October 02, 2007

Dear Dad,

Yesterday I was home with a fever and body aches. I took my temperature but because it is in centigrade I am not sure what it was. Will I ever learn how to make the conversion? I remember when the kids were little and I had to take their temperature

If they were sick, I knew that 37 is 100 degrees and sort of guessed from there. I did have all visitors buy thermometes from the US and bring them to Costa Rica.. I treated them like gold too.

David and I are planning a trip to Miami on Thursday, he will go on to Boston, Maine, Martha’s Vineyard and Conn., New York back to Miami and then home.

I am returning on Tuesday morning and will start moving the Calypso kitchen with Bryan.

We have a big empty space and there will be a lot of work to do but I think with the help the carpenters we should have no problems. I already bought 5 stainless steel tables, and

three stainless steel shelves. This way I can move everything around until we get settled and have a better idea of how we want the kitchen to look and how it will work for the

three stations: cooks, dishwashing and laundry. We will also have room for a small office and lots of bodegas or storage.

I sent the plans to our carpenter by fax so he can see what needs to be done. We have two carpenters and when Manta Raya is in port both have to work on her and any other projects have to wait.

Our offices have a new maid. Her name is Sara and she is very nice. We were without anyone for a week and the young man who worked before was terrible. Now Sara has

everything vacuumed, dusted and the floors sparkle and the kitchen is spotless.

I brought fresh fruit from home to eat and she cut and peeled it for me. How is that for being spoiled? I deserve to be spoiled.

Costa Rica is still having lots of rain. October is the wettest month of the year and we will get lots more before our rainy season ends and the hot weather starts. I am expecting really hot weather this year because of global warming. It was extremely hot in Montana and Idaho and California when we were there for a visit a few months ago. Cartengena was the hottest place I had ever visited. Hot weather will make everyone want to go to the beach and this is great for business.

Celiece and Marlon went on the Calypso Cruise to inspect and make suggestions. Celiece typed it out and it finally got to my desk after everyone else had a meeting and read her report.

She is amazing and so finicky; but her ideas are amazing and easy to put into practice and

this is what we are doing now. She wrote everything clear and precise and this is my daughter who had so many problems in school with her dyslexia. I would love to show the Director of Country Day School, who made me take her out of classes, what Celiece can accomplish, except she is dead. Someone cut off her head………………. really, and tossed her into a coffee field. Celiece thinks her husband did it.

Boomer has recovered from his dislocated hind leg and a hole in his leg probably from a fang of another cat. He was so sad for a few days but after I took him to the vet and had his hind quarters x-rayed and then one leg reset, plus 5 days of anti-biotics he has recovered.

It is practically impossible to give a cat a pill. I hid the first one in tuna and he didn’t eat it the rest I put inside a small piece of ground beef and he swallowed. I had to be clever enough to put only a tiny piece of gr. beef because if the cat bit into it he would taste the bitter pill. The other choice was liquid, but then the cat foams at the mouth like he has rabies and it all comes out onto the floor. My cats are easier when they aren’t sick. It seems we are always at the vet, well about once every two months and they are tamed wild cats. What would have happened to them if they stayed wild?

As usual the sand in the hour glass is running fast from top to bottom as I try and finish the work on my desk so I can leave Costa Rica and head for Miami tomorrow.

I am exhausted and I am sure looking forward to a few days of celebrating the end of the court battle and a birthday will give me new energy.

My friend Cindy has a surprise planned for her birthday on Friday night. We are told what to wear and that is all. I love surprises and Cindy is a wonderful host. (we will be staying at her house with husband Bill and a new puppy, cats and older dog and pool)

She loves entertaining and eating and drinking fabulous wines so it should be a party and weekend to remember.

David and I want to go to see Celiece and Marlon’s house later today and David still has to pick up dry cleaning and go home and pack. Luckily I packed earlier and can go home and do nothing.

Celiece wants me to meet her new kitty and I cannot find her house myself so I need to go with David. To get to the Soto House, one must travel through small towns on unmarked windy roads with lots of turns to finally get to the bottom of the mountain they live on the top of.

I do not want to disappoint Celiece and not go when she has done so much for us lately.

This is the news for this week. Miss you tons.

Besitos, Cecs