charliedoggett.net
My profession is to always find God in nature.
– Henry David Thoreau
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| Common Rain Frog (probably), though similar to Wet Forest Toad and Rain Forest Toad. There are more frogs/toads here than anywhere, ID is difficult! This one from my garden is waiting at my front door! About 3-5 inches, 10 cm. +/- Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica Click to enlarge photo. A third the size of Giant Toad shown earlier. |
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| “I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life.” ~Henry David Thoreau |
logarithm of time perception over the years. Hopefully this link to the Washington Post article will work if not a subscriber. Don’t miss the cool video clip in the article! And yes, time seems to be flying by for me here in Costa Rica! Been here 7 months today and I never look back! Loving life here! And the Tico people!
I’m also learning to live in the moment more (like we did as little kids) and enjoying the simple things of life like a tropical rain or a butterfly flitting over my balcony. While still anticipating new adventures, like the three day trip next week to the Carara National Park to hopefully photograph Scarlet Macaws, yet knowing there will be a serendipity of some kind, with or without a macaw! Pura vida!
Pura vida. Pronounced POO-rah VEE-dah, in English means, “Pure Life”. However, these two words have much more meaning throughout the Costa Rican culture.
But where did Costa Ricans take this phrase from? According to a study of the expression, a film called Pura vida came to Costa Rica from Mexico in 1956, directed by Gilberto Martinez Solares. In the movie, “Pura vida” is the expression of eternal optimism used by a comic character, played by the actor Antonio Espino, who unfortunately can’t seem to do anything right. While a small population used it then, the phrase “Pura vida” was used nationwide by 1970.
Associated with many different English interpretations like “pure life”, “take it easy”, “enjoy life”, “all good”, “purity in life”, “hello”, “goodbye”, “this is life!” and many many more. The point is that foreigners truly don’t have a true grasp of the meaning of “pura vida” as they are not Costa Ricans themselves.
Pura vida! Means that no matter what your current situation is, life for someone else can always be less fortunate than your own. So you need to consider that maybe…just maybe, your situation isn’t all that bad and that no matter how little or how much you have in life, we are all here together and life is short…so start living it “pura vida style”.
Beginning to understand now, the true meaning of the uniquely Costa Rican term, “Pura Vida”? We feel that the more “foreigners” who truly grasp the concept, the better the world would be. Imagine if countries like the USA or Canada or in Europe started to live life like the Costa Ricans and adopted the pura vida lifestyle? Because honestly folks…no matter how much of a mess your life may seem, there is always someone else who’s life would make yours look like a vacation in paradise.
Pura vida description copied from: http://www.bestcostaricantours.com/about/puravida.html
I am not necessarily recommending this travel agent and have not personally experienced them yet, but like I their description of Pura Vida better than others I found! 🙂 I do plan to try them for one of my future adventures because I like their approach to nature tours.
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| Zerumbet Zerumbet Ginger, Maraca Plant in Costa Rica, and in other places Shampoo Ginger or Pine Cone Ginger (links are to Google photos of flowers) |
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| It is the tall plant, two spears now with the little yellow flower on ground at base. They grow 7 to 8 feet tall and can have a large cluster of flowers at base. Click photo links under top image. |
I’m really excited about this addition to my garden which I requested in the beginning, but they are very difficult to find. They surprised me the other day! In a year or two it will be developed more with multiple shoots and multiple flowers. The flower starts small and yellow like this one and by October will be more like a pine cone and will have turned red or sometimes orange. This may be the neatest addition to my garden yet! A Heliconia plant was in that location and they moved it to my front yard for more color there! It is fun to live in a garden! Plus I start traveling next week.
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| White-striped Longtail, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| White-striped Longtail, Atenas, Costa Rica |
He’s in the family of “Brown Longtails” which has several without the white stripes.
What’s a butterfly garden without butterflies?~Roy Rogers 🙂
See my Costa Rica Butterflies Photo Gallery.
You can thumb through it electronically for free! My very first book in Spanish! 🙂 Be sure to click the “Full Screen” button bottom right.
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| Banded Peacock Butterfly, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Banded Peacock Butterfly, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Banded Peacock Butterfly, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Banded Peacock Butterfly, Atenas, Costa Rica |
“and when all the wars are over, a butterfly will still be beautiful.” ― Ruskin Bond, Scenes from a Writer’s Life
See my Costa Rica Butterflies Photo Gallery.
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| Rufous-naped Wren, Atenas, Costa Rica (On the back of the couch in my living room! Looking out the screen window.) |
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| Rufous-naped Wren, Atenas, Costa Rica Making himself at home on a drink coaster. This is what happens with doors left open. |
Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches.
~Psalm 104:12 ESV
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| Rufous-naped Wren, Atenas, Costa Rica Singing outside my window in the Strangler Fig Tree |
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| Dione Juno Silverspot butterfly, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Its top side looks much like a Julia, but underside (folded wings) different. Sorry – not a good image, but only one made of top side. Dione Juno Silverspot butterfly, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Dione Juno Silverspot butterfly, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Dione Juno Silverspot butterfly, Atenas, Costa Rica |
My garden is getting to be about as good as one of these butterfly houses or farms! It has been like a new species every few days! But the book says June and July are the two best months for butterflies in Costa Rica, so this show may start tapering off soon! I’m enjoying it while I can and don’t miss my Costa Rica Butterflies Photo Gallery!
The average butterfly life is between 5 and 14 days. And I think I don’t have enough time?
The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.
~Rabindranath Tagore
Enjoying the moments in Costa Rica! -Charlie
I reach for a paper towel in my kitchen and there is something alive on it!
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| Colobura Dirce butterfly, Atenas, Costa Rica I read that they like Cecropia leaves and I have a new Cecropia Tree! But not inside my house! |
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| I don’t even have to go outside to photograph butterflies! 🙂 But he startled me at first. |
| synonyms: | (happy) chance, (happy) accident, fluke
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And all my butterflies at Costa Rica Butterflies by Charlie Doggett photo gallery
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| A stone-looking concrete bench (banca) by my garden door facing the garden. I hide garden shoes under it, can sit and watch the butterflies (mariposas), humming birds (colibríes), and toads (sapos). Sorry! Working on my vocabulario. 🙂 |
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| Also got a pot to match two others I have and planted a cluster of little palms that will grow twice that high with nice looking palm fronds. |
Night photos because I just thought to make them! 🙂 On cell phone of course! You are welcome to come sit on my garden bench or balcony rocking chairs (sillas mecedora) any time! Pura Vida!