Rainy season is really back in full swing here in Nosara. As I write, we are well into our 40th or so hour of rain, usually downpour though now a bit calmer. The Rio Nosara has risen into the home of a friend of ours, another creek has risen closing off the main road between our house and Nosara village, the Rio Montana has risen to block off any possibility of crossing it by car (though a motorbike or cuad can still get across a hanging bridge there). It is quite a thing, all this rain and, as with just about everything here, everyone takes it right in stride...
My mom (Becky) visited us for the 2nd time last week and we had a very nice visit. I met her up in San Jose and we spent a night at the very beautiful Xandari hotel. Here is a video (click on the link for YouTube...it wouldn't load on this site for me) of us hiking on some of the trails on the Xandari property and finding a nice waterfall. We wound up lounging at the spa and my mom making a feline friend.
The day following her arrival, she and I headed up the long and winding road that leads to the door of Poas Volcano, some 8200 feet above sea level. While the weather was fine down in San Jose, it was cold, foggy and spitting rain up at the crater, as the video below attests. Apparently, through the fog we might have seen a lake with water temperature of 104 degrees Farenheit in the crater below. But, we could barely see each other!
After Poas, we hopped a NatureAir flight out to Nosara and were picked up by Tara and the kids right after their school day. The rest of her visit consisted of some nice time with the kids, a couple beautiful sunsets, a fun dinner with our friends David & Katy and Olivier & Jane and a trip by my mom and I up to the now inaccessible (because of risen rivers) San Juanillo for lunch.
In a few minutes, I will head out to video some of the wetness of Nosara to post shortly. (though power is scheduled to be out tomorrow, and with it internet access so a blog will not be posted until probably Friday.
And, one final poem, during this poetry section of the blog. This one was written on a beautiful day at San Juanillo, a beach about 20 km north of us.
“God’s Beauty”
I come to the beach
Looking for beauty;
For whitewater crashing on rocks;
For sunlight sparkling on sea;
For God’s pattern in the roll of each wave.
And I see it.
But still I fight to keep my eyes open.
Tired am I.
“Sit up!”
“Look and admire!”
But my body says
Lay back,
Soften,
Relax.
My body wins.
I lay in the sand
It clings to my wet back.
Above me
Sunlight splashes down
Through the lattice
Of naked tree branches
One above the other
Large limbs tapering into
Narrow arms spreading into
Fine twigs.
God’s beauty sixty inches away,
There for me to witness
Only when I give in.
Another poem, written one day at Playa Pelada--whose ever-changing beauty is simply inspiring. I wrote this shortly after my experience hearing the whale song. (See this link - the 2nd story down).
“Pelada”
Here and gone
And a quarter day later
Here again.
Island and mainland
And island again.
Categories meaningless
In God’s everchanging game.
Tide pool to stone ocean floor.
Green water to white.
Downpour to blazing heat.
Life to death and back again.
Who are we to expect stability?
To claim definitions?
To make categories?
Categories that only separate us
From the Truth.
Labels that deny
Our one Reality.
My heart stirs.
Unformed tears that are passion, muted,
For understanding, knowing, uniting, Being.
Flow Passion!
Sink deep into the earth!
Rise high above!
Swim far below!
Envelope yourself in His blue waters,
Surrounded by His sweet song,
Rising up to you,
The voice of your mother
When you floated in her own waters.
Return to that One!
Shadow and light exist only for us to know
That different are really the same.
That God plays a game called More Beauty
And wins every time, outdoing our own
Expectations, our own
Beliefs, our own
Efforts.
The sun-bleached log
Moves like a crocodile in the sun.
While most of my writing here in Costa Rica has involved work on one screenplay, I have also written a short story and several poems. We are fortunate to live in a place whose natural beauty inspires us day and day out. This poetry comes from this place and the peacefulness it can inspire. I'll share two short poems I wrote back in January. Later this week, I'll post two more.
“A Bird Sings”
And now a bird sings.
I’d like to know his life.
His favorite food;
His favorite tree;
His dearest companion.
And why he sings.
I mean,
Does he enjoy his song as much as I?
Does he smile at the breeze that is cooling us now?
And is he home?
Or, is he too a visitor,
Stopping in, resting on a long journey?
If you are home, thank you for your hospitality.
If you are passing through, safe travels.
May we meet again.
