Category: Culture

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One Street’s “Tree Tunnel”

I love these! And there’s actually more than one place in Atenas where a tree spreads over the street like this, forming a “tree tunnel” that cars drive through and I walk through. There would probably be more if the power company wasn’t tree-trimming along most streets in town regularly. Here the tree is actually growing in the street and power lines are over the sidewalk and you can see that the sidewalk side of the tree has been trimmed and it looks like it is about time again!  🙂

“Tree Tunnel” on Calle Central, alongside the Sports Park, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica.

Though not all of my photos, I do have an Atenas Gallery, a collection of things & places here, or for pix of people and activities here see my PEOPLE, FIESTAS & ARTS Costa Rica collection of galleries which is mostly from Atenas.

And in case you are wondering, “Pueblo Atenas” and its county called “Canton Atenas” is in the Central Valley of Costa Rica about an hour and a half from the Capital, San Jose. It is a coffee and sugar cane farming town of about 8,000 people while the canton has 25,000, thus many more live away from the main town. A lot of expats from the United States, Canada and Europe live here, more in the canton than the town. Rich Americans have built big luxurious homes out in the country nearby and do grocery shopping in town or other nearby supermarkets and big box stores around Alajuela and in other suburbs this side of San Jose. Because I have no car and walk most places, I prefer to live in town.    🙂

¡Pura Vida!

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Whirlabout

Though that sounds like me over the last few days and in the coming days, it is actually the name of a butterfly, Whirlabout, Polites vibex, and here are two photos of one recently in my garden.

Whirlabout, Atenas, Costa Rica
Whirlabout, Atenas, Costa Rica.

And what have I been so busy about? Well, several things . . .

Continue reading “Whirlabout”

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Maquenque Trip Gallery Created

Finally I have all my photos for the 5 nights in April 2023 at Maquenque Eco Lodge and Reserve including the sub-galleries I’ve already shared. This was another great photo trip to one of my favorite places in Costa Rica with photos of 62 bird species (6 lifers!), 10 butterflies and more than 30 species of other animals! Plus my usual “Nature as Art” photos of everything from flowers to weird leaves and beautiful landscapes. Just this one trip gallery will show you why I am so excited about being “Retired in Costa Rica!” the name of my blog and website. Enjoy the photos! Just click this image:

CLICK this image of this first page of the gallery to go to it.

Or use this address:    https://charliedoggett.smugmug.com/TRIPS/2023-April-9-14-Maquenque-Ecolodge

¡Pura Vida!

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Positive Stories for EARTH DAY!

I’m nearly finished reading the Kindle version of the book Our Better Nature: Hopeful Excursions in Saving Biodiversity Amazon link.

It is a collection of positive stories of what both individuals and organizations are doing to help reclaim the earth that we as humans are currently killing. It is mostly about actions in Vermont where the compiler lives, but all is applicable to anywhere else in the world. It reminded me of the many good things being done here in Costa Rica to plant trees, save forests and prepare for our grandchildren’s future. We can all at least plant a tree!  🙂

¡Pura Vida!

 

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Rio Tres Amigos Safari

My 4th time at Maquenque Ecolodge, but first time to go on this particular float trip (their web description link) though I’ve canoed their lake and been on the bigger river, San Carlos, in a larger boat. The only reason I’ve missed this one is that they require a minimum of 2 paying customers and I travel solo! 🙂 This was the first time there were other guests interested in this same float trip to make up the minimum with me. They were a lovely couple from Europe, he Italian and she Swiss! We had a great time together and I got a lot of photos which is right now the only part of my Maquenque Trip Gallery that is completed. So you can see more photos at Rio Tres Amigos Safari GALLERY.   🙂

And note that the only wildlife (The cow doesn’t count!) that I show in this post is one bird, but it’s a rare photo of a female Sunbittern sitting on her nest! In earlier blog posts I’ve shown you 3 animals from this safari:  Crested Caracara, Green Iguana and Mantled Howler Monkey, yet there are still many more in the above gallery including 12 species of birds!  🙂  And here are 6 shots to give you an idea of what just one morning at Maquenque can be like!  🙂  Still my favorite lodge!

