charliedoggett.net
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| Gabriel was our guide at El Toledo Coffee Farm |
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| His Mom made the coffee samples |
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| And we decided our favorite before he told us which was dark roast, light roast or medium roast |
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| Then we watched the beans roast |
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| Which were earlier sun-dried like this |
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| We learned how organic “natural” farming is better than just organic |
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| The purpose of many different kinds of trees among the coffee plants |
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| And ate a typical Tico lunch at Gabriel’s aunt’s house. A great total experience! |
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| Reagan continues to say that sitting on my terrace is his favorite place. I never show the driveway in photos, he noted; so here it is! Not picturesque! I only use it when I have a rent car, like this week. |
Tonight – Sunday night – we are at the Hampton Inn Airport where we will be picked up at 5:30 in the morning for our trip to Tortuguero on the Caribbean Coast. Our big adventure starts with the van trip to the boat dock in the morning, driving over a mountain range and into the coastal rainforest for and hour and half boat trip through the jungle to our Laguna Lodge.
We started today after breakfast with a visit to the Feria or Farmers’ Market. See my photos from earlier post or how I use fresh fruits in an earlier post. The Feria is always a place my visitors want to see even if we don’t purchase anything.
The little Railroad Museum is nearby, so we went by it to make sure I knew how to get there Sunday afternoon which is the only time it is open. So some snaps of it before . . .
Ice cream at POPS, then we hang out at home rest of today.
And have dinner at a neighbor’s house nearby, Richard next door. It was really nice! I’ve included a shot of the view from his house looking over the roof of my landlord’s house. Quite a bit more expansive than my view! 🙂
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| View from Richard’s house at dinner tonight, looking over the roof of my landlord’s house. |
Follow Reagan’s Blog for his view of his visit here!
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| Finally my concrete wall made pretty! Triquitraque or Flamevine |
The triquitraque or flamevine I had planted 7 months ago started out with a burst of growth and then just quit and never bloomed much. So Jean-Luc suggested I feed them since the construction site soil was not particularly rich and I thus added a fertilizer, sort of a 12-12-12 from the La Coope Farm Store. Wow! what a difference it made! They grew and got greener and are now just starting to bloom. I think there will be more, but I’m sharing what I have now and I’m pleased! It kind of makes up for the Porterweed not blooming now. Both attract hummingbirds.
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| From above the flamevine contrasts nicely with the blue plumbago below. I love it when a plan comes together! 🙂 |
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| And just in time for the visit here by Reagan Frazier from Nashville. Photographed here on his camera on my terrace overlooking Atenas. |
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| Thanks to Reagan for snapping this photo of me at the San Jose Airport! I promise to give a warm welcome to anyone who comes to visit. Pura Vida! |
Reagan arrived yesterday afternoon and today we took it easy, walking around Atenas Central a little and eating a typical Tico lunch or “Casado.” Tomorrow we start with a Tico Breakfast with a beautiful view at Casita del Cafe and then drive to Poas Volcano and the La Paz waterfalls so he can feel like a real tourist! 🙂 Follow Reagan’s Blog for his view of the visit here!
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| Yigüirro (clay-colored thrush) The national bird of Costa Rica is one of many landing in my fast-growing guarumo (cecropia) – hoping it will soon be a toucan! |
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| Palm Tanager In my cecropia or yagrumo Tree These first two shots were made at lunch today on my terrace while the weaker 3rd photo made at breakfast yesterday was almost my only shot! When you keep trying there will be a better shot eventually! Hopefully! |
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| Palm Tanager In my terrace cecropia or yagrumo tree. Different shots show different aspects of a bird. |
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| Palm Tanager Makes a Good Landing! I love to catch a bird landing or taking off! These are on my terrace rail at breakfast. Not best light for photo. I make my identification with app and 2 books, my best call, not 100%! Made the day before the top two shots. Click for larger image. |
This is in the family of the more common Blue-gray Tanager that I’ve photographed many times and the book says has a similar song. This is my first time to photograph these guys.
My Costa Rica Birds Photo Gallery OR All My Costa Rica Photo Galleries
Those little nimble musicians of the air, that warble forth their curious ditties, with which nature hath furnished them to the shame of art. ~Izaak Walton
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| There are a lot of advantages to renting! New furniture is one! 🙂 |
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| It makes the terrace look larger! |
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| And looks good from inside too! I like it better than the old one! Fresh and airy! New and clean! I’m ready for Reagan now! |
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| Black-cowled Oriole Inside my house on a screen |
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| Black-cowled Oriole Inside my house as seen from outside before I opened the screen. He flew away, probably fearful of houses now. |
During the day when at home I leave the garden door without a screen open and the sliding glass doors and screens to the terrace open, thus easy for wildlife to sometimes explore inside. 🙂
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| From Charlie! Retired in Costa Rica! |
See my Costa Rica Birds Photo Gallery with 156 species I’ve photographed in Costa Rica so far! And with about 900 species of birds here, I have a ways to go! 🙂
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| Montezuma Oropendola One of these flew over during breakfast this morning! |
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| Millipede He comes looking for water, But dries up and dies. I sweep him out the next day. Almost every day. |