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Giant Swallowtail

Butterflies continue to demand my attention around the house as seen by this guy yesterday – the Giant Swallowtail (and I’ve shown several on the blog).

With only wrens and thrushes around the house now, I hope to check out Calle Nueva this morning or tomorrow morning for maybe some different birds. The days remain pleasant with partial sun and usually an afternoon shower, keeping everything green! Costa Rica’s “Winter” or “Rainy Season” is still my favorite time of year here. Pura vida! Pure life!

Giant Swallowtail
Giant Swallowtail

See my Costa Rica Butterflies Photo Gallery.

Well, I must endure the presence of a few caterpillars if I wish to become acquainted with the butterflies.

-Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince

Costa Rica Travel Rules

Entrance & Travel Protocols for My EU, UK, and Canada Friends who can visit beginning August 1. This list is thanks to our friends at “Two Weeks in Costa Rica” website & blog. It is really mostly common sense precautions since we still have cases of COVID19 here, like washing hands, wearing mask, and expecting some differences in the “yellow zones” and “orange zones” which are based on how many cases there, including fewer businesses opened. There is also a required health insurance you can get at the airport.

Sorry for the inconveniences but our Ministry of Health precautions are the reason Costa Rica has the lowest COVID rate in all of Latin America or maybe all of the Americas.

¡Pura Vida!

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Nature’s Angels – Butterflies!

Yawn! Not much going on yesterday! So I walked out into the garden and snapped some butterfly photos. None new, but I like this shot of the Brown Longtail and equally the Cloudless Sulphur shot, which is found from Canada to South America by the way! 🙂 No usable shots of the many Giant Whites I saw but I included a shot of an injured or damaged Polydamas Swallowtail, since broken wings seem common among most butterflies. Life can be harsh, even for a butterfly! 🙂

  • Cloudless Sulphur
  • Brown Longtail
  • Injured Polydamas Swallowtail
CLICK image to enlarge.

See my Costa Rica Butterflies Photo Gallery – 109+ species!

Butterflies are nature’s angels. They remind us what a gift it is to be alive.

-Robyn Nola

¡Pura Vida!

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Butterflies – God’s Confetti!

Butterflies are God’s confetti, thrown upon the Earth in celebration of His love     

~K. D’Angelo

Along with the freshness of the air during rainy season, there are always butterflies in my garden – bringing smiles and sparkles of God’s love! What a blessing!

  • Banded Peacock
  • Giant Swallowtail
  • Giant White
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Flowers Brighten the Walk!

After the birds and vistas I photographed only a few of the many flowers along my Sunday morning walk. I do enjoy the immense variety of plant life here in Costa Rica! And remember to CLICK to enlarge an image:

“A garden to walk in and immensity to dream in–what more could he ask? A few flowers at his feet and above him the stars.” – Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

And for more, there’s my Flora & Forest Photo Gallery!

¡Pura Vida!

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Through the eyes of a child . . .

The subtitle of my newest travel book is “When you look through the eyes of a child” describing how I tried to present this photo-travel book on Maquenque Eco-Lodge and Reserve. Yes – it is in Spanish this time but for you English-only people, don’t worry! All the photo captions are in both languages and the poem from which I got the subtitle is also in both languages, and here it is in English:

“Everything seemed possible,
when I looked through the eyes of a child.
And every once in a while;
I remember,
I still have the chance to be that wild.”
― Nikki Rowe

It’s a photo book with 141 photos, including photos of the 61 species of birds I got this visit. THE ELECTRONIC PREVIEW IS FREE, so go to this link or click the cover image below and you can see all 92 pages of the book for free! Of course full-screen is best for photos! 🙂

https://www.blurb.com/b/10228384-maquenque-m-gico

In English: “Maquenque Magic, When you look through the eyes of a child, by Charlie Doggett”

Or just for the downloadable photos, go to my “Trip Gallery” titled:

2020 June 30–July 6- Maquenque Eco-Lodge & Reserve

¡Pura Vida!

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Morning Walk Vistas

Just the views are a reason to walk even if no birds or flowers! 🙂 The cow pasture is across from my house, included to show you how much higher the grass is in rainy season. All other views are from my street just up the hill from my house. And people have similar views all over Costa Rica! One of many reasons I retired in Costa Rica! Pura Vida! 🙂

And CLICK an image to enlarge it!

For more Costa Rica Vistas, see that gallery.

¡Pura Vida!

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Birds from Morning Walk

My hour and twenty minutes walk up the hill and back this morning provided many creativity opportunities as always! I almost overloaded this post with 4 categories of photos but will save the others for the next 3 days: butterflies, flowers and vistas. Today please enjoy the 8 birds I photographed. CLICK image to enlarge. Pura vida!

  • Turquoise-browed Motmot
  • White-winged Dove
  • Melodious Blackbird
  • Gray-crowned Yellowthroat
  • Red-billed Pigeon
  • Great Kiskadee
  • Rufous-naped Wren
  • Clay-colored Thrush or Yigüirro

See also my BIRDS photo gallery.

¡Pura Vida!

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Coronavirus Updates

I have not been regular in keeping my readers updated and sorry for that! I figured what was going on here does not affect you in other countries, but it may. For example, my sister sent me a birthday card and it bounced back to her. Our Ministry of Health includes the post office as part of the “Border Closing” which has been in effect since March, prohibiting travelers or mail from all other countries to help stop the spread of the virus.

I had to send my application for absent-tee voting by DHL (which along with UPS does work at a higher cost). And I get internet orders through my courier service Miami address, at Aeropost which flies packages directly here to our Customs Office for clearance.

LIMITED HUMAN FLIGHTS BEGIN AUGUST 1 from only Europe and Canada which will greatly help our struggling tourism businesses. Sorry USA! But you are the most dangerous country to let in right now, along with many other Latin American countries. I do not know what the restrictions will be on European and Canadian travelers, but I’m sure there will be requirements of some kind and maybe quarantines. We recently had another spike in cases, thus they are extra cautious while the tourism businesses beg for them to open. 🙂 Tough times!

Cars can travel on limited days only and everyone must wear a mask in public everywhere in the country. This week is our second week of restaurants providing only “to go” and “delivery” meals – no inside sit-down dining which might restart next week, but haven’t heard for sure. No barbershop until July 31 and I need a haircut! 🙂

But Costa Rica has the fewest cases of COVID19 of any other Latin American country which is something to be thankful for and proud of our national government for! So glad I live in Costa Rica now!

Featured Image is “Morning in the Rainforest” from Maquenque of course.

¡Pura Vida!

Charlie Doggett’s COSTA RICA Photo Gallery

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Nature as Art

“Nature as Art” was the name of my little photo business for a few years in Nashville and I was reminded of that theme during my week at Maquenque with lots of “little things” I photographed and enjoyed just seeing! 🙂

As much as I love most art, no artist can compete with the creative handiwork of God in Nature!

All art is but imitation of nature.
~Seneca the Younger

For more of Maquenque “Nature as Art” see these galleries:

Nature as Art 2020

or

Nature’s Designs 2019

¡Pura Vida!

From Maquenque 2019 Gallery