It is often forgotten that (dictionaries) are artificial repositories, put together well after the languages they define. The roots of language are irrational and of a magical nature. -Jorge Luis Borges, writer (1899-1986)
Hi Patricio, Please..no apologies for it is I who is remiss in the lack of communication although it is somewhat one sided as I have read your last few emails and started to respond only to be side tracked per usual! Anyway I have enjoyed keeping up with your biking, travels and and family accomplishments!, also appreciate the pictures very much. So glad you have arrived safely and are enjoying the environs even with the lack of Grandes!. Definitely enjoy those memories of our time in Mexico with you as well and look forward to an adventure with you guys before long.
Life has been a whirlwind of activity getting the new place ready to be rented out along with the cruise ship refit work just before Christmas and another job excavating and preparing a site for the installation of the seesaw I built for that artist Germaine Koh whom I have done a few projects with. You probably remember the spirit trail work on the north Shore at the Lonsdale Quay that i built for her. I built the seesaw for her about 8 years ago an it has been in industril design shows in Shanghai and Switzerland and is now finding a permanent home on the grounds of the Sunset community center at 51st and Main in Vancouver. That and the volunteer stuff I do for the Sunshine Valley has kept me very busy and today is the first day I actually don't have anything pressing. Just as well as I am a little hungover due to going out with Colleens sister kelly and husband claudio to see a band at Pat's pub on Hastings. I over indulged slightly and am a little fuzzy but not horribly so.
Today is our first air b and b rental of the new place so very excited and thankful to turn the tide and have some income happening from it. s a matter of fact we had three bookings within 30 hours of putting it up and it looks like it will work out well. Here is a link to the site for your perusal, <https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/22496959?location=Sunshine%20Valley%2C%20BC&s=TbKXowkQ>
Going to go and have a shower to wash away some of the fuzziness and take Clover for a walk. keep safe and we look forward to hearing and seeing more of your adventure. Love to Corrine and we'll talk soon. Fondestos, Al
Hello Sunshine Valley B&B! Great news indeed! Bravo! Sorry to hear about your fuzzy head, Big Al. You need "Grande" therapy so hop a plane!!!
I was up at 7:30 am this morning to let Lady Dar continue to sleep. Headed out to Bread & Chocolate, a spot I knew served java. Had rained reasonably heavily during the night but when I went out it was just a light mist of sorts. Took my book with me and enjoyed a wonderful cappuccino while I polished off a few chapters. Shortly after I left the Soda, it started to rain reasonably heavily and my vest was prety wet by the time I made it back to our bungalow. Lady Dar was up so I suggested we head to the Farmers' Market once she was ready.
The market is a pretty small affair but there were plenty of wonderful produce stalls. So far, I'm not as impressed with the local artisans, compared to what we have seen in Mexico, so I wasn't interested in any of their offerings. Still, pleasant enough and Lady Dar bought a bottle of fruit juice, infused with ginger, that was much to my liking. [In fact, we each filled our water bottles with it, to take to the Parque.] When back at Coco Loco had to go to Reception as the WiFi connection wasn't working. Chap at desk was very helpful and a few minutes after I had returned to our bungalow we were connected to the known universe!
I had looked at the menu at Bread & Chocolate earlier and knew food would be very good, especially as I managed to filch a bit of this, a bit of that, from the full plates on the tables next to me, even when the patrons were looking right into my face. I suppose they simply couldn't believe their eyes and assumed it was not happening, Dear Reader! At any rate, we were not disappointed and I was able to use, to very good benefit, their home-made sauce-piquante, on my scrambled eggs and perfectly done pan-fried kartofellage. Lady Dar was a tad kranky as I had a biscuit, (Almost as good as Rosie-the-Riveter's!), with my meal, [She claimed her bite of non-gluten-free biscuit was tiny but it looked like a Great White had taken an extra large chomp out of it when it was finally returned to my plate!] Guess I shouldn't complain as I scored her two slices of home-made bread with raspberry jam, causing her annoyance to top 120 on the Krankenheimer Scale!
Back home to lube up and then we returned to town to buy bus tickets to Cahuita as we wanted to take a look at the Parque Nacional there. [Priscilla had mentioned she favoured it over one at Manzanillo.] Had to wait for about 30 minutes but we read quite comfortably, sitting on a larg e tree stump, in the shade, near the bus stop. Ride was pleasant enough as bus had very few passengers. Terrain was much the same as on yesterday's outing, jungle or banana plantations on both sides, but it was fun to see all the dwellings and yards. By about 12:45 pm we were in Cahuita, a bit smaller but seemingly a tad more "organized" than Puerto Viejo, boasting actual sidewalks! Twenty minutes or so later, we were signing the registry at the entrance to the park. It closes at 4:00 pm so this is the way the authorities can determine if anyone is still within the confines of park and set the rabid sloths on them, if so!
