Learning How to Use Propane

Since moving to Costa Rica in 2011, all our rental houses have had electrical appliances. I’ve used propane cooktops when housesitting but never had to figure out how to order a new tank, turn a new tank on, light a propane oven or use a propane clothes dryer.

In our new rental home here in San Roque de Grecia, our washing machine is electric but the dryer is propane. Our stove is fully propane - oven and six burners. I recently wanted to use the clothes dryer but couldn’t get any heat so I figured maybe the tank was empty.

The propane tank for our stove ran out a couple of days ago. Our landlord, Luis, had given me the name and phone number of the guy that replaces the propane tanks. Costa Rica runs on WhatsApp and I contacted Engardo this way. He arrived this afternoon in his big propane tank carrying truck.

He BACKED DOWN our somewhat steep laneway, at the same time negotiating a sharp turn. I haven’t even yet attempted backing out of our garage, not hitting the fence, making a sharp left maneouver and then gunning the car up the hill and turning right without running into the semi-ditch in front of Serví-Frio, the taller that repairs AC systems just up our laneway. Lance has it down to a science and has no problems.

Engardo installed the new stove propane tank and showed me how to turn on the dryer tank. He assured me that I would not blow up the house.

The big stove:

The new stove propane tank:

The propane tank for the dryer:

Click on images to enlarge.

Driving To Grecia From Our New Home in San Roque de Grecia, Costa Rica

On Sunday May 22nd, we needed to drive to MaxiPali in Grecia to exchange (we thought) a Durabrand coffee maker that we had purchased the previous day. When we got it home, neither of us could open the lid of the pot and we could hear something rattling around inside. We thought it was defective.

We told the guard at the store what we needed to do and eventually a manager type guy came to help us. He couldn’t get the lid off either. The guard, smarter than all three of us, soon had it removed. Turns out the pot is actually a carafe with a sealer type lid that keeps the coffee hot for a long time, unlike a glass pot. The lid just needed to be turned left. But I swear that wasn’t obvious! We couldn’t make it happen and the instruction booklet didn’t address this subject.

The rattling noise was a coffee measuring spoon. “Soy estúpida” I said, which got a laugh.

Here is the carafe:

Since it was a lovely sunny morning, we decided to video our drive to MaxiPali, then Super Rosvil for a few groceries and home, using our car cam. It being Sunday, the Spandex Brigade were out in force and some of them are crazy. Super Rosvil is owned 100% by Costa Ricans and I frequently shop there.

This is the route from our house to MaxiPali:

In the video, I mention CoopeVictoria. It is an agro-industrial cooperative that was established in 1943 in the canton of Grecia. Their sugar cane processing facility is not too far from our house. Recently there was a lot of sugar cane harvesting occurring and tractor after tractor were arriving at the plant to unload their cane. I took this photo of a tractor and cane trailer that we were driving behind.

I also mention Serví-Frio, a heating, ventilation and air conditioning shop just up from our house. Their sign on calle Carbonal is our marker to turn into the laneway leading down to our house.

Here is the video:

Note: The date/time stamp on the video is incorrect. The correct date is May 22, 2022.

Click on images to enlarge.

We’ve Moved On Up!!! - Part 2

Our new rental home is located in San Roque de Grecia. We have a typical Costa Rican address: “400 m. este de Restaurante La Paila, detrás del taller de aire acondicionado Serví-Frio”.

We are mostly settled in. Only a couple of bins left to sort through, put the contents away and then try to remember where I stowed what. We have found our gardener and housekeeper. They’ll both come every two weeks.

Part of the fun has been exploring the garden area and finding out what is growing. Fruit wise,  we have mora (a berry rather like a blackberry), a mango tree and an avocado tree, a couple of lime trees and what I think may be a limon mandarina - it is green on the outside and yellow on the inside. The mango tree has two almost ready to pick mangos and lots of tiny ones. No avocados as yet.

For herbs, there is a large rosemary bush and I have just planted dill and Italian parsley. Our garden is walled and slopes downward. Lots of truck tires have been situated to help prevent erosion. They are great for gardening and all of them are filled with soil so I will plant more herbs. I found several rose bushes, lots of crotons, some vanda orchids, and two Norfolk pines. There are lots of places for me to hang up my orchid collection.

Someone spent a lot of thoughtful time creating this garden. There are quite a few large lantana shrubs and they attract butterflies and hummingbirds. 

