August 28, 2007, 6AM
Road Works Collapsed last night. Situation worse than before. Construction workers wading through thigh-high mud to catch bus home.
Road workers should not have cut that massive higueron (Ficus sp. w/huge roots supported entire hillside).
Landslides. Jimmy sank up to his neck in muck – bystanders pulled him out.
Rodeo villagers moving in with friends/family in Ciudad Colon so folks can get to work and kids go to school.
UPAZ students now bused to university in San Jose.
Huge Ceiba branch down and road blocked to Piedras Negras.
News at El Tigre:
Construction workers coming through by foot from Ciudad Colon. Los Aventureros.
Gerald is not a happy camper.
Monkeys making peace with dogs- that is – monkeys playing with dogs, shaking tree branches at them, pruning laurel trees nicely at the top – dogs tire of barking at monkeys and dodging sticks and hurled fruits and return back to me. We sit quietly watching the monkeys.
More lessons for us all.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Monday, August 27, 2007
Back at Tex Mex - Road Reopened Briefly
Yes, here we are back at Tex Mex. Gerry had an appointment early this morning and didn’t want to deal with the long detour out of Rodeo. So yesterday, when the Municipality briefly reopened the road again, we grabbed our chance and packed a bag. We were going to Tex Mex! It was rough getting up the mucky, newly cut road though. Even at low gear, the Jeep lost grip part way up and we started sliding sideways towards the bamboo trees…and the gorge far, far below, before finally gaining grip again and up and around the steep curve. I think the police closed the road again soon afterwards.
But we made it to Tex Mex ! And it was a fun evening! We dined on grilled fish, served along with copious amounts of wine/margaritas and we checked emails and chatted with Abby, who was sitting at the next table.
Early this morning, Gerry left to renew his firearm license way over on the other side of town. In Costa Rica, getting a firearm license requires a sign-off by an approved psychologist, and passing both theoretical and practical tests. This morning, Gerry’s doing both, including firing off rounds with his dutifully licensed firearm before the licensing authorities. Presumably he has to hit the target with reasonable enough frequency to get his renewal. Dr. Bob thinks the hardest part will just be trying to get there. Traffic through Moravia at rush hour!
Our other Jeep is at the body-shop (after the maid crashed it) so I’m waiting for Gerry back here at Tex Mex. As soon as he returns, we will pick up the other car and drive home separately via the Jaris route, if the road is still closed. If it’s open, I hope I don’t crash the green Jeep down into that gorge the same day as picking it up from that brand new paint job!
Work on the road has gone faster than expected. Considering that the University for Peace is temporarily operating out of the Ciudad Colon gym, not to mention the inconvenience to residents, and without even going into the construction problems, the situation couldn’t continue for long! But as realists, we also resigned ourselves into a long, troublesome wait.
However, the Mora Municipality sprang into action just after the road collapsed. They declared an emergency and released funds to a private contractor within 24 hours. Makes you wonder but hey, we were pleased! We were shocked, though not surprised, when the heavy equipment cut down two massive trees – a Ficus and a Guanacaste – in order to cut the alternate route. Now with all the soil moved around, it’s hard to discern the new road from the old. But those trees with their massive root systems have supported the whole embankment for a long time, and the entire hillside will become less stable now that they are cut. I just hope that engineers are on this! We shall see how it looks when we return home today.
Meanwhile, I spent the entire morning at Tex Mex practicing Taiji, just like old times! I haven’t been practicing at all out at Tigre, except for a quick and empty form now and then… I justified not practicing by thinking that climbing all about the forest is a form of practice, just like horseback riding or, doing anything really. But there’s really no substitute for taking time for Practice.
So what keeps us so busy out at El Tigre? What do we do all day? Well…Gerry has been an absolute saint, and has been managing the construction and financial issues – a full time job – while I have more time to attend to other matters, like getting :
…dog prints all over my clean slacks first thing in the morning…
…observing the forest and being a part of it…
…working in the garden – it has been such a wonderful planting season with all the rain…
…walking the dogs on the pasture trail to visit the horses…
…finding that horseflies are biting the horses, so applying the citronella lotion we prepared for them this morning, and observing that the lotion works – that the flies no longer wish to land on the horses.
…and it’s easy to lose sense of time in the forest world.
I go out early in the morning, usually with three dogs in tow. Another time, I shall write about the dogs and the monkeys. After hours lost in the magic of the forest, Gerry will call me if I’m badly late for breakfast and suggest that I ‘get my ass up here’. And up I go and we have breakfast together.