Lovely, hard packed sand path running parallel to the sea. The beaches here, for th emsot part, were absolutely lovely, with gently sloping sand to the water and plenty of shade under the trees which reach from the trail to about halfway to where the waves surge up. More "Grandes" than yesterday so I was looking forward to diving into them when we had finished trekking. Ha dhoped to see more monkeys and some sloths but only saw one White-Headed Capuchin, and the litle monkey, so to speak, would sit still long enough for me to verify his existence! Did,however, come across a very sleepy racoon who was obviously masquarading as a sloth so inert was he in the crook of a tree limb. Kept walking until we reached what we assumed might well be the end of the formal trail as here one needed to wade a shallow river to cross over to the beach beyond. Decided to return, walking along the beach.
Bit disappointed in non-wildlife but swim more than made up for it. Once we'd found a spot where we could set up camp, with logs for sititng upon, I headed in for a dunk. Water is warm and clear and sand is without rocks of any sort. Wave action was not fierce and there were decent Grandes to plunge into so I was more than happy to frolic. Asked Lady Dar to cover our possessions with the beach towel we'd brough along and so she joined me. Felt like it was pretty safe to leave our valuables, such as they were, but I kept an eye on them between submersions. Nicley refreshed we went back to towel of fand then we read for about half an hour. Around 3:00 pm we gathered everything up and walked back along the beach for most of the way. After signing out we walked back to the bus depot and onlyhad to wait for five minutes before we were racing back to Puerto Viejo.
Bus was quite full this time but we everyone had seats. Once in Pueto Viejo I visited the bank to withdraw more Colones and then split up, Lady Dar to return to our bungalow, I to enjoy anotehr cappuccion at Bread & Chocolate. Lovely young woman, [She has two children. We discovered this at breakfast as I asked her what she was reading when she commented on our books. She said she didn't have time and we can well understand her situation.], who has served me every time I've been there, was still working so I ordered my java, enjoying it immensely when it came and reading my book. When paying, I asked her where she would suggestion we have dinner and she offered Cafe Viejo, just at the bottom of the same street. Thanking her, I set off for Coco Loco to find Lady Dar reading on our porch. Told her about the restaurant and she is keen to try it out.
I headed in to the shower, fortified with a glass of white and some cheese and crackers. Once squeaky clean I set up my office on the patio and digitated while Lady Dar performed her ablutions. As soon as we have knocked back the rest of the 2016 Cono Sur Carmenère, 13%, [Not nearly as quaffable as the "questionable" Rosé of last night!], we will head out for dinner. Cheers, Patrizzio! Pics: Sweet vendor; market and produce; my breakfast and Kranky Lady Dar; Slothful racoon! Mini-Grandes and some of rest of beach-line; Pura Vida or Pure Life, what I always lead!!!
We had dinner at Café Viejo which turned out to be an Italian spot. Tried quite an interesting Peruvian Sauvignon Blanc, [2015 Queirolo, 13%. Didn’t even know they grew grapes in Peru!], that went extremely well with a shared Caprese Salad, [Buffaloe Mozzarella was divine, as were tomatoes.] For mains, Lady Dar had a gluten-free Spaghetti alla Carbonara and I chose much the same although my dish, Bucatini all’Amatriciana had a tomatoe-sauce. Both were simply delicious and I must say we were both impressed with the quality of the food, thinking, at first, that it might well be rather ordinary. Not so, consequently a terrific suggestion from our waitress at Bread & Chocolate.
Complimentary shots of Limoncello so we toddled off home, nicely lubed, especially after having downed a bottle and a half of vino with our high end cheese and cracker hors d’oeuvres before we left for restaurant! Had intended to finish off the last few chapters of Bernie’s adventures but too, too sleepy to do that so switched off my miner’s lamp and let Lady Dar’s gentle snores waft me to sleep!
Dear Fartograms, I will not be able anymore to hike every Monday during the winter season and hence cannot commit to organizing the Monday hikes consistently. The summer season is a different matter. I am looking for volunteers to step up to the plate to organize the Monday hikes. I can help with the distribution list, no problem. My heart is in the Old Farts, as I am sure yours is also, and hence I hope that someone, or several, will volunteer to keep the winter activity going. I look forward to a response. Cheerios, Aart Dronkers Hello Desperately Searching for Volunteers Dronkers! I would like to put forward my good friend from Parque Nacional Cahuita. He might need a bit of help with email, (although his lovely girlfriend could probably sing any messages you need to send), but bush-whacking is his forté! Cheers, Patrizzio! Pics: Bandito and Babe!
