Family Matters (a lot)

I returned from a few days in San Isidro del General to find that my mother, Amy Ponsart had passed away on December 27. She had been very weak and in a lot of pain for quite some time, but, it is always very sad when one phase of a long adventure ends. Elizabeth, my brothers, sisters and their families, many grandchildren and great grandchildren were with her when she decided to leave us to rejoin Harry, the love of her life, to resume their time together.
She was a strong woman (like all Hegarty females) who chose to leave her home in South Shields, Durham, England to blaze a new path with the dashing soldier she met at a dance. Off to British Columbia where she worked endlessly raising six kids. A testament to her resolve is that somehow, despite the odds, she summoned the strength to stay with her family long enough to celebrate one more birthday (Dec. 20), regale in one last family Christmas and be around for the birth of her granddaughter Megan and Jeff's first child, a boy named Ashton born on Dec. 24.
The miracle of a life well lived and a life just begun; a road long traveled and a path looming ahead. We all love you, Amy.

The Walk up the Hill

The photos here are of the houses and vistas one sees while walking the ten (soon to be eight, I hope) minutes up the hill from our place. Stewart, think the trail next to the grind; Scott, think the moderate parts of the Inca Trail. The walled house at the crest is massive and fortified like a prison. Their view is never ending and spectacular (an assumption as they have not yet gotten around to inviting me in for a glimpse).

More Views

Here are a few more pics which might, hopefully, provide you with an idea of the area in which Elizabeth's and my house is located. Soon, I will provide some photos of the vistas which emerge when walking to the crest of the hill.

Trying to Post Some Pics

Merry Christmas, everyone. It is very quiet right now. Last evening (Christmas Eve) the world here was filled with the sound of fireworks, the dogs barking their displeasure while the sky was so clear, I swear I saw a sled shooting across the horizon. I am going to attempt to post a few experimental pics; if you read this blog, please let me know if I am successful and I will post more.

Small Steps to Greater Understanding

Understanding one's biases, conditioning and assumptions is arduous, if not impossible when located in the familiar. I recall, that as a young person, differences surrounded me; however, recognition implies a judgment which is fed by the ever expanding maw of otherness. Neighbours were just that. Playmates and friends were just that. They were nice or not so nice. The palette of distinctions somehow, and at some time, exploded into a myriad of tones and hues, adding to its shades shadows of style, augmented by assumptions of worth. Deep rooted distinctions determined attraction, aversion and avoidance.
Here, I am in the midst of what, in Vancouver, would be highly unusual. We tend to construct living places which are hewed by homogeneity to provide a buffer between us and them. In this neighbourhood, relative poverty resides next door to comfort. My initial reaction was wry observation, always seeking the clever line, a convenient tool to avoid more careful thought.
After, just a short time, my glasses are beginning to lose and gain focus. The kids across the road live in circumstances much different than those on either side of me. I notice they play in their own yard and rely upon each other; their interdependence and laughter ringing through my door like the Latin beat of the music throbbing from their mother's radio.
No one phones the police; no one looks askance and no one seems to mind. The fabric of the barrio unfolding.

Finally Here

The last few days have been a whirlwind of activity, mind you the wind has been warm and filled with new and fragrant aromas. I arrived in San Jose at 11:00 pm, spent the night in La Garita at Norma's Villas and met with the lawyer and sellers of our home in San Ramon at 2:00 pm Thursday in San Ramon. Within the hour, Elizabeth and I became the owners of our second home. Next, some shopping for essentials: coffee maker, blender, toaster, television, telephone, pillows, cable hook up and internet service. All of this was rendered so much easier than it would be for most because of the help of Janet and Steven, the couple from whom we purchased the home. Steven has lived here for seven years and Janet for four. They are local celebrities as Steven was literally one of the first "gringos" to purchase a house in a barrio rather than a sanctuary. His goal was to live with the locals as is ours. For some great insight into life and adventure in San Ramon, visit Steven's blog: http://livecostarica.blogspot.com

However, as in all choices, surprises lurk around the corner of each decision. Understanding the possibilities within the surprises rather than allowing them to overwhelm with the force of strangeness and the blasts of newness is a lesson I am slowly learning. In previous visits, Elizabeth, the Bold and Adventurous, has been here to lead me along the path; however, her work commitments preclude this until Mid-March. I suspect this is part of her great plan: to force me into some degree of self-reliance. I miss her a lot.

Life in Vancouver has been comfortable: the shower is always hot, a dog with extended teats roaming the street in hopes of sustenance to support her soon to be born litter is not a feature of life on Wolfe Avenue. Mind you, neither is the delight of the children whose natural sense of curiosity leads them to my place to ask como te llamas, mi llamas Esteban, Jorge, Ricardo....
Nor the excitement of the neighbours when the truck from AMNET, the local cable and internet provider pulled up ostentatiously, blocking the road and discharging three men bedecked in fine, official AMNET garb. When I asked if they wanted to pull into the driveway, they seemed bemused and responded, No, senor, it is fine. My sense is in the the absence of a military, a variety of Costa Rican services have moved in to assume, at least ceremoniously, the trappings of power, particularly, when the power generates entertainment and the World Wide Web.
As internet service has only been available to this barrio for three weeks, the arrival of the AMNET Army is still a cause for festive curiosity.

In what must have been record time (two days) I have full phone service, cable and internet. Now, never you mind about the paradoxical nature of yearning to be a stranger in a strange land and being overjoyed by the instantaneous connection with the familiar!

Home Owners

Well, we have done it. We have purchased our home in the wonderful city of San Ramon from Steven and Janet, a terrific couple from Ithaca, New York, who have chosen to purchase a larger place in the less urban countryside. Their help and assistance in familiarizing us with the area has been invaluable. I am going to Costa Rica in December to take possession of our new home while Elizabeth and her daughter Ania will arrive in March or April. Needless to say, we are excited about the adventures and learning that living in a new country will afford us!