Costa Rica

Happy Birthday to Mark!  Happy Birthday to Mark! Happy Birthday dear Mark, Happy birthday to u!

Mark

My gift to you for your birthday is this beautiful Costa Rican sunset, capture this feast for the eyes through my eyes. Close your eyes and imagine, you and Rita are sitting under the bamboo roofed bar-restaurant at Marina Papagayo, it’s 85 degrees with a breeze that brushes lightly over your skin, in exchange for Rita’s Happy Hour coupons she received upon checking in, the waiter delivers two Piña Coladas, creamy and sweet, frothy and frosty Yum! 

                        Your eyes are glued to the sun, it's going down fast, Rita is taking pictures.

You are looking over to the Marina, glancing at SpringDay, her bow glancing at VENUS, confused. Venus is 256 feet long I believe and is heading for La Paz, Mex. The only thing SpringDay has in common with Venus is that they each have their own dock. No one else on D dock but SpringDay.

You split an order of 'Mahi Mahi Catch and Chips' with Rita because you are watching your weight (truth be told it's more for Rita), oh so good, so hot you can't pick up a piece for a while, you dip fish and fries in a thick and creamy tartar sauce, the best you ever had. Another sip of Piña Colada to soothe the heat of the golden oil.

Across the bay a fire rages on the hill tops, this is Costa Rica's dry summer season.

The marina manager comes over to your table with his dog, and tells you he can arrange a round of golf in the afternoon with the engineers of Venus.  All of us beg you to win tomorrow the wishful wager that could promise a tour of Venus, we are all dreaming of course! Yes, so not only is there an Arnold Palmer signature golf course on the Peninsula Papagayo but also a Jack Nicklaus signature golf course. Now we tease Rita and beg her to let you have restful sleep tonight and abstain from romance. 

Tom, marina Manager Dan, and Bill golf course owner and developer in Portland

           To appear bigger for fear of intimidation, SpringDay wants her lights turned on.

           You go for a walk on E dock to gawk at Venus. Sorry about the blur, I will take another one tonight if Venus is still here.

You discuss with Don and try to answer his dozens of questions about how one engineers such ship, both of you try to make sense of the shape and style.  The late Steve Jobs always on the cutting edge of Apple innovation could not possibly have rendered a ship design other than cutting edge and slick as software.
This evening was absolutely perfect for you Mark, you had fun, you laughed with us, you saw what we saw, you heard what we heard, your back relaxed against the chair. A beautiful mind can travel extensively right where you are.

Good Night Mark, Happy Birthday and Sweet dreams tonight. Thank you Mark and Rita for being such awesome friends.  And oh by the way A.L.S. stands for Awesome Love Syndrome, Praise Him 

Unmistakably thinking about you….