Yo, Yo, Yo... Spirits are running high in Costa today... 4, count'm, 4 days till Gators/Bama!!! Surf has been epic for the last 5 days, with a huge swell on the way starting tomorrow... We are in the heart of the rainy season, and it has been blue skies for the last 4 days with no rain! Thor took his first on Saturday, 3 months and not afraid of anything, even gunshots! Too bad slightly is not playing on Friday night, that could cap off a sick week.

So back to the mundane, Peanut is starting to bother me! That kid has no respect for my sleep!!! For the last few nights, she has been waking up Sarah through a long karate combo, then persists to beat on Sarah's stomach for a few hours. To top that off, Thor has had some stomach problems and been getting us up to go outside a few times, and Mackie wouldn't come home two nights ago and at 2AM he started howling at our neighbors again, so I had to get dressed grab the flashlight and walk around the neighborhood to get him... At least the waves have been good.

So, a very short blob about surfing progression, as partly I am documenting our time here for personal future reference, and it will be nice to look back and track my progression to professional surfing one step at a time... This week things are starting to really come together. Backside cutbacks are now hitting the foam and throwing tail, keeping the wave. Frontside, I am going way faster than I ever thought possible and pulling man-overs I wouldn't have tried before living here. Lots of late reentry turns, arials are staying on my feet, and pulling a few, 360s are now not uncommon. I am now top of the second tier as I see it. Only a small group of folks surf noticably better, and they are the best at their breaks. I can't wait for 6 more months.

As for getting to the states, we have a driver lined up to get us to San Jose, a place to stay that accepts pups and spots on a plane for Friday morning. Pray for clean and friendly skies! We will be at Dixon's on Friday night, leaving for Momma's on Sunday morning. Be in S. Aug on Thursday, staying through Wednesday morning and then to S. Fla. Flying back to the Costa on the 18th.

Una semana hasta los Estados Unidos!!!

Anyways, stuff is funny as always here... the falling off the chair moment of the week has to be that after Andrew had his car towed to Nicoya, and all the work was done. He gets it back and the very first night, backs into a tree and knocks out a back window... Then, a day later, it stops starting and Andrew is back to the mechanic again today!!! And our car, the 200 dolla Beast as it is called here, is working fine. Except for not having a gas gauge and having to keep a few litres in the back as a spare tank...

So here are some belly pictures, I know that some followers of this periodical are fond of the whole pregnancy thing and don't see the importance in surfing or Thor...

Sarah is 26 weeks along now, and the baby is pushing 2 lbs and 14 inches at this point. She is kicking Sarah constantly now, most visible from the outside.





So, we are back in one week from today, so folks, please have a variety of cold beer chilling, steaks and charcoal, and time to hang out with us...

And for the momma, we need ice cold publix milk, lots of fresh fruit and hugs... just don't rub on the belly, it makes here really mad...

Check out this nice fella that Sarah found in my bathroom drawer. I am just really glad that Sarah didn't get the stinger, he was a big boy!!! I took care of him though... sorry about the gore, but I thought it should be posted.



I will throw up a real post later, but thought this would start your day nicely... E.

Hey Folks... Just wanted to say thanks to both our mommas for sending us boxes of goodies. Momma Hummer made Sarah's day today, and Thor's by sending a huge box of love including movies, dog bones, candy (Sarah and Rebecca are stoked on that one) and a bunch of other fun stuff. And my Momma sent us a box o'books that has kept us all busy for the last week, as it has been raining about 12 hours a day. I thought you all would appreciate how the mail arrives here in nosara, so we snapped a shot of it.



Note that taht is not a motorcycle, but a moped...

Today is our 2 month anniversary in Costa Rica, and here is a rundown of what we have accomplished...

We have a long term rental house right by the beach.
We have "jobs" that don't pay us any money yet.
Surfing Nosara.com is getting 5k hits per day.
To date, we have not yet had 2 working cars at the same time (this may happen tomorrow...)
We had cell phones for 3 weeks, never had international calling, now we don't have any.
We don't have a house phone.


