Tag: farm

Posted on

Cock-A-Doodle-Doo

Yes – I wake up each morning to the crowing of multiple roosters in the neighborhood, though so used to it that I hardly notice now.

This one is across the street from our Roca Verde Entrance Gate (about 2 blocks away) plus we have two roosters at the gate along with chickens that give our guards some eggs.

I know of no one inside Roca Verde with chickens but many of the homes in our adjacent neighborhood of Boquerón outside our gate have chickens. The roosters will not allow me to get close enough for a good photo with my cell phone which is all I have when walking through Boquerón, thus these grainy shots I cropped in tight. Fun color in the ‘hood!

20190907_102313-A-WEB
Rooster across the street from Roca Verde Entrance Gate – one of many!

The children’s nursery rhyme use of “Cock-A-Doodle-Doo” to describe a rooster crowing started in 1606 in this archaic poem says “the Web”:

“Cock a Doodle Doo”
Original Version

Cock a doodle do!
What is my dame to do?
Till master’s found his fiddling-stick,
She’ll dance without her shoe.

Cock a doodle do!
My dame has found her shoe,
And master’s found his fiddling-stick,
Sing cock a doodle do!

Cock a doodle do!
My dame will dance with you,
While master fiddles his fiddling-stick,
And knows not what to do!

https://allnurseryrhymes.com/cock-a-doodle-doo/

🙂

  Or see the Wikipedia Version of Cock-A-Doodle-Doo

And for more of my culture photography: My Atenas galleries or the People, Fiestas & Arts galleries – photos from where I live.

¡Pura Vida!

Posted on

Flying From Tortuguero

Knowing from past experiences that the return trip by boat and bus to San Jose is more tiring and less of an adventure, I chose to try flying back this time and not that early 6am flight!  🙂   But rather I took the 12:40 afternoon flight – and here is

The Story in Pictures

20190213_122552-WEB
The Tortuguero Airport Parking Lot . . . A boat landing. My lodge “driver” dropped me off here and I walked over to the landing strip.

20190213_122454-WEB

The Tortuguero Airport Terminal. 🙂

20190213_122612-WEB
Just another bunch of tourists, European & Canadian.
20190213_124200-A-WEB
I love taking off alongside a beach! (Like in Limon)
20190213_124241-A-WEB
Up over the village of Tortuguero . . .
20190213_124248-WEB
. . . and over some of the rivers & canals I traveled this week.
20190213_130051-A-WEB
And the beautiful Costa Rican Farms.
20190213_132156-A-WEB
Our one stop before San Jose was at La Fortuna with Arenal Volcano towering above.

 

Sometimes I think I live a charmed life getting to see such beautiful sights! (Even though my suitcase did not make it on our overloaded flight and is suppose to be delivered by taxi sometime this evening.) I love being “Retired in Costa Rica” and I’m still processing the bird and other wildlife photos from this Tortuguero trip – but coming soon!

 

See my 2019 Tortuguero Turtle Beach Lodge Visit Gallery for more on this exciting rainforest trip!

Or the Turtle Beach Lodge hotel website

Or my photo book on 3 visits to TORTUGUERO, The Amazon of Costa Rica

Posted on

Farm Fresh Food at Rancho Naturalista

Farm fresh food at every meal from
 the on-property farm!
Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

All meat and dairy products from their own farm, even the cheese!
Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

Low Season means Fewer Guests
These 2 birders from states there my 1st two days only
 Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

My 77th Birthday Cake! I was not expecting! (Mercedes told them.)
Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

Just one piece!
 Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

And their website: Rancho Naturalista

“The only time to eat diet food is 
while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.” 

Posted on

Another Visitor from Tennessee

I like to include breakfast at La Casita del Cafe with a view to the ocean.

And we took the tour of El Toledo Coffee Farm, the only two on the tour!
We then ate Sunday dinner with his family and really enjoyed that as much!
That is John Rasbury on left from Williamson County, Tennessee.
Gabriel is the oldest son of the coffee farmer and does the tours now. My friend.

I also took John to Zoo Ave, City Mall, La Garita plant nurseries,
house hunting (his main goal), and lots of restaurants!  🙂  4 days here.

I did not know John from my many years living in Nashville but met him on the Chris Howard Relocation or Living in Costa Rica Tour in 2014. We have kept in touch since. He is not able to retire yet, but plans to come here when he does and is starting to invest in rental property here for his future income. Like Reagan, his favorite place was sitting on my terrace.

This is the main reason I went a week without posting anything on the blog, just too busy! Muy ocupado!  And I am very tired! Even took a little nap yesterday afternoon, which is rare for me! And I have my Visa renewal trip to Nicaragua Tuesday-Thursday, a birthday party at my house Sunday week, and CAJA application appointment July 8. So not slowing down much yet. But I will. 
Posted on

Nature Air Travel to Nicaragua

View of Cathedral from Iglesia La Merced bell tower across from my hotel
I immediately got into the colonial beauty of this old town.
My Nature Air plane for 11 of us from San Jose to Managua
Views from a small plane are spectacular! Farms, mountains and Lake Nicaragua.

Posted on

Coffee Farm & Begin Jungle Trip

Gabriel was our guide at El Toledo Coffee Farm

His Mom made the coffee samples

And we decided our favorite before he told us which was
dark roast, light roast or medium roast

Then we watched the beans roast

Which were earlier sun-dried like this

We learned how organic “natural” farming is better than just organic

The purpose of many different kinds
of trees among the coffee plants

And ate a typical Tico lunch at Gabriel’s aunt’s house. A great total experience!

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 are suppose to have internet access in the common areas, but if not, no more posts until Thursday.

Follow Reagan’s Blog for his view of his visit here!



Posted on

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. 

Posted on

Atenas Coffee Farm Tour

Gabriel (our Juan Valdez) teaches us about the natural way to grow coffee at
El Toledo Coffee Farm, Atenas, Costa Rica
Beans go through roasting machine to become
either light, medium, or dark roasted.
We tasted each and chose our favorite before knowing which roast.
The coffee farm pet Olive-throated Parakeets got my attention of course!
Then a traditional Tico Lunch of beans, rice, veggies, salad, plantains, fish
In Sarchi, Kevin got a taste of the rainforest after photographing
some of the colorful oxcarts made here along with furniture, etc.
A typical Costa Rican Oxcart made in Sarchi
Sarchi Church
Tico family in front of Grecia Church
Made of metal in Belgium in 1800’s
and reassembled in Grecia!

We got a little further away from Atenas today and will go even further tomorrow as we head for Poas Volcano and La Paz Waterfalls.