And just like that

Man, time flies doesn’t it? It has been 7 1/2 months since we were locked down, and shut out, from the rest of the world. Yet, as I sit here now, it seems like it was yesterday. So much has happened when we were sure it would be nothing at all. For so long, the world has been on TILT; like a pinball machine, rocked a little too hard to the side. It was all still there, right in front of you; the bells, the whistles; the spinning wheels and the cannon; the secret tunnel, the rubber bumpers; just nothing worked and the lights were no longer on.

When Costa Rica first went into quarantine, it was the middle of our Guanacaste Verano, and the end of the North American winter. The hills were flush with yellow flowers, like a canvas painted with a brush, from the Cortez Amarillo trees. Stunning. What should have been a couple of our busiest months, turned into a ghost town, as everyone was sent home and the airports were closed. You could hear crickets, literally. No one was coming back, time didn’t really matter; so I put my Rolex in the safe. Spending time in my pool, working on my tan, days rolled into weeks. I started working my way through my CD collection; from AC/DC to Foreigner; Genesis to Eddie Money: Night Ranger to Twisted Sister; U2 to ZZ Top and every Van Halen album with David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar’s “I can’t drive 55!” My hair was a mess, but I didn’t care.

Cardella Challenge #4 Winner presented at Hotel El Velero

Today we went to one of our favorite spots in Playa Hermosa and had breakfast – Hotel El Velero.  We asked the owner, Mike Tesluk, to choose the lucky winner of Cardella Challenge #4. 

Link to Prior Newsletters

But first of all we want to thank everyone who bought raffle tickets and the local businesses who donated to the vacation package.  This has really been a full group effort to bring much needed help to our neighbors in need here in the Papagayo area.  The proceeds from the raffle will put food and supplies on the tables of 500 families for a week.  We know times are hard everywhere but if you can’t afford to buy a raffle ticket for the next challenge or want to donate directly please do to PAYPAL or ZELLE account michael@tanktopsflipflops.com.  No donation is too small or large.