But, we live in paradise and have some killer dogs, surf everyday, eat awesome food and it feels like vacation everyday. So our goal for the next few months will be to make some money and get some phones. Other than that were stoked!!!

Anyways, Sarah has El Gripe now, and hasn't been sleeping lately. Andrew is feeling kind of run down also. I think we are all just needing a break for a few weeks. Life here is awesome, but my goodness, we do 10 times what we did in the states... from surfing to walking, to what you have to go through to get anything done... I understand why there aren't any fat folks here... it's hard to get fat.

No other real news, we only have one more week in Nosara, then two days in San Jose then tailgatin for the Gator Game...

Later on, Erik.

What is the easiest way to get a Tica and her four children to the Super? (supermarket)

A motorcycle! I kid you not, we have seen some crazy things down here, it is commonplace for a husband to drive the dirtbike with the wife on the back holding her baby, or the momma to be driving with a baby in the front, and older kid holding on in the back... but I have never seen 5 humans on a motorcycle! That is a new one.

So, other fun crazy stuff has been going on also. Last night we watched the the Gator vs. Tennesse ball game at the Beetle Bar... never been there before, and probably never going back. Go Gators!!! Anyways, the food was absoluetly horrible, Andrew's burger came out still frozen in the center. I got the chicken nachos, and didn't even touch'm. Sarah got the burger and disected it on her plate. We did meet some gator fans, and Sarah and I might have scored tickets for the Bama game. The guy we met, Charles, just lost his wife in Ocala (extremely sad), and has come to Costa Rica to drown away his sorrows. We think they are on a few week binge down here. That has to be the worst thing you can go through, I just hope he doesn't cause himself too much more trouble getting over it.

Back to funny stuff... We found out last night that the Beetle Bar, which also has the worst hotel ever attached to it, has a side business... What is that you ask? Well, who would stay in rundown Costa Rican version of a Motel 6 in Bronson? Someone who was looking for some companionship... yep, four of the rooms are occupied by young ladies... No thanks! We won't be back unless the Gators make the national championship and they are the only folks in town showing it.

So we left at half and headed to the Guilded Iguana, and finally got to meet Patty, Chiqui's wife. She is part owner, and runs the restaurant. Chiqui called while we were eating, and at the end of a killer meal, we were told that there was no bill to pay! Thanks Chiqui!!!

On the dog front, we are finding out more about our mutts from Florida. Check out the pics of Mackie... Those are porcupine quills!!! So, it appears that one of the things that Mackie does in his roaming is chase porcupines, howl at them and get lit up!!! I pulled out about 15, some were a full 1/2 inch deep!!!





Do you guys remember the Pizote pic I posted a few weeks ago? Well, this morning we were watching a movie and the pups were outside, and we hear some commotion and Sandy is barking at a tree. Well, we brought the other pups in but couldn't get Sandy to budge... and didn't see anything in the tree. Well an hour and a half goes by and Sandy is just sitting looking up at the tree, and I come out and start calling her again. This time getting loud and serious... finally she comes about 5 feet towards me, and the biggest Pizote I have ever seen runs out of the tree and heads into the woods, Old Bones limping along after it, barking up a storm... I didn't know Sandy had it in her... get'r done Old Bones!!!

The new pups are now starting Search and Rescue, and Tracking training. Thor has successfully completed 10 scent tracks, up to 100 yards with many turns!!! When we are home I want to train this alot! North Georgia woods!!! To start this you do what is called "handler lost" which makes sense because he cares more about Sarah and I than anyone, so he wants to find us if we are out of site. So, Sarah will take off, and hide (I don't even know where she is) and then Thor and I come look. It is pretty cool, because sometimes I will think I know where she is and I am completely wrong, and Thor has only missed once, and it was due to fresh cross tracks by Sarah, adn he just followed the wrong ones. He also tracked a "suspect" for the first time at dog school yesterday, and did it!!! I was worried he wouldn't care enough to find him, but he did...

