charliedoggett.net
Excellent first person account of living in the earlier, wilder Costa Rica as a twenty-something, then adapting and growing older here. Especially good for nature-lovers like me as a “Retired in Costa Rica” senior adult blogging about it at charliedoggett dot net. ¡Pura Vida!
— Goodreads Review by Charlie Doggett
And I read the real book on paper! It is not available digitally for my Kindle. Thanks to a friend here in Atenas who loaned the book!
Yes, it’s “Spring” here (la primavera) and almost the beginning of “Summer” (el verano) or Dry Season which starts in December. There are some trees and flowers that bloom this time of year while other bloom at the end of dry season and I can’t explain why because I don’t know. 🙂
I call these my “Yellow Bell Trees” because the flowers are bell-shaped, but that is not the name of them and I can’t seem to get an agreement here on what their English name is. I recently lost two of these trees, so less yellow this year in my garden, but it calls for a Haiku anyway:
¡Pura Vida!
On the hill above my little casita are blooming some brilliant orange African Tulip Trees (an immigrant or invasive species?) and above those the ever-present pink-to-purple bougainvillea which I see here through the limbs of my Guarumo or Cecropia tree. Having “colorful neighbors” can be a plus! And colorful flowers add to my happiness! 🙂
Just living is not enough…
one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.
~Hans Christian Andersen
Flowers help boost happiness and I was just introduced to a new website that you might want to check out: Garden & Happy for a little boost in your happiness, try gardening! 🙂
¡Pura Vida!
Another busy day today with Spanish Class here and minor surgery in Alajuela, but always time to photo a bird in my garden! 🙂 The above photo is of a Montezuma Oropendola sitting in my Guarumo or Cecropia Tree – my favorite place to watch birds, but unfortunately the light (for photos) is not good there, especially in the morning. They nest in our neighborhood visiting occasionally. And the bird below in my Yellow Bell Tree is a Melodious Blackbird. And I saw a squirrel cuckoo this morning, but didn’t get a shot.
Minor surgery? My dermatologist just went a little deeper on a growth removal for a biopsy. Only two stitches. If it turns out to be cancer, he will go even deeper next time to make sure he gets it all. An almost routine thing for us older people! 🙂 Otherwise I’m very healthy after a great week in a rainforest.
Tomorrow I have breakfast with the niece of David & Lynne Wells (Nashville friends) and her husband, child & nanny. They’ve rented a gorgeous house with an infinity pool for a week here in Atenas and using my driver, Walter, to take them to a few sights (volcano, waterfalls, beach & fishing) on top of resting here with possibly the best vista in Atenas. A great vacation plan! 🙂
If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. ~Marcus Tullius Cicero
¡Pura Vida!
The slideshow photos are in no particular order, just shots from my walk around the campus this morning with no rain! And almost no birds! There were a lot more birds on the rainy days! And now at about 3 in the afternoon the rain is starting for the first time today, so maybe the birds will return. Ahhhh! I just saw two Euphonias but not where I could photograph. Tonight is my last night here and near the end of the most wonderful food that someone else prepares for me. Its been a great week!
“The forest is a peculiar organism of unlimited kindness and benevolence that makes no demands for its sustenance and extends generously the products of its life and activity; it affords protection to all beings.”
~Buddhist Sutra
And I am just now starting the “trip gallery” for this trip at 2018 Esquinas Rainforest Lodge — but soon that will be the place to see all my best photos from this week. I have gotten 10 new “lifers” or first-time seen birds this week! That is incredible! Possibly more than on any other trip at least recently.
Will Costa Rica become the only source of chocolate by 2050?
The above link is a really interesting article in one of our online English newspapers. Chocolate comes from the cacao tree which will only grow 20 ° north or south of the equator and in the correct amount of humidity. Central America and particularly Costa Rica are perfect for that. West Africa has been good for cocoa, but global warming, higher temperatures and the desertification of West Africa along with some plant diseases there may someday, possibly by 2050, eliminate all cocoa farming in West Africa. They are experimenting with hybrid plants there says this month’s National Geographic magazine, but already people are saying the resulting chocolate is not as good.
Cacao is grown all over Costa Rica as small family farm businesses and by some of the indigenous peoples as I described in my recent visit to the Bribri Watsi village and earlier from my visit to Bribri Yorkin as we watched their children suck the sweet white stuff from around the cacao beans and we tried it ourselves.
If you ever visit Costa Rica there are many chocolate tours you can take to learn the complicated process for making one of the world’s favorite sweets.