With rainy season in full swing now, we have been excited for a couple weeks to get back to the waterfall that we visited several times in November (see this entry called Seasons in the Sun). With our friends the Tuttons and minus our wonderful Riley (who was playing at a friend's house), we journeyed expectantly back to the falls in the hope of some freshwater fun.
The first part of adventure classifies in the history books now as "The Casagrande's Scariest Moment in Costa Rica." Read on, if you dare. The walk to the falls involves crossing a pasture that is closed off by barbed wire. The barbed wire is effective at keeping the cows in, less so at keeping folks like us out. So, with half our crew having run ahead through the pasture, Tara and I were left with Tae and Baker and David and Katy Tutton and their 5 year old daughter, Gemma. We crossed under the barbed wire and into a field with a dozen or so cows, a bull or two and half a dozen or more calves. The bulls were big. Really big. With big horns, the kind you see as hood ornaments on cadillacs down in Texas.
We walked down the path on the right side of the field, eyes fixed mostly on the ground on the lookout for venomous snakes--they have always been the chief concern on this hike. However, as I, in the lead, walked past a bull about 30 feet from me, he stared right at me. I offered up the suggestion to all to just move ahead and not look the bull in the eyes. I quickened my pace and, a second or two later, heard a scream from Gemma. The bull, eyes ablaze, was now just a few feet from our path--where Baker and Gemma had been. Gemma was off in a bush with her mother who had swept her up and ran off. Baker was thirty yards behind me (he had been 3 yards behind me), having also taken off running when the bull charged. Baker and Gemma were both seriously shaken, as were the adults. The bull had charged right at Baker and Gemma while I had my head down forging onward.
Now the bull was between Tara, Baker, Tae and the Tuttons and me and yet, we had to march on to the falls because the rest of our group (all kids) was already there. So, I walked back towards Tara, eyes on the bull. He had moved back a few steps again--maybe now 20 feet from the path. As I walked by, he came around and behind me, effectivly herding me back in with my group--as he undoubtedly had been herded many times before.
With adrenaline pumping, we found an alternate path to the falls following the river bed. We made it there without further problem and on the return trip avoided the bulls altogether.
The falls were great. Here are some photos and video of our time.
Tara enjoying the big pool at the MalaNoche Falls.
Baker leaping from an 8 foot jump. Later we moved up to about 18 feet. (or 21 feet, according to Tom!)
Selena, Baker, Tom, Katy, Sage and Maya at the falls.
Tara and Tae having a pre-mother's day moment!
Tae enjoys a fireman's carry from David on the way home.
With the falls dryer than during our visits last November, we were able to climb up above the primary falls and find two other small swimming pools and this great little natural waterslide that Tae and Gemma enjoyed.
Whoa! It has been a long time since blogging, with no particularly good reason, except for the fact that we have been busy having some nice adventures. Let’s do a top 10 list of the past month (or a bit more).
10. Surfing with the Murrays
Aunt Julie, Uncle Paul, Cassie, Hope and Jen (aka AJUPCHaJ) were in town at the end of March and start of April. Once here, they quickly put on their rashguards, pulled out their surfwax, and caught waves, dude. They were sweet wave riders as this video attests. And, better yet, Julie had a long lost college friend in town the same week so they all surfed together. (Hence the title Murray-Curry Surf.)
9. Del Mar Talent Show
Our kids are incredibly talented. At the First Annual [or first and last, I am not sure!] Del Mar Academy Talent show, Baker and two friends reprised the classic Abbot & Costello Who’s on First skit, to great laughter, while Riley, Baker and friends put together a 7 cast-member skit involving a Firing Squad, hairbrushes, and a boy’s underwear. The judges commented “These guys are the next Saturday Night Live cast!” Along with several other students, Riley also performed an outstanding skiprope routine and hula hoop routine and Baker lip-synced a Black Eyed Peas tune. Tae planned to dance to Beat It, but in the end decided that the Nosara Stage lights were not for him. You can check them all out on YouTube at this link (minute 3:35) and this link (minute 2:22). And here's part of the opening act, where Baker and his boys get down:
8. Happy Birthday Granddad!
April saw our first time in the states since September. (Well, for Baker, Tae and I—Ri and Tara made a short trip to FLA in March). And the occasion was a great one. My Dad turned 75! We threw him a wonderful surprise party, planned to perfection by my brother Greg and attended by all the family luminaries from my Zizi Elaine, Uncle Bob, Uncle Dante, and Aunt Shirley down to every cousin from Duane to Mandy [who I learned is a devoted and overly-complimentary reader of this blog. It was great to see you again, Mandy!]; and every second cousin from all around. Granddad was indeed surprised.
