Thanks to Luis & Marco from Nosara Civic Association for coming onto the Nosara Podcast for a high season 2026 update. We cover all kinds of topics in this episode from the court decision about park lands in Nosara, the Pelada evictions & other Nosara Gossip Machine stuff to the Nosara Corridor & all kinds of other positives & everything in between. It’s a super candid conversation & I appreciate them for coming on camera.
Nosara is a small, protective type of town & there are all kinds of opinions. I appreciate those who will come on camera and speak much more than the gossip minded or social media warriors who stir up controversy but are not solution oriented.
La Asociación Cívica de Nosara anuncia un nuevo programa Covirena para hacer cumplir las reglas de que estamos en una reserva natural. No más perros, motocicletas, fogatas u otras cosas en la playa que puedan dañar el medio ambiente o las áreas de anidación de las tortugas.
Nosara Civic Association is announcing new Covirena program to enforce the rules we are in a nature reserve. No more dogs, motorcycles, fires, or other things on beach which may hurt the environment & or nesting areas for the turtles.
I’m grateful for so many things about life in Nosara… Surf of course #1, then followed by people & the community in general, then perhaps variety of weather, waves & types of people with season adjustments, & there’s more. But music wasn’t in top choices here until November 1st 2023. That’s when I started playing at Alt Fin Co at Outpost in Playa Guiones K section across from Surf Simply & near Beach Dog Cafe & El Campo.
Since then I’m reconnecting with many friendships, clients gathered over the years & just overall enjoying myself and the challenge of it all. My favorite jam sessions are the freestyle ones where someone just names a subject & off we go… However, on this night I was super nervous because my first time playing publicly with Garret “G Love” Dutton who has been a long time friend since about 2010 when he did his first Nosara Benefit show at that time for the Surfing Nosara Foundation to help local schools. Erik Antonson is to thank for starting all of this and to this date we’re all friends & I’m hoping we can get Nosara Acoustic Roots Festival back up & rolling.
Ideally we get G Love, Jack Johnson, Donovan Frankenreiter, Ben Harper type folks together for an ideal kind of festival. Nosara is a model town for the world to see and in protecting it and its people other places may benefit, too.
My music history is 2 years of piano 10 to 12, then picking up a guitar at 22 years old & mainly being self taught with a bit of time in contemporary church bands before moving to Nosara full time in 2009. My most interesting setup up till 2009 was playing upright bass in a bluegrass band called Tin Penny in St. Augustine, Florida. This style of music really caught my attention & formulated my style for future years.
When when Nosara happened, I pretty much dropped music except for Kaiya’s Del Mar Academy talent show in 2011 or so & a couple times at Il Basílico, Harbor Reef (RIP), and here or there with a friend like Josh, Tacu, or Darrin E on percussion.
So mainly it was me fingerpicking in the jungle in between letting my kids beat me up in karate, boxing, Muay Thai, or BJJ & UFC TUF episodes & Gracie Jiu Jitsu lessons as part of their homeschool.
But the kids are old now & I’m pumped to be back into music. Was terrifying getting out in front of people because when you stink in music super visible. At same time, I’m not trying to make any money or be famous. I just want to make interesting music that flows and generally has pretty strong bass lines.
Relationships are improving between our capital Nicoya and Nosara; which is great… But Nosara is long overdue for an updated census to more accurately report how many people are living here and helping secure essential services from our capital in Nicoya.
This Week In Nosara #40 is late September 2024…Here’s basic outline of this episode:
Some quality surf photos & a couple videos from Kaiya at Surfing Nosara.
Take a look from the air Playa Guiones overlooking Las Huacas, Pelada, North Guiones, Main Street Calle Modelo, J & K sections, South Guiones, Punta Garza, Esperanza & South Las Huacas
Updates from the Playas de Nosara ASADA available to everyone on their Facebook page. They are providing updates about water outages, updates to the system, which areas are to be affected, community updates & answering questions.
