Thursday 9/5- One day last week it was raining pretty heavily, and when we went to go shower I could very clearly smell the sewer in the bathroom.
I called Ramie to go investigate what was going on, and he went to check on our septic tank, which just happens to be right outside of the bathroom wall. Sure enough, the cover was lifted and the septic tank was overflowing. It's not like you think, we didn't have nasty crap (literally) all over our yard, but from under the cement lid that covers the plastic tank you could see water coming up and out. It turns out that this time of year, this is actually a problem for a lot of septic systems in Costa Rica. I think we’ve mentioned in prior posts, but if I didn’t I will now, the soil here in our part of Costa Rica is mostly heavy red clay, in the rainy season it can rain a LOT in a short period of time, and then that clay gets saturated and holds all of the water that doesn’t run off. Since a septic system is supposed to allow water to seep into the ground, it is a problem when all of the rain that you’ve recently got has already completely filled up the ground and there is nowhere for the septic water to seep to, and the only place left for it to go is up and out of the tank lid.
Fortunately, Ramie has the contact information for a septic tank cleaner outer company, so he called them right away to schedule a time, hopefully soon, to have them come pump our tank out and look at it to make sure there aren’t any problems that may be causing this overflow. Today was they came out. No, I’m not going to share any pictures, but Ramie did say the tank was at a normal level today when they opened everything up. Granted, it hasn't rained for a few days so the waterlogged clay probably started to dry up and the septic water is probably going where it's supposed to. They still pumped everything out to fully empty it, and even cleaned the grease trap for us. They assured us that everything looked to be in good condition and there were no major issues like tree roots. I mean, we kind of expected no roots because we have no trees near our tank or the drain field, but it was still good for him to confirm. The Septic guy said that the system will probably have to be pumped every couple of years, and when we experience issues, most of them will show up during the rainy season just like it did now, because of the ground being fully saturated with water. Well at least now we have a nice clean tank and know that we can expect this type of thing to happen this time of year.
Saturday 9/7- It looks like this will be a laid-back weekend since we don’t really have anything planned. Ramie has been wanting to do a little bit of maintenance on the Starlink setup, and since I’m not working today, it’s the best time for him to disconnect the internet so that he can install the new mount that he made. We had been using the factory stand and just screwed it to the frame of our solar water heater, and it has been working fine there, but he thought that we might get slightly better signal if he raised it up higher. Currently the “view” of the Starlink is just catching the very edge of some tall trees down by the creek, the same ones that we even had trimmed earlier this year, and raising it higher should help get those treetops out of the Starlink view.
Right away this morning, before the sun got too high and it got to hot on the roof, he got the ladder out and got to work. It only took him about 20 minutes to get the new bracket mounted and the Starlink reinstalled. It did the trick to get a nice clean view, but he still thinks that it could have a longer pipe added to it for a little bit more additional height. After all, the trees are not going to stop growing! For now this will do and we’ll deal with changes in the future if needed.
Once he was finished with that project, he decided to make use of the rest of the conduit that he bought for the Starlink project, and made a free-standing pole to hang our large wind chime. We brought 2 of my wind chimes down from MN and have had them hanging from various corners around our house, carport, and pool pump room, and we almost never get enough of a breeze to make them ring. There is one corner of our house that seems to get more wind that comes through, but still not enough to make it chime, so our thought was to get it out more into the open yard and away from the house to see if it gets more wind there. If it doesn't work in the place that we think it should work, then we can just move it around the yard to find a place that does!
Ramie didn't get home until after 4:00, but he said that they were in awe of the house and that it has turned out much larger than they were expecting. The walk through this afternoon was good, as they did find some things that needed to be changed or addressed and had the rest of this afternoon and evening to think about other things.
