Category: Atenas

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The Maturing Garden

The garden is a full jungle now, needing pruning every month.
This means the Tuti Fruti Verbenas border get most of their blooms cut off and thus not as many flowers on them now.
While the Heliconias and Gingers are getting very large. Gingers constantly bloom, Heliconias are in down period.

The Maraca or Shampoo Ginger has 5 new
stems growing fast, but lost the 1 flower. 

The Triquetraque or Mexican Trumpet
Vine is finally blooming but not covering
the wall yet. Hoping for more.

The extra large Heliconia plant lost its big flowers and now has 1
new one growing with more expected soon. 

This Costa Rica Petunia blooms profusely every morning with blooms
dropping off in the afternoon. Interesting!

One of the many Red Ginger blooms

The favorite flower of the hummingbirds and butterflies
for which I haven’t been give a name yet. Same one below, different color.

Fewer butterflies now after the June-July swarm.

The Blue Plumbago continues to bloom mucho as the background hedge.
It now gets trimmed only on the front side, so only losing some flowers. 

One of the small Heliconias 

My gardener calls it Once Junio planta, 11th of June Plant,
a nice extra gift plant he brought for my front yard. Has yellow berries too!

The ground-cover I got sprigs of from the apartments has spread well
around my small palms in the front yard. Nice bright blooms in morning
which simply close in the afternoon. No name for it yet. 

The Pilea ground-cover in my main garden has complete coverage now.
I think it is much better than mulch and the lizards like it. Hope not snakes!

Another Heliconia opening up.
They too bloom year around.

And to see what garden looked like on the first day planted, just click the link for May 1 post!

And see a free preview of my little book in Spanish about the garden  Mi Pura Vida Naturaleza Jardín

“God made a beauteous garden
With lovely flowers strown,
But one straight, narrow pathway
That was not overgrown.
And to this beauteous garden
He brought mankind to live,
And said “To you, my children,
These lovely flowers I give.
Prune ye my vines and fig trees,
With care my flowers tend,
But keep the pathway open
Your home is at the end.”

“God’s Garden”
― Robert Frost

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Housemates Getting Bigger

Bigger than the little geckos on my ceilings and walls and didn’t want to go out.
Not sure of ID though similar to Ground Anole, or maybe Ameiva or Whiptail.
He eats insects to pay rent, though I don’t like his little poop on the floor!

Earlier posts on lizards at home: A Scorpion in the Sink and Lizard on the Wall!


And my photo gallery: Costa Rica Reptiles

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Getting an X-Ray Here

Clinica Santa Fe in Alajuela where I went for my foot X-ray

Clinica Linea Vital in Atenas where I see Drs. Candy and Anna. (Google Photo)

Okay – I’ll try to make a long story short. The last two weeks my right heel has been painful to walk on, especially during the night (getting up to go to bathroom) and when I first arise in morning. (I’m afraid it is because I have been living in sandals for 9 months, walking everywhere in them. Now I’m using walking shoes with a heel cushion.) Dr. Candy looked at it maybe two weeks ago and gave me an anti-inflammatory which worked great during the 1 week I was taking it. Then the pain came back. So I return and was surprised she now has an associate, Dr. Anna who was on duty. (Yeah, I know, all my docs are women here, including the dentist!)  🙂  Anyway, Dr. Anna questioned me and felt of it an said she believed it is a bone spur on my heel (plantillo espolon). In addition to a different medication I am to take 3 times a day for two weeks and soaking my foot in warm Epsom salt water followed by ice cold water daily, I was asked to go get an x-ray (de rayos x or imagen radiológica). She wrote the prescription and said her assistant at the front desk would give directions (he is also a nurse and EMT and ambulance driver – 2nd photo at Clinica Linea Vital with ambulance). This is all happening yesterday morning.

The Map  –  In case you need
to go to Clinica Santa Fe, Alajuela
🙂
He told me there was a place in Atenas for an x-ray, but he did not recommend it and that it would be better if I went to Alajuela, our province capital, where I go by bus regularly anyway. (I did not ask what was wrong with the place here in Atenas.) So I ask him for an address (Silly me! There are no addresses here.). First he said it is easy to find, just opposite Santamaria Park (as I give him that blank stare and say “Not Parque Central which I know?”). So then he drew one map and decided it was not good enough and drew a second map of how to get to it from the bus station (parada de autobús) of Atenas in Alajuela. Perfecto! I call for an appointment and she did not speak English, so I hand phone to my EMT and he learns an appointment is not necessary, just walk in. Gracias! Adios Amigo!
So, I walk straight to our bus station here and when I get to Alajuela his directions easily take me straight to the Clinica Santa Fe in top photo. It is about four blocks from the bus station near Parque Juan Santamaria which I will tell you about tomorrow! I walked in at about 11:20, was x-rayed before 12, but told they had a lunch break and to come back at 1:00 for my film. So I went to eat a quesadilla, check out the park that is new to me, and some public art I found. Back in clinic at 12:55 and she handed me my x-ray film to take to my doctor. I had already paid the 14,000 colones or $28 USD for the pictures of both heels. (Bet your insurance company pays more than that in the states!) I rush back to bus station but just missed the 1:00. (Buses are the only thing punctual here.) Since the next bus was not until 2:00, I took a $2 taxi to PriceSmart for some items I was needing and another more expensive taxi all the way back to Atenas (20 miles) with my large shopping load and home by 2:00. My Alajuela driver I now call personally, is named Carlos and loves to help me with my Spanish and will drive me all the way to Atenas for a little more than $20. Not bad! And still a lot cheaper than owning a car! 
Carlos stops by the Atenas clinic where I leave the x-ray film and then home for the rest of the day, I think. I have been so busy lately I can’t remember how my days stay so full. Glad I cancelled the Manzanillo trip. I’ll share more about Alajuela the next two days, a really interesting city. 
And that is how we do x-rays in Costa Rica!  🙂    Pura Vida!