And now for the inside of our new house - 4 bedrooms, two baths, big kitchen and living room. Three, at least (end to end) car garage. Gas oven and six burners, gas dryer. Side by side refrigerator with ice maker, etc. Big round wooden table in kitchen with six chairs. The wood is beautiful - Costa Rican hardwood. Lots of counter space and cabinets. 

The appliances are top of the line.

My favourite part is the outdoor covered loggia which runs around two sides of the house.

Including indoor garage space, outdoor patio space and indoor living space … we have over 3,000 square feet for USD 850, furnished, utilities extra. The cost of utilities is much less. The stove and gas dryer rely on propane and not electricity. In our previous place, the stove and the dryer were electric, leading to a bill of about $100 USD per month. Our first bill here for electric for a month was about 25 USD - I was shocked.

Laneway to our house - garage entrance is on the right:

My outdoor painting area:

Living room: 

Lots of wall space to hang my paintings:

All the inside doors are like this - Costa Rican hardwood.

And, of course, room for my hammock:

More wall space for my art:

Kitchen - gas stove and microwave:

Kitchen table and my favourite refrigerator type:

One side of the loggia:

Click on images to enlarge.

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

During April, visits to this blog were received from the following 11 countries:

The total number of countries and non-independent jurisdictions from which visits have been received remains at 134. Of this number, 13 are non-independent jurisdictions such as the Isle of Man, Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, etc.

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Our move in April from Hacienda El Paseo to San Roque de Grecia (see my blog post on April 23, 2022) has led to two weather summaries for the month:

Hacienda El Paseo is a community in Costa Rica in the canton of Puente de Piedra ("Stone Bridge"), a short distance generally southwest of the city of Grecia. San Roque de Grecia is a short distance generally northeast of Grecia. As the crow flies, the particular location where we now live is about 4.6 miles (7.5 km) from where we lived in Hacienda El Paseo. Our elevation is about 913 feet (278 meters) higher than in Hacienda El Paseo. So, on average we can expect lower temperatures but not temperatures which require indoor heating.

Rainfall comparisons are a bit more problematic. The first three months of 2022 were squarely within the so-called "dry season" in Costa Rica. There were only 3 or 4 days with small amounts of measurable rainfall at Hacienda El Paseo. The same is likely true for San Roque de Grecia. But, all bets are off when it comes to the so-called "green season". 

This year, the rain gods flipped a switch to the green season on April 1. There was measurable rainfall at Hacienda El Paseo every day from April 1 to April 10. On April 11 we moved - so we have no more information from Hacienda El Paseo. But, from San Roque de Grecia, we recorded measurable rainfall on April 15 and on every day from April 21 to April 30. During the remainder of the 2022 green season, it is entirely possible that the recorded rainfall from our location in San Roque de Grecia will be quite different from that which might have been recorded in Hacienda El Paseo. We will never know for sure. But, at the end of this year, we will be able to make comparisons with previous years at Hacienda El Paseo.

As has been indicated in previous posts, Costa Rica is a country of microclimates. Temperatures, temperature averages and rainfall can vary significantly over short distances depending on elevation and geographic location.

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Covid-19 Update

The following table updates information which appeared in my blog entry posted on April 11, 2022:

Overall, the death rate in Canada is down 0.02% since my last post. That in Costa Rica and the United States is unchanged.

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.

We’ve Moved On Up!!! - Part 1

Well, up to a different elevation that is - about 1,000 feet higher from sea level then our rental in Hacienda el Paseo, Grecia. We lived in that house for four years and really liked it and the area  up until the last year.

First, we were inundated with a severe ant problem (apparently an invasive Argentine ant and not indigenous to Costa Rica) and so were many others in Grecia. It was an unusual situation. We hired an exterminator three times to spray both inside and outside and finally the ants disappeared once the dry season started. Our exterminator explained to us that the problem was not limited to the area around Grecia. It extended all the way to the Pacific Coast.

Then there were the problems with the roof. It needed replacing and was supposed to be completed before the rainy season. That did not happen and as a result areas of mold and water damage started to appear on ceilings and walls throughout the house. Not healthy.

The solution was to bring in workers to cover up this damage but not to fix the actual problem - the roof that needed replacing. Finally the roof was replaced …. which meant we were inundated with noise, roofing materials piled all around the house, workers in and out of the house all day. There was always some mess we had to clean up.