After breakfast, it’s time to get busy…managing a property using solar power on old battery banks…producing enough power to serve household and construction needs … minimizing generator time to conserve diesel…instructing workers on erosion control all over the Finca…improving drainage….planting at areas of high water flow… rearranging plants for a more functional garden…
…accepting that living on a mountain means water flow and erosion control lessons very early on….and doing experiments on reducing water flow…and doing all sorts of botanical experiments along the way as we walk the Finca. What would work better for a horsefly repellant? Shall I try a little Eucalytus with the Citronella? Bad idea! Matchi had an allergic reaction. Revelation - FOOL - Conduct bug repellant experiments on my own skin, not on that of my animals! If my potions are safe and effective on my skin, then they certainly won’t harm my horses! Many, many lessons learned... from making mistakes.
I learned this lesson very early at El Tigre : Mountain living requires coming into balance with gravity. That’s harder to do than it sounds. I try to achieve balance by practicing Taiji - and, when Gerry agrees to dance with me (never often enough) - Ballroom Dancing. But lately, I’ve been able to come into balance by moving around on the mountain. In fact, now that I can achieve balance just by climbing around the forest, that’s all I do!
It’s easy to never leave El Tigre at all…only too easy…
Gerry just phoned : He got 100% on both theoretical and practical tests- such a sharp-shooter! Now all he has to do is get back over here in one piece from Moravia. And then the long drive via Jaris.
Stay tuned on the Road.
But we made it to Tex Mex ! And it was a fun evening! We dined on grilled fish, served along with copious amounts of wine/margaritas and we checked emails and chatted with Abby, who was sitting at the next table.
Early this morning, Gerry left to renew his firearm license way over on the other side of town. In Costa Rica, getting a firearm license requires a sign-off by an approved psychologist, and passing both theoretical and practical tests. This morning, Gerry’s doing both, including firing off rounds with his dutifully licensed firearm before the licensing authorities. Presumably he has to hit the target with reasonable enough frequency to get his renewal. Dr. Bob thinks the hardest part will just be trying to get there. Traffic through Moravia at rush hour!
Our other Jeep is at the body-shop (after the maid crashed it) so I’m waiting for Gerry back here at Tex Mex. As soon as he returns, we will pick up the other car and drive home separately via the Jaris route, if the road is still closed. If it’s open, I hope I don’t crash the green Jeep down into that gorge the same day as picking it up from that brand new paint job!
Work on the road has gone faster than expected. Considering that the University for Peace is temporarily operating out of the Ciudad Colon gym, not to mention the inconvenience to residents, and without even going into the construction problems, the situation couldn’t continue for long! But as realists, we also resigned ourselves into a long, troublesome wait.
However, the Mora Municipality sprang into action just after the road collapsed. They declared an emergency and released funds to a private contractor within 24 hours. Makes you wonder but hey, we were pleased! We were shocked, though not surprised, when the heavy equipment cut down two massive trees – a Ficus and a Guanacaste – in order to cut the alternate route. Now with all the soil moved around, it’s hard to discern the new road from the old. But those trees with their massive root systems have supported the whole embankment for a long time, and the entire hillside will become less stable now that they are cut. I just hope that engineers are on this! We shall see how it looks when we return home today.
Meanwhile, I spent the entire morning at Tex Mex practicing Taiji, just like old times! I haven’t been practicing at all out at Tigre, except for a quick and empty form now and then… I justified not practicing by thinking that climbing all about the forest is a form of practice, just like horseback riding or, doing anything really. But there’s really no substitute for taking time for Practice.
So what keeps us so busy out at El Tigre? What do we do all day? Well…Gerry has been an absolute saint, and has been managing the construction and financial issues – a full time job – while I have more time to attend to other matters, like getting :
…dog prints all over my clean slacks first thing in the morning…
…observing the forest and being a part of it…
…working in the garden – it has been such a wonderful planting season with all the rain…
…walking the dogs on the pasture trail to visit the horses…
…finding that horseflies are biting the horses, so applying the citronella lotion we prepared for them this morning, and observing that the lotion works – that the flies no longer wish to land on the horses.
…and it’s easy to lose sense of time in the forest world.