Adios... E

Ames, check out the round face now... yeah!!!! Look at Thor giving the love. I now take him to the office, and he sits under the desk while I work. He is so chill, he doesn't even get up when folks walk in. Such a difference from Sandy and Mac... he only cares about me and sarah. If I walk outside, he won't take his eyes off of me. It is the only time he gets up.



Well, this is the last pic from our digital camera, as it broke today... puta mierda. I will still post some pics, borrowing Adu's from time to time. I will be buying a new one in the states, hopefully much better. Here, anything electronic is easily twice the price, most of the time more. So, it is worth the 3 week wait.

Anyways, I forgot to mention the power outage the other night. Went black at 6PM (it gets dark here right at 6) and didn't come back until 4:30 in the morning. I know this becuase the bedroom light came on.

Waves were epic again this morning! Almost double overhead on sets. Huge.

Also got our first advertiser on SurfingNosara, the surf report. It's the Frog Pad, the local movie rental place. And now we get free movie rentals. Our new plan is to just trade advertising for all of our necessary goods... food, movies, and beer... i wish I could work gas in the mix, cause I am tired of paying 5 bucks a gallon!

Oh, something that I have completely neglected to talk about is our Spanish lessons. Our friend Bernice, has started working with Sarah and I. On Sunday I had my private lesson, just an hour of straight conversation, no english, and then on Wednesday's Sarah and I take Bernice out to dinner, for more conversation. It is pretty fun, and I am understanding a ton... just can't speak so well yet.

Anyways, hope your day is as good as ours... later.

Super good waves, and still taking it from the Ticos...

Good news, bad news today... Let's start with the good, because I am an optomistic person. The surf today was the best since the first few weeks of living here. After three days of large, florida type surf, this morning was full on Pacific, glassy juice. Long makeable lines! You really get to see how much you are progressing when the waves let you go full steam!

On to the bad... Gustavo, the mechanic who did the engine repairs, said that we needed one more repair, la frena.. or the master belt. and a connecting disk on the engine. So, after his professionalism, I took it to Carlso Pena, the mechanic who I thought would steal the parts, because he has the same trooper he is trying to rebuild. So he does the work and brings the car back to me. Turns out, the belt and disk were new, and that Gustavo just wanted to borrow the car for a few days to make another 150 bucks. So Carlos still did the work for some reason, and gave me an oil change. He felt bad that I got taken, and only charged me for the part, not the work. Oil changes are fun down here too, they are about 60 bucks! Becuase the oil is so expensive. like 5 bucks a quart! Also, Carlos said that the motor would not have blown if we didn't fix it, and that the oil leak is fine, I just need to monitor it. Great, who needed that 150 bucks???

So, Sarah had her massage today, and is in a pretty good mood today. Looks like that will be another weekly expense. But its only 50 bucks for an hour, and Jessie comes to your house.

Hasta Jovenes.

Here is something kind of cool that doesn't happen too often back home. For the past few days, on my walk to and from the beach to surf or just walking Thor, our neighbor's gardener, Rudolpho, has scared me by saying hi, while hiding in the woods. I wasn't sure if he was stalking me or what... but today, he said "Hola Erik, Ven aqui" so I walked over to him and he hands me this plant... what??? Turns out, it is Ginger, and what he is doing in the woods is finding herbs to make an herb garden. About everything grows naturally here, and Rudolpho is just searching the woods for the plants, and then transports them across the road to his new garden. Thanks to him, we now have Ginger. Pretty cool.

So, Amy emailed me about the "violent" activities that we are getting involved in and here was my reponse. Nosara probably has the same percent crime rate as back home, in Charleston or South Florida (not St. Aug as there is no crime), but the difference is that in the states you come home and someone is in your house, and you call the cops from your cell phone and let them handle it. Here you don't have that luxury, so what you do is play the "you don't want to even think about robbing me because..." game. So the smart gringos have big dogs, alarms, bars on their windows, and they're ones that do this never get robbed. The dumb ones, that think that they is no chance of them getting robbed and leave their house unlocked and windows open are easy targets have a way better chance of it. If you were looking to rob, who would you target? The idea is that you protect yourself so that you never need the protection. The whole nuclear weapon defense. Plus, dog work is about the most fun that I have had outside of surfing ever. Amy, your perception will change when you meet Thor... he is the biggest cuddler you'll ever meet.

