Yesterday we decided to take the family down to the water so that we could spend the morning at the beach. We have been on lock-down, so to say, since our last beach trip to Santa Teresa, nearly two months ago. This is because Lyndsey was super pregnant and we did not want anything to happen, like her going into labor, while we were far away from the hospital.

The past couple weeks have been great since Isabel arrived, so we felt that it was a good time to hit the beach. Now I am not going to act like I haven’t surfed this whole time, because I have. I have made the occasional trip with friends from Atenas to catch some waves, but not nearly as much as I would like.

We headed down to Playa Bejuco and got to spend the morning on a a deserted beach with no one else around. What can I say, I got to surf, Eli got play, Lyndsey got some sun and Isabel got to go to the beach for her first time.

Good Times!

Let’s take a look at the check-list:

1. Image of dad holding newborn baby – I opted for the picture of the newborn baby holding onto the dad. A little hand slightly holding a finger. Pretty much the same thing just a little more cheesy.
2. Image of mom holding baby – as if some sort of way of saying, “Oh yeah mom, your a part of this too.”
3. Picture of baby being cute – This one was when the baby was a couple of days old and we were already home – not so newborn looking
4. Cute picture of me holding the baby again – this time I am holding her and she is looking cute – the moms ate this one up – and I apparently have no shame.
5. Cute picture of big brother holding baby – well because she is the second and this is just what you do.

I am sure that it is almost a pre-requisite for every new dad to upload either one or two of the above, while the real cheesy dad does them all. What can I say, I feel like a blessed dad/dork!

Eli got to hold his little sister Isabel the other day for his first time. He was so excited to hold her and he did a really good job.

We really can’t believe how mellow Isabel has been so far. She has really only had one cry attack, and that was when the Pediatrician pricked her foot for blood at her one week check-up. Other than that she has been very tranquil and easy going. There have been a couple of nights where we have had to wake her up to remind her to eat.

It was hard to get the groms into the family picture. Izzy yawns as if it is too boring for her, and Eli gazes the other way appearing to have same thoughts as his sister – Oh well we went for it anyway

A few photos of Isabel Raines and her first week with us.

We had members from the two rival gangs show up at our house last night. Actually they both showed up at different times in our kitchen. First a member of the the (Road Side) Scorpions showed up and started claiming the area by the laundry room and the kitchen as his turf. This was around 9pm and I quickly remedied the situation by locking the scorpion up in a temporary lock-down facility/container.

Apparently word had gotten out to the rival gang across the way, and one of the members of (Pica Flora) Tarantulas came to claim his share of the kitchen and living room later on that night. He was spotted and then surrounded by our local neighborhood watch dog force, who called in for back-up around midnight. The Tarantula was contained and put into a lock-down facility next to his rival Scorpion gang member.

The next morning, they both faced the judge together who was accompanied by the local watch dog force, and a few members and representatives from the neighborhood Anti Gang Collation – who were basically members of the intermediate community.

Apparently looks or words were exchanged between to the two rival gang members while they were in lock-down because the member of the Scorpions was on the attack as soon as he had access to the Tarantula. Scorpion was contained and had to sit in lock-down during the rest of the arraignment.

Both members of the rival gangs were sent off with a warning and a trespassing violation. We can only hope that they have learned their lesson, but only time will tell.

Sometime around midnight and the early morning of May 6,2012, Lyndsey’s water broke and we started the adventure of bringing our new baby girl into this world. That night was a full moon, not just an average full moon either but the closest full moon of the year. While people were taking pictures of the largest moon of the year, we were contemplating if we needed to go the hospital or not.

After speaking to our Doctor we decided to make the 30 minute drive from Atenas to Escazu. We got tot he hospital around 8am on the morning of the 6th.

Isabel Raines Coburn was born at 8:40pm at Cima Hosptial in Escazu, Costa Rica. Our beautiful little tica weighed 9lbs 9oz and was 20.5 inches long. Everything went as smooth as possible, and we are so very thankful to have this new addition in our lives.

Also to celebrate the history of the Boyeros and their journey, this weekend in Atenas was the Climate Fair and Parade de la Boyero. This is an annual event in Atenas and is attended by hundreds of pair of oxen ,their brightly colored ox carts and owners.From Friday through Sunday there have been many different activities held in Parque  Centeral de Atenas with live music, dancing, the Boyero parade, food and events for the kids.

Ox-cart History in Costa Rica:

Ox-carts have a long history and have become synonymous with Costa Rica. Although the flashy ox-cart of today shows little resemblance to the original rough-hewn, rectangular, cane-framed vehicles of the past, the brightly painted oxcarts hold a prominent place in the history of Costa Rica and its economic development. The carts, which once dominated the rural landscape of the central highlands, date back to the end of the 19th century, but were used exclusively to transport coffee and other agricultural products well into the 20th century. The oxcart seems to symbolize the self-reliance and fortitude of the small Costa Rican farmer.

