Wow. Just over the horizon, on March 15th, is the first Little River Inn Golf Course tournament of 2026. It is the St Paddy’s Day Scramble. The sign-up sheet is posted on the Pro Shop bulletin board. Even though I have not played golf for 25 days, I am looking forward to getting back out on the course. The nice thing about scrambles is, as part of the team, you don’t have to be the “man”; you just need to donate a good shot now and then. I practice swinging my old Dynacraft sand wedge on the property, down here in Costa Rica, hitting various fallen fruits, lemons, limes, and guavas. Golf Notes will be returning to the Mendocino Coast on March 6th.
Nancy and Barry Stevens came to Costa Rica from the United States in the early eighties. They started an organization called the Point, El Pointe. They had property where indigenous Costa Ricans would travel through from up in the mountainous jungle to the coast. The Point, El Pointe, helped feed, educate, and look after indigenous Costa Ricans in need. Barry and Nancy have now retired from El Pointe and passed it on. They live in another small community close to the El Pointe. We recently visited them. Living next door is an Italian man. His name is Gi Gi, and he is blind. One eye looks like a large blue marble, the other dark and vacant. He was sitting out in his yard with a young Russian woman, Anna, who looks after him.
There was an additional chair next to them, which I was invited to occupy. The Russian woman speaks Italian, Spanish, French, English, and Russian. After sitting, I learned from Anna that Gi Gi was a fisherman in Italy and in Costa Rica for the past 11 years until eyes failed. I told Anna I had been a commercial fisherman for 17 years. Gi Gi had been sitting in his chair, slumped over, his head in his hands. When Anna told him, in Italian, that I had also been a fisherman, he sat up, alert, and looked in my direction. For the next forty-five minutes, we connected as fishermen through Anna. “What did you fish?” “What did you use for bait?” “Did you use barbless hooks when fishing tuna?” “Did you fish for crabs?” “How far offshore did you fish?” And on and on. When I got up to leave, I grabbed Gi Gi’s hand, and he responded by holding my hand to his heart. A truly moving, heart-warming moment. Gi Gi is 79 years old and lives alone, but is looked after by Anna. Barry, Nancy, and other neighbors also keep an eye on Gi Gi. I love connecting, here in Costa Rica, with people from around the world, Russia, Spain, Germany, Italy, Africa, The Netherlands, Norway, Canada, Nicaragua, Nova Scotia, Florida, and more.