LECHERIA: THE SAGA CONTINUES

When Carlos and I bought Monte Azul 5 years ago, the property was a used from grazing a small herd of dairy cows. Past and old metal gate at the end of a short very rough and rocky road stood 1 building: La Lecheria. Lecheria translates to dairy. Telling anyone that we bought a dairy would not conjure up the impression of what really existed on the property. The Lecheria was simply a roof with makeshift walls where the cows were milked by hand. It had a toilet, 1 exposed light bulb, a feeding trough and a small locking storage area.

Over the last 5 years the Lecheria has been transformed into many things for many uses. First came the storage shed/shelter. I moved to the farm alone in July of 2006 to begin construction. To guard all of the construction materials and equipment, the Lecheria became a storage building. Since there were no other structures on the property, it also became my home. I set up a tent at one end of the storage room. It had a TV, mini frig , toaster oven and outdoor shower. It was rustic yet comfortable.

Camping has never been very appealing to me and camping for months needed to end. So, part of the Lecheria was converted to new living quarters for me and Carlos when he arrived on the weekends. The result was a fantastic little house with the luxuries of an indoor sink, toilet and gas stove. It was a major step up in the world.

A few months later, Carlos and I moved into the studio. The Lecheria became another storage room for a short period before being converted into the Café Blue kitchen and dining room. Where cows used to eat and be milked, hotel guests were now being served 4 course dinners.

When the new Café Blue opened in early 2009, the Lecheria was converted into a paint studio for Alvaro Gomez. Since Alvaro was not a Monte Azul constantly, the space also doubled as a “catchall” storage space. It was interesting to see some of the things that shared the space with him while painting: mattresses, tile saws, extra furniture, horse saddles, etc.

We have recently moved Alvaro to a larger space which left the Lecheria vacant once again. But like a Phoenix, the Lecheria continues to rise from the ashes with new life. Currently, it is undergoing a remodel that will transform it into an office for Carlos. When it is completed, I will post a photo of the new space.

It is amazing how versatile and useful the Lecheria has been over the years. However, we often joke that the amount of money that we have spent upgrading, transforming and remodeling this space, we could have built several new structures. The Lecheria is probably the most expensive part of the Monte Azul project yet is still an amalgam of parts and pieces held together with glue, tape and a lot of hope. Maybe one of these days we will tear it to the ground and start over. Or, we will simply continue to transform it into another use. Long Live the Lecheria!

RAIN, RAIN, RAIn

What would a rainforest be without rain? I am not sure what the answer to this question is but it is not something that I have to worry about any time soon. It has been quite a rainy year in Costa Rica. To date we have had 225 inches of rain or more than 18 feet. Compare this to the 18 inches per year that I was used to in California.

I love the rain. It is what keeps everything fresh, green and alive. Here in Costa Rica the rain usually comes in big bursts. The mornings are usually bright sunny blue skies and as the day passes the clouds build up and let loose with a torrent in the afternoon. It might rain for an hour and stop. It is not like California rain where it is a light mist or sprinkle for days on end.

The rainy season in Costa Rica starts around mid April and gradually builds to its culmination in October. The month of October is known for being the rainiest month of the year and as a result corresponds to the lowest point for the tourist season. In fact, many hotels and tourist operations close for the month of October. By mid November the rains have tapered off and it might only rain once or twice a week through April. This is the high tourist season.

In July 2009 we installed a rain gauge at Café Blue to monitor the rain fall. October of this shows 28 inches of rain which was a bit more than the 22 inches in October 2009. We thought that the rains would begin to taper off but have been hit with a major storm this week. In the first 6 days of November we have had 18 inches of rain. There is a major storm system in the Caribbean that is affecting our weather.

Luckily the rain is a part of life in Costa Rica and I wouldn’t have it any other way. You just have to always remember to take an umbrella with you everywhere you go.

