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Show Page 8 The Ogden Valley news Volume XIX Issue V June 1, 2011 The Excitement of Coming to Costa Rica By Jennifer Hanni We moved our family for a 6-month adventure to Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica on February 4, 2011, and it has been one adventure after another other since we arrived. Although we miss our friends in Eden, we are very glad we made this decision, and it has been a wonderful opportunity to grow closer as a family and learn a new language and culture, and to experience the breathtaking beauty of this Central American country. The view from the Hanni’s backyard—the pool and the ocean in Playa Hermosa in Guanacaste. As we drove the 30-minute drive to our new, temporary home from the Liberia Airport in the province of Guanacaste, we were surprised at how dry everything was. We expected bright green foliage and vines growing everywhere. In reality, we live in the drier part of the country that has very low humidity. However, once the wet season begins in the middle of May, the foliage will begin to come alive again. As we turned the corner into Playa Hermosa, we gasped at the beauty of the ocean … vast and blue. And after climbing a steep hill and entering our new home, we couldn’t believe this really was where we were going to live; in a nice, humble home with an absolutely breathtaking view of the ocean only a 10-minute walk a way to a large, quiet beach. It honestly felt like a dream come true. We arrived just before the hottest season of the year, and adjusting to the heat was difficult for all of us. We were warned that electricity and water are very expensive, and to be careful of its usage. The home does have air conditioning, but we have to use it sparingly. There are a/c units in each room, and we only use them when we really feel like they are necessary, and only when we are in that particular room. We never leave the units running through the night. I will never forget the first night after we arrived. I could hear some sounds from my daughter Gracie’s room, and went to find her asleep. The sheets were thrown off, and her face was bright red with beads of sweat dripping down it. She was whimpering in her sleep and I immediately turned the air conditioner back on and decided that, no matter the cost, I was going to let that air run for a while. However, it was surprising how quickly we adjusted to the heat. I noticed our appetites decreased significantly, and we learned to get in the swimming pool as often as possible, sometimes as many as four times a day. Now that the kids are in school, they return from the bus with red faces from the heat. They can’t get their swimsuits on fast enough to jump into the pool. We joke that we can hear the “sizzle” of our hot skin as it makes contact with the cold water in the pool. With the kids having to begin school soon, we began touring our area quickly. I began to realize how precious Jason’s fluency in Spanish was in navigating through the country, as many of the roads don’t have names, making the ability to ask for directions a critical skill.\ For our first trip, we drove an hour south The Hannie family at the end of their boat trip in Palo Verde. to the famous surfing beach of Tamarindo, where we hired one the many surfing instructors on the beach to teach our four kids how to surf—all learning how to actually get up on the huge surf board and surf! The town was full of college-age surfers and the restaurants and LIQUOR LOSSES cont. from page 1 DABC officials said the attorney general’s office is reviewing the case to see if any criminal people created a party-like atmosphere. For our next excursion, we were warned charges should be filed. The DABC continued to ship liquor to the store despite the store’s growing debt, according to the audit. The DABC also failed to follow its own rules for conducting audits of packaging agencies every six months, it states. The DABC didn’t do an audit for almost 10 months, and by then, the store had unpaid charges of more than $400,000. Rep. Gage Froerer, R-Huntsville, said he was contacted by the DABC about two months before it closed the Eden store. He had heard rumors that the store was in trouble. “The DABC gave me a heads-up that the store was in trouble, and I told them to use Grace (6), Austin (14), and Britton (9) at the good business practices and protect the state’s end of their surf lesson in Tamarindo. money,” he said. Froerer read the legislative audit Tuesday that finding the location would be extremely difficult, and that was indeed accurate! But, we and said, “I had no idea the amount of money decided with Jason’s language skills and with that was involved.” Froerer said it is against good business pracour newly-purchased, and very worn-out, 2001 minivan, we were going to explore and try to tice to continue allowing someone who does not find Palo Verde, a river that is bursting with make payments “to run up the tab.” “That doesn’t make sense,” he said. beautiful wildlife. The Eden packaging agency was approved The 80-minute drive seemed endless; through dirt road after dirt road that seemed to be a Type 2 agency, in which the operator to be taking us nowhere. When we finally receives a set amount of compensation as outarrived, we climbed onto our boat and started lined in a contract, according to the audit. DABC changed the packaging agency to a our 3-hour adventure in the