We've had a busy week fishing for Roberto on Monday and Gonzalo on Friday, and hosting B&B guests in between. Colleen and Drew, from Illinois, arrived from Dominica (on the Pacific coast near the beach). Colleen emailed me the night before arriving to let me know that she had had an accident: she fell off a horse on a horseback riding tour. She broke her wrist and had to go to the hospital in San Isidro de General. She had mentioned she was in a lot of pain, but they were heading up to our place the next day as planned. They arrived on Sunday, late afternoon, and Colleen's arm was in a cast, supported by a sling. And the pain was unbearable, as she described it. 

On Monday morning, I asked our friend Roberto to see if he could recommend a doctor (for a second opinion and maybe get some painkillers). Roberto was very helpful and I asked Colleen if she'd like to go. She said "yes!". I drove both, Colleen and her boyfriend, Drew, to the doctor's in San Pablo (a little town after San Marcos, only 30 minutes away). The doctor's office was empty, which was a pleasant surprise. The doctor saw Colleen right away, had a look at the cast, checked the inflammation in her fingers, asked a few questions (which I translated as best as I could). Everything looked fine, he said. He asked her what medication was given to her and he promptly adjusted what she was taking and the amount. It appears she was taking too much of one type, which is dangerous for her kidneys. He asked her if she wanted an injection for the pain and the inflammation. Colleen jumped at the chance to get the pain under control. The doctor pricked her and within 10 seconds, she was smiling with disbelief on how quickly and efficiently the shot worked. Instant relief. The visit cost her $40, and the shot $10. Colleen said she was happy to pay it (the hospital visit was paid by the tour company so she didn't have to pay for any of that).

I drove them down to the pharmacy in Santa Maria to pick up a new batch of medication for the next four days. Colleen  was thrilled that she could get on with enjoying the rest of their trip. They were able to hike, go to the coffee tour, and catch their dinner... even Colleen gave it a try with only one functioning hand and she did great!! Despite Colleen's bad luck on the horseback riding tour, they said they had a great time in Costa Rica and were happy to have been able to rest up and relax at Hush Valley Lodge.

Several weeks ago we had some alder trees cut down to clear a new pasture. Alders grow quickly but don't last too long. After twenty years or so, they fall down so it's best to be in control of the felling. Alder wood can be sold as lumber, so it's win/win. 

Jonathan's uncle owns a chainsaw that converts into a hand-held sawmill by simply adding a few attachments. It's a wondrous gadget. Kevin and I went up to see how Martin and Jonathan were doing and we were amazed at how efficient the system is. It takes them 20 minutes to create a clean, square trunk and another 20 minutes to cut more or less 20 boards of about an inch thick (depending on how big the square trunk is).

We also fished for our customer, Gonzalo, on Friday. He brought his son to help and his young grandson to watch. They perched him on top of their truck's roof to observe the process: an apprentice in training. He just sat there quietly, observing, pointing and asking questions. This is how they do it here... they teach by showing. No child seems too young to learn. 

We received some sad news this morning. The church in Copey was engulfed in flames sometime after midnight last night. It was built in 1928 and was declared a historic site in 1999. It was one of the oldest churches in Costa Rica. We don't know how the fire started, perhaps more news will be revealed in the coming days or weeks. The good news is that no one was injured and the fire did not spread to any of the other buildings. It's strange... we drove by it yesterday and all was well. Then again this morning and it was gone. The community is in shock. So very sad.