The biggest update is water moratorium in place for new water approval letters. The ASADA can not say when this will change because we need to provide 20 year in advance coverage so need new wells & legal processing all to take place
Rich predicts existing construction & properties with water meters like K45 & ones with approved water letters like R6 will become highly sought after. However, there are not many properties with water letters in place
K45 is going on the market for sale (3000m2 with ocean view in K section & a water meter). It is the old Honolei Restaurant & house Brian & Kyle Bombard used to live in. Rich had birthday party there 15 years ago photo with a young Brian in the background & ironically today is Brian’s birthday! Didn’t know about that till after this was done.
Surf footage from Guiones thanks to Kaiya
Nosara Civic Association reminds us to celebrate 203 years of Independence!
NOCA leader Michel came on the Nosara Podcast; he’s an awesome guy check it out when you want to feel good
WCA water updates & need volunteers
MoviemientoGuardianes is doing awesome things!!
Stop by La Roca next time driving into or out of Nosara… Terrific views & great experience
Nosara is definitely a magnet for all types of interesting and unique characters.
As we learn in this Nosara Podcast episode, Michel Viau is most certainly is one of these dynamic & unique individuals.
Michel, alongside wife & partner Chantal, are gaining momentum in shaping the landscape of the ever-evolving Nosara, seemingly in most all of the right ways.
They are committed to bridging the social and cultural gap in Nosara, so much so in 2018 they founded Nosara Community for the Arts (NOCA). Michel explains NOCA & how he’s using his background in design to achieve their success.
Thankfully, Michel’s pattern of success in life both in business & philanthropic endeavors continues today, towards a greater Nosara. Michel is in a unique position as to not be competing for funding in quite the same manner as standard NGO’s. He’s combining an environmental focus inside discipline based art projects always involving the local Tico populace & pulling in the many different types of people moving into, or becoming involved in Nosara. He’s a positive thinker and forecasting a bright 5 year outlook for Nosara as a whole.
We hope you enjoy hearing from Michel & support NOCA’s efforts!
In this Nosara Podcast episode, John and Susan (Short) Johnson openly discuss a myriad of subjects plus share their purposes & intentions behind their actions for themselves & the Nosara community as a whole.
It’s a wide ranging episode, which bounces around in all kinds of directions towards addressing the heavy hitting subjects surrounding our town (John also gets in a couple of good jokes along the way, which I’m grateful for) as well as just simple topics & personal opinions and memories of Nosara’s yesterday & perhaps what tomorrow will prove to be.
Rather than spend much time reciting the same things as the litany of articles and such that are readily available on the internet about the Johnson family, I decided to take a different approach, which hopefully proves significantly more beneficial to the community as well as the entertainment level of this episode & achieve it’s purpose of getting to know the ‘real’ version of them.
We begin with a curveball of a question & discussion with me asking their opinion about wave pools. What started as conversation starter turned into solid points from the obvious about water issues and the ocean being preferential, then into pros/cons and my wild idea about prior to any money being sent for wars… Make everyone put their guns down and have a surf (I was more serious than kidding). From there the conversation goes on a loooong ride down many lanes and avenues and I hope you enjoy it.
My goal with this episode is to provide an opportunity for people to get to know the ‘real’ version of this famous, but not so famous, duo. Reason being, this fiercely private family is constantly brought up in conversations with all kinds of things being suggested ranging from being multi billionaires with unlimited resources plotting to take over majestic Nosara all the way to extreme other end of the spectrum as kind hearted people who truly are trying to protect this town through their acquisitions and projects focused on keeping Nosara away from being engulfed by chain hotels and mega developments.
For anyone unaware: John & Susan (Short) Johnson are the owners of Nosara’s Harmony Hotel & Healing Center, Sunset Shack, El Campo (formerly Harbor Reef Hotel), new development project El Bosque, and behind many community initiatives via Harmony Projects & quietly behind the scenes of many other ones.