At the peak of the coffee boom and before the construction of the Atlantic Railroad, oxcarts were used to transport coffee beans to Puntarenas, located on the Pacific coast; as they were ideally suited for the country’s mountainous conditions and rutted dirt roads. The journey required 10-15 days. During the rainy season, the oxcart trail became somewhat of a quagmire. Thus, Costa Ricans developed their own spokeless wheel–a cross between the Aztec disc and the Spanish spoked wheel- to cut through the mud without becoming bogged down. In their heyday, some 10,000 cumbersome, squeaking oxcarts had a significant impact on the local economy; creating the need for such things as highway guards, smithies, inns, teamsters, and workcrews to maintain the roads. On the return trip from Puntarenas, they would haul goods mainly from Europe back to the Central Valley.

For more information check out http://travelcostaricanow.com/index.php/The_Ox-carts_of_Costa_Rica

The most common type of cattle in Costa Rica is Brahman cattle because they have sweat glands. They originated in India and they are better adapted to the tropical climate of Costa Rica. One of our favorite features on the Brahman cattle is their big dopey ears. They look like a combination of the dairy and beef cattle that we are use to in the States and something from a George Lucas film.

We have been laying pretty low the past couple of weeks as we anxiously await the arrival of our little girl. The rain season has finally kicked in and everything around is really starting to turn green.

The beginning of the week started out pretty normal with the exception of some business being closed. On Wednesday at midnight things start to change a little. The next morning more business, banks and government offices are closed and will be until the following Monday. Grocery stores and kiosks that are open cover up all of their alcohol and clear out all of their meat. They will no longer be aloud to sell alcohol or meat until Saturday at midnight.

This is what the beer and alcohol isle looked like at the market during the last few days of Semana Santa.

For the most part Ticos relax on Friday and Saturday, where some of the more religious take it to extremes. Many people do not drive, prepare meals, while some don’t allow their children to play or go in the water at the beach in fear that if they do they might be cursed. Needless to say the roads  are rather empty and many business are closed on these days as people are urged to sit back and reflect upon their sins. Local Catholic churches even put on processions that people are encouraged to attend.

I would say that quarter to half of the homes have hung up a cross with a purple cloth draped around it for the entire week. Purple is the color of royalty, but it’s also the color of mourning, which is suppose to acknowledge both Christ’s kingship over the world and His death.

On Friday, the last Friday of Lent, many people put out alters in their homes and public places to honor  the  Virgin of Sorrows. You can see them on windowsills, in niches, in doorways and living rooms, in public courtyards and private patios.

Costa Rican Processions During Semana Santa

A week before Easter Sunday there are  different processions that start to take place in different towns. These are Catholic reenactments of Christ last days on earth as a man, leading up to him being crucified for the sins of the world. Some processions have different floats or statues that people carry, other towns processions have a cast and crew of people dressed in period pieces of ancient Rome as well as staring characters like Mary, the Roman soldiers, the disciples and Jesus.

Semana Santa kicks off on Palm Sunday with a parade that starts in the town park or a few blocks away from the local Catholic church, which is located in the heart of most communities.. The actor playing Jesus rides a donkey with a group of people in front and behind him laying down palm branches. This is suppose to represent when Christ entered Jerusalem, before passover.

During the week of Semana Santa there are different processions held reenacting different events that lead up to crucifiction.

One procession reenacts the last supper with Jesus and his disciples, where Judas betrays Jesus. Another procession tells the story of Jesus on trial before the Sanhedrin and Caesar.

Then on Good Friday the parade takes a different turn and the procession starts with the soldiers leading the pack with the Christ character carrying the cross in agony. He looks pretty beat up  but minor after the desensitization from viewing the Mell Gibson Passion film some years back.

Following the man carrying the cross in the parade  is a crowd of people mainly the disciples and some women. Christs mother Mary is following usually elevated on a float behind the crowd looking like some type of spiritual god-like creature. The parade ends in front of the church where the crucifiction of Christ is reenacted complete with two criminals hanging on either side.

Finally on Easter Sunday you have the last procession with the Resurrected Christ and a huge celebration to follow.

If you live in the pathway of the parade route there is a good chance that members will come to your door and share with you about what the procession is all about. Many of the towns have their own version of the procession with some taking different characters, parts, or scenes to different extremes.

I am not sure as to the  validity of this but I had heard from a friend that some towns even have the Judas Character which is not an actual person but a dummy bag stuffed with potatoes or what-not. This is so the locals than beat it up and even burn it to show how disappointed they are in the traitor.

If someone is called a Judas in Costa Rica, they are looked negatively upon. It is similar to calling them a traitor or a Benedict Arnold in the States. In the towns that have an actual Judas character I’m sure that there is always some poor guy each year that shows up to see what role he gets in the procession only to be utterly disappointed to get the Judas role.  On one hand he is thrilled to get a role than ultimately humiliated for the role he has to play. For the rest of the year there is always going to be some drunk or rowdy group of delinquent kids that call him Judas either behind his back or too his face directly.

This morning after breakfast and coffee we decided to die some eggs for an Easter egg hunt scheduled later in the morning with some friends. Eli took charge began organizing the eggs into groups of color.