COSTA RICA DIARIES v1n9

So Elegant and Sweet.

Well. First the subtitile. I have Duran Duran on as I come to life here in my little Conchal hideaway and watch the sunrise, even though I try not to listen to music on days I will be singing. The Man Who Stole A Leopard happens to be playing and The Poet’s line about elegance and sweetness seemed fitting as I looked out the window just now. Rest assured, I’ve no plans to abscond with an exotic animal, which the song is about, I just am in a bit of awe.

The view from here. This photo is mine.

We didn’t have torrential rain this morning and the Howlers are back at work, doing whatever Howler business it is that they get up to. It’s funny because I hear them all around, particularly in the very early hours but I’ve yet to lay eyes on one, to the amusement of friends back home I’m checking in with who know that seeing birds and monkeys is pretty much all I want to do here. I suspect there might just be some sort of football-style pool happening somewhere in or around Hilton Head Island with odds on when exactly Christian might see a monkey with his own eyes…there is a lesson I’ve learned when it comes to such things which I will share: don’t come to Costa Rica at the end of rainy season if you want to see wildlife clearly. The vegetation — the lush, gorgeous vegetation — is just too dense see much inside. Except the vegetation. And thats been enough, honestly.

Howlers. This photo is not mine and I apologize for lack of attribution.

Speaking earlier of a song I love, it’s also Studio Day for your boy. So me and some great people I’ve become fast friends with here will try to do a few nice things. This is bittersweet. I love putting out holiday EPs and passing them out — the most recent one was in 2012 with my late friend and collaborator Pat DiNizio, the frontman for the RRHOF-worthy band The Smithereens. As you might imagine, there’s now a tinge of sadness to that then-happy collaboration. It is hard for me to listen to and re-think. Like any holiday recording, it lives on every year and you don’t really need to make another one unless you really want to.

So here as I try it again, of course Pat is on my mind, as he always is. We’ll see how it goes. I have great faith in my collaborators here so I’m sure we’ll be fine.

Now, if I can just spot a monkey…