And then there was rain………..

 

 

From  January 1st – June 30th we got over 100 inches of rain in the area around Puerto Viejo with the majority of that coming in May and June.  Other parts of the Caribbean had even more. The President declared a state of emergency the last two weeks of June for provinces on the Caribbean side of the country due to flooding and collapsed bridges.  We were very lucky compared to the many people who had to live in shelters or those that were unable to leave their immediate area.  We mostly went on with our daily lives with the exception of a tree falling on our bodega which prompted a roof repair.

 But the damage was slight and was fixed quickly so no harm done.

And the puppies actually had a great time – they found every single puddle in the yard and wrestled for hours!!!  And I spent hours laughing as I watched 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The really big news was that we got our permanent resident status approved in May so we now have no restrictions on our residency.

We met our friends Kimberly and Barry at the Immigration Office

in Limon and within an hour we all had our documentation saying we were approved and that we would have our new cedulas within a week!!

While having temporary residency meant that we did not have to leave the country every 90 days to get our passport stamped as tourists do, we did have to prove that we had a stable income from outside Costa Rica.  We also were not able to legally work in Costa Rica if we had wanted or needed to do so. Permanent residency means that we no longer have those restrictions and the length of time between applying for residency is longer.  I had to go every year to refile for temporary residency status while now it will be every three years and after some time it will change to every five years.  So YAHOO!!!

This spring and summer we have had an unusually large number of mother and baby sloths in our yard.  There were at least five different pairs and they hung around (literally) for several weeks.  I love sitting on the back porch and just watching them.  One baby must have been nearly ready to be on it’s own as it became very brave reaching for tree limbs and swinging on them – all while still having one arm or leg attached to mom 🙂

The 4th of July party at The Point was once again a huge success. Popeye and Tiffany, the wonderful owners, provided free hamburgers, hot dogs, and salads for anyone who showed up hungry.  It was just a wonderful day. Many of us had not seen each other for several weeks while we hunkered down during the rains so it was great fun to reacquaint ourselves with each other and chat about life.  The people here are just one more reason we love living here – along with the wildlife, the ocean, the unbelievable scenery, and the amazing laid back vibe 🙂

 

 

More pictures from the last couple of months: