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When I walk through my garden of by others in the neighborhood, I think of Victor Hugo’s statement in Les Misérables . . .
“A garden to walk in and immensity to dream in–what more could he ask? A few flowers at his feet and above him the stars.”
― Victor Hugo
See my little Gallery of Saturday’s walk among the flowers, 8 in my garden and 3 from the neighborhood . . .
Continue reading “Flowers! – what more could I ask?”
Like me recovering from cancer and the just-as-bad cancer treatment, this pitiful-looking damaged butterfly is still flying and eating! 🙂 He is a Ilus swallowtail or Dual-spotted swallowtail, Mimoides ilus (Wikipedia link) and note that it is very similar to another butterfly that I originally labeled this as, the Emerald-patched Cattleheart. The main difference is the Cattleheart has emerald or light-green spots on the upper wings instead of white as this Swallowtail has. (And by the way, Cattlehearts are in the Swallowtail family!) See my Dual-spotted Swallowtail Gallery or all of my CR Butterflies. Note that in the additional photos below this feature image there is one of a non-damaged Dual-spotted that got in my house on the window screen before I opened it and let him fly out.
And some more shots including of one not damaged (+ health update) . . .
Continue reading “Butterfly & Holiday/Health Report”
I’ve often shown the meadow my terrace overlooks and the mountains beyond but maybe not as much of the trees that surround the meadow. Here’s four telephoto shots from my terrace of just trees:
“If you would know strength and patience, welcome the company of trees.”
― Hal Borland
¡Pura Vida!
For more tree photos, see my Flora & Forest Galleries or the Trees Gallery.
In nature everything is always changing and nowhere is that more obvious than in the leaves. Yesterday my attention was grabbed by this small dead leaf curled up in the larger green and very living leaf of a different plant which will soon let it slide on to the ground to renew the life of all the living things around it as the dead leaf becomes nourishment for the other living plants. And what can I learn from this? Maybe about change, like the changes my life continues to surprise me with, and maybe, as this little leaf, I will add nourishment to another life somewhere? 🙂 Learning from nature . . .
“Learn character from trees, values from roots and change from leaves”
– Tasneern Harneed
¡Pura Vida!
For more CR Nature Photos: My Gallery
Possibly the most common butterfly in my garden though certainly not the most colorful! But at least I’m out in the garden again! 🙂 To see other photos I’ve made of this species, my Polydamas Swallowtail Gallery or for more butterflies see my Butterflies of Costa Rica Galleries! 126+ 🙂
Some have written to see how I am since I’ve only posted twice since completing my radiation treatments (radiotherapy). Simply put . . .
I haven’t felt like writing!
Tomorrow will be two weeks since they rang a bell and showered me with gifts and a certificate and even my mask to take home after the last session of radiotherapy. Now here’s my update on the last two weeks . . .
It was cloudy before the rain (better for my radiation-damaged skin) but I could see, hear and smell the rain coming. Soon after I was back from my “Country Lane” Walk, our afternoon shower started which has become regular now, meaning that the rainy season has really started, after severa false-starts. 🙂 The above feature photo is from my terrace with rain in the hills behind Atenas Centro and soon it came all over. I never tire of trying to make a photo of those hills which are never the same. This one is a 4-shot panorama.
One of my favorite shots from the walk . . .
And four more shots from the walk + . . .
Continue reading “Pre-Rain Walk”
I’m back home for awhile and one of the first contrasts with the big city was the green field across from my house, seen here at ground level . . .
And online I found a poem that expresses some feeling of my front yard “green field,” though I would never lay down in this one with the cow patties and snakes! 🙂
Continue reading “Green Field”
Final for this trip or purpose here, but I will be back! Everyone who lives in the country has to go to the big city sometimes. 🙂
And because nature walks have helped me get through this cancer treatment more than maybe anything else, I chose nature shots from my last couple of days here. And for those who don’t know, today was my last radiation treatment and that is why I can return to Atenas and enjoy the nature there while taking possibly months to recover from the side effects of radiation. I will report on that progress along with the joys of nature in my little coffee farming town of Atenas. Pura vida! And now, MY LAST NATURE SHOTS FROM THIS SAN JOSE TRIP . . .
Continue reading “San Jose Finale”
Here’s a good article in Washington Post about the many benefits of walking and introducing three new books about walking: “Walking was freedom in lockdown.”
Happy Walking to You!
¡Pura Vida!