“The art of medicine is in amusing a patient while nature affects the cure.”  
~Voltaire
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Angel Tree Committee Met Today

I should have never let her shoot us with that bright window behind us!
Tried to fix! Oh well, we got a lot planned anyway and I am now the treasurer.

We all thank my friend Aaron in Canada who read my last post on Angel Tree and sent money! Wow! We are off to a good start financially!

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Unidentified Butterfly

Unidentified Butterfly
In My Garden, Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica
I’m seeing fewer now. June & July are the peak months for butterflies here.

If you know the identity, please leave a comment below. Thanks!  -Charlie

And my Spanish post today: Verbos Tallo Cambio

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15th of September Post 5: FACES

Teen in one of the school bands

Okay. I’ll stop after this, though there are a lot more photos from the parade that I like. 🙂

I could have made this Faces post all children, but since I used some faces of them in Post 1 (children), and a cool youth face in Post 2 (bands), and another youth face in Post 3 (flags); this is mixed, even with adults.

I’ll go back to bugs and bird tomorrow, but Wednesday I head out for 4 nights in the Talamanca Mountains, so more new stuff then! Maybe a better photo of a Resplendent Quetzal! Then the following week to the Nicaragua border on Visa Run again. And the week after that to the Caribbean again. Never a dull moment! 🙂

And don’t you like the looks of the Atenas Ticos?

Do you not want me to make this photo?


“The face is a picture of the mind with the eyes as its interpreter.” 
― Marcus Tullius Cicero
Pura Vida!
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15th of September Post 3: FLAGS!

Colegio Liceo had the largest group of marching flags led by a Drum Majorette.

When they stopped they had a very intricate presentation of weaving the lines
in and out of each other to create a sea of red, white and blue – Colegio Liceo.

As usual I watched the parade from Gelly’s across from Parque Central.
Here Colegio Liceo is starting their presentation seen in second photo. 
Escuela Central Elementary School did great for younger kids!
And they had the coolest caps! Boys and girls marched in separate lines.
That’s elementary school for you!   🙂
Colegio San Rafael  was led by a drum major.

Though not as large as Liceo, San Rafael had impressive group & show!

Patriotism and color on 15 de septiembre is just as big as US 4th of July!
Just no mucho fireworks in Atenas. Another shot of Colegio San Rafael.
(There’s a big fireworks show in San Jose. But I like my little farm town!)
Unlabeled School (or I missed the sign) leave our area by the church.

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15th of September Post 2: BANDS!

Though the volume made you think there were more, there were only 4 full-size bands in the parade and they were mostly drums, since there are few teachers or classes for other instruments. They were scattered throughout the parade with several small ensembles in-between, like 3 to 8 persons with multiple instruments.  There were more flag bearers than band members. Bands are bandas in Spanish.

Banda Escuela de Musica is a community band for all ages (child-adult) that meets, learns and practices after school.
It includes my Spanish teacher, his son and son’s nanny, and another friend. I help raise money for their Panama trip.
Notice, like others, they are now all drums except for 2 saxophones and 3 xylophones called marimbas here.

I like their spiffy uniform shirts
which they are wanting to replace with “real” uniforms sometime.
It is a community activity requiring donated money not easily obtained.

It is an after-school, community music school that teaches how to read music,
how to play other instruments when they can be obtained, and the band will
add more instruments over time as they can. It could become big in Atenas. 

Banda de Colegio San Rafael is a suburban high school smaller than Liceo
but sharper looking uniforms. All drums because of lack of music teachers.

Ticos teens like to dress sharp and appreciate cool hats!

Banda de Colegio Liceo is the largest from the largest school with golf shirts
as uniforms and again mostly drums because of few music teachers. 
All drummers are cool and since nearly all of the band are drummers . . .
Boy! My band director would never have allowed sunglasses!  🙂
So maybe this is why Ticos are the happiest people on earth!?
They are followed by and overshadowed by the largest troop of flag bearers in the parade, also a part of Colegio Liceo.
More flag photos tomorrow! 

By now you may have learned that high schools are called “Colegio” in Spanish in Costa Rica. If not, that is your new Spanish word for today!   🙂

Unknown school with 8 boys on drums – what I was calling an “ensemble.”

Escuela Central Elementary School
As with the others, mostly drums with a few marimbas (xylophones);
smaller and less organized than high school bands.

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Lanterns Parade – desfile de linternas

The night before the Independence Day Celebration the children march in a parade with decorated lanterns that have now become elaborate works of art in some cases. With hovering Moms, it was a confusing mess and then the parade didn’t march down the street where I was waiting, but the other side of the park. So I grabbed a few shots as they dispersed and one on my way to town. Hope I do better tomorrow for the big parade with bands and flags!

As I walked to town I passed this family of 3 kids with their lanterns.
The kids all met at Escuela Central to start the parade, so I went to Central Park.

Many of the girls had “doll lanterns” (light inside) in traditional dress.
The boys had old fashion lanterns or oxcart lanterns mostly.

Several just waited for the parade
holding their lanterns. 
Some were held high and others in their hands.
And some of the kids wore traditional clothing
making it colorful, though a confusing crowd of people
mostly parents hovering around their kids.

And no one ever seems to know the parade route in advance so you can get a good place to see. There were a hundred or more of us on the west side of the park waiting and they marched only on the east and north side! Grrrr!

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Unknown Moth or Butterfly

He flew into the house last night. Not in either of my books.

My Spanish Blog tells about Getting Spanish Conversation Practice for the Cost of a Pizza.

And for more moth & butterfly photos, see my Costa Rica Butterflies PHOTO GALLERY