

About a week prior, we received notice from our Asada that they would be installing new water pipes on our street and directly in front of our laneway starting on December 6. Our landlord Luis confirmed that in all probability we would not be able to drive into or out of our lane on December  6.

Plan B: Since we did not know when this might start or how many days this might take, and since the imperative was to get my art work to Atenas on December 8, we decided to stay at La Terraza Guest House B&B in Grecia, together with my paintings, for the nights of December 5, 6 and 7. This would ensure that we would be able to get to Atenas on the 8th. This turned out to be an excellent plan as Luis told us later that indeed our laneway was blocked as he drove by.

La Terraza is not far from our house and the host, Charles E. Owens, is very welcoming. So is his manager, Natalia. We had a nice room with king bed and porch with two rocking chairs. Breakfast is included (coffee, juice, gallo pinto, steamed vegetables, poached egg, toast). Everyone eats on the large veranda so you get to meet other guests.

The property is beautiful. A river runs down at the bottom and beyond that are various fruit trees. 

Our balcony:

The pottery was made by Romeo Gallegos. I did a blog post on Romeo - dated January 24, 2022.

Our next stop was Hotel Villas de la Colina just outside Atenas, where we stayed for December 8, 9 and 10. Atenas is quite mountainous and this property has fantastic views. We had a cabin overlooking the hillside with a full kitchen and wraparound balcony with table and chairs.

Breakfast is included here also. There is a swimming pool at the bottom of the property. Again, really nice hosts.

View from the dining area:

Part of the dining area:

View from our balcony:

Hammock included:

One night we ordered a pizza:

Which attracted Lola, the resident bulldog:

Lola would pop in for a visit and make herself at home:

On the morning of the 8th, it was time to take my paintings to Colinas del Sol for setup and hanging. Here’s my display:

The painting in the middle left - “Painted Lady” - sold before the show officially opened. The horse painting on top - “Alberta Wildie” - was exhibited in Washington, D.C. See my blog post dated March 11, 2022. By the way, the painting at the middle right of “Madam Justice Bovina” sold after the show ended.

Besides paintings, there were handmade soaps, orchids, photographs, jars of pickles and lime curd, etc.

By all accounts the arts festival was a big success with 10% of the proceeds of sales going to several different Atenas charities. The ladies that organized the show are to be highly commended.

Because Hotel Villas de la Colina were booked up for December 11, we went to stay at Eden Atenas B&B for that night. Again, another friendly and helpful host. Our room had a fully equipped kitchen and balcony. Breakfast is available but not included. There is a swimming pool.

Click on images to enlarge.

Feliz Navidad, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays

Every year since our friend Pete Snider made this Christmas tree from Costa Rican beach driftwood, I have posted a photo of it. This is 2022’s photo:

It’s on the front of our gate at our house at San Roque de Grecia. We moved here in April, 2022, from our rental house in Puente de Piedra, Grecia.

Pete was our neighbour when we lived in Vista Atenas.

Here is the tree when we lived in Puente de Piedra, Grecia:

Click on images to enlarge.

Eyes on Costa Rica and Weather Records - November 2022 / Covid-19 Update

I apologize for the lateness of this report but I have been involved with an art and music festival in Atenas during the last week. This ended yesterday so I am now back home and on our normal routine.

During November, visits to this blog were received from the following 9 countries:

The total number of countries and non-independent jurisdictions from which visits have been received remains at 135. Of this number, 13 are non-independent jurisdictions such as the Isle of Man, Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, etc.

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The following is a summary of the weather during November and from April 11, 2022 to November 30, 2022 in the area where we live:

The coldest daytime high temperature, 68ºF (20ºC), occurred on two successive days with almost continuous drizzling rain. It was the second coldest daytime high that we have experienced during all our time in Costa Rica.

In contrast, there was a 5 day period during the month with moderately high temperatures, no rain and relatively low humidity - a sign of the upcoming “dry season” in the Central Valley of Costa Rica.

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Covid-19 Update

The following table updates information which appeared in my blog entry posted on November 6, 2022:

With regard to the Death Rate Trend, the rate has risen by 0.01% in Canada but remains unchanged in Canada and the United States.

If you want to see how some other country is doing in comparison to Costa Rica, then visit the website of Worldometer. Numbers for populations, reported cases and reported deaths can be obtained from that site. All that is then needed is some simple math to calculate the percentage death rate for the other country and the death rate in that country compared to Costa Rica.

Click on images to enlarge.