HALLOWEEN = BIG GOAT DAY

Yesterday was Halloween. This holiday doesn't mean much in Costa Rica but for Monte Azul it was a big day for baby goats. We had a total of 4 babies born. It started with a call from Asdrubel, our goat herder. He called to say that Betty had just had a baby boy. I quickly went up to the goat pen and discovered that Betty had just had another kid. This time it was a girl. We watched her clean the babies off and then moved them to a clean dry enclosure. While we were marveling at the new arrives and how cute they were, Asdrubel’s wife yelled that Maria had just started giving birth.

Within a few minutes, Maria had given birth to a baby girl. Over the 2+ years that we have had goats I had seen the babies minutes after being born but had never witnessed the actual event. This changed yesterday. I actually saw the baby come out. It was quite a sight. About 10 minutes after Maria’s first kid was born, came the 2^nd one. This one is also a girl.

Because the babies were born on Halloween, we thought names of witches would be appropriate. But, the names had to be of fun, happy witches. So their names are Endora (Betty’s kid) , Samantha and Serena (Maria’s twin kids). You may know these names from the popular TV show Bewitched.

I have attached a few photos. The first being of Betty’s 2 kids, Endora and Boy #7. They are about 1 hour old. The second photo is of Maria’s first kid, Samantha. The final photo is of Maria’s 2^nd kid, Serena. She is only seconds old. If anyone would like to see the photo of Samantha ½ inside and ½ outside of Maria during the actual birth, let me know.

All 4 newborns are doing really well today along with the other kid born on Friday, the 29^th. Our score card now reads GIRLS 3, BOYS 2. I will keep you posted of their progress and what happens with Debbie’s pregnancy.

BABY GOAT SEASON ARRIVES

I am very happy to announce that we had our first baby goat of the season today. Heidi gave birth to a baby boy around 5:30 AM. He is doing very well and being taken care of by his mother as you can see in the attached photo. He is only 3 hours old in this photo. This is Heidi’s second birth. She had a male kid in March 2010 but he only survived 1 day. This kid looks much healthier.

Waiting in the wings of the maternity ward are Betty, Maria and Debbie. Betty is due any day now with the others to follow in intervals. We have learned a lot over the last 2 ½ years of raising goats. We are attempting to space the births out this season so that the milk production will last through the tourist season. Last season, the milk production began in March just about the time that “high tourist season” was ending. Not very smart of us. I am gearing up for making goat cheese, yogurt and soap.

I have also included a photo of Shakira who was born in February 2010. She is looking over the fence and trying to see what is going on with the new baby. Shakira is too young to have babies. She will have to wait until next year.

I will keep you posted on the upcoming births as they happen. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed for female babies.

WATER + ELECTRICITY: YIKES!

As Americans, we take hot water for granted. Hot water is heated in a hidden location and comes out of every faucet in the house. No one gives a second thought about a hot shower in the US. In Costa Rica can be a very different story. Hot water is a luxury, especially out in the country. It is not installed in most homes more than a few years old and if there is hot water, it is only in the shower. Who needs hot water in the kitchen or bathroom sinks? Hotel ads will list hot water as a major selling point.

The source of hot water is also very different. The use of a huge hot water tank where water is constantly heated and sits in a tank is almost non-existent in homes here. If there is a tank it is very small. Instead the water is heated at the point of use, sort of like the Insta-hot faucets in the US, and I use the phrase “sort of” loosely. A common source of hot water for showers comes from water heaters that are built directly into the shower head. These can be purchased at every hardware store. The frightening part is that these shower head heaters

are electrically wired there as well. This wiring is usually visible.

For those of us that have always been warned of the dangers of mixing electricity and water, this can be quite intimidating. Stepping into a shower with exposed wires overhead that are connected to the shower head takes a great deal of courage the first time.

To make matters worse, once you turn the water on and discover that the water isn’t getting hot, you notice the sliding switch on the showerhead. There are just symbols that are not apparent which direction is for “ON” or “HOT”. If you are really brave, you will attempt to slide this switch. Don’t do it! I think this is just a dirty trick to see if you are dumb enough to touch it. I have been shocked more than once. So you suffer through it and take a cold shower.

