Thanks For The Normal Day
I tried to do some fitting Memorial Day posts but nothing came out well. So, I'm just going to do an update on the store here in Costa Rica. Costa Rica is an interesting country that doesn't even have a military. Although you won't hear many say it, it has a great deal to do with the fact that if any other country were to cause trouble, the US would be here in a heartbeat.
There are a ton of gringos here, as well as Euros and other folk from around the world. It's a country of 4 million people, almost half of them from somewhere else, mostly from neighboring Nicaragua. The current President is considered mainly responsible for the peace deal that settled the civil war in Nicaragua back in the eighties. It is interesting that as Daniel Ortega is trying a political comeback there, Oscar Arias is again running the show here.
The contractors are here again making a racket.
The first shot of the mezzanine is one of those sparkling quiet times (DON'T LOOK RIGHT AT THE WELDING!) between the hammering and grinding and sawing that is likely driving the neighbors crazy. The second is what has turned into a 'project' with the bathroom. We only wanted to swap out the sink and toilet, which might have taken an hour or two, but by the end of the day we had gone through a major leak and had to shut the water off to the whole building; and we're back for day two.
As there seems to be a small leak in the new piping, it looks like we'll need to shut the water off again sometime today. If I don't say anything before they try to seal up the wall, typical Tico plumbing would let the little drip go, and I'd have a perpetually humid bathroom like I used to have in three places at the house. I will also ban them from sealing it up with cement, which is another tactic to cover up any 'less than perfect' plumbing jobs that only become apparent later. Live and learn and grow mold spores.
Thanks to the men and women of the armed forces, and to those who've died, and will die tomorrow, to allow me to have this little adventure. And thanks to those who have volunteered to cover this conflict who are also at risk, and the reporters who have given their lives as well. I hope everyone else is enjoying the day as well as I am.
