. . . Sunlight on leaves . . . Good Morning Costa Rica!
¡Pura Vida!
Out of the mist . . .
Rio Tarcoles & Punta Leona Day Trip Gallery
Our January 7 day trip with 6 Canadian friends from British Columbia to Rio Tarcoles & Punta Leona Beach was a fun trip with lots of nature photo ops! And I now have the “Trip Gallery” finished! Click that link or the image of the first page below or this web address: https://charliedoggett.smugmug.com/TRIPS/2025-January-7-Rio-Tarcoles-Punta-Leona In many ways, these trip galleries are my “base galleries” from which I glean photos for subject galleries like Birds! While photos made in my home garden go directly into the subject galleries if they even make a gallery. 🙂 But I love these trip galleries because I always make more photos on a trip!
¡Pura Vida!
My needle biopsy went well yesterday and now I just wait for their report that I will receive in my February 12 appointment. And my sister Bonnie learned that her “colon cancer” was primarily an ovarian cancer that spread to her colon, and now they are about to begin chemotherapy after one more procedure. Our mother and brother both died of cancer and now it looks like the rest of us may go the same way. Only Dad never had cancer. The doctors said he died when his heart just stopped, not a heart attack. And Bonnie and I will both look for the positive while we fight our different types of cancers. Thanks for your prayers!
Remembering Jimmy Carter
Carter was the best U.S. President during my lifetime and I miss having someone who is honest and intelligent like him in leadership, especially with Trump being the complete opposite in almost every way.
Like me, Carter grew up in the rural south as a Southern Baptist back when Southern Baptists used to follow Christ. Also like me, he disassociated himself from Baptists and other Evangelicals when they quit following Christ and became a power-hungry, controlling, political movement. It hurts me when people say ” He was a good man but not a good president.” He was actually a great president (Nobel Peace Prize), accomplishing a lot! Some of which the crooked Reagan tried to take credit for. He never lied to the people while Trump has never told the truth, and yet half of the U.S. voted that convicted criminal back into office. I will mourn the loss of Jimmy Carter and as I will the destruction of the next four years in the states, while continuing to be thankful for my 2014 decision to move to Costa Rica! 🙂 I love my new country! 🙂
I hope you will continue to be one of the thousand or so people who read my nature blog and find peace in God’s creations regardless what is happening elsewhere in the world!
¡Pura Vida!
And hopefully by tomorrow I will have some of the photos processed from yesterday’s safari on Rio Tarcoles! 🙂 I am busy again today with a doctor’s appointment in San Jose to evaluate the sonogram of my neck as they continue to monitor for possible spread of cancer. Thanks for your prayers.
Leaves! My Final Dec Pix
These photos are from my kind of “catch all” category that I call “Leaves and Nature Things.” In this case, all leaves with one whole tree on the hill above my house. Tomorrow will start January pix and tomorrow is when I’m taking some Canadian friends birding on the Tarcoles River early, then looking for monkeys on Punta Leona Beaches with Walter. A full day, so those pix won’t be until at least the next day or later but coming! 🙂 Then Wednesday I go see the doctor in San Jose who is monitoring the possible spread of my facial cancer. And another morning will be given to visiting Dan Sheaks’ bird feeders where he gets a lot of toucans! So a busy week again! 🙂
More leaves in the gallery . . .
Continue reading “Leaves! My Final Dec Pix”El Arte de las Flores
The Art of Flowers! There is no limit to the creativity in flowers!
See the flower slideshow below . . .
Continue reading “El Arte de las Flores”Soon Only White Clouds!
This photo from my terrace was made on December 16, so maybe by now those few little gray rain clouds have already disappeared from our skies here. 🙂
The “Rainy Season” which is sometimes called “Winter” (el invierno) here is generally from May to November, but there can be an overlap of rainy and dry seasons in December with pretty much no rain from January through March or April called “Summer” (el verano) here and then in late April or May the rain starts again to keep beautiful Costa Rica green! (With climate change we’ve had a lot more rain this December!) And that description above is mainly for the Central Valley or center of this little country with both coasts, coastal lowlands, and a few internal low areas called rainforests have rain year around as do some of the cloud forests high in the mountains.
