Costa Rica Expat Family : Weeks 5, 6 and 7

3-2-14 through 3-23-14
Weeks 5, 6 and 7

How can it possibly be three weeks since I've written? I certainly can't share a day-by-day as I have in the past, so I think I will start by sharing a list of things we have said or heard since moving to Costa Rica, that we never imagined ourselves saying or hearing.

1. Is that monkey poop by the pool?
2. There is a scorpion in the shower!
3. Did the neighbor kill the boa constrictor or let it go?
4. There is a gecko in my cookies!
5. Please keep Elly away from the crocodiles.
6. I think I like this better than chocolate (me, referring to another thirst quenching michelada).
7. I need 29,000 colones for beer. The beer truck is delivering two cases today.
8. Catch the vegetable truck, we are out of cilantro.
9. My neighbor to me, about her dog..."poor guy, an iguana took a bite out of his ear today."
10. A local to me, in response to my fear of snakes, "There is no need to worry because there are so many poisenous snakes here that antivenom is very easy to come by."

My favorite:

11. Kyle to me, "Is there something on my back?" Me, "Oh gosh, YES!" Kyle, "Well get it off!" Me, "No, it is too big!"

And most recently...

12. Me to the kids, "Please get the lizard egg off of the kitchen counter."

Three weeks in a nut shell -- let's see.

Elly had to go to the vet. She had patches of lost hair that didn't look very good. The vet said it was a bacterial infection caused by the salt water and the heat combined. I was so afraid she would say Elly could not go into the ocean anymore. But when I asked she said, "That would be mean to do that to Elly." I was relieved. They kept her all day, gave her a special bath, shaved and treated the spots and gave her an antibiotic injection. They sent her home with some pills and ointment. We were pleasantly surprised that the bill was only $120. We do have to wash her really well everytime we get back from the beach, but that's all. She is looking better :-)

We bought a motorcycle. It was our first transaction that required an attorney, so it was a good learning experience for us. It has a storage trunk on the back so with that and two back packs we can easily ride into Tamarindo for groceries. I love riding, but not sure I want to learn to drive it yet.

Our friends Jen and Greg Brauser and their sons Ethan and Ben (Tristan's good friend) and Alex Clapper, Ryan's best bud, came to visit. That was certainly the highlight of the last three weeks. We did an all day adventure together that included zip lining, horseback riding, tubing on a river, mud baths and hot springs. We took a sunset cruise and went snorkeling. Kyle and Greg took a day to go fishing and Jen and I took the kids on an estuary tour. We visited a new beach, played cards together and enjoyed the pool.

And now a few photos...