Anticipation

The anticipation of Cal's arrival was killing me. Cleaned up things around the studio, to make room for him, nice of me huh? Went to town to buy him some juice, cause I plan on pumping into him when he gets here, and some vanilla ice cream, ice cream always makes you feel better. Only vanilla. Came back from town and we had booked a model for figure drawing session for an hour. That was a great exercise for me, I love the female figure and Cecelia has a wonderful big body, and beautiful Costa Ricence face. She was a fantastic model for us.

Nancy, collage artist showed me her works that she is showing next month at the National Gallery here next month. One piece has handmade paper beads hanging on it. She said she didn't have time to make enough beads that would have finished it off nicely, so I said lets all get together one night over a glass of wine and make some so you can finish your piece. So last night we set-up to make paper beads and made more than what she needs. She was tickled that we all made them for her and we felt good to help her out. Cool beads!

Carlos and Christine drove early to Limon on the Caribbe, a 7 hour drive to the coast to look at some land Carlos would like to preserve. He has some big plans to try to keep it from being sold to big hotel/condo type developers, it is a problem right now in CR, more and more of the jungle is being destroyed for hotels etc..., it is not so good

I looked up Cal's flight ticket and found out the flight was an hour late, and I am glad I put up a sign at gate to what number to call so I could let him. Good thing I didn't wait down at the gate. So the taxi came about 11:00pm and he made it. A little under the weather, but not for long, because he will be soaking in pura vida here today.

Ayudo, eschucho, estudio, pintoro y viajo...

I help, I listen, I study, I paint and I travel,....I swim, I cook, I speak, I look. These are my words for spanish homework this week..verbs.

Another adventure up in the forest behind the colony, I had never been on such an extensive walk up there, just on the driveway up there, but today Carlos took Christina and I up there, Talia joined us, colony dog, the cutest cocker spaniel in Costa Rica who eats geckos. Yes... we followed a way up to the very top of the mountain where there is some condos being built, but when we reached the top it was spectacular, the wind was blowing. I was trying to take pictures and felt I was going to be blown off the mountain, so I sat down and took mucho pictures 360 degrees. And then I turned my head and a field of calendular in front of me, orange flowers, just a dream of a picturesque landscape. Unbelievable, really, so much to discover here just around the corner. It is always changing, walking up there is a different scene everyday, flowers, bananas, trees, & the butterflies up there, I saw a gigantic black butterfly today, it must have been as big as my head. My white pants got covered with little sticky seeds and thorns I needed to use a brush to get all the briars off. We will see if they will ever be clean again. I got spooked by an iguana up there too and the walk to town later on, we found a pequeno dead flattened lizard on the road, and Christina had the taxi stop so she could take it back to studio on the way home when we had too many bags of groceries to walk back with. I don't know what she is going to do with it, but I will give a full report when I find out.

Susan left for the pacific beach this morning by herself, we miss her already, she gave me some potion before she left that she bought for me, for my arthritis in my hands, you rub it on actual affected areas. She bought it from the "soap lady" at the open market, who also makes soap, go figure. Down here there are all kinds of remedies for things, all natural of course, and Christina is just as knowledgeble in this area of homepathic substances. This morning she was asking Carlos how to get Bushmaster, snake venom. I will get a full report on that too. TTYL

I am awake, energized and alive!

Christine, Susan & I had a figure drawing class this morning. Christine teaches figure drawing in Germany and it was a great experience, she challenged us, tomorrow a class with another model. Honing my drawing skills with the eye to hand. Experimenting with color and lines.

We had eculyptus in all our apartments today to help with all the throat problems that Susan & I are having, hers from a cold, mine from screaming the other day at the top of my lungs. Carlos came with branches of it to put in our studios. Anyway its coming back, the voice is coming back.
I am working on 13 -11 x 30 paintings, skipping around on all of them, almost finished with three. Whats the hurry, I am so happy with all but one of them, but I think I can make it better, the solution just has not come to me yet. I am working on titles for them, of course in espanol. Thinking about exhibiting in the National Museum here in San Jose next year and getting encouraged to do so. The logistics are frightening right now, but doable. Need about 10 more pieces to make a good representation of "PURA VIDA".

Have made arrangements with Bernarda about Cal's & my little side trip to the pacific today. Mon -Wed to the Playa Carillo, Nicoya Pennisular, about a 4-5 hour ride through some wonderful countryside to get to the most beautiful beaches on the Pacific

Stay on Course

Hudson Jai & Aja Jai 2007

Spanish class ... painting ...Multi-plaza...geckos...Cal coming to Costa Rica on Friday...Lunch with Alice & Barry...Susan's song, banana bread and tea, yellow flower, taxi, Nicoya property, sushi, Opal Dreams... Aja & new apartment...new pictures of Hudson Jai...painting, cleaning...beautiful necklace...picked flowers... focaccia...tree with colored bark, painting, painting, painting. making plans for a little trip to beach with Cal.

San Jose Attempt

It's, Sunday, on another beautiful sunny day, Christine, Bonnie & I decide to go to San Jose's Contemporary Art Museum by bus. Wonderful! Inspiring! As planned Bonnie & I leave Christine at museum and go to take pictures of architecture of the old city where many old homes have been converted into hotels and B&B's. We stopped and got a map at a rent-car store front and proceeded to our destination, taking another bus part of the way, so we could walk and shoot. Two young men ran up behind us and robbed our cameras at the same time, right our of hands and ran down the street. I screamed and chased them, Bonnie ran around the block to see if she could see where they went, but I screamed all the way down the street, yelling, swearing my head off, waking up everything sleeping in my path. Maybe I over-reacted....but the events of those next few hours was like watching a movie. I think I counted 20 cops at one point, 7 taxis and the whole neighborhood of probably 3 blocks emerged in one spot, where one of the taxi drivers saw the 2 men go into a doorway. The doorway was rather a make-shift doorway. Some wood boards, some metal, etc... but the police barged in and after a couple hours came out with a suspect I identified as the robber. They actually found my camera, but not Bonnies'. We did what the police told us to do and answered questions as they came up in our spanglish. The police were great, they did everything they could. It was traumatic, many taxi cab drivers were very kind and people in general there with us were comforting, we went to the station to retrieve camera and was given 2 choices, either stay longer in country and go to court and testify and press charges or take my camera and let him go. Opted for the later. . . and thanking God we were not hurt...I think I can live with laryngitis for a few days....and The Adventure Continues.