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Choosing & Hanging Art

One of the toughest jobs settling in my new rent house has been choosing what art to use . . .
. . . or really, what art to keep and what to give away. I’ve done it! Here’s the results and from now on I will be focused on making new art! And oh yes, my walls are all concrete! Had to buy an electric drill and concrete drill bit. But worth it!   🙂   And landlord said I could drill all I want! I just pay for spackling and a paint job when I leave.

On wall opposite the kitchen I put “Reelfoot Green,” a favorite photo of mine
which at 34″ x 24″ is a transition from outdoor trees in windows right and left.
I see fig tree through office left and yellow bell trees through living room right.
The linoleum print of “Staghorn Summac” in the
Smoky Mountains was a gift from my mother-in-law.
+ 2 of my recent garden butterfly photos on canvas.
Corner of Living Room opposite my birds wall.

Coming in from balcony or sitting on couch, you see a wall of tropical birds.
Photos are mine, Costa Rica & Panama, Kuna Indian Bird Mola is from Panama.
Painting of Scarlet Macaw is by boatman’s wife on Amazon River Mission Trip.
Bust on table if from Mali, West Africa and little basket from The Gambia.
Clock with rotating pendulum was an anniversary gift from LifeWay.
I normally do not like art above kitchen cabinets, but this gift from a Masaii
young man of Kenya was a gift after we entertained him overnight in Memphis.
The colors fit here and no where else until I find a better place rather than donate.
In the laundry room off the kitchen I found a place for my Cow Weathervane
photo I made at Nashville Farmers’ Market. Glad to keep it!
Above my Office desk is “The Trader,” a cloth painting by a Fula artist in
The Gambia West Africa and my favorite charcoal head of Christ by W. Hoffman.
Opposite my desk above a brown couch/bed is a Fula Batik from The Gambia.
And a favorite photo of my Amazon Indian guide waiting in the rain by canoe.

Again, I normally would not put art above cabinets, but to hold on to these,
I have last week’s mystery butterfly photo and my Tortuguero Sunrise photo.
The dark is my bookcase and the light is my guest room/office wardrobe.
Both are photos on canvas.
Above my bed is the print of “Christ in Gethsemane” by Heinrich Hofmann, 1890.
It was in my grandmother’s bedroom until she died. The hand-carved cross is
from the Pleasant Hill Kentucky Shaker Village. My monotone brown bedroom!
I know, it looks like a monk’s room! That’s okay. It is peaceful and where I sleep.

My photo of a Mandinka Potter in The Gambia with a
portion of Isaiah 64:8 printed on it. Opposite my bed.
“O Lord, you are our Father, we are the clay, you are the potter.”

As I leave my bedroom, a monkey wood carving from Makasutu Forest, Gambia.
And my collection of caps to protect a mostly bald head from sunshine. Art?
As you enter the hall from garden is my oil painting
by Uncle Harlan of Mulberry Creek, Arkansas.

Painted by my Grand Uncle Harlan Hunt of a real place in North Arkansas Ozarks.
My bedroom to left and office, kitchen, living room to right. 
Also in hallway, going to garden are two flower pictures by bathroom door.
Tennessee Tulips are my photo on canvas and Yellow Roses oil painting
by my Uncle Harlan Hunt. 
Coming out of the bathroom you see my photo of
a door in 1582 Spanish Fort San Juan, Veracruz, Mexico.
Another one of my favorite photos on canvas!  
In the bathroom opposite the mirror is my panorama of Vinales Valley, Cuba.

At 36″ wide, I think it makes a beautiful vista for a bathroom. One of my favorite shots from the Cuba tour, Vinales Valley.

I emptied about two of the large boxes of art for my walls, etc. Hard decisions.
There are two boxes of family photos, etc. I am keeping, for now anyway.
Now the rest of these go to Su Espacio for an Art Silent Auction this Saturday
to raise money for both the community center and the Atenas Marching Band
and its free music school for low income children. Then I get my dining room back!
And the 3 pieces of rent house art I’m keeping are the fruit paintings in dining & kitchen.
I love them!

You can pray that lots of people show up for the auction and are generous in their bids. I’m hoping to raise more than a thousand U.S. dollars or 500,000 colones. 9-11 AM this Saturday, 18 July, at Su Espacio Community Center across from the Coopeatenas gasolinera.

To see photos of the art being offered in the auction including 22 international creches, go to: 
http://www.pbase.com/charliedoggett/costa_rica_art_benefit_auction_atenas

And here’s the English version of the flier we are using to advertise it:

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Costa Rica Fresh Fruit!

On Feria Day (Farmers’ Market Day) I process some of the fruit purchased . . .

