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!
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Neighborhood Pastoral

One of my favorite views when I walk through the neighborhood.

And of course it immediately reminds me of Psalm 50:10

. . . for every animal of the forest is Mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.

 Psalm 50:10, Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Today I went to church with a Tico friend and after church I went to a Tico restaurant with two Tico friends instead of going to the gringo restaurant with a bunch of gringos! I feel good! And my finger is healing very rapidly! Sufrexal is a miracle drug! It causes new skin to grow!

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New Graffiti on Skateboard Ramp

In the city recreation park in front of Central School Elementary is all kinds of recreation from soccer to volleyball that I’ve shown before. Well, the skateboard ramp just got a fresh coat of paint in the form of some new graffiti or public art that should please the skateboarders! Tuanis! Mae!  (Cool! Dude!)

Shot with my cell phone and cropped a little in the computer. I shared some graffiti a year ago that was not as interesting and the more distant shot of skateboard ramp is particularly less vivid! Most of the other graffiti shot last year is about the same with 2 or 3 small new additions on walls. 
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The Lehning’s Passed Through Today

Tim & Joan Lehning and all three kids passed through the San Jose International Airport today where I welcomed them and immediately said goodbye as they got on van transportation to the Pacific Coast beach town of Tamarindo where they will participate in a surfing school for the next four days. They return Tuesday afternoon for two nights in my tranquil little farming town of Atenas before returning to Nashville. They came here from Peru where they hiked up Machu Pichu as the first part of their Latin America trip. They’ve seen coffee farms before, about our only tourist attraction here, so I will just walk them through our little small town life and feed them well! And show off my little rent house and garden and visit! They are staying at Eden Atenas Tuesday & Wednesday nights.

More on Wednesday about their visit in Atenas.

And more things are happening on my CAJA application than I can explain now, but bureaucracy is hard at work in this government health insurance thing but my attorney is back in the middle of it. And I really need it! The Rx cream for my finger to help skin grow (Sufrexal) cost me about $48! 

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Sharp Knife, Dusty Volcano & Red Tape!

SLICING THE TIP OF MY FINGER OFF
Whoever told me that a sharp knife is safer than a dull knife . . . I might want to challenge you. I got a new kitchen knife the other day that looked really sharp like the one I have that is usually dirty from slicing veggies, meaning I needed another. Last night I used it the first time slicing some onions and peppers for my guacamole and I sliced the tip end of my finger off and never found the little flap of skin. (I probably ate it in the guac!) A painful, bloody mess! The Doc and EMT this morning fixed it sort of, but she cannot easily do stitches over an open hole. (A last resort.) I cringe just writing about it. Sometimes I do stupid things like slicing the tip of my finger off! It hurts!

So now I have a complicated cleaning and bandaging process every day for awhile. She prescribed a cream or ointment that is suppose to encourage skin to grow over the wound. Hope it heals fast! I’m allergic to pain! A big baby!

VOLCANO TURRIALBA STILL ERUPTING
All that means to us in the Central Valley is more gray dust blowing in, which is a nuisance at times.  See it erupting on YouTube  The big explosion is more than 30 seconds into the video. 

COLLECTING DOCUMENTS FOR JULY 8 APPOINTMENT
I’ve got a month to hopefully get everything right for my CAJA appointment that will get me in the more affordable government health program, but bureaucratic red tape comes first!  🙂 And filling out the form in Spanish has become a Spanish Class project we will possibly finish tomorrow.  🙂  They are another support group! And I contacted the embassy today for proof of my SS income. ¡Poco a poco!

So yes, Pura Vida includes this messy stuff too! But I will survive!  🙂 And I’m enjoying another day with high of 79 and low of 65 with late afternoon shower! Sweet!

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Why Atenas?

WHY ATENAS?
by Tina Newton
This blog post by a friend of mine (Tina Newton) is one of the best summaries of why so many of us choose to live in Atenas. Yes, she’s a realtor and thus some ulterior motives, but I think it is a heartfelt statement and certainly reflects the way I feel about Atenas. And I’ve not been able to put my feelings about this little town into words as well as Tina just did! (And her better photo of the church than I’ve made yet.) So I thank her and share it here with anyone interested.  FYI !
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New Photo Gallery Under Construction

For many reasons I decided to move all my Costa Rica photos into a new photo gallery outside my old PBase gallery which for now I will keep for “history” or pre-Costa Rica photos as is. After checking out several possibilities, I chose SmugMug.com as the host and I am working on a new gallery there that will be formatted more like a website I am calling:

Screen Print of Home Page  –  GO THERE NOW!

Please be patient. It is a long way from finished since I have to upload and label each individual photo one at a time. But I think you will like it when finished! You can simply BROWSE as on any website, but also with a powerful search engine you can SEARCH for and bring up all photos for say one place name or one bird, etc. In the case of birds, they are listed alphabetically by the English name, but with SEARCH you can get a lot of other combinations.

The GALLERIES of photos are organized first in FOLDERS by subject or theme such as “Birds” or “Vistas.”  In each gallery you can click the button SLIDESHOW for the best full screen viewing of those photos. Or PASS YOUR CURSOR OVER PHOTO FOR TITLE & LOCATION. Then at the bottom of each photo and top of each gallery is a button labeled BUY that takes you to a multitude of sizes and mediums to order a copy of the photo, from a regular 4×6 print or large wall hanger to a greeting card. Fun!
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Changing the subject:

Interesting Article: Expats Moving to Costa Rica Discover Healthier Lifestyles!