I am taking advantage of our professional photog friend Zach's photos. So here is a random pic of the crabs that are all over the place. When you walk to the beach, it looks like the bushes are moving there are so many crabs running away.



Here are some good shots of the dog training on Saturday. Look at lil' Thor getting all fired up. Give him 6-8 months and he will be skying over the wall like the big guys. Wouldn't want that coming at me.





Let's see, the last few days have been really fun! Good surf, Kristin had a party, dog work and boxing. Kristin's party was pretty fun. She invited the two super cute tica chicks that Andrew likes, so he has been in a good mood lately. They are both real cool, surf all the time and do massage. Anyways, Sarah and I were talking to Jessenia about pregnant massage, and on Wednesday, she is going to teach me how to give good rubbing to Sarah. Needless to say, Sarah is pretty happy about this.

Andrew and I are starting to work out at a boxing gym a few days a week. Talk about using some muscles that you don't use to much. Surfing this morning hurt. It is like boot camp here. You couldn't get fat if you wanted to... and believe me, I am trying, and still losing weight.

The work patrol is still here, so office time is at a minimum... we are working in baggies and tank tops, so if they do come by we look like tourists. We have heard a few folks have been deported, not for working, but for staying longer than allowed. The rule here is that you can stay in the country for 90 days at a time, and then you must leave for 3 days. You can actually drive to the boarder, and the corrupt cops will stamp your passport for 50 bucks.

Anyways, I am headed to the mechanic for the final fix on the car.. for the week. Hope you guys are all doing well!!!

Oh, one more note... we will be back home for the first few weeks in October! We are going to the Gator game on the 30th of Sept in G'ville... so represent folks... See you soon!!!

Killing It!!! Better by the day... I think I am going to have withdrawl in the states!




One editorial note... We do not live 1 block from a drug house. I hope that that story didn't confuse anyone, I read it a few times, and nowhere does it say we live close to Pelada. We live on the other side of town, in the nicest section with all of the rich gringos. Our new house has bars and an alarm, and we have 4 dogs, which amounts to overkill. So, please tell Grandma that we will be ok, and not to worry, becuase when I called her today, she was all worried about us, and couldn't believe that we lived so close to a drug house. It is much safer here than South Florida.

The pups have got to be the highlight of the past few days. We have been working with them a lot, and it is pretty impressive what they are capable of. I have been working with Thor on phoosing (walking right at my left foot), and can now go minutes without having to physically correct him. Just use commands and tone of voice to keep him at my side. Last night, actually, we went 200 yards on the beach without a leash, Thor right by my side.

Don't crawl in a tunnel to get away from Thor... he's got that one down!


Today we took them to Terry’s obstacle course. Terry is our trainer, and at his house he has set up an obstacle course for pups that teaches them balance and being able to work on multiple surfaces. Some pics are enclosed. Thor was a monster out there! Bounding up the 6 foot a-frame right off the bat… none of the other pups did it. He may be wild, but he is fearless! There are some balance beams, tunnels and a swing that the pups sit in and you swing it.

This is a pic of Magnus staying on a 4 foot wall.


Waves have finally been somewhat big again. And we had the luxury of getting the day off. In Costa Rica, unless you are a resident or citizen, you are not allowed to work. There is a loophole, though, that we exercise to get paid here. What we have done is set up a corporation, that works for us. So, technically, we don’t get paid, our corp does. This doesn’t do much for us though when the government comes around and knocks on doors to see if there are gringos working. So, today they were in town, and we had a forced day off.

Thor charging the A-frame!

Pura Vida (pronounced Poorda Veedah, said very fast), you can use this phrase anywhere, hello, goodbye, whatever. Just say it alot and you fit in.

