I have so many updates! Starting a big new project at work really crimps my blog writing time. Ok enough whining, let’s do this! 

soba and i survived

We made the trip south and kitteh was a trooper. I kept her calm-ish by stuffing my poofy jacket in the carrier. Surprisingly, she ate treats periodically throughout the trip. I think the new house was more of a shock. I hadn’t anticipated how the echo would affect her. We don’t have many furnishings or much on the walls so it is pretty weird. She still chases after sounds in the wrong place. She is definitely adjusting though and after a week, is back to her normal talkative self, although she spends most of her time burrowed under a down blanket on the bed – despite temps in the mid 80’s.

extended trip

This is the first trip where I am staying for more than a week. I have a full two weeks here before I head back to the bay. I spent the first week cranking on work, but was able to escape a bit early yesterday to hit the beach. Playa Los Cerritos is a medium walk over the hills and a light marine layer of clouds protected me from the 85 degree sun – which felt hot even at 5pm. The ocean is still a bit too cold for my taste, but I was able to take a dip and relax on the beach with a cold beer and get a couple chapters in of the new Michael Pollan book How to Change Your Mind. Switch joined me after he finished his work day and we went up to The Riptide, where Juan pressured Switch to get a shot and I sipped my Mezcal watching the warm sunset light on the mountains. Man, that view is stellar.

shaka’s delicious wood

On the subject of food, we tried a new restaurant this time that is worth mentioning. I definitely need to get the skinny on the name – not sure what that’s about and it must have a good story behind it – but I was pretty impressed. Owned by a couple  hombres from Texas (Edgar and Brando), Shaka’s Delicious Wood is a delightful open air palapa-roofed cantina on the main road to Playa Los Cerritos. We grabbed a table and tucked into some of the better food I’ve had here while listening to the lively banter at the bar. The ocean is cold enough right now for halibut, and I had a beautiful steak seared with capers and a salad with some local mango. The signature margarita was also impressive – the only sugar coming from a fresh grapefruit/lime/orange juice blend. Will definitely go back.

building update

We still have to start the generator to run the water pump for showers, but I’m super happy with the fixtures I bought. One thing we learned is that the water pressure and low flow features of the fixtures does mess with the availability of hot water. With a bit of tinkering, we were able to get the hot water to run consistently. As soon as the municipal power is in, we’ll be set.

The kitchen is the big project right now. The cabinetry – we chose beautiful local parota (aka guancaste) – is hand made custom by a local carpenter. Here is a picture:

This past week, Bruce’s guys poured the concrete counters. Here are a couple pics the first is prep for the counters, then you see Pelón laying the concrete.

Next week, Eric will come and put a finer layer of concrete on top and then seal to create that amazingly smooth surface we have on the island. The carpenter will then cut a hole for the sink drain (oops! he forgot to do that) and install the sink. Once the counters are finished sealing, we’ll call the appliance store and see where our appliances are. The majority of the house is locally sourced, but we’re importing the appliances and I have no idea what has happened to them.

It doesn’t matter too much because we can’t use much of them until the municipal electricity is here. That, my friends is a story for another post. *sigh*