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| New at one end of the skateboard ramp in Sports Park I don’t know the new cartoon characters, so this one unknown! It seems to be a good fit with the Primary School across the street. |
New Graffiti Art in Sports Park
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| I watched teenagers painting on it one day and a week later it was done! Parque deportivo (Sports Park) Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| I think it is an amazing work of art! Thanks to the youth of Atenas! And a little closer! Both are cell phone photos, as most of my photos from walks in town. Atenas, Costa Rica |
I assume that maybe art classes in one of the two public high schools is doing all of these quality murals around town. This particular park is a hangout for kids of all ages, so very appropriate here!
See also my Atenas Public Art & Graffiti Photo Gallery
Every artist dips his brush in his own soul,
and paints his own nature into his pictures.
~Henry Ward Beecher
Goodbye to a Good Friend
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| Garden Art by Anthony |
This morning at about 4:00 I said goodbye to my next door neighbor Anthony who has been a special friend this last year, as he was when he lived on the other side of me during my first few months in this house (before he traveled to Spain & Morocco for 9 months). He is the single artist guy, about 8 years younger than me, who is still driven to create. He did my garden art sculpture I’ve shown before and a painting I promised not to publish. You will have to visit me to see it – another contemporary bird!
Though Costa Rica is a great atmosphere for creativity, it is not the easiest place to get lots of different art supplies, especially for his clay and tile work. So he is moving back to the states, not to his native Indiana, but to an art community in Chicago where he can get everything he needs to create including many customers which he also needs at this particular point in his life. And he plans to take classes in a world renowned tile art school there. So I wish Anthony the best of life in lakeside Chicago and a fabulous new career as an artist in the states.
The house he was in, next door in this same compound, has already been rented and soon I will meet my new neighbor and see what adventures that will bring! And very soon I could be greeting a new landlord, as the whole compound is for sale. I met one lovely couple moving here from Houston who are considering the purchase. They are originally from Louisiana and we hit it off when they visited as “fellow southerners.” It seems that people know immediately when I speak that I’m from “The South.” Wonder why?
We will see what happens. My current French Canadian landlords will still be in Atenas part time in a smaller house, with their main house being built on a Pacific Coast beach north of Jaco. And the now vacant house on the other side of me (Richard’s casita) has a couple moving in for two months that I met through my blog and the local evangelical church, Iglesia Biblical. Change is maybe the most consistent part of life! And it always brings new experiences and new friends! Pura vida! 🙂
-o-
The Greatest Threat to the Church Isn’t Islam – It’s Us
Hoping non-subscribers to Christianity Today can get to this linked article by a Nigerian Christian. In many ways Africa is where Christianity is strongest today and there are many things Americans could learn from our African brethren! This article is a good example.
Pre-parade Dancing is Most Colorful!
In some ways this was my favorite part of the parade today because it was so colorful and new! We did not have this during the last two years’ parades. I love latin music and dance and the color! Nice!
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| Music is the best cure for a sorrowing mind. Latin Proverb |
Christmas in March?
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| On one of my two walks to town today, I snapped these with my phone. You do know that the red of Poinsettias is actually leaves & not flowers? |
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| Yes. Poinsettias grow in yards here and in different months. I’ve seen them in February & March now. |
See my Photo Gallery called Flora & Forests
More of San Jose: Public Art
Well, the capital city was interesting even with seeing on a small portion, but that is all the photos for now and I’m ready to get back to nature, enough of this city stuff! And I’ve got a good photo to share tomorrow, shot right here in my own garden, by best shot yet of one particular species. See ya’ tomorrow!
See also my Photo Gallery on San Jose
Day 2 San Jose, Churches & Lost Phone
EXPLORING THE CONCRETE JUNGLE!
DAY 2
Churches in the order seen, walking 6+ km, found only 6.
If door unlocked or even cracked open (1st one) I shot inside.
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| Iglesia de Barrio Mexico San Jose, Costa Rica |
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| Iglesia de Barrio Mexico Inside San Jose, Costa Rica |
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| Iglesia de la Merced San Jose, Costa Rica |
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| First Baptist Church San Jose, Costa Rica |
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| El Carmen Iglesia San Jose, Costa Rica |
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| El Carmen Iglesia San Jose, Costa Rica |
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| El Carmen Iglesia San Jose, Costa Rica |
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| Catedral Metropolitana San Jose, Costa Rica |
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| Catedral Metropolitana San Jose, Costa Rica |
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| Parroquia Nuestra Senora De La Dolorosa San Jose, Costa Rica |
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| Parroquia Nuestra Senora De La Dolorosa San Jose, Costa Rica |
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| Iglesia de la Soledad San Jose, Costa Rica |
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| Iglesia de la Soledad San Jose, Costa Rica |
With some backtracking this was probably more than 6 kilometers of walking on the hot sidewalk and even with good shoes and two pair of socks, my feet were hot when I returned. I also photographed some other beautiful old building and one colorful modern art painted building. I will share these another day and maybe some people or other shots. Now I collapse. Tired.
