Author: Charlie

Retired American nature-lover, living in Costa Rica, photographing birds and other jewels of nature. This site simply reports on my joys of being RETIRED IN COSTA RICA!
Posted on

Saturday at Hogar de Vida

We scraped trees in preparation for painting the bottoms.
Hogar de Vida, Atenas, Costa Rica

Team members sharing stories.over morning coffee.
Hogar de Vida, Atenas, Costa Rica

Sorry, but we are not allowed to share photos of the children on the internet for security reasons.

Posted on

First Full Day at Hogar

Sorry, but we are not allowed to show children’s faces on the internet! My best photos!
Sign at Entrance Gate
Hogar de Vida, Atenas, Costa Rica

Matt gives team tour of campus (3 team members not in photo)
Hogar de Vida, Atenas, Costa Rica

8:30 AM Devotional for those not in school
Hogar de Vida, Atenas, Costa Rica

Rene painting in one of houses

Welcome sign for team at San Jose Airport  for Thursday.
Hogar de Vida, Atenas, Costa Rica
Posted on

New Bromeliads + A Favorite Road

Bromeliad Pink in a Shady Area of My Garden
 I think it will do very well here & I have 6 of them!
 Atenas, Costa Rica
Bromeliad Red which I really liked, but as you see it gets some sunlight
 thus I hope it makes it. I got only 1 of these.  Bromeliads prefer shade.
Atenas, Costa Rica 

Road behind Banana Azul Hotel in the Caribbean of Costa Rica
The photo & quote that I shared with the mission team today + a Scripture verse with their’s.
Photo made in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Costa Rica 
¡Pura Vida!
Posted on

CR’s Trump-like Candidate Soundly Defeated

In the Costa Rica Presidential Election yesterday the candidate most like Donald Trump, whose only platform was to stop gay marriage at any cost, was defeated 60% to 40% of the votes. Earlier polling showed it to be a closer race than that. Again Costa Rica is proving to be smarter than the U..S.
Posted on

¡Felices Pascuas! – Happy Easter!

¡Felices Pascuas!  –  Happy Easter! 
Scarlet Macaw flying above Tambor Bay, Costa Rica this past Christmas.

Note to those not on the mission team coming here this week: I am sharing one of my Costa Rica photos with an inspirational Scripture verse each day in an email during the last week before they get here this Thursday. 9 old friends from Nashville First Baptist Church. This is the photo/verse I share with them today. Happy Easter to you also! He is risen!

Charlie Doggett
Retired in Costa Rica
¡Pura Vida!
And for more photos of life here, see my gallery Charlie Doggett’s COSTA RICA.
Posted on

Physical Education Last Week

A class lines up for Physical Education activities last week.
This week there is no school, many businesses closed, and many on vacation trips.
Atenas, Costa Rica

All of the usual activities I pass by daily during most weeks aren’t happening this week, Holy Week, in a quiet little town with many on vacation. Tomorrow is Easter AND Election Day! 

Article on tomorrow’s Presidential Election  (Things are changing in Costa Rica.)

My photos of past Easter Processions (but none tomorrow because of election):


¡PURA VIDA!
Posted on

Good Friday Silence

As I walked to town, the streets were empty!
 Atenas, Costa Rica 

Even around Central Park
 Atenas, Costa Rica 

Every store is closed except Supermarkets & the Gasolinera that will close early.
 Atenas, Costa Rica 

Many homes had added new, bigger decorations.
 Atenas, Costa Rica 

Even the Catholic Church added a similar new decoration.
 Atenas, Costa Rica 

And people will be coming and going from the catholic church all day (all week!). The only activity.
 Atenas, Costa Rica 

And you might ask, “What about the non-religious?” Well, they are the ones filling the public beaches this week and fishing on the lakes and other “vacation” activities. One family I know is spending the whole week at the nearest beach. Semana Santa or “Holy Week” or “Easter Week” is not the best beach time for tourists, though most locals try to use different beaches and try to avoid tourists, but not totally possible, especially at Jaco, the closest big beach town to San Jose.

The smaller number of evangelicals and protestants in Costa Rica have a less dramatic emphasis on Easter and some expats, like the “new community” here at Iglesia Biblical have special activities they did back home. Ours did a Maundy Thursday Lord’s Supper or Communion Service Thursday night and some will meet at a member’s house at Sunrise Easter Morning for a Sunrise Service – which will be a good excuse for not attending the Spanish Language Easter Service at the church later. 
Hotel restaurants have to be open on Easter, but not many others will and even the supermarkets will have very limited hours on Easter. But this year will not have the usual Easter pageantry in the streets by law, since the first Sunday of April is Election Day and no public activities are allowed to compete with voting (only worship inside a church building). Meaning that many people will leave their church of whatever variety and go straight to the voting places where the unqualified, anti-Gay presidential candidate (an evangelical gospel singer) is expected to narrowly win the election in this conservative Catholic country.

Read the article  Holy Week the Costa Rican way

Felices Pascuas

Poner toda la carne en el asador.

¡Pura Vida!