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Or it seems that I will do anything for one! 🙂 That is why I like going to the nature lodges where you can get closer to such colorful birds. Well, here are my step by step procedures for one of those many that come near my house (plus waiting for a blue sky!) 🙂 . . .
Continue reading “Anything for a Parrot Pix!”
In this small, Latin American farming town (and somewhat Expat Retirement town), the young Ticos are having an impact on the future “look” of things which I think is symbolized in this modern bicycle rack at the new Banco Popular building here in Atenas, as it was earlier shown by the contemporary architecture of the remodeled Central Park and the contemporary new small houses being built here now with lots of glass. But I see the bike rack as the “symbol” and I was reminded of similar bike racks installed in Nashville in 2010 when I lived downtown there. (& that’s my bike in some of those photos!) 🙂 I don’t ride a bike here because the streets are so narrow that it would be too dangerous for this clumsy old man! Plus lots of steep hills! 🙂 But here, walking is just as good and healthy! 🙂
The two main banks in Costa Rica are Banco Nacional (my bank) and Banco de Costa Rica with the third, smaller national bank being Banco Popular that tries to compete by offering lower fees/rates for their services, making it “popular” with the young Ticos who, as the young everywhere, are challenged with the high cost of everything on their younger, lower incomes. And though it is two blocks further from the Central Park than their old location, it is their own building now and they built it next door to two popular young adult hangouts, a big gymnasium and a Foodmart, plus close to the Atenas public health clinic. Are we looking at the future?
¡Pura Vida!
It takes me a while to process the many photos I usually take and then label and get into galleries – but it is done! for the November 10 & 17-22 Visit by the Gary Eaton’s. Linked to the gallery or click on the image of first page below . . .
I placed it in my “CR TRIP GALLERIES” because it was their trip and much like a trip for me with a variety of photos, many of which are okay even if not my best! 🙂 After all, I had cancer surgery on my nose in the middle that week and was dealing with feet & leg inflammation from the new blood pressure medicine, but in spite of all that, I had great time Gary & Kenna! And I hope you are able to return to Costa Rica in the future to see other areas and different National Parks! I love it all! 🙂
¡Pura Vida!
Becoming world famous for hikers is the coast to coast (Atlantic to Pacific) hiking trail titled El Camino de Costa Rica (WEBSITE link), a 280 kilometer hike through forests, mountains, farms and small villages with many suggested overnight stays in homes, camping or even a few luxury hotels nearby. 🙂
The Africanized Honeybee, Apis mellifera (Wikipedia article link), was introduced from East Africa into Brazil and it migrated north throughout Central American and into Texas. I’m pretty sure of this ID and that is what Google Lens called it. Photographed on a wildflower along the beach road, Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limón, Costa Rica.
All of the bees I’ve photographed in Costa Rica are in a general Bees Gallery, with several species and most unidentified so far. 🙂 They were photographed before Google Lens! 🙂
¡Pura Vida!
Yesterday morning, just before leaving the Caribe, I was excited to have photographed two different hawks, one, I knew for sure, was a Common Black Hawk, Buteogallus anthracinus (my gallery link), but I had to wait until later to identify the brown one. Well, I should have known! But just haven’t been photographing many birds for a long time and didn’t remember that the juvenile Black Hawk is brown & speckled like this.
They were about 50+ meters apart, but both along the beach road, and I’m guessing that the adult was his Mom or Dad (probably Mom) and she seems to be holding something in her claw, like some food in case Junior doesn’t catch his breakfast in the marshy woods. 🙂 That is just like some of these Costa Rican moms who spoil their sons! 🙂 Here’s pix of Mom (or Dad) first and then the son (or daughter) . . .
¡Pura Vida!
Back in 2014 when I took the “Live in costa Rica Tour,” one of the other participants, John, was the only other one of us from Tennessee and on top of that, from Williamson County, a suburb of Nashville where I had lived more than 30 years, but we never knew each other back then (different circles of friends). He earns his income from rental property in Tennessee and the Dominican Republic and wanted some here too, before retiring and moving here. The time has come!
He later came here and stayed at my house while looking at income-producing rental properties to buy and I even went to one beach area with him to check out getting one there too, but he decided no (too expensive!), though he did buy a condo here in Atenas very near Roca Verde where I live. It stayed rented until he recently sold it and bought a house up the hill from me here in Roca Verde that he is going to “fix up” and move here with his wife and two kids. Soon, he hopes!
They all arrived yesterday from Nashville and are staying in Hotel Colinas del Sol, just 3 blocks from me! So I’m going down there to have breakfast with them this morning, answering a lot of questions, talking to their kids about nature spots here, etc. 🙂
They will of course visit their future home, but also must meet with a lawyer in San Jose on their residency paperwork and work with someone on the remodeling of the house, plus many other nitty-gritty things for such a life change! 🙂
A busy week for them and it happens to be a busy day today for me with breakfast at 7, my spanish class at 9, grocery shopping, then work on tomorrow’s blog post! Plus continue to process hundreds of photos from the Caribe Sur trip! So I can share with you! 🙂
¡Pura Vida!
There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but Nature more,
From these our interviews, in which I steal
From all I may be, or have been before,
To mingle with the Universe, and feel
What I can ne’er express, yet cannot all conceal.
– Lord George Gordon Byron, 1813
9 more photos below . . .
Continue reading “There is a pleasure in the pathless woods”
“To Bee or Not to Bee?” may be his question, as the most necessary pollinator in the world and becoming an endangered or extinct species in some parts of the world. I had fun capturing different views of this one on a wildflower in my garden. For many different species here in Costa Rica, see my Bees Gallery. And below this intro pix is a gallery of 5 images I liked from this nature moment . . .
Well, sometimes I think they are all “juvenile” in their behavior, chirping at night sometimes and leaving their distinctive gecko poop around the house, but then, on the other hand, they are heroes! They are my best “pest control” and maybe why Costa Rica does not have a mosquito problem or mosquito-borne diseases like dengue fever plaguing other parts of Central America right now. This is a younger one with full grown nearly twice this size, though I’ve seen much smaller or literally baby geckos less than half this size. 🙂
My House Gecko GALLERY with only 3 so far. Not one of my priorities! 🙂
¡Pura Vida!
June 6-8, 2024 15% OFF flash sale on my photo books with the Discount Code JUNEFLASH15. Go to my bookstore at https://www.blurb.com/user/cdoggett.
and with 3 new moth species for me and at least one new butterfly species. First, to see them all in the sub-gallery of my developing trip gallery, go to Arenal ’24 Butterflies & Moths Gallery with 15 species . . .
Since I did a post on most of these from Arenal, I will let you look for the last minute photos in the gallery! 🙂 Though one is the featured image at top of post of a Hecale Longwing shot on my last morning there. And the birds gallery may take much longer with a lot more photos to sort through! And I think that I’m just getting slower at everything I do now. 🙂
¡Pura Vida!