Saint Rafael, Atenas' Patron Saint

The weather this morning was very foggy, so we decided it was a good day to walk into Atenas for breakfast at Kay's Gringo Postres. It's more comfortable to go on a long walk without that tropical sun beating down. The ambient air is comfortable - it's the sun that makes one sweat.

We needed to pick up a few groceries at El Canario mercado, near the church and park. We had no idea there was a festival today so what a nice surprise to see tents and booths were being set up outside the church and in the park. The church bells were ringing.

We were just in time for the religious parade. After some research on the internet, I believe this was the annual festival of Saint Rafael (Raphael?), Atenas' patron saint. The parade consisted of individual groups (of families?), each group carrying the image of a saint, angel or other religious figure. The figures were beautifully decorated with fresh flowers and colourful fabrics.

A priest was walking out in front and behind him was a band of young men playing what sounded to me like lively jazz or New Orleans style music. This was a very happy parade, nothing somber about it. All the images were carried into the church. I think there will also be a cattle auction later on today.

My big regret? I had not brought my camera!! This is a no-no - always, always carry your camera. The priest was taking photos so I wouldn't have offended anyone if I had done so too.

If you are in the Atenas area today, this would be a good festival to go to.

New Italian Restaurant in Atenas

Bella Vista is a newly opened Italian restaurant on highway 3. Heading west from Atenas on highway 3, it is on the left, a short distance outside of town. There is a banner sign on the fence but it doesn't face traffic so you will have to watch for it. The building is wood and looks small from the outside but that is deceiving.

We've eaten here twice, both times ordering pizzas made in their wood fired oven. The staff is very welcoming and hard working. The space inside is quite large. There are three separate areas to dine in - one is in front of the pizza oven so you can watch the activity there. There are also tables outside under cover.

White linen napkins are used - a rarity these days. We were served, gratis, bruchettas as an appetizer. The pizzas are thin crust and there is a really good selection of varieties to try. Next visit I plan to try one of the pasta dishes.

They did not have their liquor license on our last visit but apparently it is in the works.

You can also call and order a pizza for pickup. Bella Vista's phone number is 2446-5184. We highly recommend this restaurant.

Barney Don't Need No Stinkin' Street Signs!

This is Barney, a young unneutered male cat who showed up at our house about four or five months ago. He was also visiting neighbors, in particular Tony and Rosemary. We named him Barney the Barn Cat because he's welcome to stay around outside, but we are not turning him into an indoor pet cat. With the year 'round good weather we experience, he does fine outdoors.

Barney and Genny became instant friends. Barney has a very loud voice and doesn't enjoy being petted or touched very much - perhaps being unneutered makes him more aggressive. He was on the thin side so we started feeding him whenever he showed up. He would hang around for a while, then go on his way.

We decided to do him a favor and have him neutered, inoculated and treated for anything else, like ticks or worms. We started feeding him inside Genny's airline carrier and eventually he was comfortable eating in there.

Two months ago, when we had the use of a vehicle, Lance shut the door on the carrier, loaded Barney into the car and off they went to Atenas and the vet. Right outside the vet's office, as Lance was unloading the carrier, Barney made a break for it and escaped thru the bottom half of the carrier's door. Either it wasn't secured or he somehow opened it and the space he escaped through was quite small. He was last seen running down one of Atena's streets. Lance felt terrible about it, of course, and we've always wondered what Barney's fate had been. There are so many dogs in Atenas, many running loose.

Whose face was staring through the glass patio door this morning? Barney's of course. Like any Costa Rican, he didn't need street signs to navigate his way back from Atenas, two to three miles away, to our house in Vista Atenas. It took him two months.

He looks pretty good considering. We are going to try again to get him neutered. If we can get him in the carrier, Tony and Rosemary will drive him to the vet and we'll split the cost of his treatments.

Back Home Again in Vista Atenas

We're back home again in our pretty little casa in Vista Atenas. We spent the last two months housesitting for friends in Picaflora, with lots of visits to our Vista Atenas home to attend to gardening and so on.

Picaflora is a housing development one mountain ridge over from Vista Atenas. The houses are built in the Bali style - lots of wood sliding doors with many glass panes. Very beautiful. We enjoyed the luxury of a pool, a huge kitchen with propane stovetop with five (five, count 'em!) burners, and a refrigerator with ice maker (my favorite).

