Blog

Posted on

Flowers Arrived at 7 AM!

Plumbago and Tutti Frutti in front,
then tall green palmy plant goes in living room,
more garden plants in back, palm around corner
and the butterflies have already come!

Below is a list of what Cristian says he is planting tomorrow. Click the linked name to see photos of what it looks like and the ones delivered today are in these photos here, though not all delivered yet. This will be a hummingbird and butterfly garden. Lots of photo ops!


Triquitraque (“Firecracker” in English)– an orange flowering vine planted at top and trailing down the walls. Opportunity of a house built into the side of a hill!  (not delivered yet)

Blue Plumbago – a flowering hedge along bottom of concrete wall under the orange vines (photo at right)

Tutti Frutti (a variety of Lantana) – a row of mixed colors of flowers along the sidewalk (in photo at right, on the left side, shorter – yellow, pink, orange, red)

Palma Roja (Red Palm) – a brightly colored bamboo-like palm with red, yellow & green trunks, going at the end of back sidewalk as an anchor to the far end of my garden and to block view of street (see palm photo below).

Maraca (Shampoo Ginger) – a really cool tropical flower (rare and it may take a while for him to find one but he will even if he has to take it from his uncle’s yard he says). He is really working hard to please me and have a perfect garden for butterflies and hummingbirds.

Red Ginger – a red flowering tropical plant (photo below) – There are other varieties of Ginger
but not sure if I’m getting one of the others. I’m hoping for a Torch Ginger, my favorite. 

Heliconia – truly tropical and comes in many varieties (1 delivered today, see photo below – a different variety is coming tomorrow he says) This is often associated with Hawaii, but native here.

Foxglove – 2 or 3 plants between the Palmetto and Red Palm along back (not here yet). This is for the hummingbirds.

Petunia – well, I guess every garden needs a “filler”  🙂    (not delivered yet)

Palmetto – already here in the ground, see bottom photo
Aloe Vera – already here, something the landlord plants on all of his properties – I have 2 and may end up putting them in pots if Cristian can’t work them into the garden plan.

Red Palm at end of sidewalk in back
not shown in above photo. It will block
the street from my garden and anchor it.
One variety of Red Ginger. I may get another.

One variety of Heliconia and I will get at
least one other variety he says. 
Palmetto, the only plant here now. Don’t think it was watered during dry season.
I’ll take better care of it.

You can probably tell that I’m very excited about getting my dream tropical garden this quickly, just a week after moving in. Of course tomorrow I will be showing you the completed masterpiece, I think I will call it my “Humming Garden” or in Spanish “Jardín del Tarareo ” You can walk through and either hum a tune or watch for butterflies and hummingbirds!   🙂   Pura Vida!


Some might ask why I didn’t save money and plant it all myself and get even more joy from totally creating it myself? Several reasons: 
1) I don’t have a car or truck, so we are talking many trips to and from La Garita where the nurseries are located at $50-$60+ per taxi round trip. It could possibly cost me more doing it myself!
2) It is the beginning of the rainy season and it needs to be done right now along with a lot of other things I need to do like get the stuff I shipped out of storage and make photos!  🙂   
3) The professionals do a better job in this case and at what I consider a very good price compared to the states. This kind of labor is cheap here. And I would not have known about some of these flowers or where to get them for a while.
4) I don’t have the garden tools, which would be another expense and the side of this hill is rocky, another challenge I’m letting the professionals handle.  
5) I’m retired and enjoying life and consider using the cheap labor a wiser choice at this time. 
So I won’t go on a guilt trip for not doing it myself! (Even though I enjoy gardening.) Of course I will probably add another plant or two occasionally, and look what a great start I’m getting in a new house! I’ll be showing more of the house in coming posts including the already landscaped yards, but today and tomorrow it’s the new butterfly & hummingbird garden or Humming Garden!



Posted on

Sunsets

The sun sets behind trees and power lines but still colorful and varied!

Seen from end of balcony and all three windows on the west side. 