Wednesday 9/11- Ramie met Karen, Dennis, and the builder at the site at 8:30 this morning. It turned out to be a very long day of build-related stuff and Ramie didn't get home until about 4pm again. He told me that they walked through every little detail of the house from light switch and outlet locations and placement, to cabinet design, layouts, etc. Unless you’ve built a house that doesn’t have an exact, ultra-detailed blueprint already laid out before, you just can’t imagine every little detail that has to be planned before it’s time to actually install something. Even though it was a very long day, it was very productive for them. Ramie did say that they were completely overwhelmed and didn't realize that they would have to make all of these decisions on this trip, but the house build is at that critical stage where these types of things are needed. We can commiserate with them, though, since we went through a very similar process just a couple of years ago!
Thankfully they were able to come down to do this in person and didn’t have to try to do it through a video call or just let someone else make the decisions for them.
Thursday 9/12- Today Karen and Dennis had another full day with the builder, but Ramie didn’t have to go with them. Today’s adventure would be to go to San Isidro to shop for all the fixtures like toilets, bathtub, tile, and all that fun stuff. After having done this all before for ourselves, I know that they will be completely exhausted by the time they return to Uvita later today. Ramie worked around the house on projects of our own, and when I was done working, we went up to Geoff and Tracy’s for a couple hours to catch up and have an afternoon coffee.
Friday 9/13- In our last blog I told you about the unfortunate mishap with my phone and how I was currently stuck using my old phone as a backup until we can source a new one. Today Ramie got a message from our shipper that our packages were ready to be picked up. What packages? Ramie's new phone! FINALLY! It has not been fun or easy using my old phone that doesn't have all the apps and things that I need or am used to. Randall just happened to be in San Isidro today and offered to pick them up for us, so we would have the new phone by the end of the day!
Today was also Karen and Dennis’s last full day in Uvita and we hadn’t had a chance to go out to dinner with them yet, so this was our last opportunity. The 4 of us were joined by Loren and Nancy and a Canadian couple who plans to move to the area soon that Karen and Dennis met somewhere along the way. It was a nice dinner, but since there were so many of us, it was difficult to chat with the people on the other end of the table.
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| Starting on the lower left, Unknown, Loren, Nancy, Dana, Ramie, Karen, Unknown, Dennis. |
Finally, it was time for Ramie to get the new cell phone out, install the screen protector and make sure everything was set up properly and working before doing a factory reset on his old phone so that he could pass it along to me and I could start getting that one set up. While he was doing that, I was busy working on some chores around the house and in the kitchen, so instead of interrupting my work, Ramie got to work on trying to figure out how to transfer everything from my old phone to the new one.
According to the instructions, it would be very easy to do if we could see the screen of the old one, but we just don’t have that luxury. The weird thing about this whole old phone screen thing is that the touch screen still works, but we can’t see anything and have no idea where to touch to get to the screen that we need, or what screen it is currently on. We tried to mirror it to the TV and an external computer monitor, but you need to have it unlocked and some settings turned on for that to work. After what seemed like a really long time of trying he just couldn't get anything to work.
Finally, I was done with my chores and I decided to see if I could get anything to work differently. It seemed like it wasn’t doing anything, but after a little while of messing around, all of a sudden the transfer started. I think what happened is that when I started playing around with it, the phone recognized my face and unlocked, and with enough tapping in the correct location, I may have touched the connect button. It wasn’t flawless, and it started and stopped so many times I couldn’t even count. It was frustrating and took us the majority of the morning, but I finally got a lot of the stuff from my old phone to transfer to my new one. I guess, because of the way we did it, it didn’t transfer everything or all of my settings like Ramie's transferred to his new phone, so I had to spend more time trying to find my notification sounds back (because I’m a creature of habit and don't really like dumb things like that to change), and get logged into everything. By about 2:30 I had most of the important stuff restored to my new-to-me phone. There will be more to finish up later, but I hate doing this and I was very frustrated after wasting another half of a day working on this phone stuff.
It had started to rain at some point in the afternoon, and we were supposed to head up to the coffee plantation with Geoff & Tracy this evening for some Independence Day festivities. A couple of weeks ago when we were up at the plantation, Rita was telling us about how Independence Day is celebrated here, and Deiner encouraged us to come join in, so we were ready up to experience it like a local. The Independence Day celebrations here are put on by the schools and are very focused on tradition. Deiner’s village also used this opportunity as a fundraiser for their small local primary school. We learned there are only 12 students that go here, and are all between the ages of 6-13. It reminds us of the stories of the olden days with the 1 room schoolhouses and all of the kids learning together at the same time.