THE BAD NEWS: I LOST MY CELLPHONE TODAY.
I had it in my pocket at breakfast and I thought when I got in the taxi to go to the furthermost church to start the walk back. After photographing the church with my camera I reached for my cellphone and it was not there. I was going to use a new guided tour app on it. That didn’t happen! Fortunately I had printed the map from the app and followed it (but still missed 2 churches). Over the next three hours I asked 6 different people (police, taxistas, and a hotel clerk) to call my number, hoping someone would answer. Nada! Finally I had the hotel clerk call Kolbi/ICE who has my phone contract and I canceled it temporarily. They said that when I get a new phone I can reinstate the same phone number. I’m guessing it slid out of my pocket in the taxi this morning, but who knows? Some Tico today got a very good Samsung Galaxy 4 cellphone. Now do I get another good one or just a cheap one? Kolbi is not open in Atenas until Monday morning for the contract, though I could buy a phone somewhere else before then. So time to think about it! Cry. Cry. Then move on! That’s life! Pura Vida!
My Photo Gallery of Costa Rica Churches has more church photos if interested, and the San Jose gallery has more photos of San Jose.
Christmas Day Wildlife Photos
The 6 AM Bird Walk had a different guide, Ronald, and a lot more birds today! Of course most photos are on my SLR camera, but the guide used my phone on his spotting scope for the next three photos below. I have some better ones on my real camera. All the guides here are provided by the Selva Verde Lodge, at a reasonable extra cost or in my case as part of a “Birding Package.”
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| Snowy Cotinga (A first sighting for me) By Nature Guide Ronald on my phone through his spotting scope Selva Verde Lodge, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica |
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| Yellow-throated Toucan (formerly Chestnut or Black-mandibled Toucan) By Nature Guide Ronald on my phone through his spotting scope Selva Verde Lodge, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica |
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| Mantled Howler Monkey By Nature Guide Ronald on my phone through his spotting scope Selva Verde Lodge, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica And I haven’t mentioned that I hear them often in the forest here. |
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| Nature Guide Ronald at the front entrance to Selva Verde before we cross the road for birds in a botanical garden. |
Then, late morning I got out of our lodge reserve to visit Dave & Dave’s Nature Pavilion which several people had recommended. It is basically a lot of different kinds of feeders on the edge of a thick secondary rainforest with a lot of birds. It provided me with some good close-ups and of a few new birds. So it was worth the 10 km drive down the highway. The father-son project has a great story behind it but I will let you read about it on their website at Dave & Dave’s.
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| More hummingbirds than I’ve seen almost anywhere else. Some eating out of that heliconia flower. Dave & Dave’s Nature Pavilion, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica |
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| There was a group of German photographers there with their big lenses. Dave & Dave’s Nature Pavilion, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica |
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| Dave Senior putting out more fruit for the birds. Dave & Dave’s Nature Pavilion, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica |
Tonight I am going on the “Night Hike” and hope to get another good shot of a red-eyed tree frog. We will see. Animals are unpredictable. The restaurant has had this Christmas tree up since I’ve been here and they play Christmas music.
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| Christmas Tree Selva Verde Lodge Restaurant #1 Sarapiqui, Costa Rica |
Tomorrow I’ve scheduled an early morning boat trip, Guide Evan is going with me. And oh yes, in the rainforest there are still afternoon showers, even in the Dry Season. A shot from my room this afternoon during the short shower to keep everything watered! 🙂
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| Rain seen from Riverside Room 45, Selva Verde Lodge, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica |
¡Pura Vida!
And all these photos were made on my cell phone!
Merry Christmas Day! ~Charlie
Arbolitos de Pajaros
My “Little Christmas Tree” or Arbolitos de Navidad is actually a “Little Tree of Birds” or Arbolitos de Pajaros. Here is a so-so cell-phone photo of the tree now that I have received the additional bird ornaments I ordered from Guatemala and Peru. I earlier showed you 4 of the ornaments I got here in Costa Rica and called them Animales Fantasticos. Click to see them again. Today I will show some of the ornaments made of gourds from both Guatemala and Peru. More close-ups later.
Animales Fantasticos!
I saw the first Harry Potter prequel today, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Animales Fantasticos) and of course you find them in Costa Rica! 🙂
And I also picked up an old dead branch along the road, lightly sprayed with gold paint, and put it in a vase of rocks for my árbolito de navidad (little Christmas Tree) this year and will decorate it with hand-crafted artisan birds. Here’s 4 of the first ones added. There will be more Fantastic Beasts! 🙂
And yes, Costa Rica is into Christmas decorations and the whole celebration in a big way! Every store is heavily decorated and the malls have three story tall Christmas Trees.