PURA VIDA!

PURA VIDA!

PURA VIDA, meaning Pure Life, is the official slogan of the country of Costa Rica and truly represents the lifestyle of the Tico people.  It’s an expression widely used as a greeting, a farewell, a sentiment of gratitude or satisfaction.  The Costa Rican people believe in living a simple, happy life and that philosophy has been turned into a mega-tourism industry out of respect for the beautiful geography and stunning natural resources the country offers, and the friendliness of the people.

We returned home after a two-month trip, one week spent in the beach town of San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua and seven weeks throughout the Guanacaste and Central Valley regions of Costa Rica.  Bob’s been fairly silent in the authoring of the blog but he’s been busy taking photos of one of his favorite subjects . . . doors.  Most of these shots were taken in Nicaragua, and reflect the beautiful tropical woods and carving skills found throughout the region.

All in all it was a good trip; there are always a few bumps along the way but that is what makes a trip into a journey.  We thought we were escaping a harsh winter in WA but ironically it was quite mild in the Columbia River valley where we live.  We came home to the signs of spring coming with buds on the trees and a few bulb flowers poking through. Mentioning flowers, Bob enjoyed taking many photos of the stunning tropical flowers in Costa Rica.  We never see these at home and I’ll make no effort to identify them!  Almost every bush and tree in CR is a flowering variety.

 

 

 

 

 

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It’s good to be home!  We have a busy calendar of appointments and obligations, and there was two months of mail to sort through.  Thanks to our very good neighbors everything at home is in good order.  We are looking forward to some family time over the next few weeks.

A note about the blog . . . we started writing a year ago with our first entry counting down to retirement.  Bob’s been retired for just over ten months now and it’s been a fabulous year!  We gave ourselves permission to have fun before making any major decisions.  Our goal for the year was built on hope . . . hoping that the money holds out, hoping our health remains good, hoping that our family and friends would welcome us into their homes for a couple nights visit, and hoping we enjoy one another at the end of each day after spending all day together, every day.  Our insight into retirement is that it seems to be working!  PURA VIDA!

Our last few days in Costa Rica were spent at Playa Hermosa and it was a relaxing way to finish out the time in Costa Rica.  Bob went on a snorkeling expedition but saw few fish.  They did however experience a beautiful sunset, which seems an appropriate way to close.  Thanks for following our journey, and PURA VIDA!