SUNSETS, PICKLEBALL, and COWS...
Three more very good things around here!
SHOUT OUTS!
To Purr Vida Lounge for helping adopt out 15 cats since they opened their doors on January 13, 2024. And to the families who adopted! Que Chiva!
Aug 2nd is the Virgen de los Angeles holiday, the most important religious celebration in Costa Rica; millions of pilgrims walk to the Cathedral at Cartago City.
Happy Mother’s Day in Costa Rica on August 15th!
To the new free library in the Potrero Brewery. Thanks to the brewery and to Kristin C. for setting that up!
Beach volleyball has arrived!! Thank you to the many organizers, volunteers, and those who donated to make this dream a reality!
Happy birthday & feliz cumpleaños this month to:
Juan Santamaría – August 29, 1831. National hero of Costa Rica. He was the drummer in the Costa Rican army who burned the enemy headquarter at the Rivas city battle in Nicaragua during the war against William Walker.
Daneil Oduber Quirós – August 25, 1921. Costa Rican politician, lawyer, philosopher, poet, and essayist. He was president from 1974 to 1978.
ESPAÑOL
This month’s Spanish phrase is a Costa Rican saying: “El que nunca ha visto altares en cualquier horno viejo se persina.” This means, “When not accustomed to riches, everything looks grand.”
NEIGHBOR SPOTLIGHT
Let’s sit down for coffee with Kristin Coffey, this month’s neighbor spotlight. After COVID put an end to their corporate event business in Florida, Kristin, her husband Ronnie, their 12-year-old son Kevin, one very old Golden Retriever, and two fluffy cats picked up and moved to a little town named Tranadora, on Lake Arenal in December 2020. After a few months of constant wind, a lot of rain, and longing for a place just a bit less tranquilo, they decided to move to the beaches of Guanacaste. They went to different spots every day and talked to everyone in sight. Kristin fell in love with the Surfside area of Potrero. Growing up as a swimmer and lifeguard for years, she was always around water. She doesn’t do any water activities now except drink in the pool.
Kristin spends a lot of time volunteering and has helped develop programs to benefit the children of Brasilito in her service with ACCAI. With her love for art and kids there are many activities that she does with passion for these students. Kristin began studying Spanish in high school and has continued her studies for approximately 43 years. Being a natural slow learner, she is nowhere near fluent and continues to shout out verbs in the wrong tense.
Kristin and Ronnie plan and host many community activities and events in the Surfside area… Clothing Swaps, Music Bingo Nights, a music festival, and an upcoming Sunset Market, to name a few. They love to bring people together and try to give back to the community that they love.
Kristin reads a lot, and she enjoys her home with Ronnie, Kevin (now 16), and all the pets (Chewy, Perfect Peanut, Maggie and Mumford the cats). She has a wonderful network of great friends and a busy social life. There are many sleep overs of teen boys, dog parties, crafting days, get-togethers, and happy hours in the pool.
Kristin says that the beauty they have found in Costa Rica has nothing to do with the beaches or the nature- it is all about the amazingly wonderful, humble and happy people. They understand life and how to spend it, not working all day for a new car, but racing home to hang with family and friends. They stop and really smell the roses, then pick them and give them to a senorita. She says that she sees families here just letting their kids be kids.
A little trivia about Kristin in her own words…
I love anything that is pink, and sparkly.
I love spicy food - Mexican is my favorite.
I can’t spell or do long division.
I was kind of a spoiled brat until Ronnie.
I loved social studies, art and art history in school- I was an art major with no real talent.
First job was a lifeguard and a swim coach.
My favorite quote- “nothing is too small it can't be exaggerated.”
💕is my most used emoji in pink of course.
QUE CHIVA!
Rod Marshall shared some details and photos from the July three-day Pickleball tournament in Playa Flamingo. The event was hosted by Margaritaville and included well over 100 players from all areas of Costa Rica and many international players. It was the second event of this nature and Rod expects that these events will just get bigger and better as Pickleball continues to grow in popularity. It is the world’s fastest growing sport for three years in a row.
Unsolicited Nursing Advice That Might Just Save Your Life
By Binta Forte, RN, QMHP
In this edition of Unsolicited Nursing Advice That Might Just Save Your Life, I am going to cover heat stroke vs. heat exhaustion. These conditions share some similar symptoms, but recognizing the distinct differences and understanding how to respond are paramount to a person’s outcome.
Heat exhaustion occurs when the body is unable to cool itself and becomes critically dehydrated due to an increased loss of water and electrolytes from excessive sweating. If left untreated or symptoms last greater than one hour, a person’s outcome will become critical. Individuals over the age of 65 and people with hypertension are more likely to experience heat exhaustion. The affected individual will exhibit excessive sweating, which leads to increased dehydration and worsening symptoms.