“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.”
― Charles M. Schulz
¡Pura Vida!
More photos from Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge visit yesterday:
Did you notice the quote on the entrance sign to this refuge? It is . . .
“The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.”
― Charles Darwin
¡Pura Vida!
I asked the gardeners to “take a little off the top” of my remaining Yellow Bell Tree up front that this winter’s (yes, rainy season is called winter here) rain had caused to shoot up rapidly and high, blocking my scenic view. And typically Tico, one of the young men scurried up the tree with his machete and whacked away! I would not have left that bare branch, but it will soon have new branches and leaves. And my view is opened up again. I love my gardeners!
Click image to enlarge.
See more vistas in my VISTAS Photo Gallery from all over Costa Rica.
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| And for one week only – this particular tree. Seen from my terrace as is the photo below. Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Behind my “Cow Pasture Neighbors” Houses Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Even the silhouetted Chachalaca seems to be admiring the yellow flowers. In my Guarumo/Cecropia Tree Atenas, Costa Rica |
These are the general or scenery photos. For the main events see my photo galleries on Corcovado Birds – Other Wildlife – Los Patos Waterfall
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| The Lodge converted a farmer’s tractor & trailer for hikers/tourists This took us the 6 km from lodge to ranger station where others must hike along river Los Patos Ranger Station, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica |
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| Rio Rincon or the Rincon River Los Patos Ranger Station, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica |
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| I was the old man traveling with two young couples from Europe as here, we sometimes drove in the river bed. Los Patos Ranger Station, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica |
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| And about 15-20 times we forded the river When walking or riding a tractor, it is slow, even 6 km! Plus we stopped for birds a few times, so an hour or so each way on tractor. Los Patos Ranger Station, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica |
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| River is park border, thus one side is private property like this house above. When I got back I was showing the waiter/bartender David Venegas these photos and he said, “Oh! That is my grandfather’s house!” Small little world down here! Los Patos Ranger Station, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica |
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| This young man couldn’t use his bike along river but was headed to the graded gravel road And note the machete strapped to his side, a basic tool all over Costa Rica! Los Patos Ranger Station, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica |
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| We finally leave the river and enter the woods to the ranger station. Los Patos Ranger Station, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica |
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| At our hiking trail entrance near the ranger station After we registered and signed in at the station, we hike rest of the day. Los Patos Ranger Station, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica |
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| “Velcro Plant” is what Jairo called it! See next photo for why. Los Patos Ranger Station, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica |
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| School children cut pieces of the “Velcro Plant” leaves and stick on their shirts to make lots of images! Los Patos Ranger Station, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica |
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| We are quickly in a thick virgen forest. Los Patos Ranger Station, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica |
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| There are still plants here not identified. Los Patos Ranger Station, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica |
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| More species in this park than in any other one place in the world! Los Patos Ranger Station, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica |
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| I want to photograph everything I see – but simply can’t! Los Patos Ranger Station, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica |
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| “Monkey Brush” Jairo explains how monkeys use this fruit/seed of a tree to brush insects out of their fur. Then one of our two girls demonstrated by brushing her hair. Incredibly good brush! Los Patos Ranger Station, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica |
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| We stopped to see this “Stink Flower” which smelled awful! Like a dead animal! Los Patos Ranger Station, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica |
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| And here Jairo collects some “Red Beans” He gave each of us 3 of the red beans or seeds and said that tradition is they will bring us good luck if carried in pocket. Los Patos Ranger Station, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica |
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| Meanwhile David is looking for birds & found many! See the trip Birds Gallery for some I photographed. And the trip’s Other Wildlife Gallery for other animals photographed both in the park and at the lodge nearby. Los Patos Ranger Station, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica |
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| Passion Flower as one of many wildflowers seen Los Patos Ranger Station, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica |
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| About 4pm we were back to ranger station and on slow tractor drive back to lodge by around 5pm Los Patos Ranger Station, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica |
This was just a brief overview of an all day hike that included the beautiful waterfall in a separate post yesterday and many birds and other animals shown earlier. Corcovado is truly an incredible place! See the bigger picture through my TRIP Gallery 2018 March 13-17 – Danta Corcovado.
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| Note that this trip was on the northeast side of park labeled “Los Patos.” My trip last year was in northwest corner labeled “San Pedrillo” near Drake Bay. And in 2009 I visited the south side of park at “La Leona.” |
