Category: Places

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Donated My Body Today!

Today I took the bus to San Jose and from bus station a taxi to the University of Costa Rica on the east side of San Jose in the San Pedro community. I went to the Medical School Faculty Building, 3rd floor, to the Anatomy Department. The nicest ladies prepared documents and a wallet card for me and served as witnesses to notarize the official document. Now if I die in Costa Rica, which is my plan, my body will go to the medical school for research or study and no family member or friend has to worry about my body at death. And I have contributed to science!

Some of you know that in Nashville I had the very same arrangements made with Vanderbilt University Medical School, but you have to die within 100 miles of the school to be accepted there. Not likely now, though if for whatever reason I would be in Nashville at the time of my death, it will still work there and not for Costa Rica.

University of Costa Rica

How to Donate Your Body to Science

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Homemade Ice Cream & Frozen Fruits on Stick

So very, very good ice cream on a stick and
frozen fruit pulp on a stick, about 44 cents USD.
I walk by here on my way to La Coope.
Great on a hot afternoon!  🙂
Another Home Selling Ice Cream
Atenas, Costa Rica

And another home selling something more like popsicles except it is frozen drink in little plastic bags the kids bite a hole in and suck the juice out. Not for me:

Apretados (to squeeze)
Atenas, Costa Rica

And the photo gallery of  Home Business Signs Atenas


Where the best is homemade and cheap!
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Momentarily in Kenya Today . . .

I had lots of running around business today and chose to eat lunch at my favorite bakery, Crema y Nata. I had a great Philly Steak Sandwich (my lunch & dinner!) then a scrumptious piece of chocolate cake with a cup of Te Chai, the real Chai Tea, like it was made on tea plantations in Kenya East Africa, with half a cup of hot milk and half a cup of hot chai tea flavored slightly with cinnamon and cloves and of course sugar! It was the best Chai I have had since trips to Kenya. The highlight of my day today. Simple pleasures!


On the back of the menu at Crema y Nata
translated to English:
Life is very short . . . start with dessert!

And some morning when I walk by there I may just start the day with a cup of Te Chai!


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Surprises in the Garden

Blue-winged Sheenmark, Eurybia lycisca
In my garden yesterday. Only the 2nd one I’ve ever seen.
See last year’s sighting inside my house! Better photo! This is cellphone.
Atenas, Costa Rica
Maraca Plant or Shampoo Ginger
Is spreading like wildfire! Each flower will be a new plant!
Atenas, Costa Rica
Caladium Lily
Not expecting flowers from my caladiums!
Atenas, Costa Rica
Guardian Mom! 
She sits on top of hummingbird feeder, chasing adults off so
her children can freely feed when they wish. See below.
Atenas, Costa Rica
Guardian Mom!
Atenas, Costa Rica
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Home Business Sign: Physical Therapist

This physical therapist is at end of street my
development is on. Friends have used her and
claim she is amazing at solving back problems.

As I continue to find and photograph new home business signs in Atenas, I am amazed at how many businesses are in homes here. I guess that is how it was in “The Olden Days” all around the world. Stay tuned to this blog for more interesting signs coming!  And/or . . .

See my new photo gallery: Home Business Signs Atenas
¡Pura Vida!
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English Festival Spelling Bee

First, Second and Third Place Winners in the English Festival Spelling Bee
Colegio Liceo de Atenas, Costa Rica
The light green uniform shirt means he is a graduating senior. All others blue!

First Place Winner Receiving a Gift from Teacher
Colegio Liceo de Atenas, Costa Rica

“Native Speakers” as Judges for the Spelling Bee
The teen is a student there, but from the states and a native speaker helping.
The rest of us are old retirees from both the states and Canada.
Colegio Liceo de Atenas, Costa Rica

We started at 8 with a 9 or 9:30 break with a full Tico breakfast (Gallo Pinto, eggs, plantains, bread
and coffee! Then at noon a full Tico lunch and a donut as we left about 2 PM. The teachers are so nice and appreciative, the kids so nice and polite and helpful. It is a joy to visit this public school! And I will again tomorrow as a judge for the English Festival speaking contest and conversational English activities. Fun! One of the English teachers is Zaray Monge, a friend at church where she is also a translator and she was for awhile one of my Spanish teachers. So even more special to help her! She has three kids of her own plus a foster-child and her husband is a teacher at the other high school, Tecnico. A busy family!