The festivities were scheduled to start around 5pm so we left Geoff and Tracy’s house around 4pm so we got up to San Luis a little bit early. We stopped at the plantation first to see if anyone was around and we found Melissa (Deiner’s sister) and Emilio, who offered us a cup of coffee on this chilly, rainy afternoon. While waiting for the water to heat up for coffee, he was very happy to serve us a shot of his moonshine too. We hung out and visited for about 20 minutes before Melissa came in and told us it was time to go. We could have walked the little way to the community center where this would be held, but it was still raining so we jumped in Dusti, drove for 20 seconds and parked. Of course, Melissa and Rita would be walking and a little bit behind us in their arrival. The event was taking place in the “Communal Center” for San Luis, which is a large, open building where they have a bunch of folding tables and chairs, and they hold community events like these. There’s also an outdoor covered area for people to hang out, and another small building off to the side that is set up as a very basic kitchen. They started the festivities with a potluck style dinner, and the proceeds from purchasing a plate went to the school. When we arrived, families were already eating, kids were all dressed up in the traditional cultural dress, and people were enjoying each other's company.
We honestly didn't know anyone there at this point except Melissa, so we looked very out of place as the only gringos that no one recognized. We also didn’t know how any of this worked! Tracy made a Greek pasta salad to share with the community, so Geoff brought it into the kitchen area. Since Geoff speaks little to no Spanish, he was trying his best to communicate with the ladies in there, and one of them yelled over to a guy that they knew spoke English so he could come translate for Geoff.
After helping Geoff in the kitchen, the guy came out and introduced himself to the rest of us, which is when we found out that he was another one of Emilo’s brothers. I guess they have a huge family and we have only met a few of the family members. Deiner, his family, and Juan Carlos eventually showed up, which was a great help to us when it came to figuring things out. After paying a donation we were served a plate that included some traditional style foods like rice with pork, and another style of rice which was very different from anything we have tried before, and of course, Tracy’s pasta salad.
Just as we finished eating and right before 6 pm we were all asked to go inside the community center. It was time for the National Anthem. Nationwide at 6pm, the national anthem is sung, followed by several more patriotic songs. They displayed the lyrics on a projection screen and I tried to follow along, but it was too fast and there were too many words I didn’t know, but I could gather that it was very much about patriotism and becoming a free country. Independence Day isn't technically until tomorrow 9/15, but it would be difficult to do all this on a Sunday night so I guess they are celebrating a day early. This year they are celebrating 203 years of independence from Spain.
After the songs, it was decided that the one light bulb in the building that was working would not be enough, so the men of the community decided to fix that.
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| No ladder available so might as well make use of a stack of chairs. |
Then they did the good old egg on a spoon race. Same idea as the sack races, but with a spoon in their mouth with an egg balanced on the spoon. I noticed that the Ramie, Geoff, Diener, Juan Carlos and others disappeared during the tortilla event. Tracy & I decided to go look for them.
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| I found them at the ATV, drinking beer and shots. |
The next event was Bingo which was played until the rest of the donated prizes ran out. Cards cost the equivalent of about $.50 a piece, so we got 3 cards each (because that was all we could really handle on our laps) and made an extra donation along with it. I ended up winning one game and my prize was some M&M’s and a homemade candle holder.
Throughout the night, Ramie and Geoff kept being pulled away to join some of the men for "men things" that normally wouldn’t be allowed at an event like this. cough “shots” cough. It's supposed to be alcohol free since the school is putting it on, but someone had brought a bottle of rum to share, and Ramie would be hard pressed to say no to that!