Looking northwest toward downtown Atenas

And back to the west with trees included in this image

Posted on

Toucans and a Garden!

Three houses over after flying over mine  –  in lower right. Sorry it is small.

A Pair or a Mother-Child 
One big flap of his wings and he glides like a bullet!

KEEL-BILLED TOUCANS

This was the second of two big excitements today. I sat down on the love seat to catch my breath this afternoon after spending two hours with some gardeners which I’ll tell you about in a second. But I looked out my living room window at the big Strangler Fig tree in my yard and saw a Keel-billed Toucan in it, just his big beak showing. I quietly go get the camera and of course he was gone when I returned, evidently to a tree across the road. Then he flew (above photo) to some distant neighbors where I tried to photograph him and others in some trees there. Some day I’ll get one up closer. But this is the kind of things I see from my deck. And I’m not on vacation! I live here!
GARDEN DESIGNED TODAY
I have watched the neighbor couple my age from Oregon work so hard on planting a garden and knew there had to be an easier way. Well an advertisement went up in our development last week for a landscape company saying they will design and install gardens as well as maintain them and ask for Cristian if you need an English-speaker. I emailed him this morning with photos (below) of the empty corner at the end of my driveway by the entry patio. And scanned my drawing showing the dimensions in meters of course. 
I figured I would hear back in a week or so. In less than an hour, as I was preparing lunch, he called and said he was in Roca Verde now working on another house and could come over and look at 2:30. He did with two workers. I explained what I wanted in general and he took notes and explained that I couldn’t have the palm I wanted in this space because of the septic tank and the palm’s long roots, but he promised to provide something against the stark concrete wall and make a garden that I would love with flowers year-around, as well as many butterflies and hummingbirds. I’m so excited! I’d much rather spend a little money like this than a lot on a car!
I ended up getting a Palma Roja at the end of my back sidewalk at the other back corner of the house, expanding my garden visually. I can’t remember all the flower names now that they will install including vines to hang down on the stark concrete wall. Then we went around front and I ordered two pot plants for my deck and one for the living room. The total cost is less than what I would pay for just the plants in the states, AND it includes top soil brought in, three big pots planted, and all the installation labor. And they come install it this Friday! Here’s what the space looks like now, my “before photos”: 

Seen from the driveway looking toward the entry plaza.
I mostly use the sliding glass door on deck for my entry mostly.

The entry patio leading to an entry hall with bath & bedroom to left and
kitchen, office, living/dining room and deck to right. 

Of course Friday will be the new, young plants with not as much to showoff yet. But rainy season is starting and by August I think it will be looking good and in another year great! I’m planning to stay here long term! The beach is too hot and too expensive to live at and I’m less than two hours from it anyway! Plus I really like Atenas! My new home!

Posted on

First Vistas

First view is toward downtown Atenas and mountain range.
Trees on right are neighbor yards.

The vista from La Jacaranda was of the close hills of Atenas where this is more expansive, looking over Atenas to the mountain ranges that include Poas and Arenal Volcanoes. So it is quite different. If I walk up to the top of my hill in my landlord’s yard I can see downtown Atenas and the church steeple at Central Park and the mountains to the west (same if I walk up the road in front of my house – photo below).

View from about one block up the road from my house with sunshine.
The Central Park church steeple is on the left.
Amazing difference 50 to 100 feet makes! But they pay for these views!
Yet I can walk up there anytime to look or photograph!  🙂

My view to the west for sunsets is from the end of the balcony on the left in top photo. You look through trees and power lines, thus no wide view of the sunset. Same from both bedrooms. I’ll show some shots of that tomorrow. 
That road you see bottom center in front of my house (1st & 3rd photos) is heading straight toward downtown Atenas, where I walk daily. It is just one mile from my house to Central Park and 1.2 to the supermarket I use most often, the Cooperative. Maxi Pali, the other supermarket, is about 1.6 miles I’m guessing, 2 miles at most. I haven’t measured it yet.