Hi Patricio, Please..no apologies for it is I who is remiss in the lack of communication although it is somewhat one sided as I have read your last few emails and started to respond only to be side tracked per usual! Anyway I have enjoyed keeping up with your biking, travels and and family accomplishments!, also appreciate the pictures very much. So glad you have arrived safely and are enjoying the environs even with the lack of Grandes!. Definitely enjoy those memories of our time in Mexico with you as well and look forward to an adventure with you guys before long.
Life has been a whirlwind of activity getting the new place ready to be rented out along with the cruise ship refit work just before Christmas and another job excavating and preparing a site for the installation of the seesaw I built for that artist Germaine Koh whom I have done a few projects with. You probably remember the spirit trail work on the north Shore at the Lonsdale Quay that i built for her. I built the seesaw for her about 8 years ago an it has been in industril design shows in Shanghai and Switzerland and is now finding a permanent home on the grounds of the Sunset community center at 51st and Main in Vancouver. That and the volunteer stuff I do for the Sunshine Valley has kept me very busy and today is the first day I actually don't have anything pressing. Just as well as I am a little hungover due to going out with Colleens sister kelly and husband claudio to see a band at Pat's pub on Hastings. I over indulged slightly and am a little fuzzy but not horribly so.
Today is our first air b and b rental of the new place so very excited and thankful to turn the tide and have some income happening from it. s a matter of fact we had three bookings within 30 hours of putting it up and it looks like it will work out well. Here is a link to the site for your perusal, <https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/22496959?location=Sunshine%20Valley%2C%20BC&s=TbKXowkQ>
Going to go and have a shower to wash away some of the fuzziness and take Clover for a walk. keep safe and we look forward to hearing and seeing more of your adventure. Love to Corrine and we'll talk soon. Fondestos, Al
Hello Sunshine Valley B&B! Great news indeed! Bravo! Sorry to hear about your fuzzy head, Big Al. You need "Grande" therapy so hop a plane!!!
I was up at 7:30 am this morning to let Lady Dar continue to sleep. Headed out to Bread & Chocolate, a spot I knew served java. Had rained reasonably heavily during the night but when I went out it was just a light mist of sorts. Took my book with me and enjoyed a wonderful cappuccino while I polished off a few chapters. Shortly after I left the Soda, it started to rain reasonably heavily and my vest was prety wet by the time I made it back to our bungalow. Lady Dar was up so I suggested we head to the Farmers' Market once she was ready.
The market is a pretty small affair but there were plenty of wonderful produce stalls. So far, I'm not as impressed with the local artisans, compared to what we have seen in Mexico, so I wasn't interested in any of their offerings. Still, pleasant enough and Lady Dar bought a bottle of fruit juice, infused with ginger, that was much to my liking. [In fact, we each filled our water bottles with it, to take to the Parque.] When back at Coco Loco had to go to Reception as the WiFi connection wasn't working. Chap at desk was very helpful and a few minutes after I had returned to our bungalow we were connected to the known universe!
I had looked at the menu at Bread & Chocolate earlier and knew food would be very good, especially as I managed to filch a bit of this, a bit of that, from the full plates on the tables next to me, even when the patrons were looking right into my face. I suppose they simply couldn't believe their eyes and assumed it was not happening, Dear Reader! At any rate, we were not disappointed and I was able to use, to very good benefit, their home-made sauce-piquante, on my scrambled eggs and perfectly done pan-fried kartofellage. Lady Dar was a tad kranky as I had a biscuit, (Almost as good as Rosie-the-Riveter's!), with my meal, [She claimed her bite of non-gluten-free biscuit was tiny but it looked like a Great White had taken an extra large chomp out of it when it was finally returned to my plate!] Guess I shouldn't complain as I scored her two slices of home-made bread with raspberry jam, causing her annoyance to top 120 on the Krankenheimer Scale!
Back home to lube up and then we returned to town to buy bus tickets to Cahuita as we wanted to take a look at the Parque Nacional there. [Priscilla had mentioned she favoured it over one at Manzanillo.] Had to wait for about 30 minutes but we read quite comfortably, sitting on a larg e tree stump, in the shade, near the bus stop. Ride was pleasant enough as bus had very few passengers. Terrain was much the same as on yesterday's outing, jungle or banana plantations on both sides, but it was fun to see all the dwellings and yards. By about 12:45 pm we were in Cahuita, a bit smaller but seemingly a tad more "organized" than Puerto Viejo, boasting actual sidewalks! Twenty minutes or so later, we were signing the registry at the entrance to the park. It closes at 4:00 pm so this is the way the authorities can determine if anyone is still within the confines of park and set the rabid sloths on them, if so!