When all
of the games were finished, it was time to display and judge the
traditional lanterns. Each student, family, or community member is
invited to make a lantern representing something that is key to Costa
Rica or the culture here. They are judged on three things, the most
traditional, the most beautiful, and the most creative. This also means
there are three winners. We aren’t exactly sure who the judges were, but
I think it might have been the teachers or staff at the school. The
lanterns are lit, some with a candle, others with a small
battery-operated light, the lights in the building were shut off and
everyone walked around to view the lanterns. I have to say, there was a
lot of artistic talent in this room!! It would be one of those projects
that parents in the US would absolutely hate and get frustrated, and
everyone would start crying before the project was done. That might
happen here, but you could tell that the people take pride in their
creations, and some were REALLY good! Some of these families that have several kids may have had to make several of these projects too! This would be a hard pass for me!
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| Traditional coffee maker - Chorreador |
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| 1 Mil Colones bill |
Once the winners were announced, they had a closing song, and that was it for the evening. It was about 9:30 as we said our goodbyes and made our way back down the mountain in the rain, and were home around 10. That was a late night for us being the early birds that we are, but it was a very fun and insightful evening. Thank you to the Don Emilio family for inviting us to this celebration and for the San Luis community for welcoming us in. By the end we really did feel like we were part of the community, which is such a great feeling.
Sunday 9/15- ¡Feliz día de la independencia!
We had zero plans today, except for spending more time working on that
dang phone. I want my old notification sounds back because it’s just
easier that way, but most of them are not an option on this "new" phone. I am
also having a heck of a time trying to figure out how to get
different notification sounds for different apps... UGH Technology!
It should work... I mean, I had it on the old one! After spending too much time and getting frustrated I decided it was
enough of that for a while and since it was such a beautiful day, why
waste it on a phone. We relaxed in the pool in the morning, which is
unusual for us, usually that’s in the afternoon, then worked on the blog
for a while after that. And then, since it was still so nice out, we
went in the pool again in the afternoon!
Thursday 9/19- It’s been a long time since we got to hang out with Ray & Wesley, since they’ve been going through all of their various sicknesses, and they were both finally feeling well enough, so we went out to dinner with them. We haven't been back to the Mexican place since we went 2 day sin a row for my birthday, so we decided to pick them up and head there. The food was delicious again, and we had a nice time catching up. We weren't out late and were home just after dark, but this evening we got to drive in heavy rain on the way home. Ray said that this is exactly why they don't go out after dark this time of year, and we tend to agree!
Some of you who have followed our blog since the beginning, or at least since the time we started building our house, might remember when we talked about shopping for all of the furnishings that we would need, and how it is difficult to find good furniture here. A lot of things are custom made, and you don’t just buy it off of a showroom floor. When we were buying for our house, we found a place that makes living room furniture, we looked at all of their showroom models, we picked the one we liked, made a few little adjustments, and ordered our couch, chair, and ottoman. At first the couch wasn’t bad, but after the cushions started getting tired, this couch is NOT comfortable due to the odd way that it was constructed.
Saturday 9/21- This morning we left our house to pick up Geoff & Tracy at about 8:15 for a fun ATV ride day. We met Deiner at his house around 9:00 and got on the road a little bit later. It was just us and him, he had a route planned out that we didn’t know, and we’d make it a day, or probably at least most of a day. We didn’t really know what he had in store for us. The morning was nice, but as we got closer to noon it started to cloud over. Of course, it had to start raining, and since we don’t have a windshield Ramie & Geoff were getting wet in the front seat, but they at least had a roof (for what that was worth) because Deiner was on a traditional 4-wheeler. He had a rain jacket and helmet, though, and even though we have a lot of things, rain jackets for ATVing isn’t one of them! Tracy and I in the back seat weren’t getting as wet as the guys and were glad for it. Deiner was taking us on all sorts of new roads, and with the rain, some of these roads got very slippery and actually fairly dangerous, even with ATV tires. Despite the rain and unfavorable conditions, it was still a lot of fun, and yes, Ramie did eventually find some mud to play in!