I go out early in the morning, usually with three dogs in tow. Another time, I shall write about the dogs and the monkeys. After hours lost in the magic of the forest, Gerry will call me if I’m badly late for breakfast and suggest that I ‘get my ass up here’. And up I go and we have breakfast together.
After breakfast, it’s time to get busy…managing a property using solar power on old battery banks…producing enough power to serve household and construction needs … minimizing generator time to conserve diesel…instructing workers on erosion control all over the Finca…improving drainage….planting at areas of high water flow… rearranging plants for a more functional garden…
…accepting that living on a mountain means water flow and erosion control lessons very early on….and doing experiments on reducing water flow…and doing all sorts of botanical experiments along the way as we walk the Finca. What would work better for a horsefly repellant? Shall I try a little Eucalytus with the Citronella? Bad idea! Matchi had an allergic reaction. Revelation - FOOL - Conduct bug repellant experiments on my own skin, not on that of my animals! If my potions are safe and effective on my skin, then they certainly won’t harm my horses! Many, many lessons learned... from making mistakes.
I learned this lesson very early at El Tigre : Mountain living requires coming into balance with gravity. That’s harder to do than it sounds. I try to achieve balance by practicing Taiji - and, when Gerry agrees to dance with me (never often enough) - Ballroom Dancing. But lately, I’ve been able to come into balance by moving around on the mountain. In fact, now that I can achieve balance just by climbing around the forest, that’s all I do!
It’s easy to never leave El Tigre at all…only too easy…
Gerry just phoned : He got 100% on both theoretical and practical tests- such a sharp-shooter! Now all he has to do is get back over here in one piece from Moravia. And then the long drive via Jaris.
Stay tuned on the Road.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Road Closed to Tigre, UPAZ
We believe that Finca El Tigre is Carbon Neutral. In fact, we put more oxygen out there than carbon dioxide and this even though we drive two gas guzzling V-8 Grand Cherokee Jeeps. How do we get away with that and still be carbon neutral? Well, as an aside, we would much rather sell the jeeps and drive a brand new Turbo Diesel, 4x4 Toyota Hilux Pick-up truck. At least this we does. The other we would prefer a Land Rover Defender diesel truck. But in any case, we decided that the jeeps were cheaper to run than to sell. Gas guzzlers are getting lousy prices on the secondary market in Costa Rica right now. But even so, we’re still putting out more O2 than CO2 - and you are welcome to come over and quantify the whole thing but you will need plenty of gas to get here – or better yet - a helicopter.
Heavy rains knocked out the road between Ciudad Colon and El Rodeo this morning, which means all of us living on the road from the rickety bridge at Ciudad Colon to El Rodeo… University for Peace… El Tigre… Piedras Negras and beyond, all have to use an alternative route for some time to come. The road subsided this morning, just as Armando was driving back from Ciudad Colon with supplies for the renovations. He said that the road seemed to dip when he drove up to Ciudad Colon at around 6:45AM. Shortly afterwards, on his return trip, the steep dip in the road had already begun to sink... he managed to get over it – with a big tthuuuunk to his axle – but just. An instant later, the road subsided by nearly half a meter and, clearing that precipice, Armando could feel the ground ‘softening’ beneath him and saw the asphalt road crackling up out in front. There was simply no way, he said to me on the phone, that Victor could pop over to Tigre with 3 meters of lava stone. Ni modo! Nobody was driving down that road for some time to come- maybe months. Not by motorcycle or horseback either. The only way through now was by foot – and walking quickly and softly so as not to destabilize the ground further.
This gloomy news is still sinking in today. Worse, the locals tell us that the road remains highly unstable and continues to sink on down towards the river. That section of the road has been showing signs of instability for months but it took over 12 hours of heavy rain – backwash from hurricane Dean crossing over Belize and Mexico - to completely destabilize the hillside leading up to Ciudad Colon.
Oy! What a plaga of hurricanes. First New Orleans – GIRLS GO WILD Katrina & Wilma. Now Mean Hurricane Dean makes mischief with us in Costa Rica.
And yes, we are still renovating the house. At the moment we are crammed into one guestroom in the main house. We open the door and look out onto a construction site, which is how we have been living since returning from New Orleans back in May. Despite this latest set-back with the collapsed road, we still plan to leave for New Orleans mid- September and hope to return back to El Tigre in December to a finished house – after over 18 months of renovations. Still, with the road closed, we might have to be flexible over the next few months in everything…
Guess that means spending even more time mucking about in the forest out at Tigre. Sounds great to me! Living at Tigre has been like a honeymoon. We finally live here – sure, cramped into one little guest room with all our earthly possessions but….
