A change to "city" living

New digs!

Soon after returning from the States, and even before I was back myself, the search was on for a new house to rent.  Looking to trade the ideally sized house and the killer view for closer proximity to the school and more kids for our kids, we began the search for a house in the town of Nuevo Arenal itself.  We appreciated the garden-like setting of our house in Las Flores but driving the 5 km into town several times a day to and from school became more consuming than we liked.

Morning front porch view

Erica and the kids located our new house while driving around town and became quickly enamored with the location, a four minute walk to school!  There's a pulperia (small general store/candy shop) just down the street and the rest of the town is easily walkable.  Less driving!  Its location, light and open floor plan compensated for its 2 bedroom/1.5 bathroom size.   Because of the unanimous enthusiasm, I agreed to move, sight unseen.  Craziest of all is that our monthly rent is less than our monthly property taxes when we owned our house in Portland.

Madeleine starts her commute to school

We moved in on Sep. 1 and haven't looked back.  Without a doubt, this was our easiest move ever, taking only a couple of trips with the car.  Madeleine and Henry walk to school or store and back on their own.  This has been the greatest benefit of moving but we never would have guessed how fantastic it's been to have so many other kids nearby.  Less than 24 hours after moving in, the first neighborhood kids stopped by to play some soccer in the backyard.  The record so far has been 7 kids here at once.  Just like old times.

Let the games begin, with Jackson and Josemar

The smaller house hasn't felt tight at all to us, especially given the large outdoor covered area where a lot of our time is spent.

Couldn't not have a ping pong table here

We lucked out and were able to quickly pick up a used ping pong table.  It's become a gathering point for the kids and some of the parents too.

Madeleine, Kelly and Tatiana take a break from studying for exams

Unexpectedly, there is a large group of howler monkeys living in the jungle across the street.  They greet us in the morning and occasionally frequent the trees just across the street.

Neighbor across the street

Plenty of vultures nearby

Produce, anyone?

Turns out a produce truck comes through the neighborhood every Monday and Friday.  Can this get any better?

I'll often extend my morning walk after dropping Sullivan off at Kindergarten at 7 am.  The air is often cooler and the light's really soft, accentuating the colors and views.  A few early morning scenes.  .  .

There seem to be fewer barking dogs here but one really loud neighbor cat whose name doesn't seem quite appropriate:  Preciosa.  She has a great affinity for loudly meowing just outside our house at any time of day or night.  She's been known to climb up on the windows and meow inside the house, trying to get in.  At 1 am.  She's clearly terrified of a broom but seems to be smitten with the attention and doting from Sullivan.  Her internal conflict is understandable.

Looking deceptively cute

Overall, this has been one of the best moves ever.  Less driving and more local streets and sidewalks gives us more time for regular exercise and exploration.  The neighbors have been welcoming and getting to know folks is much simpler.  The adventure continues.  .  .