By Costa Rica Pools & Construction

Cloudy water can be caused by a number of factors. It can be a symptom of inadequate filtration, pH imbalance, or inadequate chlorine levels. The cure depends on the cause. Inadequate filtration from failure to run the filter long enough, insufficient or inconsistent backwashing, or a dirty/ worn filter are the first potential causes to consider. If filtration is not the problem, pH is the next likely cause. pH is the one of the most important aspect of pool maintenance. When pH rises above 7.6, calcium precipitates out of the water in the form of scale or suspended particles that can cloud the water. Although not the same as pH, proper total alkalinity does help stabilize pH. If your total alkalinity is too low, the pH level will be very sensitive and may suffer drastic swings. A high alkalinity level, in addition to contributing to cloudy water and scaling, can keep your pH rigidly fixed.

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Filed under: Costa Rica Pools & Construction, Pool Care Basics on December 26th, 2011
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By Jim Parisi

Writing a soundtrack is tricky business. The music needs to compliment the action and images of the movie of the film without being pervasive. It needs to follow the storyline so in this way it is almost like an assignment. And all good musicians want to put their own personal stamp on their music, so it needs to fall into the category of artistic expression as well: no musician wants their work to become wallpaper. This article is a review of the soundtrack of the new Costa Rica movie “El Regreso”; it is not a review of the film, which is wildly popular right now.

Federico Miranda picked up his first guitar with serious intentions at the age of twelve and taught himself to play. In 1993, he formed the popular Costa Rican rock band Gandhi, one of the first of this genre in this country. They have since released four albums and in 2005, Miranda also teamed up with pianist Walter Flores to work on the Baula Project, a fusion quartet who dedicated this album to the preservation of the leatherback turtle.

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Filed under: Jim Parisi, Music Review on December 26th, 2011
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By Donna Porter

With all of the boldly exotic-looking tropical beauties that we have to choose from to use in our gardens and landscapes, like Helcionias, Gingers, Aroids, Marantas and Crotons, we sometimes forget that we also have a fabulous selection of flowering tropical shrubs that add even more color, form, grace and pizzazz to our world and for our eyes to behold.  Unlike their aforementioned garden companions, flowering shrubs perform nearly year round and add a rainbow of color and flower form to your garden or landscape.  Below are just a handful of what I believe are some of the most noteworthy of the most commonly seen in our area and in a nice assortment of colors.  Remember also that most flowering shrubs give their best performance when sited in a location where they receive at least 6 hours of full sun.

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Filed under: Donna Porter, It's a Wonderful World of Plants on December 22nd, 2011
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This recipe is adapted for ingredients available in Quepos  from Alton Brown’s & is one of my favourites.

Ingredients

• 1 whole egg
• 1 Tbs water
• 1 Tbs butter
• 30 gm dried apple rings or apricots
• 1 whole pork tenderloin, 450 gm
• 100 gm thinly slice prosciutto ham
• 2” chorizo or Italian sausage, casing removed and chopped into small pieces
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
• ½ tsp chopped fresh sage leaves
• ¼ C chopped fresh parsley
• 4 or 5 mushrooms, diced
• ½ red onion, diced
• 2 large cloves garlic, pureed
• ½ c red wine or port
• Table salt & fresh pepper
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed completely
• 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
• 1/4 tsp  kosher salt

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Filed under: Cooking Corner on December 19th, 2011
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By Matt Casseday

My given name is Matthew, but for better than 20 years I have also been known as Mateo, the Spanish equivalent of Matthew. In my early years here, like many wishing to reinvent themselves in one way or another, I sought to be called only by my new Spanish name. I became Mateo—to my wife, kids, friends and acquaintances of all nationalities. Over time, I have introduced myself as ‘Mateo’ to countless people. Most remember my name, but for some unexplainable reason, there are a number of Costa Ricans who upon seeing me a second time, call me ‘Tomás’. It is not as if this has happened one or two times—indeed, it occurs with such startling frequency, that it makes me wonder why I am never misremembered as ‘Marco’ or ‘Miguel’, or another name that begins at least with the same letter as mine.

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Filed under: Crazy From the Heat, Matt Casseday on December 14th, 2011
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By Jack Ewing

Gmelina arborea leaves

Carpenters, builders and sawmill operators love it; chicken and pig farmers hate it; and environmentalists have mixed feelings about it. I have heard people say that the gmelina tree (Gmelina arborea) is a plague that should be eradicated from the face of the earth, yet others believe that it is a miracle tree with great potential for the recuperation of ecosystems and the environment. Regardless of what you believe about the gmelina tree – native to southeast Asia – the story of how it got to the Americas and how Costa Rica came to plant 25,000 hectares of it, is a fascinating tale.

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Filed under: Jack Ewing, Nature and Local History Stories on December 14th, 2011
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Well, what can be said for the month of November for fishing in Quepos, Costa Rica, as well as the fishing in most of the waters of Costa Rica “RAIN”!!  On the upside with December upon us the rain should be subsiding.  We still have almost nightly showers and a few daytime mists.  With all that, there is light at the end of our rainy season and the beginning of our beautiful sunny days ahead.

Our fishing season looks to be very promising this year already!  Since the beginning of November, Dorado (Mahi, Mahi) have been running 8 to 12 miles out from shore.  Boats have been catching 15 to 30 pounders.  Compared to last year’s numbers the Dorado seem to be on Vacation.  The Sailfish have been on the rise.  Quepos boats have been catching anywhere from 1 to 6 Sailfish offshore approximately 30 to 40 miles out.

With the rain letting up and the rivers and streams slowing down with run off waters subsiding, our oceans should be starting to clear up from all the silt.  Once the silt settles the inshore fishing should be picking back up.  Especially the Rooster Fish, Cobera, Snapper and others will be biting again.

With December here, the Papagayo winds will be arriving.  What that means to our fishing is the Sailfish and Marlin will be moving south towards Quepos to Panama.  The winds cause a lack of oxygen pushing the Sailfish and Marlin to travel towards the center and Southern parts of Costa Rica.

Personally, I’m looking forward to a great season of fishing!!  We wish all you fishermen out there the best of luck.  We at Tropical Waters Sport Fishing support catch and release to keep the fish population up for future generations to come.

“LETS GO FISHING”

Captain Jon Anderson “Fastrak”  www.quepostropicalwaterssportfishing.com

2777-7314

Filed under: Captain Jon Anderson, Fishing Report on December 8th, 2011
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