Category: Nature

My profession is to always find God in nature.

– Henry David Thoreau

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Dos Toucans, Uno Parrot!

Raphael, my driver from the airport Wednesday.

I’m still not well and the nearest clinic I found today was not open, but my neighbors swear that if I take a gin and lemon juice tonight it will make me well overnight. Not sure I’m brave enough to try, but Jean Pierre said he would make it for me. (Note next morning – I declined their gin treatment and will stay in and rest today and go to clinic Monday.)

Jean Pierre & Elizabeth live next door and are from Switzerland. They speak good English. Then above me (I’m in a 1st floor apartment.) is Ivan & Eloise from Quebec. French is their language, but they do a little English. They let me share a cab to town this morning for them to get some stuff at a health food store and for me to get my cell phone activated at the ICE store, but alas, ICE was closed. It is Christmas week Saturday. Ivan cannot walk well using a crutch, so they go everywhere in taxis. It cost about a $1.80 (800 colonnes). They invited me to join them in a cab tonight to eat at Carreta’s, a popular expat hangout cafe, if it is open!

The apartment is fine, needing some maintenance which they are working on little by little. The setting is beautiful and while drinking tea on my veranda this morning I saw two toucans fly into the the trees down by the river and one green parrot fly into a tree next to the apartment building, plus many other small birds. Just not been up to trying to photograph birds yet.

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Thanksgiving Plus Improved Numbers: 49.4, 49.6, 51.2, 48.8, and 46.8

“View from a Costa Rica Cloud Forest”
My photo from the September trip to Talamanca Mountains & Quetzales Park.

It is a THANKSGIVING time for me the way wonderful friends are loving on me as I’m about to leave! Tonight’s going away party at the apartment of Frances Carver was wonderful with super good food by her daughter Kay and help from her son-in-law Ed. They are such great friends and the time together was special!

And the numbers? Well those are this afternoon’s weights of the five suitcases with only one coming in over 50 pounds, so I’m about to get there as I continue to adjust and remove items like the iron skillet that I pulled today! Weird you think? Well it was the only cooking utensil I felt valuable enough to take, but they have utensils in the furnished apartment and I will be able to buy things like that there. The biggest adjustment in my suitcases today was taking the 26 pounds of file folders in my Tupperware-like file box out of a suitcase and shipping it via my Miami address. I’m hoping it will get there within a month! And worth the high price I’m paying! I guess what we choose to keep or take with us on a downsizing move like this tells a lot about our priorities.  🙂

I sold my car Friday and Monday I am wiring more than 20% of the income from it to the Costa Rica shipping company as a “deposit” on the shipping of the 57 boxes of art and books. Everybody wants my money now, but after getting settled and the residency paperwork behind me, that will hopefully slow down.

If you haven’t already signed up for the email version of this blog, do so now in the right panel near top and each new post will come to you as an email.

And by the way, I am so happy about President Obama’s announcement on Cuba where I hope to travel again, remembering my wonderful trip with AZAD two years ago. Now if congress will just get off their rear-ends and stop the stupid blockade, the U.S. might become a humanitarian country again. Oops! Getting political which I promised myself I would not in these blogs. But . . . I am looking forward to living in a country that has no enemies and no military or military industrial complex.  🙂

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Charlie and the Wonderful, Enjoyable, Not Bad, Very Good Day

Sunrise at Tortuguero by Charlie Doggett, 2010

You’ll understand my title only if you’ve seen ads for the kids movie Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day which I know is a fun comedy, but I felt like being positive today since it was a very good day for me. Or actually a good weekend!

I dragged all my old computers & accessories over to the Treasure Shop yesterday along with my bike hoping some of it would sell. Not one of those items sold, though it too was a good day because I sold one of my more expensive items, the Frederic Remington statue titled “Cheyenne.” Then I lugged the bike and all the computer stuff home and listed it all on Craigslist last night. In 24 hours I had sold every single item except the bike. I got so many text messages on the old laptop for $50 that I could have sold a bunch of them!