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| Wet, but not terrible......yet! |
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| Had to stop and have a quick shot |
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| On this ride I noticed that there are a lot of small town churches that sit on mountain-sides with the most beautiful view. I mean, God created it all, let's thank him for it by worshiping there, right? |
For the adventurous ones, there was a swing that you could sit on and swing out over what I will call a cliff or drop off. Basically, it was the natural slope as the mountain dropped away to the river far below. And by swing, I truly do mean an old fashioned couple of ropes tied to a tree branch with a piece of wooden plank at the bottom. Nothing to strap you in, nothing to hold you from falling out, and if you did something stupid, nothing but the ropes tied to the tree branch connected you to the earth. Tracy & Ramie took their turns on the swing but there was no way you’d get me on that thing! I mean, you remember the height fiasco a year and a half ago when we were hiking at Nick’s property, right? Ramie said that his stomach went into his throat once he realized just how far of a fall it was, and he doesn't like heights that much either.
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| The use of the swing is at your own risk. It is not suitable for children |
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| Geoff was trying to stay as warm as he could. |
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| No, that isn't a bag over Tracy's face, it's just her hood. |
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| Deiner showed us the best way to make the Tico Ponchos, at least when you don't have a knife. |
When we arrived at the
plantation, Rita and Emilio greeted us with a shot of moonshine and we
hung around for a little while to chit chat and warm up. Once we were back
at the plantation I told Deiner that driving on that slippery mud today
was like driving on ice back home, only there the speed limit is 65 MPH
and there might be a lot of traffic. He told me that, in that case, he
would only walk to places on those icy days. When I reminded him that
the air temperature was colder than his freezer in his kitchen, he then
decided that he would never go anywhere in the winter, he would just
stay home (same here Deiner, same here!) . After some visiting, we made our way back down the mountain
and were home before dark. The 4 of us had an absolutely great time
today, and I think Deiner had fun too. Deiner if you're reading this,
thanks for the fun ride, let’s do it again sometime (maybe when it’s not
raining 😉 )!!
Monday 9/23- Well, the day that I and
my work-mates have been waiting for has arrived: my new admin employee
started. So, let the shitshow begin! Let’s just say, even on day one, it
was showing that he may have embellished his resume a little bit more
than we realized. Let’s see what the rest of the week brings!
Today Ramie got the suitcases down from our long-term storage area and we started to pack the things that we are bringing back to MN. It’s hard to believe that we will be there with the family in less than one week. You’re probably wondering what we could possibly be packing to bring back to MN with us, don’t we usually pack up suitcases full of stuff to come down here with us?! Well, for one, cotton T-shirts don’t do great down here for us. Cotton is too hot to wear for just regular day-to-day things, and in rainy season, unless they are all stored in the dry-room, they are the first things to get musty or moldy in our closets, there really is no point for us to have more than a couple of cotton “work shirts” for welding and weed whacking down here, so it’s time for them to go back. We also picked up some treats for the family members who asked us to bring something back for them.
Of course, you have heard the stories of our luck when it comes to travel. Why wouldn’t we get a notification from American Airlines today about the hurricane that could potentially cause problems with our itinerary. They offered us to change our flights at no cost, which would delay us by a day or several days, but at this point, we’re going to chance it and leave it alone. Our thought is that either we change our plans and are late, or we leave them as they are and if we are delayed and late due to the hurricane, we'll get there a day or two late too. At least if we don’t change the plans, there’s a chance we’ll get to MN on time & as planned. I suppose there’s the possibility that we could have to sleep in an airport, or hopefully, if there is a delay, the airline would put us up in a hotel.
Thursday 9/26- Even though I worked as much as I could in the morning, we spent quite a bit of time today finalizing all of the things so that they are ready for to leave the house alone for 3 weeks. Ramie cut the grass, we made sure that the people checking in on the house for us had keys to get in & instructions on what we’d like them to pay attention to, and Ramie dropped Dusti off with Loren & picked up the rental car. Of course, let’s not forget about Skye! We brought her to puppy daycare at Paola’s tonight because we would be leaving at 5am tomorrow and dropping her off then just wouldn't work. It’s going to be a strange night tonight, not having our puppy here with us!
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| Our rental car for 1 day.. |
Pura Vida!
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