|
"Rain! Whose soft architectural
hands have power to cut stones,
and chisel to shapes of
grandeur the very mountains." Henry Ward Beecher
The rainy season is a special time in Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
The power of this natural force reminds us every year that
control is a limiting illusion, and that patient cooperation
offers growth.
Those who arrived earliest to the May-June 2010 gathering of Finca
Las Brisas friends and family learned this first-hand. The first
few days found visitors and owners waiting out the torrential
rains. Heloisa, Eddie, Randi, Brian, Joe, Rich and others got to
know each other, settled in and watched for signs that the road
was passable. Our amazing crew
worked day and night making preparations for the big fiesta up
on the finca with contingency plans in case Mother Nature
decided to temporarily keep us off of her mountain.
Sure enough the rains cleared just in time for the fiesta, and
it was a glorious night. At least 100 people turned out to
enjoy live music from local musicians and fresh food provided by
Maria, Lizette and Vinnie at
El Sueno Tropical.
Creating A Place to “Be”
Despite the rains, teams have been working hard on construction
of two houses and the completion of the community center. The
rancho was a warm host and looked terrific with its mud couch,
hand- made furniture and earthen floors. It provided a wonderful
place to meet. The team spent time there strategizing with
permaculture expert Etai, as well as pool designer
Joan
Rocca. When the rains or night came, animals and humans
alike gathered in the shelter of the magnificent hand-made
structure to learn from each other, talk and just “be.”
Maria and Lizette were at the helm in the new interim kitchen
and our project manager graciously opened the doors to their
adjoining house to many visitors. Our PM’s mother Marsha was
right at home on the finca, moving around the land expertly
sporting her headlamp in the dark of night and cutting loose a
ram tangled in the fencing.
The road continues to evolve and by the end of the teams’ visits
it had received new, bigger lastre, had been rolled and was
smoother and more passable than ever before.
Eden & finca friends
Randi and Eddie
Finding Our Way
Costa Rica changes. We have
realized over the years that like no other place we know of, our
land tolerates our gentle footprint then eventually covers it
over, reclaims and reinvents itself. Place something on the
ground on the finca, then try to find it a month or two later –
you’ll see how this works.
The day after the fiesta brought more visitors back to the finca
to tour the property and hike to a few of the more spectacular
waterfalls. Even partners and owners who have been on these
hikes numerous times see it anew each time. The land changes,
there are different creatures, and the water rushes
differently. Like so many other times in the course of this
project, during these hikes we sometimes have to put our trust
in others, surrender to the dynamic heartbeat of the land and
find our way again.
Darlene tells the story of the long hike down Benjamin trail and
along the river loop. 12 hearty souls ventured on this hike
including Laura and her family from
Intercultura (where several of our community members have
attended language school) Darlene, Ben, Dave, S&T and other
friends and visitors. The group got as far as the river and it
was rushing harder than they’d ever seen. Another change,
another chance to surrender and regroup. Dave wisely decided it
wasn’t safe to cross, and Ben took the lead along the loop trail
back home. Nobody but Ben was familiar with that trail, and at
11 years old, he expertly guided the group along the river to a
place where everyone could swim in a pool under a spectacular
falls. As they moved along the river trail, Darlene, concerned
because she was unfamiliar with the terrain, took Ben aside at
one point to ask: “are you sure you know where you’re going?”
“100% yes” he said confidently, then brought everyone back to
home base safely. Darlene summed it up this way: “I learned to
trust each person’s contribution, to put aside my need for
control, and to allow others to help me find my way.”
Ben takes a break on our new couch (mud floor, plaster walls and
couch mixed with clay on the finca)
Dave, Keith & Joe
Darlene & Ben (With 35 inches of rain the previous week the
rivers and streams running through the finca were a full force)
The Finca Becomes a Farm
We purchased parts of two cattle farms (150 acres) to form Finca
Las Brisas, and we have always referred to the project
affectionately as "the finca." With the recent addition of
sheep, goats, ducks, chickens and turkeys, we are slowly
starting to earn that title.
The finca and Costa Rica
continue to provide inspiration and opportunities to challenge
ourselves to think differently, find our way, and grow in the
process.
This trip brought together many new and old friends, partners
and owners. It delivered many lessons, tested our mettle and
renewed our energy for the country, the land and the vision of
Finca Las Brisas.
The Work Goes On
The fiesta came and went, the visitors are all gone and we are
back to work. We still are working to complete Phase I of the
community center and building Deena, Al, Coleman and Owen's
place along with the Quarantello casa del sol (or more
appropriately this time of year, casa en la lluvia).
The finca and Costa Rica continue to provide inspiration and
opportunities to challenge ourselves to think differently, find
our way, and grow in the process.
This trip brought together many new and old friends, partners
and owners. It delivered many lessons, tested our mettle and
renewed our energy for the country, the land and the vision of
Finca Las Brisas.
|
|
Copyright 2006-2011 Arjuna
Limitada
LLC. All rights
reserved. Finca
Las Brisas (FLB) d/b/a Arjuna Limitada LLC.a Costa Rica corporation.