This are nice and calm here in Sunny, Overcast, Hot, Rainy Costa. Tis the season of the split personality. Beautiful in the morning, and Tropical storm at night, or vice versa, or just one. You never know what the day will bring. On Sunday, there was a river flowing down the main street in Guiones. Yesterday it was as dusty as the dry season.

Things are settling down as of late, early morning sessions in the water, dog training, guitars at night. Actually, tonight is Stinky Kinard's (or what is left of it) first show in quite some time. Adu and I have worked up a a set list and we are playing a sunset party up on the mountain. Adu is playing guitar, and we are actually working on some harmonies. I guess some things get better with age. You know Poonanny is making an appearance.

Sarah got homesick yesterday, I think she is getting tired of me and Andrew, I don't blame her. But we grilled out with Kristen at our place and that made her feel better. She is in great spirits today.

Our buddy Zach from St. Aug is in town, and he was supposed to bring some beers for us. I asked Brandon today, and he lied about it, trying to keep them all for himself... jerk :) I ordered a new pocketknife and had it sent to Zach for him to bring down, and guess what... it didn't get to him in time. Can't anything ever work out?

On the car front, I have good news... Our car, while ugly as can be, is actually perfect for Nosara. Right now the driver side door doesn't work, so we are all entering through the passenger door, but it gets us around. The four wheel drive works, lights work, wipers, defrost, and a bunch of other stuff also. It is like christmas everyday... try it sometime... buy the worst thing out there, and then if anything goes right you feel like you are getting a little bonus. Meanwhile, Andrew's car is stuck up at our house on the mountain, as the battery is now dead. So, in the 7 weeks that we have been here, we have yet to have 2 functioning cars at the same time.

Stinky Kinard rocks! Pura Vida.

Adu and I chilling on our front porch.


Sarah and Lisseth (pronounced lissett) hanging on the beach 150 yards from our front door! Real good waves right out front.


Eddie and Mia hanging out on the beach. Eddie is Lisseth's son, Brandon's stepson, and Mia is Brandon's sister.



This was in the bathroom last night when Sarah and I got back from dinner at Blew Dogs. I don't kill many things, but I took care of this guy... I really didn't want to step on him in the middle of the night or have a pup eat'em.

Here's a thought... I have realized that since I do the blog, no one emails me anymore... I understand this, but if you read the blog shoot me an email!!! Now... Today...

Here's a new one, you don't see back home. So, our car was worked on at the Nissan Servicentro in Nicoya for the first half of the repairs. They made me pay in full to release the car to the mechanic who fixed the motor. The bill went over budget by 100 bucks, but we sent him the money. no worries.

So I get into the office this morning and there is a message for me from the Nissan Servicentro, stating that they errored on their bill and didn't charge for something that was another 100 bucks. Mind you that they worked on the car three weeks ago. They asked me to give them a call and let them know when I can drive to Nicoya, 1.5 hours on the worst road in the world, and drop them off the money... Sounds to me like the owner needs some money, and trying to hit up a gringo for it. I don't think so buddy... Chiqui told me to tell them to wait outside at five o'clock and look west for the flying pink elephant, he's got the money.

Well, El Gripe came and went. yesterday was horrible, trying to move while food poisoned. Thanks to Sarah and Adu for helping out and picking up my slack.

Living down the mountain is going to be great! We are already more pumped on it. We actually still have a mountain view, just the bottom 30 meters of it. The house, while older and darker is homier, which is pretty nice. It doesn't feel like were on vacation. 3 minute walk to surf!!!!! My morning ritual is going to be working Thor to the beach and back to check the surf.

This morning Thor and I were working on Hups. It is his best skill, thus far. A hup, is jumping up or down on an object. You do it to work on your pups ability to navigate any terrain. At our new house there is a deck with a solid 2 foot jump. At the beginning to train the pups you basically go up to the object jump up yourself and drag your pup up by the leash, then they start to get the idea. The next step is trying to do it while phoosing, which is when the dog is walking on lead right at your left foot, looking up at you for direction. Well, today Thor huped up on the deck while phoosing with me. He gets so excited when he does something good. I couldn't believe he could do it, so we did it a few more times.

Late, E.