Could Have Been A Dream......

Right now the waves are big, disorganized, sloppy.......not the best conditions for an inexperienced surfer like myself.  Seems to me it has been this way for a very long time!

However.....just recently I vaguely remember lightly clouded skies, no wind, clean water, small waves - If I didn't have photos I seriously would think....no - that was just a dream.

Actually, this was just a little over a week ago.  At least 4 days of "summertime" conditions and then...wham - gone - back to the same old, same old :)

Pura Vida

Craig and Brooke, Kristi, Brett

Hot Chicas de Esterillos

Fun, Food, Music - All at the Pelican in Esterillos Este, last Saturday.  Me, Sunny, Karen, Cindy, Marci (manager of the Pelican) Judith, Brooke and Gry.  Good Times :)

Hangin At The Super Sol

Last Sunday - I am headed for the beach - come around the corner - and there they are.....Karen, Sunny and Gry standing in front of the entrance to Super Sol with their horses.....having a beer :)  This is how we roll  in EO.

Pura Vida

Sit Down and Get Comfortable........

Today is going to be a major blog day.  I was doing pretty well the first part of May and then things just started piling up.  On May 10th Adam's friends from San Diego arrived and in the next 2 weeks I would see them coming and going.  Then I started working at Elizabeth's vet clinic to cover for the doctor's assistance who just had a baby with his girlfriend - that lasted until I got bit by a dog.  Then another friend of Adam's showed up - Jeremy from where I used to live - also a friend of my son Scott's.  In between all this was outings with my own friends, a trip to see Karen's horse Shadow on the way to Kate Treadway's birthday party.  Then came Adam's birthday.

So.......as you can see - alot to cover.  Fortunately a photo says a thousands words.  I think that will be todays' Strategy - get it done and move on. 

Pura Vida

Adam

When my son's friend Adam arrived here the end of January - he had no idea how the next 5 months would forever change his life. In short, Adam used my house as home base as he came and went - each adventure giving him more confidence in his spanish speaking ability, his travel experience, changing his diet to vegetarian...., the joy of living day to day and most important - the number of amazing people who would enter his life and have such a profound effect on everything!!!

May 28th was Adam's 33rd birthday - same date as my friend Kate.  I took him to breakfast at a local place on the beach, then rented a car hoping to be able to do something special but instead had the car break down on the highway and that was that. He surfed, spent the day with friends he cares about, had a pretty mellow day.  

Last Friday, June 7th Adam left Esterillos.  His plan was to go to El Salvador but instead went straight onto Mexico.  He has family there he wants to visit, surf spots he can't wait to hit.  He needs to be back in California by sometime in July so he can prepare to take his nursing exam in August/maybe Sept.  Seven years in the Navy, 4 years of college to earn his bachelor's in Nursing and now this time to himself to prepare him for the next chapter in his life.

Having Adam here was a constant reminder of my life in California and of my son Scott.  Even tho I really didn't know him very well when he was a young adult, I certainly got to know him while living here in my house.  I came to love him, appreciate him, see him as an unexpected friend who came into my life out of the blue.  I am grateful he took the chance - to leave his comfort zone - experience life on a level that cannot be explained until you have been there.

There is no doubt Adam and I are close.  He knows he will always be welcome to come back, that I will follow his life in the years to come.  I look forward to seeing just who the lucky girl is he ends up with and someday watching that little naked child of his run joyfully on the beautiful beaches of Esterillos Oeste while he and his girl are hitting the waves :)

Pura Vida

Breakfast at Rancho Corral w/Adam & Francy

The Wonderful Amazing Kate

I have known Kate Treadway since the first week I arrived in Esterillos back in Sept. 2006.  Ever since that first meeting, we have been friends.  She is truly one of the most loving, kindest women I have ever known.  I am grateful to have her for a friend.

Obviously many of us who live here feel the same.  Kate's birthday is May 28th but this year she was leaving for California late that night and so there was no time for a party.  Instead, we had a birthday luncheon at "Monterey" in Esterillos Este.

This group photo is just a small portion of people who know and appreciate her.  

Pura Vida

Mardi Gras 2/2009

LowTide - 6/2011

Me, Kate & Dave  -  3/2013

Gry, Brooke, Karen, Carrisa, Anne, Kristi, Kate, Me, Kathleen, Des, Rosemary, Kristy, Kurt

Shadow

Shadow is Karen's horse she bought back in November.  He is about 5 years old and obviously very handsome.  The other thing about him that makes him so special is he is very playful.  Every time Karen talks about him, she will very proudly tell you something new and funny he has learned or does, like standing on top of the tractor tire.

On this day, Karen and I were on our way to Kate Treadway's birthday luncheon in Esterillos Este.  Este is the same place Karen boards Shadow.  She told me she wanted to go early to stop by and check on him, do some things that needed to be done.  I was thrilled just to be able to spend a little time with Shadow.

After about 30 minutes of grooming and maintenance, we were ready to head out.  When we walked Shadow back out to the pasture his half-brother Rayo (Gry's horse) was waiting for him.  I can't remember who told me.... who picked on whom - but occasionally - these 2 do not get along.

However - on this day, it was a totally different reaction when we brought Shadow back to the field.  I have never seen anything quite like this.  The two immediately started acting like it had been a very long time since they had seen each other. They nuzzled one another, whinnied, a total love fest right there in front of us.  It was loving and very sweet.  Both Karen and I were amazed at this display of brotherly love.

Pura Vida