I just made a new shot from my balcony right after the afternoon shower which is not as expansive as the 2-pix panorama at top but what I see in one direction:

As the afternoon shower stops, looking northwest from my balcony.
I live in the foothills of the mountains, a dream life!

Posted on

Oxcart Parade!

One of 200 or so colorful carts pulled by oxen in the annual Atenas parade.

As I had planned, I got a seat on the outside window bar at Gelly’s Restaurant for a front-row seat for the entire two hour parade including purchased food and drink! Best seat for parade and beats standing that long! It was packed! This is one of the big events in Atenas each year.

It began with horses . . .

As each oxen team got to us they paused in line waiting for their introduction
over a PA system and I assume some judging happened at that spot.

Runaway oxen! This team decided they wanted to leave this parade,
but the Boyero (team driver) managed to keep them in the parade,
after literally going in circles for a few minutes.

Some oxen teams were “in training” and had no cart to pull this time.

Several carts were filled with children having a ball!
Cart Drivers happily allowed for kid photos by doting parents.

Meanwhile the artisans never stopped trying to sell their wares. A big fiesta!
This Latin Crooner began some
beautiful singing as the parade ended.
And more until 10:30 each night!
And I doubt the clown every stopped! 

Tomorrow I leave early for Spanish class as I will stop by Crema y Nata Bakery to pick up a birthday cake I order for David Castillo, our Spanish teacher. Others are bringing drinks, plates, cups, etc. We might surprise him! Then it is back to getting my new house fixed the way I want it. A busy weekend and the new week could be too, though mostly slowing down.

Posted on

Starting New House with a Bang!

Blue-tailed Hummingbird

I was concerned that with not as many old growth trees next to my house there would not be as many birds, but not so! Shot this hummingbird from my balcony on my neighbor’s Powderpuff or Mimosa Tree (9 varieties of Powderpuff & 22 varieties of Mimosas in Costa Rica!) Two Kiskadees landed on my balcony railing yesterday but I didn’t have my camera ready! And today I was up the hill talking with my wonderful landlord when two Chestnut Mandibled Toucans landed in a neighbor’s tree and me again without a camera! I should have tried the cell phone but didn’t. 
Moved in Thursday morning. That afternoon a rep from Cable Tica came out and did the contract for internet & TV package. Today the techs came out and connected it and have it operating! That was quick for Costa Rica! I was expecting to wait a week or longer. I think I may like this company better that the bigger one used at the apartments and if my 8 mg of internet is not enough, I can pay to get even faster. So far so good. 
Woodcraft Paper Towel Holder
From Atenas Climate Fair
Last week I missed the horse show in Atenas and was determined to see at least part of the Climate Fair in downtown Atenas this weekend for Earth Week and the Annual Recognition of the historic Boyeros, oxcart drivers. Only walked through the vendors and arts and crafts yesterday (Friday). Today I spent a couple of hours there with minimum entertainment, but I had been looking for two days for a paper towel rack I could install under a kitchen cabinet and could not find one anywhere in town. Well, one of the craft booths had this cute cow paper towel holder which looks pretty good on my granite counter! 
The good music and big bands are all tonight downtown, but I’m just too tired to go back, but I can hear it since all my windows are open! And it is a big party with lots of music, dancing, and noise! Ticos know how to party and make music! All I got during the day was the usual Marimba music which is big among the older adults here and children dancing from a local dance studio. But I do have my cow paper towel holder and watched a lot of interesting people including the family with a pet pig. Here are a few of my cell phone photos from this afternoon: 
Central Park is a Fair this Weekend with rides, food, ice cream, artists & music
Like fairs back home, they attract young families here with even bouncy things.
Both children and youth represented a local dance studio. 
A disk jockey provided dance music for all.
And the ever-present Marimba Music for the older crowd! 
Family with a pet pig watching the children dance.

Tomorrow is the big day for daytime activities with Musica Cimarrona where dancers wear masks as an old traditional celebration which will be followed by the annual Oxcart Parade with oxcarts from all over the country parading through Atenas, home of the National Oxcart Driver Monument. I expect to get a lot of photographs!

