charliedoggett.net
 |
| I should have never let her shoot us with that bright window behind us! Tried to fix! Oh well, we got a lot planned anyway and I am now the treasurer. |
We all thank my friend Aaron in Canada who read my last post on Angel Tree and sent money! Wow! We are off to a good start financially!
 |
| A little mountain stream at breakfast! |
 |
| And overflowing at lunch time in a heavy rain! |
 |
| At least Nicole enjoyed his “Churchill,” a slushy with ice cream! Can you imagine that? |
A group of 6 of us went to eat at a beach-side cafe where I absent-mindedly laid my camera bag (backpack) on the concrete floor behind my chair next to the sidewalk. We ate, visited, and had a good time together. As we got up to leave I realized my backpack was gone, easily grabbed by someone walking by. I should know better! As someone suggested, I paid my “Gringo Tax” or more accurately my “Stupid Tax.” I did feel stupid, but also a little empty, violated, hurt, and helpless. We told a foot patrol
policia who just told us we had to go down to headquarters to file a report and the bus was leaving in 15 minutes. Nothing else to do.
With no cameras beyond my cell phone, I cancelled my Monzanillo Bird Watching trip (which I had thought about doing anyway with my busy schedule and expenses) and will use the money saved to help buy a single new camera and a better lens that I have been wanting anyway. But it will cost a whole lot more here, whether purchased locally or on internet with import taxes. Maybe the duty free shop in Nicaragua will have a good deal tomorrow, but I doubt it. And in the mean time I honestly feel sorry for the thief, who must live a hard life. Does he give any thought to the person he robs? He can’t think very well of himself!
Tomorrow early I leave for Nicaragua border to renew my visa. G’night!
 |
| Acorn Woodpecker (1st sighting for me) San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica |
 |
| Sooty Thrush (1st sighting for me) San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica |
 |
| Flame-colored Tanager Male (1st sighting for me) San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica |
 |
| Flame-colored Tanager Female (1st sighting for me) Immature Rufous-collared Sparrow below her San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica |
 |
| Emerald Toucanet (1st sighting in wild for me) San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica (Fruits are wild avocados, favorite food of Quetzals) |
 |
| Black-capped Flycatcher (1st sighting for me) San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica |
 |
| Black-billed Nightingale Thrush (1st sighting for me) San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica |
 |
| Possibly a White-throated Thrush or Nightingale (?) San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica |
 |
| Flame-throated Finch (1st sighting for me) San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica |
 |
| Resplendent Quetzal Female No males seen even though they were the reason we went to this place. I had better luck on my two other trips here. See my Quetzal Gallery. San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica |
 |
| Violet-headed or Magnificent Hummingbird San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica |
 |
| Magnificent Female or Green Hermit Hummingbird San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica |
 |
| Fiery-throated, Magnificent or Violet-headed Hummingbird (?) San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica |
 |
| Rio Chirripo Pacifica Waterfall See daring teens come over on kayaks on video Rio Chirripo, Costa Rica |
 |
| Mirador Cloudbridge Waterfall These are just 2 of many waterfalls in this reserve Rio Chirripo, Costa Rica |
 |
| Kiskadee Rio Chirripo, Costa Rica |
 |
| Masked Tityra Rio Chirripo, Costa Rica |
 |
| Blue-tailed Hummingbird ? Rio Chirripo, Costa Rica |
 |
| Sulphur-winged Parakeet Rio Chirripo, Costa Rica |
 |
| Slate-throated Redstart Rio Chirripo, Costa Rica |
 |
| Magnificent Hummingbird Rio Chirripo, Costa Rica |
 |
| Stripe-tailed Hummingbird Rio Chirripo, Costa Rica |
 |
| Western Peewee Rio Chirripo, Costa Rica |
 |
| Yellow-thighed Finch Rio Chirripo, Costa Rica |
 |
| Wilson’s Warbler Rio Chirripo, Costa Rica |
 |
| Rufous-collared Sparrow Rio Chirripo, Costa Rica |
 |
| Mountain Elaenia Rio Chirripo, Costa Rica |
 |
| Blue-gray Tanager Rio Chirripo, Costa Rica |
 |
| Black & White Warbler Rio Chirripo, Costa Rica |
 |
| A warm fire in the lodge on a cool, rainy night. |
 |
| My room balcony overlooks the mountain cloud forest. |
 |
| I walked down to Rio Chirripo in the rain for a quick photo. |
 |
| Just a few of the flowers outside my room. |
Tomorrow morning I have a birding guide picking me up at 6:30 for a hike in a nearby forest. Hoping for a Collared Trogon and a Black Guan among others!
