Fiesta Fun

     I had fun last night at my first party here.  What a pleasure to be able to see my friends out in town, invite them over, ask them to call other friends who don't understand English or my provincial Spanish and have everybody show up!
     I wanted to thank all my new, local, friends from the farm neighborhood.
The pool area at my new place has a cabana with a gas grill.  I told everyone to bring their suits and to come at 4:00.  Seems early until you realize it's dark every night, and I mean every night, at 5:00 p.m.  Pitch dark by 6:00.  How hard could it be?
     Make some shrimp and rice. Slow cook some chicken thighs. Set out apples and mam chinos and chips with salsa. Buy pickled mango from the baker at market.
Found bags of ice so drinks would be easy. (This group is all alcohol and smoke free) Easy.  Settle down with coffee and the PHS cookbook and find some good recipes for side dishes.  Look. Sip. Look. Sip.  Oh. Wait! I can't make anything from that book. I haven't found any spices except meat and chicken seasoning, salt, pepper, curry, teriyaki sauce, and fresh cilantro. Oh I made coconut chicken a few weeks ago but in spite of the canned coconut milk and the fresh coconut, there weren't any fresh flakes to be found. 
     Last night,  I settled for marinading the chicken in teriyaki and pineapple juice.  Luckily I didn't put any bar b que sauce on them because not one of the 15 locals liked it. It was Hunt's so I can't blame them. Still.  
     My meal was nothing to write home about.  I chopped a tomato and marinated it with steamed green beans in Italian salad dressing. (also Hunts!) Served those cold. The gringos loved them as did one other gal. Borrowed a Crock Pot and got lucky with a recipe (thanks!) for making rice in one.  That tasted terrible until the local ladies came to the rescue and doctored it up so that by the end, everyone was taking thirds.
     I started the grill to heat it up like my Dad taught me. I found a foil tray at the dime store in town and lined it with flat foil.  Set the thighs on it and ran it out to the grill. Along comes the 20 something woman that works here. She marched right over to the grill and starting explaining why the thighs won't cook unless I break their bones, right, here. Right here.  She said as she was taking my chicken off the grill, breaking their bones and putting them back. Told me she worked at a fried chicken place last year.  Pura Vida! I said to myself and moved on.  Only took me 3 minutes to walk inside for the turning fork and back to the grill. By then, there were three men hovering over the grill. WHAT IS THAT?
     I tried to regain the fork, but these were Tico's. Used to doing the hunter/gathering thing. It worked out fine with me. Gave me extra time with my guests. I needed the time since they weren't understanding my cryptic Spanish.
Still, we managed.  

     Here are a few of my favorite party-pics.....
These two have their newborn with them. She's the one huddled close to her mom. She's 25 days old. They are so proud and so protective. It's adorable. Carlos, holding the umbrella, is one of my first friends. Every day he helped me with my Spanish.  I've never seen a more proud
papa in my entire life.  Every day in the car he would show me the pictures from the day before. He even had a video of her crying!  So Cute!  When he arrived at the party with his two ladies he was holding an umbrella over Momma and baby.  It was dusk, no rain in sight though, and with the sun long buried it the clouds.  They sat together this way until it was totally black of night.  I tried to ask about the umbrella and I got a strange look and an explanation about what if it rains and what if the sun came back out and what if a bird......Once inside I had to turn off the light and the fan and the air conditioning.
    The house remained like this until all the power went off. What would a party be without a little local excitement? It took a minute for me to get the candles going and find flashlights.  Once I did, well of course the lights went back on. 

     This little cutie is the cousin of the baby.  Her dad drove me for six weeks and never mentioned being married or having a daughter.  So different from his brother!  Alex and his daughter look the same and have the same impish personality. She was a joy to watch in the water.  This was her first time in a pool. She taught herself to swim in the river.
What a terrific gift she is to her parents!
     There were five other children who swam here last night. Even the 15 year old high school lad couldn't wait to jump in.  I was so glad I thought to ask them while it was daylight, but they had more fun in the dark, when the lights were shining in the water.  It's a blessing to see the simple pleasures in life again. 
     The women have asked me out to see them. They decided I could go to one house at a time. I can't wait.