We lured him to NW Jersey for a round of golf with Greg, Joe and me. The first six holes of that round on a blisteringly chilly day (particularly for a guy who prefers the knock-you-down heat of Nosara) were my best six holes of golf ever, including two pars. From there, well, that’s another story.
The night before our trip to the states, Riley could be found playing at Xandari hotel, near the San Jose airport!
7. Happy Birthday Baker!
It wasn’t just Granddad’s birthday that we celebrated in the past month. Baker turned eleven on April 9. First, in an incredible rally, Baker’s friends from Virginia Noah and Jacob (and their Dad and Mom) drove the two boys all the way up to Jersey’s Six Flags Great Adventure so the three boys could test their mettle on some bigtime rollercoasters and just enjoy one another for the first time since September. Baker had a ball!
Jacob, Noah, Baker and Riley at Great Adventure for Baker's 11th.
And, then upon our return to CR, Baker’s friends Tom, Dakota, and Omid had a full weekend of birthday partying, from Friday night Wii tournaments, to a Saturday morning fishing trip to, Saturday sleepovers and a full Sunday brunch (including Tuna Sashimi from what the boys caught on their fishing trip---mmmmm, delicious!) Tom summed it up as “the best weekend in his life.” Not bad.
Baker reels in a white tuna that was later turned into the freshest sashimi we have ever had.
6. Manhattan, Just Like We Pictured It
Our trip to the States also included a two night stint in New York. Everyone adjusted quickly to the sharp—understatement!—change in location from Nosara, Guanacaste, CR, where we travel by quad on unpaved roads, surrounded by forest and beach without a single lighted sign in sight, to Times Square, New York, NY, where day is turned to night with neon and the Statue of Liberty, built entirely of legos, stands tall in a three-story Toys R Us. Everyone, that is, but me. I was a bit overwhelmed and took a full 24 hours to get used to it all. We had a fantastic second day in New York, during which we rode bikes through battery park all the way up to Lulu and Mookie’s Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream Shop, a great spot in china town that is owned by friends of ours here in Nosara; and then took in the Lion King, on Broadway, and with a post-show donation to support cervical cancer research, took a backstage tour of the production. Awesome!
Ice cream straight out of Snape's Potions Class...
5. Ziplining with the Murrays
Back to the Murrays…They had not been off a plane for 24 hours before they were flying again. This time on Miss Sky…our local zipline here in Nosara which turns out to be, in fact, the Guiness-Book Certified World’s Longest Zipline! They had a ball (I hope to get a vid up on YouTube of the zipline day, but have been having uploading problems...will let you know when it is there). It was particularly fun to watch different combinations of the kids riding together. We happened to be flying on a day when also flying was a newsteam from Informe 11, a local news service that was reporting on the World Record Story. Though they said the video would be posted online, we have not yet seen it. However a Tica friend said that she saw Tae and Tara on the news the night after we ziplined!
Ready for takeoff! Casagrandes and Murrays ready to fly on the world's longest zipline.
4. Rolling down a River
I am just back from a great boys’ week long trip down the Rio San Juan in Nicaragua. My buddy Gerrit, from Boston, MA, made the long trip down to join four Nosara friends and I for fishing and exploring in a pretty remote corner of the world. We reeled in a load of wapote (rainbow bass) from a rushing jungle stream, during a torrential downpour.
Paul's Jack and my Wapote were the biggest catches of the trip. (All right, his was a bit bigger...)
We spent one night on the front end in El Castillo, a remarkable little town, cutoff from the rest of the world if not for its location on the banks of this grand river. There were no cars in the town and only a golf-cart like road (though no golf carts). We saw a few gringo tourists there but not many and enjoyed delicious tilapia and river shrimp pulled from Rio San Juan. We then journeyed a full seven hours down river to the Caribbean to the Rio Indio Lodge, where Rama Indians led us through the rainforest, helping us to catch the wapote and pointing out birds and other wildlife along the way. On the tailend, Gerrit and I took another day near El Castillo, kayaking and exploring in the forest and a final day exploring the artists colonies and bird refuges of the Solentiname islands, in Lake Nicaragua—the 19th largest lake in the world.
