Waterfalls, Great Kiskadee, and Sickness

This morning’s veranda tea included watching two Great Kiskadees land in the tree next to my neighbor’s apartment along with hearing a flock of parakeets and many other birds, most small and hard to see, plus speed will make it difficult at times as with the speeding toucans yesterday.

I’m staying in bed 9 to 11 hours each night and trying to rest. There was surely a public clinic open over the holidays, but the English-speaking doctor my neighbor knows about is not open until tomorrow morning  (Monday), when I will take a cab to see him.

The first three days I walked up the steep hill to town for groceries and to eat. I did not yesterday nor today, though the fresh air and sunshine might have helped. I did walk across the big yard in front of the apartments to the Rio Cajon, our southern boundary, and photographed some of the waterfalls in our yard.

The first two photos are inside the property and the third just outside the gate on the landmark Rio Cajon Bridge in Barrio Fatima, our neighborhood name, which helps taxi drivers find us. There are not house numbers here, no street addresses, no home delivery of mail. And oh yes, I know better than to photograph in midday sun, but did anyway.  🙂

This is upper part of the one below,
seen from a different angle.

Plunge pool view of above double falls.

The double falls at our entrance gate by the public bridge over Rio Cajon
Last night the Quebec couple invited me to go to dinner with them and then invited to local girls who of course had a big SUV, one being a doctor’s wife, the other her twin sister. The place they wanted to take us was not open (they take holidays seriously here!) so we ended up at Antano just off the main plaza downtown which is where I had eaten lunch the previous day, but well worth a repeat! 
A fun evening even if I don’t feel well. I did not try to go to church this morning because I was feeling worse at the time and pretty lousy right now. It is sore throat, some coughing, some sneezing, runny nose, and achy body all over. It started before I left Nashville. I’m taking Tylenol and two kinds of throat lozenges Millie Goodson got for me the night before leaving. Thanks Millie! They help!
Today I met another resident from Switzerland who is married to the girl from Spain. We are a pretty international group in these apartments! And oh yes, last night in the restaurant an American looking woman came over to our table and said, “I just must find out where this southern drawl is from!” I smiled and said “Nashville” and then learned her and her husband are from North Carolina and have lived here for 9 years. She still works as a photographer, doing weddings and children portraits. Got their phone numbers to call if I ever need help. So it is starting to happen like I expected even without going to church yet. 
Well, this first long post just wore me out. Pray for a quick resolution of my cold, allergies, flu or whatever!

Dos Toucans, Uno Parrot!

Raphael, my driver from the airport Wednesday.

I’m still not well and the nearest clinic I found today was not open, but my neighbors swear that if I take a gin and lemon juice tonight it will make me well overnight. Not sure I’m brave enough to try, but Jean Pierre said he would make it for me. (Note next morning – I declined their gin treatment and will stay in and rest today and go to clinic Monday.)

Jean Pierre & Elizabeth live next door and are from Switzerland. They speak good English. Then above me (I’m in a 1st floor apartment.) is Ivan & Eloise from Quebec. French is their language, but they do a little English. They let me share a cab to town this morning for them to get some stuff at a health food store and for me to get my cell phone activated at the ICE store, but alas, ICE was closed. It is Christmas week Saturday. Ivan cannot walk well using a crutch, so they go everywhere in taxis. It cost about a $1.80 (800 colonnes). They invited me to join them in a cab tonight to eat at Carreta’s, a popular expat hangout cafe, if it is open!

The apartment is fine, needing some maintenance which they are working on little by little. The setting is beautiful and while drinking tea on my veranda this morning I saw two toucans fly into the the trees down by the river and one green parrot fly into a tree next to the apartment building, plus many other small birds. Just not been up to trying to photograph birds yet.

I’m Here!

View out my front window.

I arrived sick which is unusual for me. Cleaning out my cottage at McKendree stirred up a lot of dust which is one of my worst allergies. Sore throat and coughing on the plane trip which was otherwise uneventful! Once here yesterday I starting opening bags, took the 8 minute walk to the Super Mercado for some basics like cereal for breakfast. Came back and went to bed at 6:30 PM and slept until about 6:00 the next morning, gently waking to the songs of tropical birds and the view above from my front window/door. I sipped hot tea watching the hills opposite ours.

