Category: Atenas

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Atenas Graffiti

It appears on an ugly wall behind the High School in first two photos, then on the concrete wall of a city park in front of the Primary School. It is the only graffiti I’m aware of and wonder if it was a school art class project?

A 4 or 5 shot panorama of wall behind high school that I walk by almost every day. There’s more beyond gate at right, next.
More behind the high school gym to the right of above image. 
The front of the high school however would never have graffiti. 
Wall on big city recreation park in front of primary school, more in next photo.
This park has soccer, basketball, volleyball, skateboard, and more recreation.

Though not all great art, it  too seems too well organized to be vandalism.
Note the skate board ramp is also painted with graffiti above & below.
Skateboard ramp in city park in front of Escuela Central.
“People say graffiti is ugly, irresponsible and childish… but that’s only if it’s done properly.” 
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Full Service Gasolinera!

The one and only gas station in Atenas! A part of the farmers’ cooperative
in front of their Mercado where I buy most of my groceries, Coopeatenas.

I have only used it two times during the couple of weeks I had a rent car. It is straight out of one of those 1950’s Texaco TV ads where the attendant runs up to your car as soon as you pull in, asking what kind of gas you want and if you want your fluids checked. Then while the tank is filling, he washes your windshield. The way gas stations were meant to operate. Only the well-off have cars here. Most people walk and ride taxis and buses.

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Blue-breasted Hummingbird, Great Southern White, & New Plants!

Blue-breasted Hummingbird grounded on my balcony.
Another first for me. He did fly away later. Guess he was resting.

Blue-breasted Hummingbird, Atenas, Costa Rica

They are in my garden, on my balcony, and I’ve even had one fly inside the house! This is the third species of Hummingbird I have photographed here. Yesterday I posted a Cinnamon Hummingbird and my first week here was a Blue-tailed Hummingbird. They and the butterflies are little flying jewels around my house! And below is the butterfly in my garden this afternoon:

Great Southern White Butterfly on my Tutti Frutti today!
You can also see where the leaf-cutter ants are eating it!
I’m treating the ants with Mirex-S!

Today I also planted some new plants in my garden after purchasing them in Spanish (with the help of my driver Nelson). My gardener will make some more improvements, but I couldn’t wait and went plant shopping today! 

 
Philodendron Xanadu, 6 plants added to garden. Leaves will fill in, in time.
I wanted to put them together in a blank spot, but only about 3 inches of dirt
there above my septic tank cover. So, I have to wait on ground cover.
The little light green leaves bottom right is my ground cover, Pilea.

Polka Dot plants were added along my back walk where there is more shade.
I think these are a type of philodendron too. Can’t remember what called in states.

A very full and fun day between my two Spanish lesson days! Doing what I enjoy!

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Cinnamon Hummingbird

Cinnamon Hummingbird in my garden, Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica

Cinnamon Hummingbird, Atenas, Costa Rica
Cinnamon Hummingbird, Atenas, Costa Rica

Finally! One stays long enough for me to go get the camera and a few shots! Most have been diving into the foxglove and straight back up in the air, hard to catch even if with camera. But this little guy hung around the Plumbago for awhile, sipping nectar. You may remember that during my first week in the new house I shot this Blue-tailed Hummingbird in my neighbor’s shrub/tree. I’ll try for more of course!

A Route of Evanescence 

With a revolving Wheel —

A Resonance of Emerald —

A Rush of Cochineal —

And every Blossom on the Bush

Adjusts its tumbled Head —

The mail from Tunis, probably,

An easy Morning’s Ride –

—Emily Dickinson

Above the flower bed. Over the lawn …
A flashing dip and it is gone.
And all it lends to the eye is this —
A sunbeam giving the air a kiss.
—Harry Kemp

I have a gallery of Costa Rica Birds by Charlie Doggett over 100 species!

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Pastoral Hills of Atenas

On the walk through my neighborhood I just couldn’t include all the images, so here are two more that a few of our homes have as their vista, the pastoral farm hills around Atenas. And the third is a similar view from my bedroom and office/guest room.

 

Some have farms, cattle, coffee, or other use while other hills are investments.
Hopefully they will not all be developed as the wildness around us disappears!
Some have roads over them like above, for what reason I know not.
Some of these hills are coffee farms or were in earlier times.
And from my office/guest room before I added fishtail palms for privacy.

And how appropriate that on the day I post these pastoral scenes Sarah Bartlett at McKendree sends this link to a visual version of Ode to Joy by Beethoven. 

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Dina Yellow Butterfly

Dina or Leuce Yellow is a new name to me but that is the internet ID on this guy.
Yesterday and today are my first times to see him in my garden.
Similar to a Sulphur; found in Caribbean, Central & South America.

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Sailor’s Delight?

“Red sky at night, Sailor’s delight. Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning.”
Last nigh’t sky from west end of my balcony through the trees.