I cannot tell you how many times that I have taken this cold shower thinking that these showerhead water heaters are just useless pieces of "$#(%&". Then a contractor friend of mine told me the secret. The secret is that you just barely turn the water on. Like most Americans, I assumed that the farther you turned the water knob, the hotter it would get. This is the standard for American homes and hotels. Not so for these instant heater showerheads. The lower the water is turned on, the hotter the water will get. Makes no sense to me but now that I know the secret, these showerheads do work quite well.

I do still have some reservations about all the wires overhead but have learned to deal with it. However, every once it a while I still see a set up that frightens me, like the shower that was in Carlos’ grandmothers house. Not only are the shower head wires exposed, but to get the heating unit to work, you have to turn on the “circuit breaker”. This device is not in another part of the house in a nice little metal box but on the wall right there in the shower! And, its wires are exposed as well. You can even see the metal connections. It looks like one of those switches that they used in the movie Frankenstein. You know, the one with the big lever you have to flip 180 degrees - the one that brought life to the monster. It is one of those things you just have to see to believe. So, I have attached a photo of this contraption. So don’t be afraid to step into this web of wires and take a nice hot shower after all, what is the worst that can happen?

THERE’S A NEW BRIDGE IN TOWN

It has been a very rainy year in Costa Rica and sometimes things happen when it rains. In early August there was storm and the “thing” that happened was that the small bridge over the Chucuyo River collapsed. For some reason the river changed course slightly and the footing on the Monte Azul side of the river was washed away. The bridge fell into the river. This was a homemade 1 lane bridge made out of a semi trailer chassis with thin metal panels laid on top. It was never meant to carry heavy or wide vehicles. In fact, I have always admired the sign that someone put up advising drivers to use caution (see photo). The sign says “PUENTE SOLO PARA CARRO PEQUENO” which translates to “bridge only for small car”. The most interesting thing about this sign is that it is nailed to a tree on the far side of the bridge. You cannot see or read this sign until after you have crossed it, hopefully not in a large heavy car or truck.

Luckily, the metal pieces of the bridge did not get washed away but were salvaged from the river using a backhoe and some cable. Normally, one would think that the municipality would be in charge of repairing this bridge. This would eventually happen if you were willing to wait that long. There are 5 houses on the other side with no other outlet for cars. The occupants of these houses had to walk an extra mile using another similar homemade bridge to get to the same place of the fallen bridge.

In early September there was an attempt to build a new bridge using some metal beams from a neighboring community. Unfortunately, these beams were too short. In addition to undermining the old bridge’s footing, the river also decided to take away about 3 meters of shoreline.

Last week the neighbors were at it again. This time it was cutting up scrap pieces of metal and soldering them to the old bridge’s under carriage. This was the chassis of a semi trailer. The crew welded additional 2x4 beams to the ends to make it long enough to span the new distance. Next came the back hoe to drop this structure into place. The most interesting part is the bridge decking. It is simply a local tree that has been cut down and milled into planks that are placed on the metal carriage. These are not nailed, screwed , bolted or fastened to the structure in any way.

The final touch was for safety. A hand rail was placed on each side of the new bridge. This is thick wire cable that has been fastened to trees at both ends. The result: a new foot bridge. No more cars crossing this one. It is only 2.5 feet wide. I have walked this bridge. It is a bit intimidating the first time but definitely an adventure.

I really admire the ingenuity, tenacity and resourcefulness of the people of Costa Rica and especially in the countryside. There is no waiting for the municipality or the government to do something. If you want it done, call the neighbors and it will get done. I love living in a small community in the country.

FLOWERING PLANT UPDATE

A few weeks ago I wrote an entry about a flowering shrub on the farm that no one seems to be able to identify. In this blog entry I wrote that the plant blooms in July and August. Well, this plant proved me wrong. Another plant on the hiking path near the greenhouse has just bloomed and it is now the beginning of October. We had no idea that this plant existed until it bloomed. As I said before, the plant is very nondescript. I have attached a photo of the plant and its flowers. As you can see from the photo, the plant simply blends into the tropical foliage. You only notice it when the spectacular flowers appear.

Who knows how many other plants like this are out there at Monte Azul waiting to bloom. If you have any idea what the name of this plant is, please let me know.