Then came the huge condominium development surrounding our Hacienda el Paseo established condo development. Acres of sugar cane were mowed down, leaving dirt and dust to blow into and around our house. See my blog post dated March 7, 2022.

We were on a month to month lease, with three months’ notice to vacate on either side. We knew that the landlord wanted to sell the house and he assured us he would abide by the terms of our agreement.

Well, along came a potential buyer. She showed up numerous times with various sidekicks. Her last visit was our last straw. After two hours of roaming around the house and grounds, infiltrating our privacy with no regard to us, they finally left. Not long after this invasion, our landlord advised us she had made an offer on the house …. as long as the tenants were out in two weeks as she wanted to start renovations!

Our landlord - a really nice person - asked us if we could accommodate this request. We agreed to try.

We contacted a rental agent, Chris Shoo, who we relied upon in the past, and told him what we were looking for. He drove us around to a number of places in the area of Grecia and nearby Sarchi and Naranjo - but none of them quite fit. The final house he saved for last … located in San Roque de Grecia, it was just what we were looking for. By the way, Chris seems to speak five languages (English, Spanish, Dutch, German and French).

First: it was available immediately. Second: monthly rental was significantly less then we were prepared to pay. Numbers 3, 4, 5 , etc.: huge covered outdoor area, nice walled garden, 4 (small) bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, garage, really modern appliances, partially furnished (living room, one bedroom, kitchen), quiet, close to our town of Grecia, fruit trees (lime, avocado, mora, mango), orchids and a rose bush. Lastly, connections to high speed internet were immediately available.

How men check out new digs - Minor, Lance, Chris:

Our landlord lives up north in Guanacaste province but his relatives live all around us. He told us if we ever have any problems, just go knock on any door and ask for help. We are living in a Tico neighbourhood and really like it.

We signed the lease. Now on to the actual move.

For this, I contacted our friend Minor. Minor lives in Grecia, is bilingual, a trained EMT, and available to help with just about anything. He accompanies us to medical appointments, bank appointments - anywhere where a native Spanish speaker can be a big help. He also arranged a moving truck for us.

Minor helped load up the truck. As you can see, we don’t own a whole lot of “stuff” and this size truck carried most everything.

We made a few trips back and forth from old house to new house to move some things with our vehicle, including Kermit:

In Part 2, I will post lots of photos of our new home.

Click on images to enlarge.

Save Our Wild Horses - Conference and Art Show, Washington, D.C., USA

The future of our wild horses and burros in Canada and the U.S.A. is in peril.

To bring awareness to the plight of these animals, a Save Our Wild Horses Conference will be held in Washington, D.C. from April 26 to 30, 2022.

There will also be an art show on April 29th. One of my paintings will be on display and available for purchase. It is titled “Alberta Wildie”, 24”x36”, acrylic on wrapped canvas. Reference photo courtesy of Sandy Sharkey Photography. This is a painting of one of the wild horses living free in the foothills of southern Alberta, Canada.

In addition, a pre-show online auction for the art is being held from April 26 to 30, 2022. This is your chance to buy high quality art and photography before the art show.

Alberta, Canada, also supports wild horses. Wild Horses of Alberta Society’s mission is to ensure the provision of all aspects of the conservation and humane treatment of wild horses living in the foothills of Alberta.  They are committed to the preservation of these magnificent animals in their natural environment.

Please support the wild horses and burros.

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

During March, visits to this blog were received from the following 11 countries:

The total number of countries and non-independent jurisdictions from which visits have been received remains at 134. 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 weather for the month in the area where we live:

March 2022 had marginally warmer overnight lows and significantly warmer daytime highs than March 2021. The average low was 0.7 °F (0.4 °C) warmer. The average high was 2.6 °F (1.5 °C) warmer. The 3 days with measurable rainfall compares with none in March 2021.

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Covid-19 Update

The following table updates information which appeared in my blog entry posted on March 7, 2022:

Overall, the death rate in Costa Rica is down 0.01% since my last post on this topic. It is 0.04% in Canada and up 0.02% in the U.S.

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.

If you want more up to date information and statistics on the situation in Costa Rica, including various locales in Costa Rica, then the web site of the Costa Rican Ministry of Health ("Ministerio de Salud") is a good source. If you do not understand Spanish, then you should enable translation features on your web browser if they are available.

Click on images to enlarge.