Category: People

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The Future We Choose

Cristiana Figueres
Cristiana Figueres

We have just entered the most consequential decade in human history. The scientific assessment of climate change suggests this can either be our final hour, or our finest. The Future We Choose is an inspiring manifesto from Global Optimism Co-Founders, Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac. It explains what’s to come, how to face it and what we can do.

Practical, optimistic and empowering, this is a book for every generation that shows us how we can move beyond the climate crisis into a thriving future.

Christiana Figueres is a Costa Rican citizen and was the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change from 2010-2016. Ms. Figueres has been credited with forging a new brand of collaborative diplomacy.

One of the best things you do with your “down time” due to COVID19 is to read this book and participate in saving the earth before it is too late! Celebrate Earth Day 22 April 2020!  FIND THE BOOK HERE or simply do a search in your favorite online book source or ask for it in your favorite physical bookstore.

My friends in the U.S. especially need to read this due to the “rollbacks” of policy or the backward movement on climate change the current president and Republican Party have brought the last few years. It is not too late, but if we don’t start doing something now it soon will be too late! And how you vote does make a difference!

Go Green!

VOTE Blue!

¡Pura Vida!

 

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Costa Rica COVID19 Slowing?

We began this week yesterday with positive information on the spread of COVID19 in Costa Rica showing no significant increase with a total of about 600! Read multiple articles at  https://ticotimes.net/  or for the specific articles I think interesting, click the titles below. I think it particularly interesting how the traffic is kept down by limiting CR AIR STRIP 2ad11d24-cd45-47e7-9a56-cd76cfaf76b4which days you can drive your car based on the last digit of your license tag. And police are giving tickets for those who “cheat” on what really means a restriction from driving on just two days a week! Not bad! But us walkers can walk on any day!   🙂

Costa Rica begins new week without significant jump in COVID-19 cases

Costa Rica installs air base on border with Nicaragua to reinforce coronavirus surveillance

Costa Rica announces health measures and vehicular restrictions to continue all month

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Your car has to be off the streets at least 2 days a week!

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.”
― Albert Einstein

 

¡Pura Vida!

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Breathtaking Moments!

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,

but by the moments that take our breath away.

~ Unknown

And with the extra “down time” I’ve had, thanks to Coronavirus, and the inability to travel around Costa Rica, I’ve been able to organize more of my past photos which represent “the moments that have taken my breath away!” And I hope to start collecting more new “moments” by restarting my Costa Rica travels in July – I will have to wait and see if lodges are open and that can happen!   🙂   So for now it’s Tennessee & other travels!   🙂

When not busy with all the daily necessities of life, Spanish lessons, other reading, or writing one of these blog posts, I am usually working on organizing thousands of past photos, mostly made between 1999 & 2014. They will soon all be in one place, in my public photo gallery hosted by Smugmug.com and seamlessly looking like a part of my WordPress website/blog page, charliedoggett.net, where you are reading this right now. Just click “gallery” at top of the page to see the photo galleries. Or for the new ones . . .

International & Non-TN Travel Moments

All of my travel photos outside Tennessee have been organized into travel galleries collectively called Pre-Costa-Rica TRAVEL Gallery (trips before Dec. 2014) found below all my Costa Rica galleries in the Big Gallery with many breath-taking moments from the Amazon to Africa + Yellowstone to Grand Canyon! In addition I have started TRAVEL pages on my website where I will continue to add stories and other information beyond these photos, including travel-related pages from my journals over the years. As always, this site is a creative work in progress!

Some Tennessee Moments Now Ready

I’ve completed what may be the two biggest “Pre-Costa Rica TENNESSEE Photos” galleries with my Tennessee State Parks gallery (the feature photo) and Tennessee State Natural Areas gallery, but much more to do for Tennessee yet, not to mention thousands of Nashville photos for that separate gallery!  But . . .

Costa Rica Moments are Up-to-Date!

I call my big gallery “Charlie Doggett’s COSTA RICA” and it is pretty much up to date in every sub-galleries about Costa Rica, especially the Costa Rica TRIPS gallery which is mainly what this post is about.!   🙂   Or my biggest collections are my BIRDS galleries.