My Gift from School
A Beautiful Pot Plant!
Colegio Liceo de Atenas, Costa Rica

https://www.facebook.com/liceodeatenas/


Photos of Liceo de Atenas on the web  (Google Image Search)
And my post on the 2015 Spelling Bee at Liceo
-o-

They have updated the website for El Camino de Costa Rica and are having weekend hikes almost every weekend, though mostly in the steep mountains right now. Check it out! This will eventually be a top tourist attraction for nature lovers & hikers!

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Home Business Signs: Corner Grocery

El Pingüino is a landmark on my side of town.
It is a very small corner grocery store called pulpería or mini-super
It looks like a store in front but it is also their home, living in the back.
Atenas, Costa Rica

How cool is it to have a little corner store called “The Penguin” in a tropical climate country where no native has ever seen a penguin? And it is the front part of their house! Or attached to their house. Plus it is 2 blocks from one public high school/middle school and 1.5 blocks from one public elementary school. Needless to say they have more student customers than anyone, selling lots of cold drinks an snack food! But they are better stocked for real food than another similar home store closer to me, though I still prefer the supermercado! There are many of these little corner stores all over town and probably many are in homes. No strict zoning codes or laws here!  🙂  Atenas is a really cool place to live!

El Pingüino
Store entrance on corner. White addition on right is a rental apartment.
The owner’s home is also attached to the left, seen in next photo.
Also notice a mother walking daughter home from primary school.
Atenas, Costa Rica

El Pingüino
Owner’s home is light green, attached to left behind white metal fence.
These boys are at a school with a “no uniform day” today. Rare!
Or out of school, especially the boy in shorts! No shorts in school!
Atenas, Costa Rica

See my new photo gallery: Home Business Signs

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Home Business Sign: Seamstress

Clinica de Ropa
In Boqueron, 3 blocks from Roca Verde
Atenas, Costa Rica


“Clinica de Ropa” (Clinic for Clothing) is the common name for a seamstress (la costurera) who probably does more repair work on clothing than making new clothing, although she does both. This particular seamstress is the closest one to my house and I have used her twice. The first time she put a patch over a little hole in one of my several canvas shorts I wear every day. She did a good job with fabric on both the outside and inside and it does not show or is not noticeable.

Recently I was motivated to do something with my front right pockets where I keep my cellphone and believe it slid out of the pocket in a San Jose Taxi. I asked her if she could sew velcro on both sides of the top of the right pockets. She said she could do that but, a zipper would be better and safer. So for one mil, the equivalent of about USD $1.75 each, she sewed a zipper in each of my 6 pairs of shorts, the only pants I wear here. That included the zipper! I think it would cost a bit more in the states! 🙂  I think the patch was about the same price, though don’t remember for sure. Labor and services are cheaper here! Imported U.S. products are not. It was most likely a Chinese zipper which would be cheaper here than say one from even Mexico or Columbia. Interesting!

New photo gallery: Home Business Signs
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The Good, The Bad, The Ugly in One Morning!

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
On Heliconia in my garden, Atenas, Costa Rica

Yeh, it is unusual for a hummingbird to stay still very long, especially on a flower! Thanks Lord!

Bark Scorpion
On my kitchen floor, Atenas, Costa Rica 

Both of these shots were made before breakfast this morning. The scorpion crawled out from under my electric dishwasher. You can see that on his tail and left hand he has collected some cobweb.  🙂  I just used the broom to sweep him outside off my deck or terrace. In 2 1/2 years here it is only the second scorpion I have seen, both in my kitchen. I am going to spray under my dishwasher, stove and frig, the best hiding places. Though, last night I opened two cardboard boxes of old genealogy books and that is also a good place for scorpions. Part of living in the jungle!  🙂

Check out my Birds photo gallery and my Other Insects photo gallery for more creature shots.
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Home Business Sign: Tortillas

Homemade Tortillas by Ana that I pass every day walking.
She sells them out a window of her house.
People walk or ride a bike to her house to get morning or evening bread.
Atenas, Costa Rica

For first-timers, this is the second in a new series of posts with photos of interesting signs people in Atenas hang outside their homes for their home business. With two photos now, I have also started a new photo gallery: Home Business Signs