Posted on

New Frog Species Discovered – My Earth Day Post

New Frog Species Discovered in Talamanca Mountains of Costa Rica.
Photo from TicoTimes.net

In a time when many frog species are going extinct because of fungus and diseases around the world, it is encouraging that scientists have discovered a new species of glass frog in Costa Rica. Hyalinobatrachium dianae was discovered in the Talamanca mountains of Costa Rica. April, 2015.  That is one of my favorite places in southern Costa Rica where I have twice photographed the Resplendent Quetzal from both Sevegre Mountain Lodge and Trogon Lodge. These glass frogs can be tiny and are known for transluscent skin on their undersides, showing their internal organs. Neat! The only glass frog I have photographed was not this cool looking. He was photographed last month in Manuel Antonio National Park. Unfortunately neither photo shows the underside of the frog.

A BREAK IN THE BLOG POSTS – SEVERAL DAYS OR A WEEK
For the ones who read this regularly you are probably ready for a break! I will not have internet connection immediately in the new house since I’m responsible for my own utilities. It is not likely to happen fast! If it is longer than a week, I’ll report back from an internet cafe maybe.  🙂

Posted on

Cajero Automático & Musical Chairs Again

Atenas Branch of Banco Nacional de Costa Rica

Okay, I’m moving to a new rental and they need a deposit plus first month’s rent (in other words 2 months rent) which is expected – no problem – except my French Canadian landlord wants it all in U.S. Dollars Cash! After this I can pay my rent online through my local Costa Rica bank online, but not now. So what’s the big deal you ask?

The ATM is called  “Cajero Automático” or loosely translated “Automatic Cashier.” They are scattered around town and operate just like in the states except they are more security conscious and have a limit you can get out in one 24 hour period. So to get my new house keys Thursday, I need to make withdrawals on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from an ATM that gives out only Costa Rica colones of course. Then after my Wednesday afternoon third withdrawal, I take several hundred thousand colones into the bank to have them converted to U.S. Dollars for the next morning event. And another interesting fact is that the largest colones bill is just c20,000, which is about $40 USD. I’m talking about big wads of money needed before I can trade them for $100 bills in dollars. Glad I feel safe and secure here!

I did go inside with the musical chairs trip to a teller and learned I can get the money all at once from my U.S. debit card at a 3% fee which I refused to pay. (I’m beginning to wish now I had paid and gotten it over with!) So I went back outside to the Cajero Automático and got my first of three installments. In the meantime, I told myself that this is crazy when I have a local bank account but still have most of my money in the credit union in Nashville. So I got the form Erik gave me from the credit union to wire a large amount of money to my Costa Rica account. Should have already done this but been busy.

So today after the second installment of cash from the ATM I went inside the bank for a game of musical chairs twice! If you missed my earlier report on the bank, you wait in line for a teller or desk agent by sitting in a row of chairs. When the next person is served you all get up and move over one chair towards the front of the line. Really! (One time I sat in 24 chairs before I got to a teller.) Well, I headed for Ricardo’s desk who supposedly speaks English and helped me open my account. He was at lunch, so I read a chapter in my Happier Than a Billionaire digital book on my phone’s Kindle App while others wondered what I was laughing about. I finally get to Ricardo  and he has suddenly forgotten how to speak English. Seriously. This time he only spoke in Spanish and acted like he did not understand what I said in English. I think he misunderstood and thought I wanted to wire the money from the account here and told me I didn’t have enough. But anyway, after a bit of charades and broken Spanish from me, Ricardo sends me across the lobby to another desk where I start the musical chairs game again! I’m only number 3 in line this time, but the customer being served (who looks like a woman prison guard) has some complicated business that takes another 30 minutes while a read a couple more chapters in this book. (I’m taking a break from Lord of the Rings with something lighter and funny about Costa Rica). At least the second customer ahead of me didn’t take very long and I’m up again with another Spanish only person. “Necesito dos números por favor,” pointing to the empty spaces on the form for a Swift Code and an IBAN number. She has to take the wire transfer form back to another office and talk to someone, then returns and asks if the money is going into my colones or dollares account (Yes, I have two accounts here.) which I’m able to answer “dollares.” Then back into the office she goes and returns later with a computer printout of two numbers I can use for the transfer, so next month’s rent can be paid from my local bank account, assuming these numbers work! Whew! Another exciting afternoon! Everything’s an adventure!
But you know what? I’m learning the systems around here and even though it may not sound like it, life is simpler, more relaxed, and much more spontaneous. The birds are singing happier today it seems, maybe because of the rain. And a flock of squawking parrots just flew over! What a place!

