Artisan Birds Christmas Tree

My collection of artisan bird ornaments got pulled out of storage this year and stuck on an ugly artificial tree or bush, but I think that the Latin American Artisan Birds are beautiful, so I created a slideshow of about 20 closeup photos of some of my collection. See them in the online version of this post . . .

ÅS

See 20 (not all) of my artisan bird collection in the slideshow online . . .

Continue reading “Artisan Birds Christmas Tree”

You ask me why I dwell in the green mountain

The green mountains of Atenas, Costa Rica seen from my terrace.

You ask me why I dwell in the green mountain;

I smile and make no reply for my heart is free of care.

As the peach-blossom flows downstream and is gone into the unknown,

I have a world apart that is not among men.

~Li Bai, 8th Century Chinese Poet

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That is sort of my response to the U.S. election and what has been going on there for many years now. And as I finish my life retired in Costa Rica, I will continue, as long as able, to photograph and write about birds, butterflies and flowers! 🙂

The photo is of the green hills of Atenas, Costa Rica as seen from my terrace at breakfast.

¡Pura Vida!

A Yankee Doodle Endorses Kamala Harris for President

The White House, I photographed on my 2013 visit to Washington, D.C. (year before CR move)

If ever a patriotic American should take a strong stand in an election, it is this year and with this presidential election, thus my once every 4 years political blog post.

It is beyond my understanding how this election could possibly be close, because I still believe that the majority of Americans are honest, patriotic, defend the constitution and what has been the strongest democracy in the world. Yet here we are! How could it be a close election?

The differences in the two candidates are like daylight and dark! I invite my Republican friends to follow the many other Republicans and denounce the convicted criminal, liar, rapist, racist, fascist, mean old rich man and vote, at least this once, for the democratic candidates, Harris-Walz!

I no longer identify with my lifelong church and work, Southern Baptists, or any of the related Evangelicals for what I consider “unChristian” support of Donald Trump and his Republican minions. But friends, I know that many of you want to follow Christ, so I ask you to simply ask yourself that old “WWJD” question from our youth – What Would Jesus Do? There is no doubt in my mind! Thus I vote Harris!

In 2013 when I visited D.C. I also wrote this poem for my July 4 birthday with photos from a 2005 Everglades National Park visit. 🙂

God bless you and God bless the United States of America!

Charlie Doggett, Retired in Costa Rica Blog, charliedoggett.net

¡Pura Vida!

Issues – Kamala Harris for President: Official Campaign Website

This Morning’s Sunrise

Sunrise Wed, 2 Oct 2024, Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo, Limón

No two are alike and none disappoint me! 🙂 And they may be the highlights of my time here this year as my aches and pains are keeping the beach road walks short and have caused me to cancel my planned hikes in the two national parks nearby. But the hotel manager said he would take me to the end of the beach road in his car tomorrow morning. 🙂 This morning’s short walk on the beach road gave me very few bird or butterfly photos, which I will share in another blog post tonight. Here’s a slide show of 8 sunrise shots from this morning (no 2 of them alike either!) and I will be sharing more from each morning plus non-blog photos will be in a gallery later.

SLIDE SHOW . . .

¡Pura Vida!

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but Nature more,
From these our interviews, in which I steal
From all I may be, or have been before,
To mingle with the Universe, and feel
What I can ne’er express, yet cannot all conceal.

– Lord George Gordon Byron, 1813

9 more photos below . . .

Continue reading “There is a pleasure in the pathless woods”

A Jillion Miracles!

“I’ve seen a jillion miracles. They’re all around. Every green leaf is a miracle.”

– Jimmy Dean

And I’m back to doing blog posts from my little casita garden for a while now . . .

Leaves of my Cecropia or Guarumo Tree contrast with the blue sky. Atenas, Costa Rica.

“Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see.”

~C.S. Lewis

Every green leaf is one! 🙂

¡Pura Vida!

Check out my Flora & Forest Galleries!

My Most Memorable Semana Santa

Semana Santa is Spanish for “Holy Week” or “Easter Week” if you prefer and my most memorable and colorful one since moving to Costa Rica was 8 years ago (2016, my 2nd year here) while on a birding tour of Nicaragua and during Semana Santa I was for 3 days in the historical colonial town of Grenada where from my old hotel across from the oldest church I could watch the nightly processionals that along with architecture and the later 87 species of birds photographed made it my most colorful and memorable Easter Week here! (Linked to my photo gallery of that week.)

Easter Week Pageantry, 2016, Granada, Nicaragua
Sunset over Granada, Nicaragua 2016.

He is Risen!

¡Pura Vida!