More Chachalacas!

Friday morning in tree behind my neighbor’s house.
 This is another juvenile Chachalaca among adults and kids chattering.
Atenas, Costa Rica

Adult Gray-headed Chachalaca 
 Atenas, Costa Rica

Adult Gray-headed Chachalaca 
 Atenas, Costa Rica

They were lower in the tree than at my house the morning before and thus a little easier to photograph when not behind leaves where they were most of the time!  🙂

See all of my Costa Rica Birds  photographed (235 species so far)
¡Pura Vida!

Retired in Costa Rica – THE BLOG

A Butterfly’s Demise – Spider Web

I was walking up the hill to 214 to get my dinner from Chef Dan,
At this driveway entrance (101) a German family was photographing
something! I stopped and saw a cobweb stretched over the red plants.
I pulled out my cellphone and opened the camera.
Atenas, Costa Rica

 

A butterfly had flown into a Golden Orb Spider Web and was already being eaten
by the Golden Orb Spider. “The law of the jungle!” or “The food chain!”
Atenas, Costa Rica

 

Another Golden Orb Spider waited nearby.
Will he eat the leftovers? Or do they share?
Atenas, Costa Rica

Doesn’t this remind you of the giant spiders in the Forbidden Forest of the Harry Potter books?  🙂

Related photo galleries:

Butterflies & Moths       and         Other Insects
 

This was yesterday afternoon’s experience. This morning yielded another photo op which I am saving for tomorrow’s post. Never a dull moment in the Costa Rica Rainforests!       ¡Pura Vida!      🙂

¡Hasta mañana!

Heliconius Hecale Zuleika

Heliconius Hecale Zuleika
My home garden in
Atenas, Costa Rica
This is one of the most common butterflies in Costa Rica. To see more, go to my photo gallery Butterflies & Moths   (65 species and still adding!)
¡Pura Vida! 
Costa Rica Flag Butterfly Art
Not a real butterfly!

Ser chachalaca – to talk too much

“Ser chachalaca” is a Tico slang expression meaning “To talk too much.”  And here are photos of juvenile (teenagers maybe) Chachalacas, the bird the expression came from. These large birds chatter a lot and very loudly. In fact the juveniles pictured here woke me up around 5:00 AM today and later I tried to snap some photos which is difficult because they stay in the tops of the trees mostly.

Gray-headed Chachalaca juvenile
Atenas, Costa Rica

Gray-headed Chachalaca 
Atenas, Costa Rica

Gray-headed Chachalaca 
Atenas, Costa Rica

I have photos of adult Gray-headed Chachalacas in my photo gallery Costa Rica Birds
And to read more Classic Tico Expressions


“A fool is made more of a fool, 
when their mouth is more open than their mind.” 

A Rare, Unique Jewel Hiding in My Garden

Hiding in the shadows of taller Red Ginger plants & their own tall stalks,
Cellphone photo of Zingiber zerumbet, also known as
Shampoo ginger, bitter ginger, and pinecone ginger
And my gardener calls it Moraca plant 
 Atenas, Costa Rica

CAN YOU SEE THEM?
Left of center behind and below Red Ginger
 (click photo for enlargement)
 Atenas, Costa Rica
FOR YOUR RESEARCH ASSISTANCE: 
A description in Wikipedia       A TripAdvisor photo post from Pura Vida Gardens visitors
My first post on this plant as a baby 2 years ago  –  I’ve given some to a neighbor who has about this many blooms this year also, all from my one little beginning plant. A hidden jewel for me!
Or a Google Search of images of this flower       A FloriData description
Use as an Alternative Medicine        Useful Tropical Plants  post
A ScienceDirect article on the plant        CABI scientific info & distribution maps
And Google gives many more information sites on this rare and unique plant.
Of course for all flowers I see here: my Photo Gallery Flora & Forest
Flowers… 
are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty 
outvalues all the utilities of the world. 