And then there is the northwest part of the country, called Guanacaste (that province name), which is dry most all year with some deserts and only a few really wet areas like Palo Verde NP or Rincón de la Vieja. So if you don’t like the weather one place, go somewhere else! 🙂
Plus a little interesting trivia is that here in the Central Valley our two rainiest or wettest months are usually September & October while the year-around wet and rainy Caribbean Coast has their least amount of rain during those two months. Thus I usually travel to the Caribbean side in September or October! 🙂 But it’s not the same on the mid & south Pacific Coast which can have rain year around like the Caribbean. 🙂
See more vistas from my terrace in that gallery.
¡Pura Vida!
iNaturalist 2024 Year in Review, Charlie Doggett
AND YES! All those photos in the montage above are ones I submitted to iNaturalist. Their A-I work I guess. 🙂
https://www.inaturalist.org/stats/2024/charliedoggett
The above-linked report includes lots of data, graphs, and the actual photos or you can go to My Observations page (linked) to just see which ones I submitted. Just beginning!
I have for 10+ years submitted my bird observations to eBird and in the last 2 or 3 years my butterfly observations to butterfliesandmoths.org, but in May of 2024 I started submitting all of my nature photos to iNaturalist Costa Rica (en español, Naturalista Costa Rica) including the birds and butterflies (double reporting them). 🙂 Though plants are included in iNaturalist, right now I’m only submitting the unusual ones or ones that I need help identifying! 🙂 My online gallery and website/blog will disappear after my death, but photos I submit to these organizations will be there for posterity! 🙂 Maybe that will be my legacy? 🙂
¡Pura Vida!
Continue reading “Soon Only White Clouds!”8 Costa Rican New Year Traditions
8 Costa Rica New Year Traditions from Grapes to Beaches
By Sarah Jordan in Tico Times, December 26, 2024
1. 12 Grapes for 12 Wishes
As the clock strikes 12 not everyone is kissing their loved ones for the New Year. Some are starting their New Year with the love of grapes. 12 grapes that is. One grape for one wish. One of the long-running traditions in Costa Rica for New Year is eating 12 grapes. With every grape, a wish or intention is made, one for each month of the upcoming year.
When I asked my neighbors if it mattered which color all they said is well it depends if you like seeds or not. So, I am assuming the color of the grape won’t make any difference in making my wishes come true, I guess I will soon find out.
2. Left Hand Luck
Another popular New Year’s ritual I often hear about is starting the year with money in your left hand, para que no se vaya. There is no specific amount that goes along with this ritual. Simply hold a bit of money in your left hand as the clock chimes at midnight and you’re set to welcome a year of prosperity and abundance.
3. Sweeping Out the Old
Clearing the way for fresh beginnings lies at the heart of this Costa Rican New Year’s tradition. It is out with the old and in with the new! With the intent of sweeping out the negative energy that lies stagnant, the home is swept clean on New Year’s Eve inviting fresh good vibes for the upcoming year. Meanwhile, others prefer to wash the entrance once the New Year finally rings in, welcoming new beginnings right from the doorstep.
4. Choose Your Lucky Colors (and Bloomers!) Carefully
Depending on who you talk to, you’ll hear different takes on this one! Some folks swear by slipping on some yellow bloomers for buena suerte, while others say to wear them inside out. On the other hand, I have heard as long as you’re rocking something yellow, you’re good to go. I will let you decide on this one. But it doesn’t end there!
The same goes for the color red if you’re hoping to spark more passion and or find the love of your life in the year ahead. Meanwhile, if you’re looking to attract wealth, health, and abundance, green undies are the choice for you.
5. The Running of the Maletas
If your New Year’s resolutions include a year of travel, then you’ll want to grab your suitcase for this one. This fun and lighthearted tradition involves running around the block with your luggage for a new year filled with exciting trips and adventures.