My life has been blessed with many “breath-taking moments” and I’ve recorded a whole lot of them in photos. Check ’em out!   🙂

“When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.”
― Rumi

¡Pura Vida!

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From Bandanna to Homemade Mask

A week ago I showed you how I looked like a cowboy bank robber in my bandanna which I’ve been wearing when out in the public for “necessities” like groceries, etc. Well, an enterprising local Tica seamstress, whom I’ve used for other purposes, is now making masks according to an online medically-approved pattern and a bunch of us in Roca Verde got some at only mil quinientos colones each or about $2.60 each in dollars. Washable and with a choice of several colors and fabric designs!   🙂   Those white medical masks are simply not available here.

Costa Ricans are a “can do” people and this local seamstress rose to the occasion! I hope it will help her little local business. And you may ask, “Why are you going to so much trouble when Costa Rica has only 500 cases of COVID19 and only 2 cases in Atenas?” Well, duh? It is because we as a country and a town are taking all the medically recommended precautions and have basically “shut down” everything that we are not ravaged by the pandemic like the U.S and we did it early. The government here is helping the businesses and tourism hurt by this and in another couple of months (hopefully) we just might be back to “normal” without thousands of people dead like in some other countries.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

~Benjamin Franklin

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¡Pura Vida!

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Thankful I Live in Costa Rica

Costa Rica Coronavirus Updates from TICO TIMES online English newspaper:

AND

The following opinion article was copied from the Live in Costa Rica Blog:  (Stats not as up-to-date as Tico Times articles above, but expresses much of my sentiment.)

Day by day, I am thankful for living in an underdeveloped country like Costa Rica.

  • Where after one week since the outbreak of the first case of coronavirus already the schools mechanical engineering and physics at the University of Costa Rica have prototypes of ventilators they produced;
  • where the Clodorito Picado Institute, thanks to many years of development and production of antidotes for venomous snake bites, is now conducting experimental trials with plasma from patients who have already recovered;
  • where the National Institute of Apprenticeships INA (a type of trade school) is using its facilities to make robes, sheets, towels, and other hospital supplies;
  • where in a matter of days one hospital has been retrofitted with cutting edge technology in order to increase the number of hospital beds;
  • where a Costa Rican woman, living in Germany, invented an APP to make paperwork easier, so that senior citizens can get help from the comfort of their homes;
  • where the Costa Rican government (CCSS) chartered a plane to bring medical supplies all the way from China.
  • where only two patients have died from this epidemic in the whole country;
  • where nobody is denied medical care, even foreigners and tourists;
  • where supermarkets make their products available for the most needy like senior citizens with special schedules;
  • where health care workers, and law enforcement have sacrificed their vacations to help; and where our farmers work incessantly to fill the shelves of our grocery stories and cupboards demonstrating that indeed we are self-sufficient.

We produce milk, rice, meat, vegetables, beans, fruit, cereal and everything else we need. Basic services are accessible to everyone.

We even send medicine to the most needy by mail. Even without an army, our police force maintains order. Even in the most remote corners of our country small medical clinics (EBAIS) and schools can be found to serve the population.

Today a number of infected people in the US, Spain, Italy, for example, cannot afford to purchase a test to see if they test positive for coronavirus.

Today I ask myself , Really, how UNDERDEVELOPED is our country versus those who say they are developed? Today I feel proud of my country and its people.. ? ??   ~Christopher Howard

 

Retired in Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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“There’s No Place Like Home”

Or almost no place better for birds than my home in the Roca Verde Neighborhood of Atenas, Costa Rica. My long-time intentions to do a photo book of birds photographed at home just got fulfilled!

Roca Birds Book
For preview, click image or address below:

Check out the free preview of this book of 80 photos of more than 40 species of birds found in my garden and neighborhood. Plus this book is bigger than my travel series books, a full 8 x 10 inches, making it acceptable as a “Coffee Table Book.”   🙂    The hardcover edition is printed on a higher quality of lustre photo paper, though the paperback edition is nice on standard paper. Enjoy!   🙂

 

https://www.blurb.com/b/10034408-roca-verde-birds

 

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.