~Ralph Waldo Emerson


Home Business Signs: Lawyers

There may be as many lawyers working from home as there are dentists. This is only two of many. FYI in Spanish two words are used for “lawyer” like English interchanges lawyer and attorney. They are abogado and bufete.   And you could guess that notario is a notary public. 
And if interested in Spanish, my Spanish blog today is about Hoy tengo mi nuevo libro.
And my photo gallery of Home Business Signs – Atenas

Sewing Classes in Her Home – Home Business Signs

Clases Quilting y Costura = Classes In Quilting and Sewing
Confeccion a la Medida = Dressmaking to the Measurements or Tailor Made Dresses

I’m not needing my quilt here, but to some Ticos anything below 20° C which is 68° F is considered cold and we have most nights with that! Plus quilts are works of art! And of course homemade dresses are popular here.

Note of Interest: The Spanish word for quilt is el edredón but in Costa Rica they often prefer to use the English word for things like quilt, sandwich, jeans, and sometimes tennis shoes and more. And more specifically here with the -ing or “quilting” it would be la tela acolchada which would be worse! Easy names are pura vida!

This is a house across from the sports park that I pass nearly every day and just really paid attention to the sign today. Lots of home businesses here! 
You may remember me posting a photo of a little food stand the other day she called a  “Kioskito” or “Little Kiosk. ”  Today I noticed she has changed the name to “Soda de Maria” which is like saying “Maria’s Cafe.” AND she added picnic tables to her front yard which were full of people eating lunch! Even home businesses can make improvements!  🙂  This is a cool community! And sometimes it’s these little things that make it cool! 
And my photo gallery of Home Business Signs – Atenas  No other photo collection like this!  🙂

Who Rules the Roost? Rufous-tailed!

For 2 years I refused to have feeders, only flowers.
But gave in when Anthony left me with this feeder.
I do see more hummingbirds, but only one species now.
Atenas, Costa Rica

Like this juvenile Rufous-tailed,
they do still eat from flowers, but not totally.
Atenas, Costa Rica

The Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds dominate the feeder.
I believe there is a large family of them that had many babies.
Atenas, Costa Rica

This is an elder who may be in charge.
Atenas, Costa Rica

They even chase each other off the feeder or a “Pecking Order?”
Atenas, Costa Rica

I still have mixed emotions about using a feeder, though it does seem to keep more birds here year around. Not sure why I’m not seeing other species now which may be the work of the Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds chasing them off. I’ve thought about another feeder or two which most of the lodges I visit have even more of and many varieties of hummingbirds. We will see. I don’t like the extra work of boiling water and adding sugar every few days!  🙂   I’m lazy in retirement! And more feeders would mean more sugar water!

For many different birds, see my Birds Photo Galleries

Today I restart my Spanish blog titled ¡Aprendo Español en Atenas! for those who want to see me struggle with español. My teacher requested it!




Waiting in line – Esperando en la fila.

Through the front window of my Alajuela bus is the line of people getting on the San Jose bus.
Like I had earlier done for my Alajuela bus with all ages and all walks of life waiting patiently.
Waiting in line is a part of life in Costa Rica; buses, banks, post office, medical services, etc.
It builds patience and patience builds character. Pura Vida!   🙂
The bus broke down on the outskirts of Atenas today and in about 10 or 12 minutes another bus was there to collect us all and on to Alajuela. We arrived 15 minutes later than expected. Not bad! In more than 2.5 years this is only the second bus I’ve had to break down and both were replaced in minutes! Our buses are on time, efficient service, nice, large and modern equipment from different manufacturers. Some are labeled “Daewood” which I think is a South Korea company, but not sure. I think others are from Europe or other Latin American countries. Affordable and efficient transportation is necessary to get people to and from work, school, shopping, and in the case of one couple I met last Saturday on the bus, to go walk in the pilgrimage to the Cartago Church.
One of our Atenas buses leaving Alajuela.
Yeh, I just missed it! But there’s one every 30 minutes in afternoon.

On our Atenas Costa Rica Info Facebook Group the other day a retiree considering a move here asked the question, “Can you actually live as a retiree in Atenas without a car?” And of course a bunch of us responded that we are doing it! I’m pleased to be going on to nearly 3 years without owning a car! And the excellent bus systems in Costa Rica make it possible to visit anywhere in the country or to other countries by bus! Plus walking is good for me.