extreme heat on our favorite excursion so far on our trip. We were Type 3, which allows the operators to be reimbursed based on the volume of liquor ordered. excited to have the boat to ourselves. The reason for the change was that, when Because of the dry season taking place at the time, amazing birds, big and small, and different the Eden agency opened, a Type 3 agency had animals gathered around the river for the water. closed in Heber Valley and the funds were availCrocodiles basked in the sun and swam with their able. However, the audit showed that no contract eyes just barely poking up and out from the water. for Type 3 had been written for the Eden agency. When the Eden packaging agency opened, A large variety of birds were perched in trees, standing in mud, and flying overhead. With all of the operator was receiving $1,000 a month, but with the change to a Type 3 agency in April 2010, this, our favorite part was still yet to come! We pulled up to shore, and white-faced the operator received almost $8,000 a month and monkeys slowly approached our boat. When the DABC made it retroactive to January. When the DABC closed the Eden packaging they saw the bananas in our hands, they entered the boat and interacted with us, taking the agency in June 2010, the agency owed more bananas out of our hands. We took a lot of than $417,000 in outstanding inventory, accordvideo and pictures of the excitement, and the ing to the audit. The DABC recovered $93,000 kids still talk about how much they enjoyed it. in inventory and stopped a number of shipments, so with the recovered inventory and the issued Note: More adventures can be seen on the credits, the final balance owed was $298,177. DABC officials said the amount lost to the Hanni’s blog spot, which is open to all. Visit state is closer to $110,000, which is the profit <hannipuravida.blogspot.com> the state would have made from the liquor if it had been sold. Sen. Jerry Stevenson, RLayton, attended the legislative committee meeting. He disagrees with DABC’s definition of a loss. “Loss of profit is a loss,” he said. Efforts to reach Bill Lyman for comment were unsuccessful. Phone numbers listed with his residence in Eden have been disconnected. A call to another number under his name was not immediately returned. DABC officials wrote in the audit that Lyman had gone bankrupt. Note: This article, which originally ran in the Standard-Examiner May 18, 2011, is being reprinted by permission. MUSIC FESTIVAL cont. from page 5 Performance Line-up Headliners include: Junior Brown, Kenny & Amanda Smith, Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues, Clumsy Lovers, Leslie Stevens & the Badgers, Anna Wilson & Monty Powell. Headliners will share the stage with national high energy traditional bluegrass band Driven, all-girl blues band The Sister Wives, old-timey duo Bill Vernieu & Joanna Joseph, Red Desert Ramblers, Kort McCumber & High Road; and local favorites Kap Brothers Band, Dicky Martinez & the Little Big Band, Scotty Haze Band, and Ulysses. More than a dozen seasoned local artists will be showcased as “tweeners” between the major acts. A free outreach concert will be held at the Marshall White Recreation Center featuring the Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues to provide an educational music opportunity to the youth of Ogden. Free breakfast and free swimming will also be offered at the Marshall White Center. Todd’s Musical Petting Zoo will provide a hands-on opportunity for all ages to experiment with a variety of instruments. A separate Workshop Stage will host the following workshops: Kenny Smith (flat pick guitar), Amanda Smith (vocal workshop), Brad Wheeler (harmonica), Spencer Strickland (mandolin), Jake Workman (banjo), Rebekah Workman & Beth Wilberger (fiddle), and Clumsy Lovers (band workshop). Utah youth bluegrass bands, The Nay Girls, Avalanche, and Sweetwater Crossing with entertain all ages on the Workshop Stage. The 2011 festival will honor local musicians Roby & Ritchie Kap with the Don Baker Memorial Award as a tribute to Don’s contributions to the Ogden music community. In addition to Todd’s Instrument Petting Zoo, kids’ crafts will expose kids to music and arts. Vendors will include artists and crafters with original works, hand-made items and other gifts plus a variety of food and beverages. For more details, please visit our website at www.ofoam.org or send an email to <michelle. ofoam@gmail.com> Come experience the true musical spirit of the year! This event is hosted by Ogden Friends of Acoustic Music (OFOAM) with non-profit partners United Way of Northern Utah, Downtown Ogden Inc and Weber County Parks & Recreation. Supported by RAMP, Ogden Arts & Events, Utah Arts & Museums, Western Arts Federation, KRCL 90.9 FM, Rooster’s Brewing Co., Acoustic Musician, AdPro Marketing, City Weekly, Elliott–Hall Company, Historic Ben Lomond Hotel, Red Moose Lodge, Bulldog Industrial Construction, Goode Ski Industries, American Nutrition, Summit One Credit Union, Weber Credit Union, America First Credit Union, Intermountain Acoustic Music Association, Booth Dental Clinic, America First Credit Union, Beehive Cheese, Gold’s Gym, Youthful Image Medical Spa of Ogden Women’s Clinic, Costco, and Idlewire Pet Care. Ticket Outlets include, Grounds for Coffee, Dylan’s/Warren’s Drive-Ins, Daily Rise, Eden Coffee & Cocoa, Red Moose Coffee, Kirkham’s Recreation Outlets, Acoustic Musician, andAcoustic Music. |