. . . and then have a fruit plate for lunch!  🙂

I cut up half or more of the mango, pineapple and papaya into little squares and put in zip lock bags in the freezer to use in my fresh fruit frescos, refrescos de frutas, batidos, jugo de naturales or just smoothies for people from the states. And there are a lot of other names for drinks made from fresh fruit, plus a rice, cinnamon, and milk drink call horchata or an even better version with vanilla ice cream called leche muella. Fruit rules in Costa Rica!

Images, Descriptions & Uses of The Tropical Fruits of Costa Rica  NEAT PAGE!
Probably at least one fruit here you have never heard of! And sorry, but I have not tried all of them yet! And this list is not all of the fruits found here. 

When eating a fruit, think of the person who planted the tree.
~Vietnamese saying

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Life-giving Rain

At 1:30 I saw the clouds moving in over bright sunshine.

By 4:30 the sun is gone and rain is everywhere, from the mountains to the valleys. Cooler too!

After two weeks of a “mini dry season” it has been good this week to have rain again every afternoon and/or evening! Today it started at about 4:15 PM and is still raining at 8:00 PM which is good after the short dry period here in Atenas. The other extreme is the north of the country and the Caribbean coast has been inundated with rain and flooding, displacing many from their homes and closing several  roads. So Atenas is still living up to our “best climate” fame.

The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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2 Garden Additions Today

A stone-looking concrete bench (banca) by my garden door facing the garden.
I hide garden shoes under it, can sit and watch the butterflies (mariposas),
humming birds (colibríes), and toads (sapos). Sorry! Working on my vocabulario.
🙂

Also got a pot to match two others I have and planted a cluster of little palms
that will grow twice that high with nice looking palm fronds.

Night photos because I just thought to make them!  🙂  On cell phone of course!  You are welcome to come sit on my garden bench or balcony rocking chairs (sillas mecedora) any time!   Pura Vida!

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Another 90-Day Visa Collected!

A 15 hour day and nearly $200 for a bloomin’ rubber stamp with “90”
handwritten over it. But I cannot rent or drive a car without it.

Nine Canadian and U.S. Expats joined tour guide Walter on “Visa Run” today.
Canadians in the majority this time! 5 to 4!

Ten of us squeezed in and out of his new van all day today! 

At the border we wait in lines at Both Nicaragua & Costa Rica Immigration.
This was twice for each country, out, in, out, in! 🙂
A “helper” in Nicaragua did most of our line waiting for us while we shopped.

On the way up a late breakfast at Rincon Corobici Restaurant overlooking river.
Then a late lunch or early dinner here on the way back. Great food & views!

And why do I do this? Only to keep the option of driving open for me until my residency is finalized and I can get a Costa Rica Driver License. (Maybe next March) As a residency applicant, I have a letter saying I can live here without renewing my Visa, but the transportation department says that to drive here with my Tennessee Driver License, I must have a current Tourist Visa. 90 Days is the max you can get per trip out and in. Some people are doing this instead of applying for residency, but not practical in my thinking. So I will continue this every 90 days until my residency and a local driver license is obtained. Two more times probably. And I may decide to do some tourism in either Nicaragua or Panama and accomplish the same purpose on my return. 

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The Rain Has Returned!

After about two weeks of very little rain it seems to be back to daily, I hope!
I’m tired of watering the trees and garden + neighbor’s while out of town.
They say this dry period happens every June-July.

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Poverty in Costa Rica

Photo by Tico Times of the slum Triángulo de la Solidaridad
with small child peeking from her home.

This excellent article, Costa Rica’s first slum tour offers visitors a different perspective on paradise, and tells about an organization, “Boy with a Ball,” that is helping to build community in the slums of San Jose and now offers tours of a major slum for tourists as a fund raiser and educational experience about community among the poor. Don’t miss the excellent video clip in it!

Poverty is everywhere including Costa Rica and like most places it is usually worse in the big city. It is also interesting to note that most of the CR poor are immigrants from Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador who came here for better work opportunities than in their home countries. This is not a Global Poverty, Child Mortality Fall Sharply, According to UN.

paradise for everyone, though most are doing better than they did in those neighbor countries. Many of the low-paid house maids are among these immigrants as are some gardeners. Good news is that

Costa Ricans are mostly better educated and have the better-paying jobs. With universal health care and free education through college, there is little excuse for many Tico citizens to live in deep poverty. Immigrants on the other hand have many reasons for living in poverty. I think the fact that most Costa Ricans are very religious, have high moral standards, party a lot and are the happiest people in the world also helps! 🙂 Yet an article in this same newspaper, Tico Times, said in 2014 that nearly a quarter of Costa Ricans live in poverty.   Another 2014 article said Poverty programs enjoy success but jobs would be better. So – poverty continues to be a problem everywhere and there is no easy solution so far beyond us as individuals following the teachings of Jesus as we relate to the poor. And then, maybe that is the solution. 🙂

–

Tomorrow, Wednesday, 9 July, I will be on a 12 to 14 hour trip to Nicaragua to renew my visa and may not be doing a post tomorrow night! The last “visa run” trip like this left me beyond exhausted. A local tour driver takes a van load of us on this trip every 3 or 4 months. I can live here now without a visa but cannot drive a car or even get a rent car. Like to keep my options open! Once I’m an official resident, I’ll get a CR Driver License. 