Heat stroke is a medical emergency!!!! It occurs when the body’s internal temperature is 104°F or above and cannot cool itself. Heat stroke can be fatal due to brain injury and organ failure. The affected individual does not sweat, which leads to a critical increase in core temperature that the body can no longer control/regulate.
The key difference is the presence or absence of sweat!!!!!
To quickly cool a person experiencing a heat-related illness, place cool compresses under armpits, across the back of the neck, and in the groin. *
More Unsolicited Nursing Advice That Might Just Save Your Life
PET PHOTOS
Meet Jake! His person is Carmen B. She says that Jake is a cross between Pyrenees and Australian Cattle dog according to his DNA results. He was dumped in a rural area in Texas and Carmen’s friend picked him up and sent her his picture. The rest was history. Jake’s passions are his friends (Paco and Toby, and a little less so the cat named Pachanga, but she likes to walk with him), afternoon beach walks (though water is not his thing, he will wait for his friends to take a dip and greet them at the very edge of any wetness), and most importantly, French fries. He has a standing order ready as soon as he walks into Hemingway's and his first fry is usually fed to him by Nicole or Vicki. His favorite position is prone, as you can see here. Carmen says that Jake is a lovely dog and the kindest little man ever.
“Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.” Roger Caras
THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF OWNING A DOG
By Christine Guzzardo, PhD
A recent Medscape Medical News article by Paolo Spriano, MD outlines the many benefits of dog ownership (or as I like to think of it, having a dog in the family).
One of the benefits is the amount of physical exercise we humans get because of having a dog. Dr. Spriano notes that regular physical exercise prevents the development of numerous illnesses and diseases, as well as being an effective treatment for many chronic conditions such as depression, high blood pressure, cognitive decline, osteoarthritis, and type 2 diabetes. Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes per week of physical exercise, but most people do not meet that goal.
Here is where dogs come in. People who have a dog have a fourfold chance of meeting physical activity guidelines compared to those without a dog. Dogs force us out of the house and into a walk, exercise which is strongly associated with a lower risk for cardiovascular disease and death. Dogs also have a positive effect on our blood pressure, compared to people without dogs.
In addition to the physical health benefits, our pups also help our mental health. Dr. Spriano points out that having a dog is associated with stress reduction and improved mood and emotional state. Having a dog can reduce depression and have a positive effect on people who experience the loss of a spouse or a divorce.
Dr. Spriano notes that in cultures where dogs are viewed as members of the family, the attachment relationship between the human and the dog can be functionally similar to that observed between a parent and a child. This kind of relationship generates oxytocin and lowers cortisol levels in both the human and the dog. Research on brain activity has shown that feeding, massaging, and hugging a dog are activities related to a positive effect on people’s moods, with low stress level in all activities.
So, if you are looking to improve your mood, become more physically active, generate feel-good hormones, and are intrigued by the idea of massaging a dog, you may want to consider adopting one of the many puppies or dogs that become available in and around our little beach towns. Bringing a dog into the family is a life changing experience in the very best of ways.
Four very good girls & boys (left to right) Vespa, Vinnie, Tuper, and Hamlet
QUE CHIVA!
COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS COME TOGETHER TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
On July 11th, Abriendo Mentes joined with the children of the community to raise the ecological blue flag, a symbol of the non-profit organization’s commitment to marine conservation and environmental care. From their Facebook post, they write, “Bandera Azul Ecológica Playa Potrero; ADI Playa Potrero; ASADA Surfside; Abriendo Mentes, and other entities, all together, we are building a greener and more sustainable future for all. For a cleaner and healthier coast!”
Thank you to Dee Rivera for bringing this information to the newsletter!
"Encourage your child to have muddy, grassy, or sandy feet by the end of each day, that’s the childhood they deserve." Penny Whitehouse
A PAGE OF COWS
FEEL GOOD WORDS
What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
W.H. Davies
ONE LAST THING
If you would like to be featured in a future Neighbor Spotlight, or you know someone who you think would like to, please let me know. I would love to feature more Costa Ricans. I will need a way to contact people through email or WhatsApp.
People have been so great at contributing photos and content and ideas. Please keep it up! I would love to have guest contributors or a regular content contributor like Binta has been.
Above all, keep sending me all the good things that happen in and around Potrero! If there are any upcoming events, cultural events, Costa Rican holidays or anniversaries, let me know the month prior. Wishing you all the best, every day.