Genny came with us too, of course. What she didn't know was that there is a resident cat - Cleo the Abyssinian. Same age as Genny (old). My visions of them becoming BFF's (Best Friends Forever) were rapidly dissolved on the first day when the two of them saw each other before we were ready for it to happen.

You wouldn't believe how fast two old cats can move. Cleo attacked rapidly with noises to match. She chased Genny under a bed with me in fast pursuit. I managed to grab Genny out of harm's way. Cleo was so upset she peed her pants. She did that again the next time she saw Genny. Eventually it all calmed down, with Cleo looking at Genny through a glass door and frowning, and the two of them muttering. The spitting and growling eventually stopped.

My sister Mady and her husband Mike visited us for two weeks in September and I have lots of pictures to share about their trip here on my next post.

My sister Mady and Cleo

Playing Tourist

We are currently entertaining VIP visitors, my sister and her husband. They arrived last week from Carlsbad Springs, Ontario, Canada.

Today we went to see the Poas volcano.  This volcano is a post in itself so I'll just say for now that it is well worth visiting - so amazing.

Lance checked the weather at 0530 and declared it a perfect day to see the volcano - clear skies. We were on the road just after 0730. We recommend getting to Poas by 1000 before clouds come in.  Lance was correct - the volcano was clear of clouds.

After the volcano visit, we drove to  Restaurante Chubascos for lunch. Restaurante Chubascos is 1 km north of Fraijanes and about 20 minutes from Poas. The setting is lovely, they have cabinas for rent and the food is excellent - they serve typical Costa Rican food. The portions are large and the fruit drinks delicious.

The cooler elevations of the Poas area support strawberry growing, dairy farming, lots of coffee plantations, cheese making and the views are incredible. We stopped along the side of the road and bought flats of fresh picked, juicy red strawberries and balls of the local white cheese. A large flat of berries cost 2,000 colones and the cheese was the same price.

Also recommended: use a GPS! We do and it makes things so much easier - most of the time. "Jill" steered us wrong a few times, leading us to a washed out road that was impassible.

Patacones rellenos.

Yuca appetizer

This soup was delicious, filled with good things.

Peace in the Valley

It will be a week tomorrow when the 7.6 quake hit Costa Rica. We didn't feel any aftershocks in the area around Atenas where we live but I know others have and it must have been scary. Our thoughts go out to those who suffered injuries, damage to homes and buildings or worse.

To mark this post-earthquake week, here are some photos I took which I hope you will find soothing.

The beautiful sunset last night.

Lychees are in season!

Lance took this photo of a lizard at the pump house.

More sunset - looking towards the Vista Atenas ridge from the Picaflora ridge.

Costa Rica - Where the Real Movers and Shakers Live

By now, the whole world must know about the powerful 7.6 earthquake that occurred this morning in Costa Rica. It's epicenter was beneath the Nicoya Peninsula and we live about 70 miles away. We have been minding a house in Picaflora while our friends are away and that is where I was when the quake hit.

Lance was at our house in Vista Atenas, one ridge over from the Picaflora ridge. He said he got out of the house in 3 seconds and the vehicle we are using was bouncing up and down. No damage to the house or property except for a fallen ornament.

As for me, I was in a lounge chair by the pool, keeping out of the way of the two housekeepers. It was the noise that first got my attention - a loud rumbling - then I saw the water in the pool was sloshing back and forth and over the sides. The ground was shaking and the doors in the house were rattling.

I, foolishly, ran into the house to check on Genny. She was under the bathroom counter making that mew mew mew sound that tells me she is frightened and stressed. I patted her until the shaking stopped. Cleo, the resident cat, was already outside and she turned up shortly seemingly unaffected.

The housekeepers had more sense than me - they immediately went outside and waited in the laneway.

Phone service was completely unavailable, probably because of heavy usage. There have been no aftershocks.

It's rather unnerving, although not unexpected of course. We were always waiting for "The Big One" to happen in Vancouver, B.C., and one day it will.

Not sure how much damage was done near the epicenter - will keep following the news reports. Hope people are okay.

Thanks to April for the great blog title!