Blog

Posted on

Cashew Fruit

Cashew Fruit is ripening on trees around Atenas now.
Photographed from my balcony, Hacienda La Jacaranda, Atenas, Costa Rica

This shot was made from about 50 meters away on a tree in a neighbor’s yard, shot from my balcony! The fruit reminds you of a red or yellow (come in both colors) bell pepper except for the seed or nut that hangs below it. Only one nut per fruit. No wonder cashews are somewhat expensive. Read about them in this Wikipedia article. New uses for the fruit itself are being developed, including one by Pepsi Cola. It is not a major export from Costa Rica. They grow in most tropical climes and we even had them in The Gambia. Most of what you get in the states probably come from India, Indonesia or Nigeria, where they are big exports. We stick with exporting bananas, pineapples, and coffee here! 
Posted on

Sharing the Mangos

The Male Mantled Howler Monkey eating one of the apartment mangos.
A few are getting ripe, though most are still green as you can see.
So the howlers will be here for awhile I suspect.
Hacienda La Jacaranda, Atenas, Costa Rica

If you’ve never heard a howler monkey you must listen to the howler monkeys. We are hearing them more often now, day and night. But they don’t bother my sleep.

Mother-child don’t show their faces as much as Papa.
Hacienda La Jacaranda, Atenas, Costa Rica
Papa keeps a watchful eye on us humans looking up at them.
Hacienda La Jacaranda, Atenas, Costa Rica

If you liked my simple cell phone photos of the Easter Procession at our Atenas Catholic Church yesterday, check out this video of Easter Procession in an Escazu, Costa Rica church.

Posted on

Resurrection Morning Mass & Processional

The Priest leads congregation behind the costumed children and statue of Christ.
Iglesia Catolica San Rafael De Atenas, Costa Rica
After the 9 AM Easter Mass, April 5, 2015

I finally did it! I went to the beautiful Catholic Church for worship instead of the evangelical church I have been attending and it was wonderful, though still in Spanish and not generally understood. The standing room only 9:00 AM Mass had an unseen choir of young voices leading the congregation in singing a few songs/hymns/choruses accompanied by a single acoustic guitar. Beautiful! I will never miss the loud, rock-style “Praise Band” here or anywhere else. The music was so much more worshipful at the Catholic Church – but I’m not yet ready to become a Catholic! There was a small processional into the service and a grand one afterwards that led the whole congregation around the Central Park as shown in the photos. 


Altar Boys and Girls Lead the Processional

Followed by a statue of the Risen Christ

A haphazard collection of unorganized shepherd boys (disciples?)
with family members and others following along with them
(The Mamas did great job on costumes! Probably Dads who didn’t organize them.)

And the girls, the only organized ones
marching in a straight line (Love the girls!)

Followed by the priest and as many of the congregation who wanted to follow
the march around the central park block (on left). 
The 9:00 AM Standing Room Only Easter Mass before procession.
There were also masses at 6 AM, 11 AM, and 5 PM
Sorry about low-light cellphone photo – It is really beautiful!
The room was made for worship and prayer. It helps you to do so.
Someday I’ll get a good photos inside with tripod, etc. 

Another interesting observation was that there were many more young adults and children than old people, which might have been related to the time and/or processional with children included. Never counted, but the Iglesia Biblica worship services seem to be about 50/50 older/younger adults with most children leaving after the hour song service for a children’s church. Both congregations are very family oriented with even teens sitting with their parents. This mass was a little over an hour long while the evangelical service is always at least two hours long with more than an hour of music and a 45 minute sermons, while the priest’s was maybe 15 minutes. Both churches are made up of very happy, friendly people, typical of Costa Rica! 