David and Gerrit stand guard, U2 like, at El Castillo, Nicaragua.
Barry and Koz in the 51-seater boat that carried the six of us for 14 hours over 400 km of river in style and comfort!
It seems A.A. Milne stole his idea for the little stuffed bear in the Hundred Acre Wood from this small Nicaraguan bookstore in San Carlos, along the Rio San Juan.
Gerrit celebrated our arrival at the Carribbean after a 7 hour boat journey by tossing this spear within inches of my eye!
3. Rio Celeste – Twice
When AJUPCHaJ rolled into town, not only did they surf and zipline, but also joined us (minus Tara who was finishing up a two-week intensive yoga instructor advanced course) on a trip to Rio Tenorio National Park, where we horseback road and hiked through the pouring rain and slip-and-slide mud to the Rio Celeste. Rio Celeste is a cool junction of two mineral-rich rivers. Both rivers look absolutely typical, but when their waters join they turn the brightest blue—a chemical reaction of the minerals in each. Very cool. We also saw an enormous waterfall.
Jen, Julie, and Cassie and Riley cross a river on horseback as we ride to Tenorio National Park to see the Rio Celeste's blue waters.
Hope stands beside the blue lagoon--colored this way because of a chemical reaction among minerals put forth by the volcano.
After a long day's hike through the mud, Baker is wiped out in front of this beautiful waterfall.
After Rio Celeste, the Murrays and Baker and Riley went whitewater rafting while Tae and I went for a flatwater float. Here he is, gearing up for the trip.
And, here is just a better shot of Tae, just hanging out.
Then…a month later, all five of us, plus Gerrit, plus friends Jung Ju and her son Keoni went back to Tenorio National Park. Though we did not hike to the falls, we did walk along a beautiful river, spotted numerous green/black frogs and “blue jeans” frogs—so named for their blue legs, contrasting with their bright red bodies. We also enjoyed jumping between the cool rushing water of a river beside the hotel and the wood-fire heated hot-tub that our hotel (La Carolina Lodge) had built along that river.
Does anyone remember that 1970s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover with Christie Brinkley in the waterfall? Christie's got nothing on Tara.
Baker and Riley in the river beside La Carolina Lodge near Tenorio Volcano.
2. It’s Raining!!
Hallelujah!! After three months devoid of any rain and increasingly full of dust that infests each and every pore, Nosara has rain again! It may not sound like such a big deal, oh, but it is. Everyone here is so happy to feel the wetness again, to clear the dust from the skies and the greenery (which is again green, instead of beige). And, nevermind the increase in cicadas, aunts, snakes, and scorpions that comes with the wetness, we love the rain!! [As I type this, the rain just started in—and, the sky is beautifully sunny too!!]
1. Ant Invasion!
Aunt Julie was not the only ant here during her stay! She was joined by thousands of black ants marching across our driveway and hundreds of winged ants that, driven away by the black ants, hustled their way into Riley’s bedroom and lingered on the walls. We called our property manager and his response was the typical tico response: “Tranquilo. They’ leave in 24 hours. You don’t need to do anything.” Which is what we did. Other than the kids deciding not to sleep in that room that night. Sure enough, they were all gone in the morning and though they did return three more times over the next weeks, it was never for more than a night. We are indeed an Ant Motel.
Some closing photos from the past weeks:
Gerrit is so tough, he surfs naked.
Baker remains a master on the quad, taking his mom on this tour of a local beach.
Tae steals the camera and takes this self-portrait.
Cool Nicaraguan bugs!
Riley has re-found her kitty Jamie, here in Nosara!
Baker and friends on Garza beach after a big day fishing.
Woman of the woods.
The cigar smoke builds the muscles that push the boat through the jungle waters...
My mom (Becky) visited us for the 2nd time last week and we had a very nice visit. I met her up in San Jose and we spent a night at the very beautiful Xandari hotel. Here is a video (click on the link for YouTube...it wouldn't load on this site for me) of us hiking on some of the trails on the Xandari property and finding a nice waterfall. We wound up lounging at the spa and my mom making a feline friend. 
The day following her arrival, she and I headed up the long and winding road that leads to the door of Poas Volcano, some 8200 feet above sea level. While the weather was fine down in San Jose, it was cold, foggy and spitting rain up at the crater, as the video below attests. Apparently, through the fog we might have seen a lake with water temperature of 104 degrees Farenheit in the crater below. But, we could barely see each other!