A fresh fruit & water break along the Rio Tres Amigos, Costa Rica.

Continue reading “Rio Tres Amigos Safari”

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Tennessee Visitors Yesterday

One of my many breaks from sorting and processing photos from my Maquenque visit last week was to make a doctor visit in San Jose yesterday, then have my driver to take me to a hotel to greet friends who were in the Nashville Photography Club with me “way back when.” Charlie and Ellen, who now live in Cookeville, TN and their traveling friend Cynthia. They came early for an extra day in San Jose before their two-week nature tour of Costa Rica begins. We had lunch at our famous 19th Century National Theater and walked through the Central Mercado, a city park and the Metropolitan Cathedral. Here’s 3 cell phone shots of their stop in San Jose.

Charles, Ellen and Cynthia in front of the National Theater of Costa Rica.
“The Flutist” Statue in front of the National Theater in San Jose, Costa Rica.
Pope John Paul II statue at Metropolitan Cathedral in San Jose, Costa Rica by celebrated Costa Rican sculptor Jorge Jiménez Deredia who has a piece at the Vatican.

It is always nice to have visitors from the states to stop by either my home in Atenas or to let me greet them at the airport or at a stop on their tour. Now I get back to sorting and processing so many photos from the Maquenque Lodge & Reserve where it is looking like a new record on the number of bird species I photographed there, possibly 68!  🙂  More from Maquenque tomorrow!

¡Pura Vida!

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Tree Planting

The only way we are going to save the earth for future generation is by “rewilding” or creating “new” old growth forests of about 50% of the globe by planting more trees. Yesterday I did one tiny part of that by planting an Almond Tree here at Maquenque, where they hope to reintroduce the endangered Green Macaws that eat mostly almonds! And soon they will add nesting boxes to replace the big old trees with nesting holes, one of several reasons they are endangered. It will be a few years before my little baby Almond Tree will feed Macaws, but we have to plan for the future! And that is symbolized by Vicky’s (lodge manager’s) children standing with me in the second photo.

Plus Maquenque does have a few grown Almond Trees here already, “los almendros.” But very few macaws on the ground now, mostly flying overhead as in the third photo below. Plus, since they are located north-central, close to the continental divide, they can have both Green Macaws (Caribbean Slope which they are on) and some Scarlet Macaws (from  the Pacific Slope). The Scarlets evidently fly over the Continental Divide which is not high mountains here in the lowlands. Scarlet Macaws are not as endangered as the green but are near-endangered because of habitat loss.

Charlie Doggett with the baby Almond Tree he helped plant at Maquenque Ecolodge & Reserve, Boca Tapada, Costa Rica, April 13, 2023.

Continue reading “Tree Planting”

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Today is National Grilled Cheese Day!

Another fun and silly holiday from an article in the Washington Post  —  April 12 – National Grilled Cheese Day!  And  maybe I will make my favorite combination of Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwich (just like Mom used to make)!  🙂

Half the fun of eating a grilled cheese is slowly pulling apart the halves to watch strings of the gooey cheese stretch and finally break. You may appreciate that cheesy reveal even more if you make it yourself. Ask an adult to help you master this lunchtime classic.

April 12 – Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day!

¡Pura Vida!

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Rejoice!

A view of our tranquil little farm town from a hill in my neighborhood.
Plants up the driveway from my house that said “resurrection” to me.
One of the most joyful flowers in my garden, to me, the Flame Vine or Triquitraque here,

He has risen!

He has risen indeed!

¡Pura Vida!

For a few shots of old Traditional Easter Pageantry, see the trip gallery of my 2016 Visit to Granada, Nicaragua Easter Week, called “Semana Santa” en español.

PERSONAL NOTE: Tonight I will be at one of my favorite nature lodges, Maquenque Ecolodge in Boca Tapada on the Nicaragua border from which you can expect weeks of nature photos and maybe one tonight!   🙂