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.

Surprises!

Things are never as they seem.  That's a given.  And because changes are inevitable, Jeff and I try to be nimble - but there are surprises.

Surprise #1: 
The survey process is taking LOTS longer than we planned.  We hired a topographer and scheduled the survey, then one full workday was spent in clearing brush from the entire property boundary -  by 3 men with machetes in the height of the summer heat.  When the topographer made a second property visit to "mark the points", he found numerous small discrepancies.  So which is correct:  what the topographer measures or what all the neighbors have agreed upon for many years?

 

Surprise #2:
While doing the survey, a 40+ foot tall waterfall was discovered in the lower corner of the property.  Really?!!  And no one knew about it?  I managed to make it down the steep ravine slopes to the top of the fall - but neither Jeff nor I have actually seen the waterfall.  


Surprise #3:

Someone has stolen our water.  Honestly, that's a bit melodramatic but the end result is that there is no water coming out of our pipe.  It's the dry season now and a farmer leasing a plot of land next to us for a coffee plant nursery needed some water.  He simply put a "tee" in the hose that runs from the spring on the mountain to the cabina, complete with an on and off switch.  Did he think no one would notice - or what?

When we showed up with the story of buying the finca, he pleaded with us to let him continue using it for the next month until the rains start again. What would you do?

Moreover, the water line from the new "tee" above the property is partially collapsed - literally - and has to be replaced before it'll work again (nearly 1000 feet of line). 

Somehow our banana trees put out larger, better tasting bananas. 

Surprise #4:
This week our helpers harvested the current table banana crop, cutting down 35-40 racks of bananas, each of which was so huge that it required two men to carry it.  Each rack measures at least 40 inches in length.  These extra large table banana trees are located in a grove on a hill.

Plantains fried in coconut oil -- simply the best!

The plantain banana trees are much smaller and hundreds of trees are scattered all over the finca as shade trees for the coffee.  These are the type that people steam, boil or fry - and I have to add that ours are the tastiest we've ever tasted.  Plantain racks are much smaller and easier to manage than bananas, as are the plantain trees, and we have been able to give away or eat all that's produced so far.


Surprise #5:
There's an Indian grave site amidst the banana trees on the hill that was raided long ago.  Could there be more?  If there are, should we leave them alone?

I'm so confused . . .

  
Surprise #6:

This is an Internet foto - we didn't actually see them

.

When walking the water hose line yesterday, we heard the unmistakable, repeated yowls of howler monkeys - in the proximity of the trees by the cabina.  Have you ever heard howler monkeys?  Oh my God, they're 
dramatic! 



 
 
Surprise #7:
There's a hive of honey bees housed in a large yucca tree trunk.  Jeff figured this out when clearing the brush next to it and hit the trunk with the machete.  That white boy can sure RUN!!  He says he's not buying any more bright orange shirts.

Travis shared his ideas of "Natura Cultura", plants, and
spiritual balance as we begin to enjoy our life on the finca.

Gotta get Starr some new pants.
These doggone weed seeds really jump on her.  
She looks and feels like a porcupine.

What amazing and helpful friends we have in Costa Rica.

The place is surprisingly big - and it seems to be growing.
It's also quite overgrown - and growing more every day.

Honestly, it feels a trifle overwhelming. 
But we remind ourselves that we wanted this experience, and we got what we asked for, dreamed of, and searched for.  

Every day brings more surprises.

What is it?  Maybe the chickens will eat it.  
Oh, what chickens . . .?!

Gandering at local livestock.  Is this for us?

Wild Castor bean?

A male bonding ritual with our neighbor Franklin.  
He's an angel in human form.

This young man hopes to make this iguana into a pet.  
Notice the home made harness.

Workers building a home with MgO SIP panels 
(magnesium oxide structural insulated panels) 
- like we want for our home.

Trevor and his crew will probably build our new home 
within the next year or so. 

Hanging out with the Nicaraguan construction crew.

Expats are a stylish sort.   
You too could dress like this and stand around talking in the sweltering heat 
near the Costa Rican beach - if you wanted to.

So where are we going to live while waiting for the home to be built?
And what do we have to do to fix the water?
What about all those sad coffee plants?  
      Cut them down so they can regrow?  
      Forget about them and let them die naturally? 
      Forget about them long enough to figure out some other things?
How will we get the weeds cut down on 19 acres?  
      Or do we need to?
Where will we put the bamboo and fruit trees?
What can we get done before the rains begin?
Should we just live in a tent or yurt on the property?
And that old cabina . . . ?

Hooray ! ! Finally Full Speed Ahead ! !

It's happening!  We're moving ahead on buying the finca property that we fell in love with back in December.

 

 

Looking at 20 acre Finca NoName from above.  
From the tall trees in the background, almost to the silver roof mid-foto.

This train WAS completely stalled - we had not been able to budge forward, but now the tables have turned 180 degrees.

In the midst of trying to contact the owner of the finca (instead of dealing with his son as we did in December), we found out that it had just gone into foreclosure. Yikes! 

So we called the mortgage holder, offered him a reasonable and fair amount of money (before he could think about tripling the price).  Negotiations continued and now we have reached a price that we're quite comfortable with.