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Sidewalk Flowers in Atenas

This Bougainvillea is in Roca Verde where I begin my walks. Most other photos are in Atenas Central.
Except for church yard, all flowers are in front yards of local homes, small and large. All homes have flowers!
And this is just a small sample of what I see every day!

Atenas, Costa Rica

Atenas, Costa Rica

Atenas, Costa Rica
Atenas, Costa Rica

Atenas, Costa Rica
Atenas, Costa Rica
Atenas, Costa Rica
Atenas, Costa Rica

Atenas, Costa Rica
Flowers… are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty out-values all the utilities of the world.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Another New Butterfly!

And it is not in any of my books nor can I find it online for identification. Shot in living room.

How can anything this distinctive not be in any of the books?
For now, it remains an Unknown beauty!
On my Living Room window screen.
Atenas, Costa Rica
Whether butterfly or moth, this dude is cool looking!
I’m having this image printed to hang in my house here in Atenas, Costa Rica.

My new gallery now has 20 species in it: Costa Rica Butterflies by Charlie Doggett

And by the way, my “Birthday Breakfast” with Anthony at Kay’s Gringo Postres was great with a yummy omelet, biscuits and gravy, and a fabulous piece of Karo Pecan Pie just like Mother made! It is a place to get American food by a Texas couple. And the only place I know with real bacon!

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A Happy Birthday in Atenas!

One portion of the sidewalk I cleaned off. A community project, not the city!

BIRTHDAY GOOD DEED
I decided a few days ago I wanted to start a new tradition for each birthday: Do a good deed, service project, or something that helps other people. One I have been wanting to do is contribute to the neighborhood community-built sidewalk on the road leading to my subdivision. So this morning after breakfast I spent an hour and a half, before getting too hot, shoveling gravel and dirt and sweeping parts of the sidewalk. In short, someone left a pile of gravel for the concrete on top of the sidewalk so all of us who use it have to walk around it into the street. So the first thing I did was use my very small garden shovel to move the pile of gravel off the sidewalk onto the shoulder of the road. Hard work! Then another longer section of the sidewalk has a dirt wall along side it that is crumbling onto the sidewalk with each rain or bump of anything into the wall. I started shoveling a drainage ditch between the walk and wall and putting the dirt in the street which will be removed when they come to repave and widen the street. Then I swept the sidewalk and parts of the street. By 8:30 it was very hot with no clouds and I had to quit. But I plan to go back and finish the job! Lots of women and children and old people use this sidewalk and I want to help make it safe and usable!

BIRTHDAY PRESENT

Birthday Present  to myself is two handmade wooden rocking chairs.
That’s sillas mecedoras in Spanish
Sometimes you just don’t want to sit at the table!
Now I’m looking for a matching small table to sit drinks, etc. on.
That will be mesa pequeña in Spanish. No luck yesterday.

BIRTHDAY LUNCH

For weeks now I’ve been eating most all my meals at home which are generally better, healthier, but also more work! Today I went for a late lunch to La Carreta Restaurant and had a Casado with a new meat for me, a shredded beef called “Carne Mechada” which is Venezuelan in origin. His English translation of “Meat Loaf” on menu is not a good translation! It was very good and I recommend it! Also walked by the office supply store across from the Central Market to get a printer ink cartridge. 
BIRTHDAY PARTY

David & Corrina with their full-time assistant at Su Espacio plus helpers Jason and Roni walked to my house at about 6:35 PM and they later found in my baby book that I was born at 6:35 PM – spooky huh? They are all young and full of life and brought everything for my feliz Cumpleaños party. It was a blast! And Jason even brought a gift, a Pura Vida coffee mug! My Tico friends are my best friends here and I will always remember this birthday party!

BIRTHDAY BREAKFAST TOMORROW
And tomorrow morning my neighbor Anthony is taking me to Kay’s Gringo Postres for and American Style Breakfast after we walk over the big hill here at Roca Verde! So you see I am getting plenty of attention on my birthday! And being 75 doesn’t feel any different from being 74! Pura Vida! Really now, how can life get any better? A simply great 75th birthday!