CHECKED OUT A LOCAL HOTEL
After this Easter Morning experience, I walked the half block to La Caretta’s for a brunch omelette to supplement my earlier bowl of cereal. Then walked to the upscale Roca Verde housing development and the nearby Colinas del Sol Hotel to check it out in case any future visitors want something different from my house or the Vista Atenas B&B I have already used. Colinas is larger, offers more services, and is within walking distance of the Central Park – for me, at about 12 blocks estimate. But Vista Atenas has the best view! You just can’t easily walk from there, up on a mountain top 2+ miles. And of course one person or a couple can stay for free in my guest room like Kevin just did with both view and within walking distance!


Posted on

Vanilla Comes from an Orchid?

Vanilla Pod or
Vanilla Bean

Yeah, the second most expensive spice in the world comes from an orchid plant pods that grows on vines (up to 30 feet long) right here in Costa Rica and other tropical countries. Read about this unusual spice in this Huffington Press Report. And I learned this week that the original owner of these apartments didn’t get all his cash flow from rent, but more from his vanilla farms in Guanacaste and other areas of North Costa Rica. It only grows between 10 & 20 degrees north or south of the equator.

Hans, the new manager, gifted me with one of these expensive vanilla pods (often called a vanilla bean) from the Von der Bom Farms when I conferenced with him this week. They are picked green and sun dried for 2 to 6 months the article says. I could take a sharp knife and scrape little bits of the nearly black stuff from the dried pod to season a dessert or whatever. I am more likely to keep it as a conversation piece in my living room fruit bowl. Vanilla Extract is made from this pod mixed with water and alcohol to make the more familiar use of vanilla. So a full pod is quite valuable and could season a lot!

Phons von der Bom, the original owner, loved the vanilla vines (his major income) and the ornamental ironwork bridge over our swimming pool features vanilla vines as does the tile work on bottom of his pool and on some doors and other objects around here. This property was his home for many years before he added the apartments (after the price of vanilla beans dropped).   🙂  What an interesting place! I learn something new every day!

Close-up of Vanilla Pod or
Vanilla Bean
Vanilla Bean Vines decorate pool bottom and bridge
on what was originally Phons’ home and personal pool before the apartments.
Hacienda La Jacaranda, Atenas, Costa Rica

And oh yes, the most expensive spice just ahead of vanilla is saffron. In case you were wondering!

Posted on

Good Friday Mass

A cross draped in red and candles are
about to be brought into the Good Friday Mass
Atenas, Costa Rica

I love symbolism, ceremony, and beauty in worship and keep saying I will go to Mass and wish I had been dressed differently today for I would have enjoyed this probably more than the praise band I will hear Sunday morning at the Bible Church. But hey, I may surprise everyone and go to Mass instead. 

During Lent the cross in front of the Catholic Church has been draped in a purple cloth which was removed this week. 
Lent Purple at Catholic Church
Atenas, Costa Rica
Posted on

Quiet Evening

I walked down to the river to see if I could find a bird to photograph and couldn’t, so a little shot of the stream running along the southern border of our property.

Rio Cajon just above the waterfall, 5:00 PM
Hacienda La Jacaranda, Atenas, Costa Rica

I did capture this Red-billed Pigeon in flight yesterday, though not good focus
Hacienda La Jacaranda, Atenas, Costa Rica
And tonight’s sunset clouds make a giant in the sky!
Hacienda La Jacaranda, Atenas, Costa Rica

We are now harvesting the first mangos from our property trees – hope they will be good!

Posted on

5 Things You Should Know Before Moving to Costa Rica

Here’s a new article I just read on a website that has heretofore not been very helpful, but this article is true even if incomplete:  5 Things You Should Know Before Moving to CR
 http://www.expatfocus.com/c/aid=1849/articles/costa-rica/5-things-you-should-know-before-moving-to-costa-rica/%5dhere%5b/url/  It seems to address someone who wants to work here rather than retire here. HERE’S MY SUMMARY:

  1. The laid-back culture is really different from the USA and requires an adjustment!
  2. The cost of living is not cheaper here unless you choose to live simpler than in states. 
  3. Import Taxes are very high, making cars very expensive. Otherwise buy local!
  4. Commuting to and from the city of San Jose is expensive and stressful unless you do it by bus. Reconsider if you plan to drive in and out for work!
  5. Working here can be legally complicated unless you work online. See a local lawyer first.