This is NOT a standard ‘fluff’ piece like so many others out there. Both John & Susan willingly address some of the most challenging parts of the community while providing an interesting take on things from their vantage points.
My relationship with both John & Susan started as surfing friends in the water at Playa Guiones. In recent years, I’ve spent time in water surfing with Susan & playing music with John. Turns out both John & I enjoy playing same styles of music together and I count myself fortunate to have a music friend who enjoys folk, gospel, bluegrass & from time to time we hope to play at our ‘gospel Sundays’ which is basically he & I squeezing a couple moments into our already incredibly busy schedules. He’s the only friend who has ever given me a Banjuitar (banjo strung like a guitar) & in the same conversation went over our longboard rail preferences, then bounced to meditation techniques and affirmations followed up with a recap of Nosara stuff.
Although this episode is focusing on Nosara… The Johnson’s have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Conde Nast, and so many other publications due to their exposure to the public from the Johnson & Johnson name itself in addition to their many personal accolades.
For example, John is well known for Eyebeam, being cofounder of Buzzfeed, Harmony labs, but started out as a successful filmmaker who has written, produced and directed multiple films. Susan is deeply committed and concerned about the environment… So much so she started Deep Green Living and through this & her Nosara efforts and projects wants people to live in line with their environmental values (as you will hear in this episode).
I hope this episode & this synopsis help you have more insight directly to John & Susan!
This Week In Nosara #33 recaps June being heaviest rain amounts for June on record,
June 2024 record breaking amount of rain (thanks Andrew Weinstein)
Flooding in front Rinde Más (thanks Kerrie from Krae’s & Jerusha)
Yar’s wheelies
Tierra Magnífica July 4th & Steve’s Nosara Podcast episode is up
River up high south or Garza
Ola del Mes contest from Papagayo Brewing & Chancho’s BBQ June 27th send in your video clips
Worst water report… Boca, Pelada, Baker’s & Palm Tree all failed. Osti passed!!!
Surf better but not great
Rich complains about weather & surf
Dos Mares overview 6bdr house & drawings from Donald Loria
Traffic jams & Nosara’s new interstate
Prendas Loria & IBL Consultores
No Sh1t Nosara signs at Casa Milo & Pelada entrance
Mariju’s monkeys
Casa Milo view!
Rio Nosara scary passing drive around then scenic
Harmony Hotel studio recording
R6 is INCREDIBLE new neighborhood bordering nature reserves, unobstructed views, underground power & approved water letters & some lots already have construction permits
Music: After Surf Band Song: Max is a hillbilly
Esta semana en Nosara #33 resume que junio es la cantidad de lluvia más fuerte de junio registrado,
Cantidad récord de lluvia en junio de 2024 (gracias a Andrew Weinstein)
Inundación frente a Rinde Más (gracias Kerrie de Krae’s & Jerusha)
Los caballitos de Yar
Tierra Magnífica el 4 de julio y el episodio del podcast de Nosara de Steve ha sartado
Río al sur o Garza
Concurso Ola del Mes de Papagayo Brewing & Chancho’s BBQ el 27 de junio, envía tus videoclips
El peor informe sobre el agua… Boca, Pelada, Baker’s y Palm Tree fracasaron. ¡¡¡Osti pasó!!!
Surfea mejor, pero no genial
Rich se queja del clima y el surf
Descripción general de Dos Mares 6bdr casa y dibujos de Donald Loria
Atascos de tráfico y la nueva interestatal de Nosara
Prendas Loria & IBL Consultores
No hay carteles de Sh1t Nosara en la entrada de Casa Milo y Pelada
Los monos de Mariju
¡Vista de Casa Milo!
Río Nosara que pasa aterrador, conduce por ahí y luego es pintoresco
Grabación en el estudio del Harmony Hotel
R6 es un nuevo vecindario INCREÍBLE que bordea las reservas naturales, vistas sin obstáculos, energía subterránea y cartas de agua aprobadas y algunos lotes ya tienen permisos de construcción