~John Muir

¡Pura Vida!

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Moving furniture

When you are forced to stay home I guess it is normal to change things in your house as well as to play on the computer!   🙂

For the 5 years I’ve been in this house I’ve always had my breakfast table at the left or NW corner of my terrace (best mountains vista) and the two rockers at the other end, nearer the driveway, SE corner. Since I’ve gone to sitting in the refinished rockers a little more now, I decided to move them to the left with a better view of the mountains beyond Atenas. Next I will ask my gardener to replace that old-looking plant in the frog pot. Of course I’m old-looking too, but don’t replace me just yet!   🙂

Rearranged Porch or Terrace

 

 

You will notice on the photos title I used “porch” which is what I grew up calling it in south Arkansas, while later, by my Tennessee days, I called it a “deck” and now here in Costa Rica it is called a “terrace” or la terraza en español, maybe because most floors are made of tile here? And I evolve with my surroundings!   🙂

Coming eyeball to eyeball with a hummingbird on my terrace is as exciting to me as any celebrity I’ve met . . .

~Lesley Nicol

¡Pura Vida!

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Sports Park Roofs

I have been reporting on the very slow progress the city of Atenas is making on the renovation of our Central Park, but have not mentioned they are working a little faster on an improvement of two areas of the Sports Park in front of Escuela Central (the elementary school). They are installing roofs over the child-sized football (soccer) field AND over the adult-sized basketball court. I guess these shields from both sun and rain will help both sports to be used more by both school and the community at large.

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The child-sized football field is getting posts for its roof!
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The beams that will hold up the roof over football field.
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In the opposite corner of park behind graffiti-clad skateboard ramp is basketball court.
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The super-structure is up for roof over basketball court.

 

“Do you know what my favorite part of the game is? The opportunity to play.”    -Mike Singletary

¡Pura Vida!

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Dental Emergencies Only

Monday I returned to my dentist to see if the infection was gone so they can finish my root canal, stuffing it with something they get from a tropical tree. Unfortunately it still had infection though improved a lot and not painful, but I need more antibiotics and time. I wait 2 more weeks for it to be completed. Patience!

And when I arrived I witnessed this new sign (feature photo) taped to the front door that they now accept only emergencies, but they assured me that my infection is included in what the government accepts as “emergencies.” So I do get to go back in 2 weeks for what I hope is the last time!   🙂

Everything is different now with Coronavirus! The whole world is in a state of change!

They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom.

~Confucius

¡Pura Vida!

 

And if the virus caused you to cancel your Costa Rica vacation, try this very short 1 minute “Virtual Vacation”  video clip. ¡Pura vida!

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Costa Rica’s Prepared for Virus

Like Costa Rica’s emblematic Sloth, the people here are always smiling and prepared for come what may – even Coronavirus! Feature photo is by the Sloth Rescue Ranch, not me, and from Tico Times. Read on to see how better prepared little Costa Rica is than the big ol’ USA and thus we will get over it quicker too!   🙂

Thursday’s Tico Times edition reminded us of how better prepared we are than a lot of bigger countries for the pandemic, like our great university is already making emergency respirators for when/if needed at only $140 each! (You think the U.S. would ever do that?) People are ready to sacrifice financially for the 25 days we are closed to all outside tourists (and it will be much longer before tourism is back to normal–like by next winter we hope). Here are the specific articles this week in Tico Times about the pandemic’s affects on Costa Rica:

Costa Rica now has 201 cases of COVID-19   (as of Thursday past)

UCR Develops Emergency Respirators for $140 each!

Zero Tourists allowed here for 25+ days!

Beaches & Parks Remain Closed

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Empty Airport at Liberia, our smaller international airport in Guanacaste. No photo of SJO.

 

Read why Christopher Howard is glad he lives in Costa Rica during this world-wide pandemic:  The Best Place to be in the world before, during and after COVID-19    I agree with him!    🙂

 

“A problem is a chance for you to do your best.”

– Duke Ellington

 ¡Pura Vida!

And for photos of why I like Costa Rica so much, see my gallery:

Charlie Doggett’s COSTA RICA