charliedoggett.net
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| Flying over Corcovado National Park near Drake Bay Probably one winding river but whatever, a lot of water for one forest! The Richness of a Rainforest! Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica |
Sometimes I go back and look through photos from a trip and see something new to share. 🙂
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| “Roca Verde” literally translates to “Green Rock” – Is this it? Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| This big rock is just inside our community entrance gate. Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Our Entrance Gate Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica |
I have no Roca Verde gallery per se, but these include shots in Roca Verde:
“What are men to rocks and mountains?”
― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
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| Garden Art by Anthony |
This morning at about 4:00 I said goodbye to my next door neighbor Anthony who has been a special friend this last year, as he was when he lived on the other side of me during my first few months in this house (before he traveled to Spain & Morocco for 9 months). He is the single artist guy, about 8 years younger than me, who is still driven to create. He did my garden art sculpture I’ve shown before and a painting I promised not to publish. You will have to visit me to see it – another contemporary bird!
Though Costa Rica is a great atmosphere for creativity, it is not the easiest place to get lots of different art supplies, especially for his clay and tile work. So he is moving back to the states, not to his native Indiana, but to an art community in Chicago where he can get everything he needs to create including many customers which he also needs at this particular point in his life. And he plans to take classes in a world renowned tile art school there. So I wish Anthony the best of life in lakeside Chicago and a fabulous new career as an artist in the states.
The house he was in, next door in this same compound, has already been rented and soon I will meet my new neighbor and see what adventures that will bring! And very soon I could be greeting a new landlord, as the whole compound is for sale. I met one lovely couple moving here from Houston who are considering the purchase. They are originally from Louisiana and we hit it off when they visited as “fellow southerners.” It seems that people know immediately when I speak that I’m from “The South.” Wonder why?
We will see what happens. My current French Canadian landlords will still be in Atenas part time in a smaller house, with their main house being built on a Pacific Coast beach north of Jaco. And the now vacant house on the other side of me (Richard’s casita) has a couple moving in for two months that I met through my blog and the local evangelical church, Iglesia Biblical. Change is maybe the most consistent part of life! And it always brings new experiences and new friends! Pura vida! 🙂
The Greatest Threat to the Church Isn’t Islam – It’s Us
Hoping non-subscribers to Christianity Today can get to this linked article by a Nigerian Christian. In many ways Africa is where Christianity is strongest today and there are many things Americans could learn from our African brethren! This article is a good example.
Nearly three years ago I started this blog to publicly discuss and seek guidance in what I then called my “Costa Rica Decision Process.” I just went back and read one of those early posts that really sums up my 16 reasons for leaving the U.S. and choosing Costa Rica for retirement written on June 28, 2014:
Click the above title and read the reasons I listed three years ago and you have my answer for today! Oh sure, I could add some things I’ve learned since that make it even better and some things that are more negative than in that list, but overall it sums up pretty well why I came and why I stay. And the list is totally mine, not from some website on retiring in Costa Rica. And yes, I’m really glad I did it! No regrets and I expect to stay here the rest of my life.
A few readers of this blog have written with specific questions and contact me when they come here to check it out. I am happy to help! Nothing in it for me. I’m retired and not selling services. 🙂
Now, I have wondered at what point we get too many Americans, Canadians and Europeans here!? There are a few “Ugly Americans” (Remember the 1960’s book?) already here and they are the ones constantly complaining about something that is not right here in their eyes. When an earlier neighbor was complaining about the relaxed atmosphere and infrastructure and said, “You know how these people are!” I thought to myself, “You need to go back to the states.” In three months he did. This culture and atmosphere is not for everyone! So check it out thoroughly for a good while before you decide to move here! But be sure that many of us love it here!
And for more reasons, just go back and read all the entries in this blog or see my Costa Rica Photo Gallery that I call: Charlie Doggett’s COSTA RICA and you will visually see why I love it here!
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| Cellphone shot in Roca Verde Neighborhood, Atenas, Costa Rica |
This is the view that a few houses up the hill from me have. It is one of the views I have when I walk the kilometer circle through my neighborhood. Peaceful and rural.
My photo gallery of Haiku
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| Montage of “Overlooked Classics” from Christianity Today |
SECOND IN ALL THE AMERICAS AFTER CANADA!
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| Rufous-tailed Hummingbird Rancho Naturalista, Turrialba, Costa Rica Photo by Charlie Doggett |
These guys have been feeding a lot in my garden and at the hummingbird feeder I inherited from Anthony.
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| Rain dripping off my Guarumo or Cecropia Tree |
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| In My Home Garden Atenas, Costa Rica |
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The Dollar is at its highest value in Costa Rica right now, meaning a good time for U.S. people to visit or vacation or buy property here when you get more colones for the dollar, as much as C581 this article says. It had been at around 530 for a long time which was good, but this is better! 🙂 Best in the last 7 years says the article!