Beyond Our Wildest Dreams

Another 2 bucks worth of our "Criollo" bananas changes hands.

Workers and their dogs pile into the pickup for a lift down the hill.

Vegetable growing requires a cover to prevent pounding rain from damaging the crops.

Up to the challenge.

All coffee trees with bird nests were left standing.

Finding our property took quite a while. The process was mostly enriching and delightful, yet always deliberate (some might say tedious, exhausting, and frustrating). And although this property certainly ticked all our analytical boxes, we really didn't know HOW very special it would turn out to be. 

I'm glad to report that we are falling in LOVE with our new home. This place is a rich gold mine of experience, history, and friends - and reveals more to us every day. We really like it up here on the ridge above San Isidro del General.

We have interesting, talented, and generous neighbors. And they all want to know what our plans are for the old cabina. Our homely old cabina apparently has a special place in the history of this region, and many people are concerned now that a couple of gringos own it.

Now that we've staked a legitimate claim, we are starting to meet a lot of the long-time gringo residents, some of whom have lived close to our remote site for over 30 years. We have toured some of their amazing homes, built by local craftsmen from local native materials; wood, mud, stone, perseverance and love.

We've hired a local machete crew to chop down two years of weedy overgrowth, and a specialist to trim up some of the coffee bushes for healthy regrowth, and chop down the majority of them. Coffee's just not our gig. We probably have 2-3 acres of coffee left, so we can still "make our own" with a little help from the local roaster.  The rest of the land will be planted to wonderful fruit trees, wood trees, as well as various perennials. Some edible, some for the monkeys, birds, tolomuko, armadillos, coyotes, sloth and other passers by, some just for looks, many for soil improvement.

We received an unexpected call from our dear friends Wynn & Peter with the news that the government electrical company was shutting down a major reforestation nursery an hour south of us, and had thousands of desirable trees to give away. Of course the usual Tico paperwork was required, but between what Wynn & Peter gifted us, and what we obtained by driving down ourselves, we have our nursery stocked with well over 500 trees, ready for planting out on the property. We are truly and richly blessed.

On another front, more animals are dropping by. We exchange grunts and howls with our howler monkey almost every day. We're convinced he comes down from the ridge to chat with us near the cabina. 

Howler monkey or "Congo", as the locals call him.

The capuchin monkey troops are often seen, some with youngsters hanging around their necks as they scamper among the branches looking for fruits and seeds.  The whole troop consists of around 40-50 monkeys.

The capuchin, or white-faced monkey.

The tropical frogs are getting more numerous as the rains continue, and our streams swell - and no chemicals are used on the property.

A frog. Local name "rana".

Starr saw a lone tolomuco the other day, calmly trotting across the highest part of the property. Looking for chickens no doubt.

Tolomuco are from the weasel family. Weighing up to 12 lbs, and measuring 42 inches.

 At this point we have a new roof on our bodega building (tool shed), a new water line from the spring on the mountain has been installed, together with a water storage tank, and our workers have cleared the brush from roughly a third of the property in preparation for replanting with desirable fruit and wood species.

The trimming of some coffee and the removal of acres of coffee plants has resulted in tons and tons of firewood - all of which needs to be collected and carried to central storage locations for making biochar.  Seems like a great idea but OMG is it ever a lot of work, even for 4 strong men.

What a month it has been! Up before 5 am, and reluctantly leaving the property at dusk, or downpour, whichever comes first. We're still renting a house in town which adds a 35 minute commute, plus all the daily packing and unpacking. The price we pay.

We are beginning to get a clearer idea of where we want things to go; monkey food and erosion control near the steep quebradas (recessed streams), people food & ornamentals near the "house". The location of our eventual house has been pretty firmly established on "Banana hill" which will give us a 360 degree view.

This life seems to suit us both very well. We are becoming accustomed to the work, getting stronger, and we feel satisfied and rewarded for our efforts. We feel at home now.

When we need a little break we often walk out on Banana Hill to take in the view and the fresh mountain air. If I don't have a machete in my hand, I'll put my arm around Starr look into her eyes and say "There is no place on Earth that I'd rather be." Then she'll look up at me and say, "You better mean it, Butchie!  You bought the farm."

Part of the fun is sharing the property with friends.

Danilo demonstrates proper brush-clearing technique.  
First the men go through and cut down the brush.

Jedy, our electrician, explains how he plans to keep our electrical bill under $20 a month.

Jedy's handmade home.

I don't know what to call this style. Rustic-elegance?

No reason why towel pegs can't become art.

Our neighbor Carlos traded his Suzuki 4WD for this lovely Paso Fino.
He certainly enjoys showing him off & actually galloped off into the dusk after this shot.

The leguminous Lorito tree has coral-colored seed pods.

The ICE reforestation nursery helps us put together our tree allotment.

Q: "How big is the bed of your truck?"
A: "Oh about 450 trees"

Our clearing crew killed a 4 foot Terciopelo the other day.

Starr decided to skin it out ...

... examine the stomach contents: 2 rats.

Tacked it to a board.

Propped it on the cabina.
Some of our neighbors are incredulous, others have decided we must be OK after all.

Dug up an area for the tree nursery.

The nursery manager at work.

Every 2 to 3 weeks we must harvest - or lose - the banana crop.

Each "raceme" of bananas weighs about 90 lbs.

Our old electrical system needs an update.

A new roof for the "Loafing Shed". Secure tool storage and a work room.

Jeff & Gennar put on the roof one sunny Sunday morning.

Looks like a battlefield. This will all be reforested soon.

The new roof is done.

The tree nursery is stocked.

Our Lady of the Jungle.

But will it fly?

Rebar mesh added to discourage tool "borrowing".

Emanuel's hand after a tough day.

Time to sit down and have some watermelon.

"These wires are NOT copper. Thank you!" (for not stealing).
Copper wire has a high scrap value. Thieves actually open up the service boxes, 
attach the wire to their bumper and drag it out of the conduit. 
We'll use aluminum instead.

Looking forward to a life of looking down 
on the Valle del General.