Thanksgiving Day wasn't one I enjoyed a lot, spent searching for the lost dog and all, so to be invited for dinner at a 'nearby' expats house the Sunday after was something I was grateful for. Peg and Jim live a few ridges away...well maybe several few ridges away. Turns out there was a shortcut, and I might have taken it if the day hadn't been so foggy but the directions Jim gave me from Grecia were just great so I followed those instead.Looking for the road to Sarchi was easy-it was the 1kM after the bridge stuff, as the car I drove measures miles not kM's. Jim gave me lots of things to NOT do in his directions---wow I did appreciate it...
If I go to the top of the main road it is too far; don't take the San Luis turn, notice several muertas (whatever they are); don't take the San Miguel turn, notice the churches--well they are everywhere so it's hard to not notice them, continue up, up, up, up, up to the top of the hill-lovely view if it hadn't been socked in fog
<an image would be inserted here if my connection wasn't so poor--so just imagine a very foggy day ok?>
At the top of the hill I turned a sharp left onto an oxcart road and began to look for an orange house. Rust colored? No thats a barn or something. The fog swirled around the car and I drove down the bumpy winding road hoping for that spot of orange--and off in the distance, thru the overhung trees and clouds, there it was: a corner of a maybe orange house.
<insert pic of corner of orange house here>
Being the good old telefoneista that I am/was, I backed down the steep driveway cursed at myself for wearing pumps as I climbed back up the steep driveway and clacked up to the door.
Jim greeted me with "You have to move your car because I'm leaving."
I knew then we'd get along just fine.
<insert pic of Jim and Peg here>
Soon Peggy came out and Jim fixed some of his home made nacho chips and bean dip-muy bueno, and asked what I'd like to drink-offering cola or cervesa or whiskey purchased for Don Jose, the Tico family patriarch that thy hoped would come.
I took a shot of whiskey, which turned out to be 'agua de vida' AKA scotch-and a very nice one for being purchased in Costa Rica.
Soon after, part of the large family of Tica friends came by, sisters, husbands, young adults and grandmas, along with another nice expat who spoke fantastic spanish and helped translate for everyone.
This was the first American thanksgiving for the Ticos. One of the kids told the usual pilgrim/indian story that we all have learned, the Costa Ricans eyed the gravy (salsa) and jelled cranberry with some suspicion but we all chowed down on the turkey and mashed potatoes, and of course Pumpkin Pie with Reddi-whip. Peggy had brought the Libbys Pumpkin back from her trip to Hawai'i a month or so ago-thats planning for ya,
Insert Pic of Dinner table here>
Everyone sat around the table and we all talked, though we didn't always know what we were saying, gestures and laughter gave the general meaning. I especially enjoyed Lucille, one of the sisters, who was there with her husband Eduardo and I think a couple of their children. She was a laugher-she had an infectious hoot at our Spanish and our inability to speak it. We all greatly enjoyed ourselves.
After great laughter and conversation, it was time to leave the mess with Jim and Peg-I took Lavinia back to Grecia-she is a great woman and lives here on minimal social security wages, right in town in an amazingly inexpensive house. She convinced Peg and I to come to the conversation cafe at the Municipal Center Saturday at 4 to speak English with a large class that was coming for practice. She does what I would like to do here-volunteers all over; schools, hospitals, speaking English etc and does a great deal of good.
Made my way thru the dark fog back to Bevs Ridge and though MY family hadn't been there, I felt that warmness that being around a family gives me--and a good time was had by all.
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