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Non-Bird Wildlife at Carara

White-faced Capuchin Monkey – Just hanging around!  Pura Vida!
Carara National Park, Costa Rica

Agouti
Carara National Park, Costa Rica
Variegated Squirrel
Carara National Park, Costa Rica

Northern Ghost Bat
Carara National Park, Costa Rica

Some Kind of Fungus!
Carara National Park, Costa Rica

Unless I do a post on plants, that is all from the Campesinos/Carara trip. But every trip seems to have about a week’s worth of posts! Always a lot to share! I love it here!

UPDATE ON RESIDENCY RED TAPE
As the attorney told me, I went to the local Atenas Social Security office to be “inscribed.” I took Jason (one of my language helpers) with me as an interpreter and he was absolutely needed! In short, the first desk sent us to another desk which was the appointments desk. Of course we needed to make an appointment (but you do it only in person-not by phone!). I am on standby for July 8 with a firm appointment on July 15.

I have a two-page form in Spanish to be filled out in Spanish. David is going to make it a class project next week in Spanish Class!  🙂  There are a bunch of other things I need to bring like proof of at least $1,000 income, the resolution I got, an electric bill, and a copy of my housing rental agreement. I can hire ” a professional” to help me walk through this, but it is more fun to work with friends and get closer to local Ticos! (And cheaper!) Ten to one odds that there will be some document not exactly right for the July appointment and I will have to go back again, but that is part of the adventure of government bureaucracies!

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Birds at Carara National Park

Orange-Collared Manakin
Carara National Park, Costa Rica
White-whiskered Puffbird
Carara National Park, Costa Rica

Montezuma Oropendola
Carara National Park, Costa Rica
Black-mandibled Toucan
Carara National Park, Costa Rica
Scarlet Macaw
Carara National Park, Costa Rica

Pale-billed Woodpecker
Carara National Park, Costa Rica

Blue-crowned Motmot
Carara National Park, Costa Rica

Common Black-Hawk (most likely)
Carara National Park, Costa Rica
NOTE: The front is lighter than usual, but it happens on them some.
It does not match other characteristics of Gray or Gray-bellied Hawks
Tomorrow I will post a few shots of other non-bird animals I shot at Carara. 
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Birds at Cerro Lodge

Cinnamon Hummingbird
Cerro Lodge, Tarcoles, Costa Rica

Turquoise-browed Motmot
Cerro Lodge, Tarcoles, Costa Rica
My first to see in Costa Rica, though I saw many in Nicaragua.

White-tipped Dove
Cerro Lodge, Tarcoles, Costa Rica
I almost called them Inca for the scaling, but white tips on tails ID them.

Warbler of Some Kind   (I’m pretty sure but hard to ID)
Cerro Lodge, Tarcoles, Costa Rica

Hoffman’s Woodpecker
Cerro Lodge, Tarcoles, Costa Rica

Blue-gray Tanager
Cerro Lodge, Tarcoles, Costa Rica

Boat-billed Flycatcher
Cerro Lodge, Tarcoles, Costa Rica
Several flycatchers look similar, but the bill and red cap ID this one.

Melodious BlackbirdCerro Lodge, Tarcoles, Costa Rica
Very similar to Bronze Cowbird which has red eyes an this one doesn’t.
Only the Melodious Blackbird has everything black, eyes, bill, feet.
Cerro Lodge Entrance
Cerro Lodge, Tarcoles, Costa Rica

Last time I stayed down here it was at Villa Lapas which further off the highway,
closer to Tarcoles, & deeper in the forest, but services and facilities are similar.
This one is actually in the middle of an upscale housing development but with
plenty of land for privacy and lots of birds. The gate is like what the neighbors
have to enter their mansions. Good friendly service, views, birds and food.

I’m saving the birds photographed at Carara National Park for tomorrow since I got a lot at the lodge and the park was my last stop before going home. Some nice birds at the park this time! Better than my last trip there.

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Birds at Campesinos

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Fiery-billed Aracari Toucan
Campesinos Ecolodge, Quebrada Arroyo, Costa Rica
Yellow-throated Euphonia
Campesinos Ecolodge, Quebrada Arroyo, Costa Rica

Violet-headed Hummingbird
Campesinos Ecolodge, Quebrada Arroyo, Costa Rica
Lineated Woodpecker
 Campesinos Ecolodge, Quebrada Arroyo, Costa Rica

Orange-chinned Parakeets 
Campesinos Ecolodge, Quebrada Arroyo, Costa Rica

Cherrie’s Tanager male
Campesinos Ecolodge, Quebrada Arroyo, Costa Rica
NOTE: Passerini’s Tanager male looks the same but lives only on Caribbean side

Cherrie’s Tanager female
Campesinos Ecolodge, Quebrada Arroyo, Costa Rica
NOTE: Passerini’s Tanager female is obviously different.

Yellow-bellied Elaenia
Campesinos Ecolodge, Quebrada Arroyo, Costa Rica

Ochre-bellied Flycatcher (in a room shower)
Campesinos Ecolodge, Quebrada Arroyo, Costa Rica

Black-hooded Antshrike
Campesinos Ecolodge, Quebrada Arroyo, Costa Rica

Social Flycatcher
Campesinos Ecolodge, Quebrada Arroyo, Costa Rica

Beardless Tyrannulet
Campesinos Ecolodge, Quebrada Arroyo, Costa Rica

We saw many more including a beautiful White Hawk, but these are only decent photos. Tomorrow I will share the birds I photographed at Carara National Park and Cerro Lodge, Tarcoles, Costa Rica on my way home for a one night stop.