Today I went back to the nearest Super Mercado which is a Farmer’s Cooperative that includes a little cafe. For lunch I had a ham & cheese sandwich because that was the only thing I knew how to order in Spanish. 🙂 This afternoon I did a load of laundry and had to use my Spanish English Dictionary to read all the dials on the washing machine.

The coughing and sore throat is mainly gone now, but my nose won’t quit running. So maybe another long night’s rest will help that too! At least all my bags are unpacked! But nothing exciting to report. Unless you call finding a millipede in my shower exciting! And everybody is celebrating Christmas until January 5 which may be when I start taking care of business. It is rest time for a week or so.

Millipede looking for water in the bathroom.

Merton’s Prayer of Abandonment

Arenal Volcano

 

I made this photo from the “Hanging Bridges” in the area in 2010. It is the most popular volcano because of its nearly perfect conical shape. It also reminds me of the strength and steadfastness of God in my life.


I just shared this on my spiritual blog called HIS SPIRIT which has been neglected lately with my focus on Costa Rica (and no longer using), but because it is as much about my move to Costa Rica and the risk so many here in Nashville think I am taking, I decided to share it on this blog too: 

As I am two days away from the move to Costa Rica, I am trusting God more and expecting Him to give me more purpose in life than I have felt in my simple volunteering in church and other places here in Nashville. And the fact that I don’t know everything that will happen is part of the adventure and excitement of the move. I am abandoning a lot of supposed security here in the states, though financially I know it will just get more difficult for me in the states. (And friends will still be friends from afar!) In the process of this thinking I was reminded of the poem/prayer by Thomas Merton which I may have shared somewhere earlier. I discovered it in 2012:

Prayer of Abandonment
Thomas Merton
 
My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain
where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
and that I think I am following your will
does not mean I am actually doing so.
But I believe
the desire to please you
does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire
in all I am doing.
I hope
I will never do anything
apart from that desire.
And I know if I do this
you will lead me by the right road
though I may know nothing about it.
I will trust you always
though I may seem to be lost
and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear,
for you will never leave me
to face my perils alone.

Thanksgiving Plus Improved Numbers: 49.4, 49.6, 51.2, 48.8, and 46.8

“View from a Costa Rica Cloud Forest”
My photo from the September trip to Talamanca Mountains & Quetzales Park.

It is a THANKSGIVING time for me the way wonderful friends are loving on me as I’m about to leave! Tonight’s going away party at the apartment of Frances Carver was wonderful with super good food by her daughter Kay and help from her son-in-law Ed. They are such great friends and the time together was special!

And the numbers? Well those are this afternoon’s weights of the five suitcases with only one coming in over 50 pounds, so I’m about to get there as I continue to adjust and remove items like the iron skillet that I pulled today! Weird you think? Well it was the only cooking utensil I felt valuable enough to take, but they have utensils in the furnished apartment and I will be able to buy things like that there. The biggest adjustment in my suitcases today was taking the 26 pounds of file folders in my Tupperware-like file box out of a suitcase and shipping it via my Miami address. I’m hoping it will get there within a month! And worth the high price I’m paying! I guess what we choose to keep or take with us on a downsizing move like this tells a lot about our priorities.  🙂

I sold my car Friday and Monday I am wiring more than 20% of the income from it to the Costa Rica shipping company as a “deposit” on the shipping of the 57 boxes of art and books. Everybody wants my money now, but after getting settled and the residency paperwork behind me, that will hopefully slow down.

If you haven’t already signed up for the email version of this blog, do so now in the right panel near top and each new post will come to you as an email.