The desktop was the last item to go tonight with a delightful visit with George the Egyptian, the buyer and a fellow nature lover and nature photographer. We talked for nearly an hour about nature photography and places to go for good photos. He capped off a very good day! And maybe we’ll have some warmer weather soon to attract bike-hunters or maybe Christmas shoppers? Or a lower price than what the bike shop suggested? $250 is a little steep for a used bike!

I have a little notebook by my bed in which I nightly write one thing about that day for which I am thankful. It helps me sleep better and have a better tomorrow! Tonight I may write two thanksgivings: George & Craigslist!   🙂  And may you have a blessed day also!

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The Costa Rica Amazon?

Aerial View of Tortuguero River/Canal not showing the beach area.
Photo from Chris Howard’s Live In Costa Rica Blog site

Chris Howard’s newsletter today tells about one of my favorite places in Costa Rica, Tortuguero which he calls Costa Rica’s Amazon. Having experienced part of the Amazon, I agree. And see my photos of Tortuguero as Days 3 & 4 in my Costa Rica 210 Photo Gallery. Or look at some professional photos on the Anywhere Costa Rica website, noting there are two sets on that site, one by tapping the arrows on the header collection and a static collection seen by scrolling down the page. There is good information on the Wikipedia page too!

Well, you can see it is one of the places I love in Costa Rica and will continue to visit while living there! There is another jungle boat ride in Los Chiles that is almost as good and of course Corcovado is the largest rainforest, but that is mostly seen by hiking with a guide. Recently a young man from Alaska was lost hiking there, meaning a guide is necessary. Well enough jungles for today! 

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Happiness is like a butterfly . . .

I photographed this Hecafe Longwing at a butterfly farm in Braulio Carrillo National Park in 2010.

I look forward to getting there, doing a better job of slowing down, sitting still, and being quiet, than I usually do here. That is when nature surprises me!

If you cannot read the quote within the photo, here it is again:

“Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.”

― Nathaniel Hawthorne

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Me llamo Carlito.

Part of the hilly rainforest I will be exploring between my house and the coast.
I shot this on my 2011 Panama Canal Cruise Excursion to Tarcoles River for a jungle river cruise. 

Today was my second Spanish Class and it looks like the Spanish name Chris Howard gave me is what my Nashville Spanish Class likes best as they are all calling me Carlito now. Fun! Just getting my feet wet in the language and I like it and our teacher Maya! By the way, Charles in Spanish is Carlos, and the closest to the Charlie nickname is Carlito, which literally means “little Charles,” which is okay with me.

The letter from Social Security arrived today, so all my papers are in order for my residential application. By next week I will send them to my attorney in Costa Rica and the process will begin.

Also today Jane and Scott came to my house to see what all I have to sell in their “Village Treasure Shop” on campus. We are no longer allowed to have yard sales because of traffic among the cottages, so the Treasures Shop is a substitute. I have so much stuff that they decided to give me a whole room in the former cottage used as the shop and let me operate it as my store each Saturday until December. I do my own pricing and they just get a percentage of whatever I make. So that is what I will be doing for the next few Saturdays. It will be kind of like an indoor yard sale one day a week. Hope to make some money!   🙂  Come see me some Saturday, beginning October 11, the Grand Opening! I’m also deciding what I will keep and put in storage during my first year in Costa Rica. A few pieces of furniture, books, art, etc. will stay here until I decide to either return to states or make Costa Rica my permanent home. If the latter, then I will ship it all to Costa Rica. As the old TV comedy soldier of fortune used to say, “I love it when a plan comes together!”

Thanks for reading my blog! And please comment or write!   -Carlito

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An Apartment is Arranged!

Beautiful apartments with valley & mountain views

Pool from patio and BBQ area where I’ll entertain you
on your visit

I now have an apartment that will be waiting on me when I arrive the last week of December, the one I told you about earlier, Hacienda La Jacaranda. 
Click the link to see photos of the property, the apartments inside, and even the waterfall on their property under their “Amenities” tab. Most of their photos cannot be copied. A Dutch couple operate it and he wrote me today with this fun message reminding me that my neighbors will include monkeys & iguanas:
  

Dear Charlie,

Thank you for your reply. One unit is reserve for you. We are working on our paypal reservation payment in our website. Might be done tomorrow then I will let you know. You can stay here upon arrival.