You see, foreign real estate investment has driven land prices in Central America higher than US land prices.  After the real estate crash in the US, the flow of land money to Latin America has slowed to a drip. But even still, the prices have not adjusted to the crash in demand, so consequently very few parcels actually sell.  The REAL value of any piece of land is merely a concept in someone's mind.  You cannot find reliable comp information anywhere in the country.

At this point we're moving ahead full steam on buying this place. 

This afternoon we drove up there with our neighbors who have helped us so much in this search:  Frankie and Neidy.  After tromping all over the property, eating wild berries and coffee cherries, chopping down plantain racemes, discovering the sweet lemon and the mango trees - and finding wild red passion flowers - we came to rest by the old cabina overlooking the entire Valle General.

Frankie, Starr, and Neidy with a gleaned harvest of sweet lemons, 
platanos, edible flowers and tacoca (Frankie says they're delicious).

We opened a bottle of champagne up on the hill today. We sat in the grass, toasted to a job well done, and enjoyed the cool afternoon breeze. Our friends presented us with our first authentic Costa Rican machete, and we sincerely thanked them for all of their kind assistance.

Of course, we still have to pay for the place and jump through some other hoops. But our decision has been made, and we now have some land to call our own. Not only that, we now have a piece of land that feels powerfully enchanting to us.

Here's a description of our "paradise to be":

• 20 acre coffee farm we will transition towards a more diverse plantation
• 26,000 coffee bushes half-way to organic status, but needing some TLC and thinning
• hundreds of banana and plantain trees, a few citrus trees, a water apple tree, a mango tree
• 4,000 - 4,200 ft. elevation (that means cool evenings)
• excellent neighbors
• at the end of the public gravel road
• panoramic view of Valle de El General
• 1 or 2 springs, and one creek offering year-round pristine water
• drinking water from a hard rock spring
• several good locations for fish and river shrimp ponds
• a 90 year old cabin still standing and due for a rehab
• a gentle and variable slope that's easy to walk
• an internal road
• armadillos, tepisquintles, a variety of birds, lots of evening fire flies, and an occasional troop of monkeys
• a road/trail going up to the top of the ridge (from the neighbor's property)
• an extensive jungle trail at the top of the ridge
• LOTS of space for medicinal plants, timber trees and tropical fruit trees, maybe even a couple of chickens
• IMPORTANT: Our land is below the cloud line.  The continuously damp, incredibly bio-diverse cloud forest is above us, not around us.
• One more essential point: We have not seen any sugar cane in the area which means no sugar cane burning, no sinus infections, no more smoke-related headaches (but the January thru March haze across the valley remains)

Now our finca needs a name.  We like "Finca Dinka Doo", though that might be too whimsical.

Overlooking our place (slightly to the left) from our neighbor's upper section.

The new 'hood.

The new neighbors.

There may be more bananas and plantains than coffee.  
I'm thinking a solar dehydrator is in order.

Our new neighbor Guillermo showing us the view from the upper level of his place.  
He's a Tico heavy equipment operator that lived in the US for 20 years.  
His wife Juraci is a Brazilian that also lived in the US many years.

No strong late afternoon sun here.  The sun goes over the hill at 4:15 pm.  
Sweet.  Let the birds sing!

Still on Guillermo's upper level, sometimes the clouds seep slowly over.  
Our finca is a good 500 feet lower than this.
Low enough so that we don't suffer from the cloud forest blues.

A tiny, framed structure was partially built to house coffee pickers.  
Neidy and I are trying to figure out what to do with it.

Little cabina on the hill . . .

The front entrance of the 90 year old wood homesteader's cabin. 
 We'll build our own house, so what can we do with this fixer-upper? 

A new roof is mandatory.  

The old paint buckets hung from the side are actually planters.  
Do the best you can with that you've got.

Gonna get me some 'nanners.

Exploring.  Which way should we go first?

Neidy's an interior decorator.  
Maybe she can think of some exterior decorating too.

Right now there are 4 of these banana racemes ripening just in the first row.  
There are maybe 4 rows of them.  How many bananas do we really need?  Frankie says they will be ready to harvest in 3 weeks.  So much to learn . . . so much to eat.

Yes, some of the coffee trees look fairly good.  A coffee expert will examine the finca and let us know the prognosis:  Keep it - or cut it - or simply remove part or most of it.
 

In contrast to the neighbor's healthy (but not organic), flowering coffee.

The boundary of the property is marked by the tall spikey plants
- - that Frankie is climbing.

Neidy with 2 stalks of edible flowers that Frankie just managed to pick.

A moss bird's nest with two tiny eggs on a coffee tree.

WE SEE: Open spaces, trails, tropical fruit trees, ponds,
 hard wood timber trees, bamboo, and ... YOU.

No need for a gym anymore.  
Obviously we need to hire some men to help clean up two years of undergrowth.  
In four more years we could call it a jungle again - or sculpt it into a wonderland.

We have toured 65 properties in Costa Rica and we have learned a few things.
Moving slowly is the best speed.  
Learn as you go.  
Learn the ground rules before making decisions.  
Don't jump quickly.  
The rewards are magnanimous.

One step at a time we're working toward having all of you visit us.  We want a home worthy of you making the trip.  This looks perfect.