I once read that drinking alone is a sign of problem drinking. Why is that? Is eating alone, smoking alone or bathing alone a problem? I have discovered that the opposite is true.
Now that I can drink alone and enjoy it-no problem! I reflect on all the evenings which were ruined because I needed someone else to drink with. Now I am at a level which is equivalent to self-fulfilment or self actualization. No longer do I need a social crutch (company) to really tie-one-on. I am not afraid of being alone and can enjoy it. There are many folks who are afraid of being alone, traveling alone or drinking alone! Their need reflect their incompletness. I am now a whole man and do not fear such.
I still really enjoy the company of some interesting people. And I am facinated by some interesting comments by uninteresting people, but make no mistake; I am now a man who can stand (drink) alone and am proud of it! Post your comments! (hmmm, think I'll now have a cigarette.)

Christmas is for everybody. So it was Feliz Navidad on Christmas day.

One of Santa's important duties is to tend the BBQ and enjoy tropical yougurt with tropical rum.
Santa must also hear the requests from good (and bad) little boys and girls.













Two sisters, a brother-in-law, a husband, a son and a nephey. Hey!! That's six people!

Naturally she is smiling. She just got a fur jacket from Luis, her husband. Luis knows what works!

Christmas 2007 (second set of photos)

If you want the real tamale deal, Start with banana tree palms. The produce section of every grocery store is well stocked. My job was to prepare the palms, they are not properly called leaves, for the next phase in preparing these delights. The family I'm working with gets together every December and makes tamales "for fun." Theses beauties are palm halfs. (ripped down the center stem.)
They must be washed to remove dead insects, bat dung, fungus, molds, lipstick or whatever is loose enough to wipe off. The sections are cut to 16 inch pieces for wrapping the ingredients.
Gis is cutting the sweet peppers and is always good for a photo.
This is the chief tamale maker! A position, I might add, based on tenure and experience.
I am not the only one who is challenged and has found a way to overcome the problems of altitude and os kitchen appliances being designed for tall people.

Quality control is essential, so an expert is employed at critical stages. The "mush" is 90% corn meal and 10% pureed potatos. A chicken broth is stewed for flavoring (with many other ingrediants.)
Everyone helps assemble the tamales. More wine and louder music (from the Mob Album) was my prescription for success. I was therefore not allowed to assemble. My job was to tie the tamales together which I received multiple instructions on how to do!!

This is why I was not allowed to assemble. The proper skill can require generations to master. Also, I didn't have the nails for the job.
The ingredients are wrapped in three layers of banana palms. The palm can be reused.
I felt "special and proud" of my first tray of tied (properly) tamale pairs. No one else thought it was a big accomplishment, but hey, I did!!

Pairs are tightly wrapped with the fold inside and tied with cotton string. The red string is for "special ones." Such as with hot sauce, peppers, rat poison, sweet or sour. What ever you want!
This is the "baby" pot. The water is heated with the tamales already in the water and then boiled for 45 minutes.
Here is Giselle fishing one out for the camera. The mama pot is to the left . We filled it three times! Total production was 126 tamales after ten hours.
Lydia got the first one because everyone else was still working! It looks like mush but is as firm as..... a tamale! To be eaten with a fork. Iwanted to put a prize in each.

The finished product! The yellow stain is rice. The white strip is sweet pepper and the orange in the upper left is carrot. We save the leaves for making clothing, roofs, kitchen pots, etc. (not really)

LaLuz Lodge was invited to have a feast at one of the members's family homes. It is over 100 years old and built by his great-grandparents as a dairy farm. This is the garden view overlooking the Cartago Valley.
Cooking was, of course, the big attraction for many. The Worshipful Master (Right Worshipful Master in Costa Rica) is in the center. The ranchero is attached to he main house. The Lodge paid for the outing.
The gardens were masterful, extnding over several acres. The only maple tree living in central america was here and a giant California Redwood was prospering at eight feet in diameter. Cartago is high and damp, just like the California coast.
This is the group late in the afternoon. I used the timer on my Kodak camera to get in the photo. Some brothers and families had already left.