You will love Costa Rica since you are a nature lover. Atenas also has the best climate. We will have several  of mangos trees in the property and during mango season the monkeys visit here to eat the fruits. Iguana’s are just also in our premises. Right now, we have flowers in the garden so different kinds of butterflies is visible here. Good subject for photography. Here is one photo for you.

Regards,

Phons van der Bom

         Hacienda La Jacaranda
         Contiguo al Rio Cajon Atenas, Alajuela,Costa Rica

Phons’ photo of a butterfly in his garden
And in case you wondered about the name of the place, here is the Wikipedia definition:

Jacaranda is a genus of 49 species of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of Central America, South America, Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica and the Bahamas.  Wikipedia


And by the way, I’ve decided to continue blogging here since several people are following this blog and not my Adventures Blog. At least until I get there. Tomorrow will be the good and bad news about interim medical insurance. 
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Bird Photos Identified

I didn’t get as many bird photos on this trip, but then it wasn’t the purpose except for two days. Of many bird shots, I have five that are decent and have finally got each bird properly identified. The Volcano Junco is the first posting:

Click Image to Enlarge!
Chestnut-mandibled Toucan, Hotel Rio Mar
Dominical, Costa Rica

Black-billed Nightingale-thrush at Trogon Lodge
San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica

Resplendent Quetzal, Trogon Lodge
San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica

Collared Redstart, Trogon Lodge
San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica

Volcano Junco
Los Quetzales National Park, Costa Rica
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Resplendent Quetzal Day

Resplendent Quetzal Male near Trogon Lodge
San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica

Collared Redstart, Trogon Lodge
San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica

“Buena Vista” in Talamanca Mountains Above the Clouds
with a Tico friend soaking in the beauty.

A great last day and I’m exhausted with two birding hikes and the 90 minute drive back to San Jose. At dinner tonight I started a list of positives and negatives to moving to Costa Rica. I’ll share that later. I have thousands of photos, more great memories of Costa Rica, and a lot of knew knowledge about the country and the people. I have new friends here and from other places including a guy from the Netherlands today. Now I need a few days to let it all soak in and get some rest before I decide.

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Mountain Rainforest Today

My 8:00 AM ride was early, not on “Tico Time” – a very pleasant young man named Alejandro for our 90 minute ride into the TalamancaMountains and Trogon Lodge. Upon arrival, the first thing I did was put on long pants and long-sleeve shirt! It is very cool here and they have already lit the gas heater in my rustic cabin. The rain is in the middle of the day here while always in afternoon in valley and coast. But I did get to hike a couple of hours in the rainforest with only a mist. Got only one bird, but several shots of him, I think some kind of thrush; I don’t have my CR Bird Book with me. I also saw several Tropical Kingbirds but couldn’t get a shot. The star of this hike was Catarata Falls on the Sevegre River (photo}. The lodge is right on this mountain river. The staff and food are fabulous! Only 3 guests during the day but 20 young adults from Germany came in this afternoon, so the dining room will be livelier for dinner! And already is in the bar! The only WiFi hot spot is in the bar where I’m posting now before dinner. Every moment of every day is an exciting adventure! I enjoy them all!
At 5:40 AM tomorrow I meet my guide to go find and photograph the Resplendent Quetzal before breakfast. Then I will hike around the cloud forest until Alejandro returns for me at 2:00 PM, my last day in Costa Rica this time. Enjoy my mountain rainforest photos. More will be in my online gallery later.
Catarata Falls on the Sevegre River

Trogon Lodge on Sevegre River in Talamanca Mountins

Black-billed Nightingale-thrush, Trogon Lodge
San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica

My “Rainforest Selfie” On Best Part of the Trip!