It is also cooler since Sunday’s first rain of the season. It looked like more rain today (Tuesday) but hasn’t happened yet. And today’s laundry is already dry!  🙂  Hey! By Thursday I’ll have an electric dryer! Let it rain! 

More adventures to come!  🙂

Posted on

Shopping at “Vargas e Hijos”

My friendly neighborhood hardware store in Atenas, Costa Rica

With my move to a different house, there is a good chance I will need some hardware as I set up housekeeping again. The nearest Home Depot type store (different name) is in San Jose and I hear they are more expensive with employees who are less helpful than the hometown hardware store. Plus hometown store is surprisingly well-stocked and I can walk to it! The one I use is Vargas & Sons where I have found everything I’ve needed thus far! Now get this “interesting” way all “ferreterias” (small local hardware stores) operate:

  • A lot of the merchandise is not on display, so I may have to ask for it, be specific in Spanish, wait until it comes from the stock room, and if it is not the item I want, repeat the process. Patience is a high virtue in Costa Rica!  🙂
  • There is often someone shadowing me. This can be annoying, but when I need help it is great, so I try to be nice! I’m likely to need help! And my limited Spanish adds to the adventure! The young ones are more likely to speak some English, so I tend to favor them. 
  • Checking out is a regimented three-step process: 
  1. First the person helping me with the product(s) has to write-up a “factura” (invoice) on their computer terminal. They ask for my “nombre” (name) to attach to it. 
  2. Next, I visit the “cajero” (cashier), where I give my name, pay, and receive two receipts, one for me, the other left at the next step. 
  3. At the “entrega” (delivery) counter, I provide both receipts, the person there checks the itemized receipt against the product(s) in a basket, stamps both receipts (rubber stamps are big here!), and assuming they match, he/she bags my stuff with one of the stamped receipts. More often now he asks if you want a “balso” (bag) before bagging. (Going green or saving money?)

It sounds like a lot of trouble, but actually works very smoothly and quickly! And it provides several jobs!  🙂   The photo above is of their building across from the bus station as featured on their Facebook Page like an advertisement.

Posted on

Unprepared for First Rain

Yellow Bells Trees Shedding Blooms
Sunny Sidewalk in Atenas

I walk in the sunshine under the Yellow Bell trees for a late lunch and early dinner out to try the ribs at the Don Yayo Chicharonerra Cafe. Beautiful day with some rain clouds in the sky like we’ve had for weeks with no rain, so of course it will not rain. Well, while eating we got our first rain of the year (not counting one little shower) and it was a “gully washer” as we would say back in Arkansas. I took a photo but rain doesn’t seem to show up in my photos. The streams and canyons were gushing as I walked home.

We were very dry and having grass fires, so we really needed the rain! But it was so unexpected that I left my apartment windows open AND my laundry drying out on the balcony! Guess what? Some floors got mopped and my clothes went back through the spin cycle with hopefully some sun tomorrow. This is a case for the electric dryer in my new house and almost reason enough by itself for the move!  🙂   Can hardly wait!

Then after clean up of the rain, I got this “After the Rain” photo of rain fog on the horizon. Hope I get as many photo ops from the new balcony! I just love nature, even in the middle of a town.

“After the Rain” from my balcony, Hacienda La Jacaranda, Atenas, Costa Rica