charliedoggett.net
My profession is to always find God in nature.
– Henry David Thoreau
Good morning Costa Rica! It’s another beautiful day! Here’s today’s sunrise from the beach at Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo, Caribe Sur. And if you like photos of sunrises and sunsets, check out my gallery: Vistas and while I post I’m watching a Gray-cowled Woodrail build a nest just below my terrace. Cool!
“Good morning . . . It will smile at you if you smile at it”
¡Pura Vida!
This morning before going to the organic botanical gardens in Puerto Viejo, I walked a ways down the beach road behind Banana Azul along Playa Negra or Black Beach because of some black volcanic sand in places. Its a forest walk or drive and the trees are as impressive as the beach. Here’s a few shots.
And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.
¡Pura Vida!
I finally got up early enough for sunrise on the beach – wow! I won’t miss anymore! 🙂
Before the sun actually rises may be my favorite time.
¡Pura Vida!
Today is a rainy day but I went ahead and visited the Sloth Sanctuary in Cahuita, Costa Rica and really glad I did! We had light rain the first part of the canoe trip and thus I did not take out my big camera until near the end, missing a lot of birds, but I have all of them from other places and enjoyed someone else paddling the canoe! 🙂
The canoe trip is to see where the sloths live in the wild before we go into the building to see the rescued sloths. We saw howler monkeys & lots of birds but no wild sloths. A VERY EXCELLENT TOUR that I highly recommend to anyone in this area! I sure learned a lot about sloths!
Banana Azul provided transportation to the sanctuary, about 15 minutes away. It is just as good as the Jaguar Rescue Center in Puerto Viejo and the Ara Project Manzanillo I had already visited here in the South Caribbean. I highly recommend all three! They all do great work saving animals and our environment! Part of the culture of Costa Rica! 🙂
🙂
¡Pura Vida!
I know – it is not like “Hyper Charlie” to just sit or lay on a beach for any length of time when there are things to chase with my camera – but I did after deciding to postpone my trip to the Sloth Rescue Center until tomorrow. The hotel is not full (low season) and the big group here went white water rafting today, so only me and one young couple on the beach and one bored young hotel waiter from whom I ordered a Strawberry-Pineapple-Mango Smoothie and talked for an hour or more about birds, sloths, and his old beat up Hyundai. He was glad to have someone to talk with. 🙂
I also read about three chapters in my latest Agatha Christie mystery, so a nice afternoon chilling out, watching the ocean and I even got these photos! 🙂
Now it is raining again and so refreshing . . . as I sit on my big deck with my computer! Next is a great dinner tonight! 🙂
- An ocean breeze puts a mind at ease. …
¡Pura Vida!
These 4 species of birds were finding their breakfast as I ate mine on the patio of Hotel Banana Azul in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica this morning. How fortunate I am to live and travel in such a beautiful, peaceful little country! ¡Pura Vida!
“The sky’s gone blue: azure, the ocean bluer: cerulean, the trees are swirls of every hella freaking green on earth and bright thick eggy yellow is spilling over everything.”
― I’ll Give You the Sun
🙂
¡Pura Vida!
I guess this is becoming typical of me, too many photos the first day of a trip. There just seems to be so many photo possibilities that I can’t stop. To not look overwhelming, I’ve grouped them into slideshows. Pick the one that interests you! 🙂
¡Pura Vida!
“When the destination becomes gracious, the journey becomes an adventure of beauty.”
-John O’Donohue
One week from today I return to the Costa Rica South Caribbean (Atlantic Coast South of Limón) for my 5th trip there, not counting 3 other visits to the North Caribbean (North of Limón or Tortuguero NP).
I’ve been “mulling over” (That’s a late 1800’s English idiom meaning “to think about” or “to ponder.”) what my 
photography focus would be this time (see previous focuses below–mainly birds!). I originally thought I was going during Carnival week, but got the dates confused (It’s the last week of October not August) so Carnival is no longer the theme for my photos and ultimately a photo book. 🙂 Here’s my previous South Caribe galleries & books:
Browsing Blurb’s Bookstore travel and art photography books (for ideas) I came across the above quotation by John O’Donohue in a book and decided next week’s destination is such a “gracious” place (both the Hotel Banana Azul and the Caribe) that the friendly, loving, kind graciousness of the place will make it truly an “adventure of beauty!” So now my mind is running in a thousand directions of how I can photograph that gracious beauty!
Of course there’s the beauty of nature as my sunrise photo above from another year depicts. The graciousness of the people there presents opportunities for grand portraits or activity shots. While the graciousness of the sea, or the forest, or the wildlife, or the plants . . . oh my, oh my – the destination becomes so gracious!
Soon I start my next adventure of beauty! ¡Pura Vida! 🙂
I arise today Blessed by all things, Wings of breath, Delight of eyes, Wonder of whisper, Intimacy of touch, Eternity of soul, Urgency of thought, Miracle of health, Embrace of God. May I live this day Compassionate of heart, Clear in word, Gracious in awareness, Courageous in thought, Generous in love.”
~John O’Donohue
¡Pura Vida!
I usually use my 600mm zoom lens to zoom in on a bird far away, but with no birds around this morning I was attracted by the bright red or red-orange blooms of the African Tulip Tree on the hill above me. Here’s 3 levels of zooming, 2 with my cell phone and one with the Canon camera and 600mm lens.
This is not a native tree to Costa Rica but an import from Africa that grows very well here and adds a lot of color. There is another one by the entrance gate to our development. Read about them at Wikipedia, or Pacific Horticulture Society, or the Gardening Know How website among many other online articles on this interesting tree which evidently will grow in the warmer climates of the southern states. .
And in my Flora & Forest gallery:
A better shot 3 years ago of neighbor’s tree
Close-up of the one at front gate
Or see Three Other Blog Posts on the African Tulip Tree – I must like it to write about it so much! 🙂
You must not know too much or be too precise or scientific about birds and trees and flowers and watercraft; a certain free-margin , or even vagueness – ignorance, credulity – helps your enjoyment of these things.
🙂
¡Pura Vida!
The Rusty-tipped Page (Siproeta epaphus) was a new butterfly for me last Christmas in Manuel Antonio and today was my second time to see one, right here in my own garden! (These photos made after breakfast on my terrace this morning.)
See my other photos of him in my gallery or if you want more information about this species, see the excellent Wikipedia article or an article on Butterflies and Moths of North America, though rarely seen even in the southern portions of North America above Mexico.
It is basically a year-around Central American butterfly with a few getting into northern South America and southern North America, though they are readily in Mexico which I think is technically North America. 🙂 A very beautiful and interesting butterfly that the websites say is common here, though I’ve seen it only twice now.
Just living is not enough,” said the butterfly, “one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower.
See also my photo gallery Butterflies & Moths of Costa Rica
¡Pura Vida!