Keeping Lethargy at bay

When one finally stumbles out of bed here and the sun has already been up for half an hour and you pull the sliding doors apart and step outside to the whooosh of escaping air conditioned coolness slipping out past you from behind, your frontal half is enveloped by heat and humidity. For a moment you think, "Jeeze, perhaps I'll just go back inside, shut the doors to save some of that cool air inside and just stay there!" So you stagger back inside telling yourself, "But wait, I can't just go back to sleep, at least not until high noon when the idea of siesta begins to make sense." So to avoid the spectre of lethargic numbness I'll draw and blog. Saved for the next few hours!

The day before yesterday we were up by 5:30 AM to get ready to head into Samara to meet with Corey up at his subdivision project, to check on the window installation in the model home and to show him another sketch of a condominium tower for lots 5 & 6 combined. The windows were of a high quality buy the false wood grain finish looked false. During the installation into the metal jambs the contractor used impact drills or hammers for the screws and the stucco was spalled in many areas. Corey was not happy. On a brighter note he was very pleased with my building and site concepts even though I had no topo to work with save my recollections of what the grades were doing during my previous two visits. Consequently I could have sited the subterranean garage in a couple of other places. Also I need to work on possible compensation proposals before I do too much more work. Corey has a couple of his supervisors coming over from San Jose next week and would like us to all get together for some wine and possibilities.

After review of the site plan Corey drove us over the hills to another teak farm site that is earmarked for future development and is looking for ideas there as well. We could also look down into the huge valley on the way to Los Vegas (4 buildings). They also want to develop that valley for the local market. Smaller lots at lower prices. That could be trickier to keep it from becoming a blight with pit bulls and fighting cocks. Perhaps a large choice of pre designed modest homes, like a dozen designs might be enough to keep it from looking too shabby.
Reminds of days with the Betsill Brothers on Maui when at one point we had the largest construction budget of all the outer islands with 4-5 subdivisions building 6-8 houses at a time in more than one subdivision at a time. Maui was peaking then. The development crew and permanent work force was 60-80 plus specialty subs. Too much work.

After the hillside visit JoAnn and I stopped in town for a few staples, but by then the heat drove us back to our pad in the hills of Camaronel and AC.

Yesterday began liesurely enough with a plan to head back to Carillo and the deserted beach cove below Villa Playa El Robles up beyond the mango farms. We had it to ourselves the entire morning. It is not a large cove, perhaps only 200' wide and enclosed on two sides by rocky outcrops with a short forest drop from landward. The pleasure was in the very rocky waters that took the full force of the non reef impeeded wave sets sending crashing walls of white skyward. To our surprise we saw our first flights of Pelicans in "V" or straight formations using this bay as part of their fly over pattern. In flight there is no bulbous bill sack hanging down only the long streamlined beak pointing them forward. The wave crash and turbulence, though beautiful to watch in transluscent jades and white, left no swimming places between the rocks. So after an hour and a half of reading, basking, walking, photographing and hydrating (very important here) we pulled up stakes and crept further down the road to look at another private cove but with a swimming spot or two.

Back at the main road, since we were so close to Carrillo Beach we headed there for a swim.
JoAnn is such a confident swimmer,always heading out for the deep water where its cooler and cleaner; Me you will find in the sandy froth and in front of the breaking wave fronts trying to keep my trunks from coming off with each crashing wave! After almost a month here we are beginning to recognise some of the local regulars, always a good feeling.

On the way home we stopped in at the Suenos Tropical for a recommended scratch pizza. It was good but the Canadian bacon in a Hawaiian pizza here is, 1/2" wide, thin and curled, otherwise? There's one more pizza place in Samara we've yet to try but time is running out, only 8 more days in Costa Rica, then its off to Roatan where I expect things to really slow down? Found one little market still open during 1/2 day saturdays, siesta time anyway, for a stick of butter then guick home before it melts. Note to self: Permanent vehicle here should include a small electric cooler for bopping around. I hear VW makes a small twin turbo diesel pick up truck but not available for the US. Back in the US we get almost none of the good diesel stuff.

Gas guage is down to 1/4 so I think we will stay close to home tomorrow and head in for gas on Monday. There is only one station here and it is over $5.00/gal.
As I said at the beginning, tomorrow, Sunday, will be a day of rest: sketching, blogging, eating, pooling, showering, sucking AC and maybe a late afternoon walk down a grassy 4 wheel trail to the beach?

Vaya con Dios, hasta la vista, Oh Cisco, Oh Pancho, Oh Leo G.Carrillo !!
Antonio e Josepha Anna