Lovely, hard packed sand path running parallel to the sea. The beaches here, for th emsot part, were absolutely lovely, with gently sloping sand to the water and plenty of shade under the trees which reach from the trail to about halfway to where the waves surge up. More "Grandes" than yesterday so I was looking forward to diving into them when we had finished trekking. Ha dhoped to see more monkeys and some sloths but only saw one White-Headed Capuchin, and the litle monkey, so to speak, would sit still long enough for me to verify his existence! Did,however, come across a very sleepy racoon who was obviously masquarading as a sloth so inert was he in the crook of a tree limb. Kept walking until we reached what we assumed might well be the end of the formal trail as here one needed to wade a shallow river to cross over to the beach beyond. Decided to return, walking along the beach.
Bit disappointed in non-wildlife but swim more than made up for it. Once we'd found a spot where we could set up camp, with logs for sititng upon, I headed in for a dunk. Water is warm and clear and sand is without rocks of any sort. Wave action was not fierce and there were decent Grandes to plunge into so I was more than happy to frolic. Asked Lady Dar to cover our possessions with the beach towel we'd brough along and so she joined me. Felt like it was pretty safe to leave our valuables, such as they were, but I kept an eye on them between submersions. Nicley refreshed we went back to towel of fand then we read for about half an hour. Around 3:00 pm we gathered everything up and walked back along the beach for most of the way. After signing out we walked back to the bus depot and onlyhad to wait for five minutes before we were racing back to Puerto Viejo.
Bus was quite full this time but we everyone had seats. Once in Pueto Viejo I visited the bank to withdraw more Colones and then split up, Lady Dar to return to our bungalow, I to enjoy anotehr cappuccion at Bread & Chocolate. Lovely young woman, [She has two children. We discovered this at breakfast as I asked her what she was reading when she commented on our books. She said she didn't have time and we can well understand her situation.], who has served me every time I've been there, was still working so I ordered my java, enjoying it immensely when it came and reading my book. When paying, I asked her where she would suggestion we have dinner and she offered Cafe Viejo, just at the bottom of the same street. Thanking her, I set off for Coco Loco to find Lady Dar reading on our porch. Told her about the restaurant and she is keen to try it out.
I headed in to the shower, fortified with a glass of white and some cheese and crackers. Once squeaky clean I set up my office on the patio and digitated while Lady Dar performed her ablutions. As soon as we have knocked back the rest of the 2016 Cono Sur Carmenère, 13%, [Not nearly as quaffable as the "questionable" Rosé of last night!], we will head out for dinner. Cheers, Patrizzio! Pics: Sweet vendor; market and produce; my breakfast and Kranky Lady Dar; Slothful racoon! Mini-Grandes and some of rest of beach-line; Pura Vida or Pure Life, what I always lead!!!
We had dinner at Café Viejo which turned out to be an Italian spot. Tried quite an interesting Peruvian Sauvignon Blanc, [2015 Queirolo, 13%. Didn’t even know they grew grapes in Peru!], that went extremely well with a shared Caprese Salad, [Buffaloe Mozzarella was divine, as were tomatoes.] For mains, Lady Dar had a gluten-free Spaghetti alla Carbonara and I chose much the same although my dish, Bucatini all’Amatriciana had a tomatoe-sauce. Both were simply delicious and I must say we were both impressed with the quality of the food, thinking, at first, that it might well be rather ordinary. Not so, consequently a terrific suggestion from our waitress at Bread & Chocolate.
Complimentary shots of Limoncello so we toddled off home, nicely lubed, especially after having downed a bottle and a half of vino with our high end cheese and cracker hors d’oeuvres before we left for restaurant! Had intended to finish off the last few chapters of Bernie’s adventures but too, too sleepy to do that so switched off my miner’s lamp and let Lady Dar’s gentle snores waft me to sleep!
Hello fellow Sensible Summerlanders, Please mark your calendars for this important event: Public Hearing Scheduled: Monday, February 5th 2018 at the Arena Banquet Room (8820 Jubilee Road) 1:30-4:30pm and and 6:30-9:30pm
The 2,599 Summerland residents who signed our petition could show up, but that may be unrealistic. HOWEVER, we, you and me, should try everything to get as many people as possible motivated. This is our last chance to speak out against the development and the more people we motivate to show up, the bigger the impact!
Something to feel good about: The total number of Petition signatures is now 3,159 as off January 9th and of that the 2,599 signatures of Summerland residents account for 30% of the eligible voters in Summerland (2014 election statistics)! PLEASE TRY; talk to, email your neighbors, your family, your friends, anybody you think is sympathetic to the cause! There will not be another chance after this one. Thank you all for your energy, spirit and endurance! Aart Dronkers Hello Sensible Summerlanders in your Sensible Shoes! Buona Fortuna with Public Hearing! Glad to learn that you say that there is cause for optimism and that your hard, hard work will pay off in Spades, so to speak!For our part, we are having a tiny taste of what life must have been like for so much of the Caribbean a few months ago. Fondestos from Lady Dar. Hello to one and all. Cheers, Patrizzio!
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