 |
| Unidentified Butterfly In My Garden, Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica I’m seeing fewer now. June & July are the peak months for butterflies here. |
If you know the identity, please leave a comment below. Thanks! -Charlie
And my Spanish post today: Verbos Tallo Cambio
 |
| Teen in one of the school bands |
Okay. I’ll stop after this, though there are a lot more photos from the parade that I like. 🙂
I could have made this Faces post all children, but since I used some faces of them in Post 1 (children), and a cool youth face in Post 2 (bands), and another youth face in Post 3 (flags); this is mixed, even with adults.
I’ll go back to bugs and bird tomorrow, but Wednesday I head out for 4 nights in the Talamanca Mountains, so more new stuff then! Maybe a better photo of a Resplendent Quetzal! Then the following week to the Nicaragua border on Visa Run again. And the week after that to the Caribbean again. Never a dull moment! 🙂
And don’t you like the looks of the Atenas Ticos?
 |
| Do you not want me to make this photo? |
 |
| The local agricultural technical school (largest in Central America) had my fave! This is the traditional dress from post colonial days with men’s in next photo. |
 |
| Students of Agriculture come here from all over the Americas, including U.S. I can see some of the school farms used for SFS, Sustainable Field Service We help improve agriculture all over the Americas! |
 |
| Beautifully painted oxcarts are a long time tradition here. Two in the parade. |
 |
| Riding barefoot is a doubtful tradition, though maybe early youth did so. |
Día de la Mascarada or “Traditional Costa Rican Masquerade” (31 October) originated as an adaption of Spanish Carnival. The local band, una cimarróna, strikes up a beat for the masked characters to dance or walk in a parade or fiesta. The next 5 photos are of the masked characters in this particular parade by a school or organization I did not catch the name of:
 |
| A Fire Truck, Bombero, always leads off in every parade, this time followed by a group of “Future Firemen of Costa Rica” or some similar name in Spanish. |
 |
| Not sure how 3 younger teens got to skate in the parade, trying to show off, but none of them exceptionally good! I guess they see this as future or current culture!? |
COSTA RICA EXTRA TIDBIT:
 |
| Surfer at Manuel Antonio Beach |
And will the World Surfing Games (link to article in English) be held in Costa Rica in 2016? Only if someone comes up with $1 Million Dollars in next two weeks (see article) and it is doubtful the CR government will spend that much. But, after all guys, Costa Rica came away from this year’s contest with the most gold medals! (link to 2015 tournament page)
It is like the national sport for those who live on the Pacific coast and Jaco is considered one of the best surfing beaches in the world. Not my passion, but very interesting! Here’s a surfer shot I made at Manuel Antonio Beach last year in mild waves.
Pura Vida! And tomorrow, my last installment of Fotographias de 15 de septiembre desfile: CARAS (FACES) – maybe the best parade post! 🙂
 |
| Colegio Liceo had the largest group of marching flags led by a Drum Majorette. |
 |
| When they stopped they had a very intricate presentation of weaving the lines in and out of each other to create a sea of red, white and blue – Colegio Liceo. |
 |
| As usual I watched the parade from Gelly’s across from Parque Central. Here Colegio Liceo is starting their presentation seen in second photo. |
 |
| Escuela Central Elementary School did great for younger kids! And they had the coolest caps! Boys and girls marched in separate lines. That’s elementary school for you! 🙂 |
 |
| Colegio San Rafael was led by a drum major. |
 |
| Though not as large as Liceo, San Rafael had impressive group & show! |
 |
| Patriotism and color on 15 de septiembre is just as big as US 4th of July! Just no mucho fireworks in Atenas. Another shot of Colegio San Rafael. (There’s a big fireworks show in San Jose. But I like my little farm town!) |
 |
| Unlabeled School (or I missed the sign) leave our area by the church. |