 

Last night’s sky from the driveway above my roof a few minutes later.

Well, sure enough, it did not rain yesterday and has not so far today and it is after 4:00! I have to go water the new plants! I was enjoying the rainy season shower every afternoon! But regardless, I’ll keep my new trees and flowers alive with hose water!  🙂  And then look at this beautiful image:

 

And looking northwest toward Central Atenas a gorgeous pink & blue!
I love seeing what God creates!
The sky is the daily bread of the eyes.   ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Ash-throated Flycatcher

Ash-throated Flycatcher is a rare migrant in Costa Rica.
Here one is in my Yellow Bells Tree at end of balcony, at end of rain.

Zoomed in a little you see the hint of yellow on breast like the other flycatchers.

“The reason birds can fly and we can’t is simply because they have perfect faith, for to have faith is to have wings.” 
― J.M. Barrie, The Little White Bird

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Great Neighborhood Project!

Except for Atenas Central, there are few sidewalks (like Donelson-Hermitage)
So in the neighborhood between Roca Verde and Atenas Central, the neighbors
got together and decided to build their own, since government isn’t doing it.

Today it was young adult volunteers mixing & pouring cement, other times
have had some older adult men doing it, at least a quarter mile finished now!
The orange roofs on hill at top of photo is a part of Roca Verde.

Today’s young men shoveling cement into the forms. Great!
I gave them a thumb’s up and said “Muchas Gracias” as I walked by.
Again you can see one Roca Verde hill in distance.
This is an earlier photo I took going down the hill toward our gate.
I feel much safer walking on a sidewalk than in narrow streets or very
rough shoulders if any! The closer to Central Park, the more sidewalks.
First shift leaving high school.
Almost all students walk to school here. 

It is interesting to watch how many people still walk in the street, possibly from years of habit, I would guess half. Of course further up you have no choice and that includes walking by the high school where there are no sidewalks. Gangs of teens leaving or arriving just fill the streets and cars wait (photo below or at right).

But it was sad to see in Tico Times recently that Pedestrian Deaths Outnumber Drunk Driving Deaths in Costa Rica.  Speeding and irresponsible lane-changing are the top two causes of road deaths here.

Maybe this one more sidewalk will save another life or two. Everything is not perfect in Costa Rica! Infrastructure is still lacking in many areas.

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Walk with me through my neighborhood

View from an available lot on top of my hill. You look over Central Valley to northeast, San Jose at left. Your home here?
This is the above lot for your dream home. A large, old-growth tree at entrance.
I can give you the phone number if interested.  🙂  Come be my neighbor!

Looking over my house which is below the orange roof, lower center.
The orange roof is my landlord Jean Luc & Nicole, brown roof is Richard’s.
You can see cow pasture in front of my house, central Atenas beyond that. 
Anthony’s house next door to me. He is a Spanish Class friend from Indiana, a
bachelor artist who has a clay bird I plan to buy and install in my garden after he
has it fired. His house is rented from Richard, is below brown roof, above photo.
Some neighbors can see church steeple at Central Park Atenas. 
A few homes are visible from the street, most are not. 

All have privacy/security gates & I think this the most creative one on this loop. 
All are lushly planted for our tropical weather year around.
It is like walking through a garden to walk through my neighborhood.

Come visit me and you can physically walk with me over this and other hills in Roca Verde. Some of you know that I earlier said I would never live in a rich, gated community like this, but people change their minds! Living in a Tico neighborhood has the closeness and familiarity with the people around you that is not what this old independent, private person is real comfortable with. Plus the closeness of dogs barking, roosters crowing, parties going on, constant music, highway traffic, motorcycles, teenagers, is just more noise than I prefer to put up with all the time. I have some noise here, but nothing like in town or at the apartments where I lived for four months. It is mostly birds singing which I love and the roosters and dogs are further away. 

Several of the large houses in Roca Verde have “casitas” (little houses) for either guests, parents, or to rent which is what I have. Some of the main houses are lived in by “Snowbirds” only in the North American Winter or dry season here. I am fortunate that this particular one was for rent by a year-round resident landlord on the hill above me. He is also one of two developers of Roca Verde. Though barely affordable for me (cheaper than McKendree Village!), this is the only one of this quality I was able to find within walking distance of Central Atenas, one mile. Not having a car was always part of the plan for living here. 
Walking to town most days is my exercise program and now I have several choice walks in my neighborhood for when I don’t go to town. The above loop is just 1.3 miles and of course I did not show all the views and houses. I am so blessed in so many ways at almost every turn of this retirement adventure. I feel so fortunate! Almost everything has worked out positively, even if slower than an impatient American wants it! Just two more main things to finish: a residency card and conversational Spanish. Both are on track for early next year maybe! I’m starting to relax more and be more creative. Life is fun! Pura Vida! Jubilado!