… oh how the gardens come alive with butterflies –Polly, I shall try to upload photos to the blog as soon as I get the camera back out of storage. There are so many colorful species fluttering all over the Lantana borders and all around us - watching this magical scene quite takes your breath away. And then there is the forest… there is so much living to do here. Until today, I haven’t had the time to sit down and write.
Gerry spent the entire day checking out the two alternative dirt, gravel and mud routes we have into Ciudad Colon from El Rodeo (and obviously the reverse). One alternative is via Piedras Negras to La Guacima, Belen, and Santa Ana – about 45km; and the other (more scenic route) is via Piedras Negras to Jaris, La Palma, and the road to Puriscal – about 35km. Both will be used as we rearrange our lives to adapt to these changed circumstances.
Stay tuned for latest situation on the road. In the meantime, we must cancel all hikes and botanical visits from now until the road has been sorted out. You certainly do not wish to drive an additional 30km of rough terrain to visit us. Think of the carbon you would be spewing into the air! Yikes! Guess we’ll be doing the same and that shoots our carbon footprint all to hell!
Heavy rains knocked out the road between Ciudad Colon and El Rodeo this morning, which means all of us living on the road from the rickety bridge at Ciudad Colon to El Rodeo… University for Peace… El Tigre… Piedras Negras and beyond, all have to use an alternative route for some time to come. The road subsided this morning, just as Armando was driving back from Ciudad Colon with supplies for the renovations. He said that the road seemed to dip when he drove up to Ciudad Colon at around 6:45AM. Shortly afterwards, on his return trip, the steep dip in the road had already begun to sink... he managed to get over it – with a big tthuuuunk to his axle – but just. An instant later, the road subsided by nearly half a meter and, clearing that precipice, Armando could feel the ground ‘softening’ beneath him and saw the asphalt road crackling up out in front. There was simply no way, he said to me on the phone, that Victor could pop over to Tigre with 3 meters of lava stone. Ni modo! Nobody was driving down that road for some time to come- maybe months. Not by motorcycle or horseback either. The only way through now was by foot – and walking quickly and softly so as not to destabilize the ground further.
This gloomy news is still sinking in today. Worse, the locals tell us that the road remains highly unstable and continues to sink on down towards the river. That section of the road has been showing signs of instability for months but it took over 12 hours of heavy rain – backwash from hurricane Dean crossing over Belize and Mexico - to completely destabilize the hillside leading up to Ciudad Colon.
Oy! What a plaga of hurricanes. First New Orleans – GIRLS GO WILD Katrina & Wilma. Now Mean Hurricane Dean makes mischief with us in Costa Rica.
And yes, we are still renovating the house. At the moment we are crammed into one guestroom in the main house. We open the door and look out onto a construction site, which is how we have been living since returning from New Orleans back in May. Despite this latest set-back with the collapsed road, we still plan to leave for New Orleans mid- September and hope to return back to El Tigre in December to a finished house – after over 18 months of renovations. Still, with the road closed, we might have to be flexible over the next few months in everything…
Guess that means spending even more time mucking about in the forest out at Tigre. Sounds great to me! Living at Tigre has been like a honeymoon. We finally live here – sure, cramped into one little guest room with all our earthly possessions but….
… oh how the gardens come alive with butterflies –Polly, I shall try to upload photos to the blog as soon as I get the camera back out of storage. There are so many colorful species fluttering all over the Lantana borders and all around us - watching this magical scene quite takes your breath away. And then there is the forest… there is so much living to do here. Until today, I haven’t had the time to sit down and write.
Gerry spent the entire day checking out the two alternative dirt, gravel and mud routes we have into Ciudad Colon from El Rodeo (and obviously the reverse). One alternative is via Piedras Negras to La Guacima, Belen, and Santa Ana – about 45km; and the other (more scenic route) is via Piedras Negras to Jaris, La Palma, and the road to Puriscal – about 35km. Both will be used as we rearrange our lives to adapt to these changed circumstances.
Stay tuned for latest situation on the road. In the meantime, we must cancel all hikes and botanical visits from now until the road has been sorted out. You certainly do not wish to drive an additional 30km of rough terrain to visit us. Think of the carbon you would be spewing into the air! Yikes! Guess we’ll be doing the same and that shoots our carbon footprint all to hell!
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