charliedoggett.net
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| Desert Rose Is becoming a favorite while it blooms! Home Garden, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Heliconia Home Garden, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Heliconia – Fewer of these blooming now. Home Garden, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Red Ginger My most faithful year around bloomer! Home Garden, Atenas, Costa Rica |
My photo gallery FLORA & FOREST
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| My Favorite One was free from the local Cooperative Supermarket Featuring Atenas Coffee Farmers who make up the Cooperative. Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| My “Store Bought” Calendar from the mall yesterday is “Caminos y senderos” Backroads and trails of Costa Rica of course! I have been on the above road. It is along the Caribe beach, Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo. A Costa Rica Produced Nature Calendar Hard choice of trails, trees or animals! I chose trails! |
I am a very slow learner of spoken Spanish and need to surround myself with as much as possible and little things like calendars are a little help and help define where I am. Likewise I try to do most of my grocery list in español, count in Spanish, all greetings and as much conversation daily as I possible. That means avoiding gringos, especially Americans who only speak English.
Did you know that Spanish is the second most spoken language after Mandarin Chinese? Yes more people speak Spanish than English around the world and it is the second language of the United States.
And in the right column on this blog page is a link to the most current Atenas PR Video I highly recommend!
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| Clay-colored Thrush or Yigüirro The National Bird of Costa Rica Joined me for breakfast this morning. Atenas, Costa Rica |
Some of my other shots of this bird (“Search” on my gallery)
Or the Costa Rica Birds section of my BIRDS photo gallery
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| My favorite is this guy walking around town waving his party flags. Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Here he is at the entrance to Mercado Central Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| A rare house with a large Presidential Candidate sign. Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| While more houses just fly their party flag. Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| And this commercial space rented for a candidate or party headquarter. Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| And one-on-one talk with handing out of flyers for a candidate Atenas, Costa Rica |
On February 4 Costa Rica will elect a new President and new legislature. I think local elections are at a different time. Of course I am not involved in any way with no opinion and will never vote since I don’t plan to become a citizen which is more involved than just being a legal resident, which I am. As a citizen of the states I can still vote absentee for state and national offices but not local offices. I have to vote through the last precinct I lived in which is Old Hickory since I was last at McKendree Village.
For more, read this Tico Times article on Understanding Costa Rica Elections
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| Of course the big city of San Jose has billboards and more aggressive campaigning. Photo copied from Tico Times. San Jose, Costa Rica |
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| Red Passion Flower This is same family as the more common purple passion flower which we also have here in Costa Rica. Several neighbors have this red variety, and like the purple one is also a vine that can take over other plants. Atenas, Costa Rica |
See my photo gallery, FLORA & FOREST for many more tropical flowers here.
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| On Ruta 135 going north out of Atenas is this B&W Sign pointing to (maybe 500 meters on this road) Hogar de Vida, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| I failed to photograph the entrance sign because I’m attracted to the park-like atmosphere inside! Next time I will include that attractive sign & more of the campus. Hogar de Vida, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| One of the children’s’ cottages with a worker hanging out the laundry. Hogar de Vida, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Another children’s cottage on campus. Hogar de Vida, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Playground Hogar de Vida, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Rancho, which is what we call a picnic pavilion or covered dining/meeting patio here. Hogar de Vida, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| 8:30 AM Prayer Meeting every morning with all children, staff and volunteers. The table & chairs is for the children’s snack time after devotional. Breakfast is much earlier! Hogar de Vida, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Sunday evening I was watching the 5:30 TV News when the loud chattering began of 30 or more Chachalacas landing in the tops of my trees, including the above Guarumo. A few came down low enough for me to get this decent shot of full name: Gray-headed Chachalaca There is a huge colony of this chicken-sized, noisy bird in Roca Verde and they occasionally visit my trees. Atenas, Costa Rica |
Check out my photo gallery BIRDS. https://charliedoggett.smugmug.com/BIRDS
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| On a walk over my hill today, not quite to the top, a different view. Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica |
Click image for larger view.
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| A new business in Atenas is quite popular, especially with young adults. Fresh tropical fruit juices/smoothies frozen on a stick. Some with ice cream filling Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| I had the green one on the right, Cas/Mora, Cas fruit (CR Guava) with Blackberry filling – Tart but Yum! Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Along wall by windows are a “Crown of Thorns” that blooms constantly year around and I just moved from white pot, as it is growing! Stair-stepping down is my favorite which is a Desert Rose or Adenium Obesum. And the tiny pot is a now small Jade Plant. Desert Rose came from it in my transplantings. There are of course more pot plants on the terrace all the way back! 🙂 Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Desert Rose or Adenium Obesum It too is growing and I just moved it from that smallest pot above. Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Desert Rose Blooms This is the most blooms together like this yet in 2 years. For those who knew Anthony, this came from him when he moved to states. For locals: they are available at Vivero Central in La Garita, but not cheap. Atenas, Costa Rica |