Costa Rica 6, Sixth Day In Monteverde

Today I walked to Santa Elena in order to meet with that local arts and crafts dealer. I think I'm going to turn her down. I was offering my art at $100 uS a pop, she would get fify percent. She only was willing to sell them for fifty, which to me is an insult to the quality of the art, the amount of time I put into eh drawing (oops, I meant to type a drawing, not eh drawing. Could this be a peculiarly Canadian Freudian slip?), and especially insulting to those who have already bought drawings from me, as they paid full price. I know, I know, this is Latin Amertica, but seriously, a lot of the prices here are very close to Canadian norms, and tourist shops such as hers cater to a clientele that is usually considerably better heeled than me, so the deal is off. However, Esteban has accepted two of my drawings for decorating a couple of rooms, in exchange for a few free nights, so that can't be all bad, eh? (there I go again! eh?) And right now, I really prefer to deal with friends and people I know fairly well, otherwise, I think I'll be keeping the art in my own country. Keep it in the family. This is also probably why I have never done particuarly well at marketing my art. There are too many compromises to my integrity that I have to bear, and after a while it becomes intolerable for me, so, maybe better wait till I'm dead, and if there is a market for my paintings before my corpse has a chance to get cold, then so much the better. In my will I have already stipulated that all proceeds from my art sales, posthumous that is, are going into low cost housing for the poor and marginalized. If I get famous, that is, and really, who only knows? I seem to be feeling generally better today, apart from allegy attacks, and the hike uphill felt less onerous, or maybe I'm getting used to it. Esteban has confirmed with me that the pay for one visit, get free access for the rest of the month at the Monteverde Cloud Forest is on again for me, only the manager should be there when I arrive, so I will ask Esteban, or whoever, to phone in advance before I go. otherwise, it's been a very relaxing kind of day. I spent the better part of three hours in a cafe in Santa Elena on a porch table where I had a bite to eat. I'm trying different restaurants this year, since, the last couple of times, I usually stuck to just two or three places. i'm enjoying the variety, and since vegetarian options can be hard to come by, it makes the search all the more important. The weather today is fabulous. It is like a sunny June day in Vancouver, temperatures in the low twenties, gentle breezes and beautiful sunshine. The views of the Gulf of Nicoya on the Pacific side are breathtaking. When I returned to the bed and breakfast this afternoon I saw a couple of local parrots flying from tree to tree, so beautifully and brilliantly green. Right now the sun is getting ready to set, and through the windows I can see the abundant foliage of the many trees and bushes becoming almost alive with a luminous fire green. All for now.