And by the way, I am so happy about President Obama’s announcement on Cuba where I hope to travel again, remembering my wonderful trip with AZAD two years ago. Now if congress will just get off their rear-ends and stop the stupid blockade, the U.S. might become a humanitarian country again. Oops! Getting political which I promised myself I would not in these blogs. But . . . I am looking forward to living in a country that has no enemies and no military or military industrial complex.  🙂

The Mailing Addresses

I don’t think I’ve shared them on the blog yet, though you may have received my new bus. card and Christmas post card with the new mailing addresses:

REQUIRING AN INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE STAMP AT $1.15:
Charlie Doggett
Hacienda La Jacaranda
03-4013
Atenas, Alajuela 20501
COSTA RICA

I PAY A COURIER SERVICE TO FLY IT TO COSTA RICA ONCE A WEEK:

PO BOX FOR MAIL & MAGAZINES ONLY:
Charlie Doggett
PO Box 025-331
SJO 170066
Miami, FL 33102-5331

STREET ADDRESS FOR PACKAGES ONLY:
Charlie Doggett
6703 NW 7th St.
SJO 170066
Miami, FL 33126-6007

If interested in knowing, these two Miami addresses are with Aero Post or Aero Casillas in Spanish, which is a courier service helping residents of all of Central and South America to have a U.S. address which is needed for some internet orders and other purposes. They fly to San Jose (the SJO code in the address) once a week with accumulated mail and packages and take it to my nearest Aero Post desk which happens to be in the town of Alajuela in the same province as me, also Alajuela. It is also the location town for the International Airport and about 20 minute drive from where I will live.

AND A LITTLE SERENDIPITY:
One of the two young men who came in a truck to pick up my boxes for Craters and Freighters of Nashville today was born in Alajuela and lived there until age 7 when his parents brought him to Nashville. Now how about that for a coincidence! 

The Joy and Grace of Friends! And Let’s try Skype!

Collared Redstart
I photographed at Trogon Lodge in September
Also call the collared whitestart, it is a
tropical New World warbler endemic to the
mountains of Costa Rica and western Panama. 

Not only am I on the plane in 9 days, and my boxes were picked up today for shipping to Costa Rica, but the last few days have been an outpouring of love from friends here in Nashville, my home and family for the last 38 years! The Senior Adult SAALT Council at First Baptist gave me the biggest party at their last meeting with fun gifts and a beautiful cake by Kelly Porch with a camera and Costa Rica Flag on it! The Spanish Class sent me off last Thursday also and Saturday a party with my Sunday school class. The Christmas cards are nearly all thank you notes and farewell cards on top of Christmas Joy plus other farewells here at McKendree. One family takes me to lunch tomorrow and Saturday night a dear 91 year old lady friend is giving me a little party in her apartment. I am blessed!

I’m overwhelmed with love and the grace that goes with it (unmerited favor). I could start feeling guilty about leaving such a great support group – my Nashville family! Yet I am following my heart and believe this is God’s will and a fitting climax to my life of adventure as I truly try to obey God, allow Him to be central in my life and simplify living to an experience that pleases Him and me! I’m already feeling a new freedom without so much stuff to keep up with! Hopefully there I will figure out a way to diminish the quantity of art and books which is what I shipped. And maybe even reduce the amount of clothing.  🙂

Email will be the best way to communicate or stay in touch with me along with reading my blogs and commenting on them. I have also added a Skype account which means free phone calls with those of you who are also on Skype. I have even added the extra feature of a phone number you can call from any phone, but there is a cost for me on that. The number is with a middle TN area code: 615-649-4486. If I’m not at my computer when you call, I think it goes to a recorded message. NOW IF YOU ARE ON SKYPE, LET’S SET A TIME TO PRACTICE BEFORE I’M OVERSEAS. Most of the nights between now and Christmas Eve are available except Saturday, but we need to agree on a time to both be online for it to work.

Chao! Hasta pronto on Skype!

Two Weeks from Today!

Yep, two weeks from today I fly to Costa Rica and spend my first night as a new resident! After going to a small church Christmas Eve Service. It doesn’t photograph like the Catholic Church on the Plaza which I hope to go pray in at times. Here’s two shots of it with part of our tour group crowding around.

Most Searched Travel Destination

According to Bing’s December 3 report on searches by people in the U.S. Costa Rica is the most

Sign on Playa Dominica

searched travel place in the world. Read the article. It also says that more U.S. citizens retire in Costa Rica than any other country. No surprise to me, but an interesting report.

These photos I made in August on our tour as we stopped by Dominica Beach in the South Pacific. I just liked their sign! This particular spot was near the mouth of a river, thus the drift wood abundance.

Playa Dominica