6. It’s Raining Lentils
This tradition might get a bit messy but it’s all in good fun and all in the name of abundancia. As the New Year approaches you toss dry lentils (yes, uncooked) up into the air then you gather them up afterward. Placing them in a little red bag or pouch you can add some coins or bills to welcome prosperity.
7. Feast of Foods
No celebration in Costa Rica is complete without a feast, and New Year’s doesn’t disappoint. Rompope, Costa Rica’s creamy twist on eggnog is made with a blend of milk, fresh eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, and spirits. Served up beside almond cookies, pastries, and queque navideño it is a spread of pure indulgence.
Pierna de cerdo is a long-standing tradition to eat on New Year’s Eve during a late dinner. And we can’t forget the star of December, the infamous tamales. These banana leaf-wrapped treats are like delicious little presents, a true labor of love, time, and companionship shared with friends and family.
8. Ringing in the Year at the Beach
One of Costa Rica’s biggest traditions takes place on New Year’s Day when the country’s beaches become absolutely packed. And I mean packed! So much so that Costa Rica implements temporary traffic measures, including reversible lane systems, to manage the increased highway volumes on the beach routes. These are just a few of the annual rituals Costa Ricans enjoy on New Year’s. Many homes and families put their own spin on traditions, but one thing remains the same, the sky lights up with fireworks as people gather on the beach, atop
Both photos by Charlie Doggett to illustrate article by Sarah Jordan in the Tico Times, online English language weekly newspaper.
¡Pura Vida!
Happy New Year!
2024 Favorite Photos
As every year on New Year’s Eve, I am trying my best to narrow down my favorite photos to just 12 – pretty much impossible! 🙂 But I always do it anyway and never by the months. This year I created 6 categories of photos and chose 2 pix in each. As usual, the birds category was the most difficult to narrow down, so tomorrow I am publishing another post with the 9 runner ups in the bird category. 🙂
The Categories this year are: 1) Birds, 2) Butterflies, 3) Other Insects, 4) Other Wildlife, 5) Flowers, 6) Landscapes. And the ones labeled from “Atenas” are all from my garden except the vista from Casita del Café.
My twelve choices for 2024 will be below this one photo for the email version. They are a slideshow in the online version, so email recipients please click “Read More” below for 12 great photos! 🙂
My 2024 Reading
According to Goodreads, where I track my book reading and follow the reading of friends who are also on Goodreads, I read 15 books in 2024. Most of my books this year were the adventure/mystery/detective series of Special Agent Pendergast of the FBI who is an eccentric modern Sherlock Holmes from New Orleans with a southern accent that is commented on in the stories like mine is here, so I partly identify! 🙂 This series is co-authored by two writers, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.
I got started reading these guys’ excellent story-telling when I googled something like “adventure stories taking place in Central America” and came up with The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston which is a well-told true story of an archaeological mystery in one of the rainforests of nearby Honduras. Preston is also a real archaeologist. So you know, his stories have a little bit of Indiana Jones here! 🙂 Then I read a short series of his books about a young woman archaeologist in Santa Fe, New Mexico with some exciting adventures all over the west including one at Glorieta Pass, NM, close to the conference center I spent a lot time at over the years. So he kept me involved in his writing and when he joined Lincoln Child to write the Agent Pendergast series he even brought that Santa Fe archaeologist into one or two of those stories and by then I was hooked on reading this mystery series. I’m now on book 18 of the 22 currently in the series, but there may be more as it is a popular adventure/mystery series. 🙂 They are the Kindle books I read on bus trips and at dinner when eating alone. While at breakfast I read a passage from the Bible and then selected stories in the Washington Post plus the WP Comics of course! 🙂
“If you have a garden and a library you have everything you need.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero
¡Pura Vida!
Xandari Gallery is Ready!
Christmas 2024 @ Xandari
Click this image of the first page or go directly to this web address: https://charliedoggett.smugmug.com/TRIPS/2024-December-24-26-Xandari-Resort-Tacacori-Alajuela
Yes, Xandari is expensive, but it is worth it for me as I think the photos tell. Enjoy my “Nature as Art” photos that are different each time I visit there.
¡Pura Vida!