October 23, 2007

Dear Dad,

Today is then first sunny day we have seen for 2 weeks. Of course the worst week was when we were in Miami, but since our return to Costa Rica it has rained, no poured every day.

We went to Puntarenas on Friday to look at the new kitchen facilities and have a meeting with the carpenters and electricians about the work needed to be done and completed before we can move in. We have just until the end of the month or the place where we are now will charge us another month.

We are waiting for the stainless steel sink to be completed and as usual we got a whole bunch of excuses, but since we tried out another company and it was a disaster we are sort of stuck and have to sweet talk this company in order to get the sink.

Our carpenter will dismantle the storage for the liquor and beer, the dishes and the food storage and re-install them in the new area. Also, the electrician is checking the wiring and actually re-wiring most of the kitchen before we can move the three refrigerators and a freezer.

The space for the laundry lady needs to be completed too. Lots to finish.

The owner of the building is supposed to be building decorative doors that will be kept closed and locked but will let in the necessary air to keep the kitchen cool as possible. There are two big metal security doors that roll up and down now but it would be awful to try and work in a kitchen all closed up.

After conversing with the workers, David and I headed for Punta Coral in a rain storm.

Instead of taking the ferry, we had little Mario come in from Punta Coral to pick us up – like the rich folks – but very deserving we are to treat ourselves to the luxury of a chofer driven private transportation. We deserve it too.

In my bag of Punta Coral laundry, I carry everything – just in case- and I was able to pull out two ponchos and one rain parka, and an umbrella. We stayed dry as possible but; I was soaked through when we arrived after only a 20 minute ride in the Amapola – David’s new Captain’s launch.

Since David had installed a hot water tank I was able to get warm in a nice hot shower and change into dry clothes. We had tamales for dinner and then went upstairs to read while we listened to the falling rain.

We need to get the electrician out there and redo the wiring as only the fan and light in our room was working. This made cooking difficult, but since it was only David and me we lit the oil lamps and we were fine.

Celiece gave me Harry potter #5 and I read and read and read, loosing myself in the magic or reading a good book, especially since it is close to Halloween. What fun reading.

Since our return and decorating the office with spider webs and spiders of all sizes and shapes and a giant pumpkin that lights up and two black cats with arched backs – red beady eyes and sharp pointed teeth, we have all had fun watching clients come in and step on the mat- hear the banshee scream. Just now the secretary of Tony the lawyer let out a great scream. I love Halloween.

Mario, the young man in reservations who helped me decorate, is thrilled with the reaction of visitors and has been laughing hardy all week. What fun we are having.

Back at the office. We are losing two employees both of whom have found better paying jobs. We cannot increase the salary of one person without increasing everyone elses

There are no secrets here.

One is the woman in accounting who works very slowly, is training a new person now who will try out the job for one month.

The other is the salesman who is doing a great job but is going to go work for a call center for more money, but is very strict with impossible rules. For instance- all employees must ask permission to use the bathroom and are allowed only a few times a day to go. They must stay in their chairs and wait quietly for the phone to ring. Also, if late even by one minute it is marked down and after three times, the employee will lose his job.

Luis, the salesperson, is hyper active and cannot sit still for very long. He likes and needs to keep moving. I think he won’t last at the new job. I am selfishly hoping he will return.

It is the last two months of September and October when sales are the lowest of the year partly due to being in dry dock and the month of October – being the wettest month – especially this year – tourism all over Costa Rica is bad. What does this mean? Luis gets a salary and commission but the commissions are practically nothing now.

Watching the news from California today is shocking with the devastating fires burning out of control all over the southern part of the state. I have never seen such terrible fires and loss of homes and evacuations. It looks like the end of the world.

David’s daughter and son and their families live in the area and we have not heard from either. I wrote asking for news that everyone is fine but so far have received no reply.

I try and not worry, but the fires are still not under control and the last report was over 1,300 homes and businesses destroyed.

I think Costa Rica will have a very dry season this year. We did last year and had a few fires too.

We do not have a sophisticated fire department to fight a really big fire. In years past we have joined firefighters in the area near Punta Coral to stop a fire at our property border.

David will have our workers cut a fire trail or wide path around the property line and I want to place some 55 gallon drums filled with water in certain areas just in case.

We have winds that blow from the north and stupid farmers burn dry grasses and leaves without watching the fires and the fires burn out of control. Each year as more and more building is done and the ground water level keeps dropping creates a great concern to all of us living here. Not too much we can do.

Wednesday

Today is moving day. I was on the phone all morning talking to the carpenter giving him instructions. I am not sure why, but he had a difficult understanding me and the instructions were easy to follow. All I asked is that he take down the shelves and doors of the old closets and take them to the new kitchen and install them in the new Calypso kitchen.

We need to move today because tomorrow the kitchen has to prepare for a tour on Friday and it is also the first of three days of training and instructions or information from INA and the Health Department and all employees are going to attend.

The new stainless steel sink is supposed to be finished too but of course it maybe will be completed tomorrow and taken to Puntarenas and our carpenter can install it.

Back in the office- all of us have been looking for a giant banner that I want to install in the new kitchen. We looked on top of closets, inside closets and everywhere and could not find it until Marco got up from his chair and reminded all of us that it is hanging up on the side of the wall of the liquor storage cabinet. We all had a great laugh.

Bryan has been working on changing all the cleaning products we use to friendlier and non chemical products to use especially in the kitchen. He has an appointment tomorrow to talk to a man from a company that sells stuff.

Bryan did research and called different hotels around Costa Rica, looking for the ones who use organic products and found one and got the information he needed.

There are two new catamarans being built to compete with us. The boats being constructed are not close to having the style and grace as does Manta Raya. They will be big busses with seating, however one company is doing a big campaign writing all the travel agencies with glorious descriptions of what their catamaran will have when completed. We now are going to include in our advertising material more information regarding the construction and design of Manta Raya. Did you know that the designer and builder of our boat builds and designs big racing cats around the world? The builder of these two other boats has never built a catamaran or anything bigger than a small dingy before.

I just got a phone call from the kitchen, or really I called the kitchen to see what is going on and was told by the head cook that everything is in the new Calypso kitchen except for the freezer that needs painting and the tablecloths, because the laundry lady is not at work today.

Now we need ceiling fans and the bars on two windows and the two front doors made.

Who knows when this will be completed, but at least we are in the new building, well most of the stuff.

The carpenter needs to take down his tool shed and move all his tools and wood and everything else that is inside his shed. Then he needs to rebuild it at the new location.

We have until the end of the months to completely move so there is plenty of time

It is time to go home. I went shopping with David and Celiece and Marlon and then we went and had sushi for lunch. I was looking for plates to match some I bought a few months ago, but there are none left.

I just talked to a woman who bakes wonderfully tasting and beautifully decorated cakes. I ordered one for our Halloween costume contest next week. She promised to make it chocolate with orange – the colors of Halloween- with scary looking with spiders and bats and who knows what else. She is very talented and it should be terrific.

It is time to go home. I still have to go to the grocery store. Shopping for groceries is so boring.

Hope all is well and you are happy. I love and miss you.

Besitos, Cecs