Category: Atenas

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Home Business Signs: Corner Grocery

El Pingüino is a landmark on my side of town.
It is a very small corner grocery store called pulpería or mini-super
It looks like a store in front but it is also their home, living in the back.
Atenas, Costa Rica

How cool is it to have a little corner store called “The Penguin” in a tropical climate country where no native has ever seen a penguin? And it is the front part of their house! Or attached to their house. Plus it is 2 blocks from one public high school/middle school and 1.5 blocks from one public elementary school. Needless to say they have more student customers than anyone, selling lots of cold drinks an snack food! But they are better stocked for real food than another similar home store closer to me, though I still prefer the supermercado! There are many of these little corner stores all over town and probably many are in homes. No strict zoning codes or laws here!  🙂  Atenas is a really cool place to live!

El Pingüino
Store entrance on corner. White addition on right is a rental apartment.
The owner’s home is also attached to the left, seen in next photo.
Also notice a mother walking daughter home from primary school.
Atenas, Costa Rica

El Pingüino
Owner’s home is light green, attached to left behind white metal fence.
These boys are at a school with a “no uniform day” today. Rare!
Or out of school, especially the boy in shorts! No shorts in school!
Atenas, Costa Rica

See my new photo gallery: Home Business Signs

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Home Business Sign: Seamstress

Clinica de Ropa
In Boqueron, 3 blocks from Roca Verde
Atenas, Costa Rica


“Clinica de Ropa” (Clinic for Clothing) is the common name for a seamstress (la costurera) who probably does more repair work on clothing than making new clothing, although she does both. This particular seamstress is the closest one to my house and I have used her twice. The first time she put a patch over a little hole in one of my several canvas shorts I wear every day. She did a good job with fabric on both the outside and inside and it does not show or is not noticeable.

Recently I was motivated to do something with my front right pockets where I keep my cellphone and believe it slid out of the pocket in a San Jose Taxi. I asked her if she could sew velcro on both sides of the top of the right pockets. She said she could do that but, a zipper would be better and safer. So for one mil, the equivalent of about USD $1.75 each, she sewed a zipper in each of my 6 pairs of shorts, the only pants I wear here. That included the zipper! I think it would cost a bit more in the states! 🙂  I think the patch was about the same price, though don’t remember for sure. Labor and services are cheaper here! Imported U.S. products are not. It was most likely a Chinese zipper which would be cheaper here than say one from even Mexico or Columbia. Interesting!

New photo gallery: Home Business Signs
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The Good, The Bad, The Ugly in One Morning!

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
On Heliconia in my garden, Atenas, Costa Rica

Yeh, it is unusual for a hummingbird to stay still very long, especially on a flower! Thanks Lord!

Bark Scorpion
On my kitchen floor, Atenas, Costa Rica 

Both of these shots were made before breakfast this morning. The scorpion crawled out from under my electric dishwasher. You can see that on his tail and left hand he has collected some cobweb.  🙂  I just used the broom to sweep him outside off my deck or terrace. In 2 1/2 years here it is only the second scorpion I have seen, both in my kitchen. I am going to spray under my dishwasher, stove and frig, the best hiding places. Though, last night I opened two cardboard boxes of old genealogy books and that is also a good place for scorpions. Part of living in the jungle!  🙂

Check out my Birds photo gallery and my Other Insects photo gallery for more creature shots.
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Home Business Sign: Tortillas

Homemade Tortillas by Ana that I pass every day walking.
She sells them out a window of her house.
People walk or ride a bike to her house to get morning or evening bread.
Atenas, Costa Rica

For first-timers, this is the second in a new series of posts with photos of interesting signs people in Atenas hang outside their homes for their home business. With two photos now, I have also started a new photo gallery: Home Business Signs

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Greta Morgane or Thick-tipped Greta Glasswing

Greta Morgane or Thick-tipped Greta Glasswing
Atenas, Costa Rica

This is a first sighting of this butterfly for me. He was on the screen in my kitchen, obviously near the end of his short life. I went for my camera and when I returned he had fallen onto the kitchen counter next to the sink. Not great shots! I prefer to find them on flowers! 🙂  This is usually the best time of year for butterflies (May-June) but not as many this year. Is it because of more rain?

It is my second clearwing or glasswing butterfly to see or photograph. The other was near Chirripo, Costa Rica in Cloudbridge Nature Reserve and called a Greta Oto or by the guide, just “Glasswing Butterfly.” It was in a tree which is a little better background than a kitchen counter.  🙂  But with my doors wide open during the day, I sorta live outdoors! And I like having nature come to me!

Greta Morgane or Thick-tipped Greta
Atenas, Costa Rica

 

Greta Morgane or Thick-tipped Greta
Atenas, Costa Rica

I hope you realize that it is common to find dead or dying butterflies here, since most have very short lives, sometimes only hours! (Yes! Less than one day!) The Monarch is a big exception who migrates to Mexico from as far away as Canada but then dies after giving birth! And we do have some Monarchs here and our famous Blue Morpho Butterfly lives 115 days or about 4 months. So all are different! And you are worried about how long you will live?

See DESCRIPTION  of Greta Morgane on Wikipedia – It is one of several sometimes called “Glasswings” or “Clearwings” and in the smaller category of “Greta” butterflies. Note the link in my opening paragraph to the other Greta I have photographed.

And of course my Butterflies & Moths Photo Gallery has many other interesting creatures! Enjoy!

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Gardeners Lunching at My House

Every other Wednesday they come work my yard & eat lunch on my terrace.
Last time William brought ceviche. This coming Wednesday it’s Sopa Azteca.
I’ll eat the soup with them this time, but I don’t eat ceviche (raw fish soup).
I provide the drinks!   La conversación es en español.
Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica
My Garden photo gallery 
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Parakeet Flocks Over My House

Every day I have bigger flocks of parakeets than this flying over my house, more this year for some reason.
But I haven’t gotten a photo over my house. This is one I shot at Rancho Naturalista, Turrialba, Costa Rica.

See also my Birds Gallery

-o-
I went back to Alajuela Hospital and got more papers and two more appointments. Seems a little weird, but on 23 August I go to hospital admissions in Alajuela to be admitted to the hospital for a procedure at Hospital Mexico in San Jose. They will probably weigh me, temp, maybe blood and urine tests; don’t know yet. The next day, 24 August, back at Alajuela Hospital (my province hospital) for an appointment with my cardiologist and possibly other tests, not sure. Then 25 August I go to Hospital Mexico in San Jose to get the angiogram. Whew! It has been confusing because my Spanish is malo (bad), but I plan to take my translator with me in August and hopefully get a little more fluent!

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Goat Milk For Sale

In Atenas you can sell anything from your house.
So, maybe I will start sharing interesting signs like this.
They are all over town, many on my daily walk.

Now a new photo gallery:  Home Business Signs – Atenas

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The Roca Verde Rock

“Roca Verde” literally translates to “Green Rock”  –  Is this it?
Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica  –  The above photo was made in May, the end of dry season and beginning of rainy season during which the giant rock is covered in green moss and thus the name “Roca Verde” – “Green Rock.”

 

This big rock is just inside our community entrance gate.
Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica

 

Our Entrance Gate
Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica

I have no Roca Verde gallery per se, but these include shots in Roca Verde:

 
 
 
My House in Roca Verde

“What are men to rocks and mountains?” 
― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

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Why did I move to Costa Rica?

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!