And my more practical suggestions for a retiree that I’ve listed before:

Feel free to email me or come visit if you are considering such a move. I will be brutally honest!  But warning! I like it here! 
Posted on

My “DIAPAUSE”

Diapause: a period of physiologically enforced dormancy between periods of activity.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary

My new word today is usually referring to animal dormancy, particularly butterflies in the pupae stage. I’m not in a pupae, unless you call my apartment that, but after preparation for two differents sets of visitors and a particularly full week with Kevin, I’ve kind of pulled into my apartment and mostly resting, reading, and taking care of just necessary business – not running all over Costa Rica looking for birds to photograph! This pre-sunset photo kind of symbolizes my diapause. It frequently looks like rain without ever doing it. It makes me look forward to May when the rain actually starts. It is very dry and grass fires are common. 

Rain Clouds that Don’t Rain!
Atenas, Costa Rica

It is fun to just sit on my balcony, watch the town below me, the sky, the birds and listen to the howler monkeys who are hollering as I type. Click to hear them yourself: Mantled Howler Monkey  Oh, go ahead! Click it and listen for 20 seconds! I hear every morning & evening.


Male Howler Monkey
Hacienda La Jacaranda, Atenas, Costa Rica
My photo made by me here at the apartments in a tree along the river

And by the way, it is pretty easy to rest this week as most every business has closed already or will after today for Holy Week. No Spanish Class either! Semana Santa.



Posted on

Tarcoles Catch-up Photos

On March 24, our first night at Manuel Antonio, we had a slow internet connection and I only shared one beach sunset photo. Here’s a few of many from our stop on the Tarcoles River enroute to beach.

Yellow-headed Caracara
Tarcoles River, Costa Rica
Striped Basilisk
Tarcoles River, Costa Rica
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Tarcoles River, Costa Rica
Common Black Hawk
Tarcoles River, Costa Rica
Tiger Heron
Tarcoles River, Costa Rica
Black-necked Stilt
Tarcoles River, Costa Rica
American Crocodile (Great Egret in background)
Tarcoles River, Costa Rica
This was my third time on the Tarcoles River and we always see and photograph more than 20 species of birds along with the promoted crocs and usually basilisks and iguanas plus some other lizards. That night I got lots of different kinds of beach sunset photos. Here’s one more I just have to show: 
Sunset over the Pacific Ocean
Manuel Antonio Beach, Costa Rica

Posted on

Kevin Finds it Difficult to Leave Costa Rica

Kevin Hunter with Sloth at San Jose Airport

Kevin reluctantly poses by The Tico Times sloth statue in the San Jose Santamaria Airport. This was right before I said goodbye and he entered the security line and I had to leave. We were already told that his 2:25 flight was delayed to maybe 3:30 or later. Well the last I heard it was not leaving until after 6 PM for Miami, missing his Nashville connection of course, and American Airlines has him spending the night in Miami and getting home around noon Tuesday. “Tico Time” often refers to things here not starting on time and it seems that American Airlines has fully integrated into the Tico Culture! Sorry Kevin! It was probably some computer’s fault!  🙂

And by the way, The Tico Times and one other internet CR newspaper (The Costa Rica News) is about all the news I read here. The U.S. news is too depressing (and embarrassing) and I have even quit looking at PBS Newshour downstreaming, upstreaming, whatever! PBS and BBC are still the only decent news sources on TV, but it is now the negative and stressful news itself I refuse to get involved with. Pura vida! And . . . After 17 days with a rent car, I am even more convinced that I don’t want to get a car! Too stressful again! My next visitor may have to see Costa Rica with me on foot, by bus and taxi.  🙂  Costa Rica is trying to “Save the Americans,” but is it too late?
And by the way, our Howler Monkeys are really active this evening – wish I knew how to record them and share their noise with you! They hollered most mornings and evenings while Kevin was here and recently started doing it during the night. Cool!