Category: Nature

My profession is to always find God in nature.

– Henry David Thoreau

Posted on

Sunrise at Drake Bay

Sunrise from my cabin at Aguila Inn
Drake Bay, Costa Rica
You generally awake early here with 5 am sunrise, birds singing and today howler monkeys! Three of us guests had a 5:30 am two-hour birding walk down the bay to town of Drake Bay, up in the hills, and back to lodge for 8 am breakfast. A good morning, seeing a lot of birds, though my only camera is the cellphone, which means not as many photos. My camera has been in a bag of rice for two days, and still doesn’t work, so it may not be humidity. Just don’t know. 
Relaxing around the lodge the rest of today with maybe a walk through forest. I’m posting this in the morning today, Friday, my last full day here. Tomorrow a relaxed morning here and a 2 pm flight back to San Jose and home by 4!
I highly recommend Aguila de Osa Inn! Relaxing place, fantastic food, great tours and other possible activities.

My TRIPS Photo Gallery on this Drake Bay Trip

About Corcovado National Park (Wikipedia)  and  About Drake Bay (Wikipedia)
Posted on

Hiking Corcovado Rainforest Today

Rainforest Meets Pacific Ocean
Corcovdo National Park, Costa Rica

A big gourmet breakfast and off by 6:30 by boat to San Pedrillo Ranger Station by boat in the rain through some pretty big swells along the Pacific coast – about 30 minutes and another wet landing in the surf and knee-deep wading to shore. We hiked three trails including part of the beach above seeing an unbelievable number of tree species and other cool plants, many animals and two new birds for me. We also saw a beautiful waterfall that I will show later. Then another rough boat ride back after our sandwich lunch, but no more rain! But it is cloudy and I do expect rain tonight.

I’m already worn out and have another boat trip tomorrow to the little island nearby where we will snorkle the coral reef and maybe see some wildlife on the island. Bumped my head on a low hanging tree limb today that brought a little blood, but I have Neosporin and the salt water tormorrow might help it heal even faster.

About Corcovado National Park (Wikipedia)  and  About Drake Bay (Wikipedia)


And Aguila de Osa Inn

My TRIPS Photo Gallery on this Drake Bay Trip

See also my Pacific Coast Flora & Forests photo gallery


Posted on

Orange Yellow Haiku & Next Week Plans

Still playing around with Haiku!  And my garden!   🙂  
-o-
Tomorrow is the annual oxcart parade in Atenas. I plan to be there again and post a few photos from it tomorrow night.

-o-

http://www.greentiquehotels.com/

NEXT WEEK:
Then Monday morning I plan to take off for Corcovado National Park (largest rainforest preserve in Central America) & Drake Bay for 6 days of nature adventure & photography. I will have three trips into the park and one to an island out in this bay of the Pacific. I’m ready!

And I’m staying in what looks like a really nice lodge, Aguila de Osa Rainforest Lodge with all meals included and all trips/guides pre-scheduled. This is going to be one of my better trips!  🙂  Boat & hiking in the rainforest, explore a little tropical island, snorkle in the Pacific, and hopefully photograph a lot of birds!   🙂  I fly down.

http://www.aguiladeosa.com/
¡Pura Vida!
Charlie Doggett
Retired in Costa Rica!
Posted on

Chromatic Ginger Haiku

Red Ginger flower
My Garden, Atenas, Costa Rica

Count it a coincidence that my ex-wife’s nickname was “Ginger.” She died last summer of cancer in Gatesville, Texas. And that she too was chromatically colorful in her own way.  🙂

Photo Gallery of My Home Garden
Link to post About Ginger & Jason just before she died.  
And the announcement of her death: Ginger Is Gone
Some may call it poetic justice that my garden has many of two kinds of flowers called “Ginger,” this Red Ginger and a yellow Shampoo Ginger flower. Only fellow divorcees can understand all the many mixed feelings when something reminds you of your ex, especially after her death. Then life goes on!
Posted on

This Morning in the Garden

White-winged Dove
In My Garden, Atenas, Costa Rica

Blue-gray Tanager 
 In My Garden, Atenas, Costa Rica

In My Garden, Atenas, Costa Rica

In My Garden, Atenas, Costa Rica

In My Garden, Atenas, Costa Rica

In My Garden, Atenas, Costa Rica

In My Garden, Atenas, Costa Rica

In My Garden, Atenas, Costa Rica

In My Garden, Atenas, Costa Rica

One of my favorite things to do is to sleep until I wake up, shower, eat a liesurely breakfast on my terrace admiring flowers and the visiting birds. So, after a busy, early, hard day hiking yesterday, I had one of my relaxed mornings today (23rd) and recorded part of it in the above photos. There were other birds and more flowers, but this is a good sample for today.

Enjoying Retirement in Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!
Posted on

Coffee at the Cathedral

When in Alajuela I often start at McDonald’s for the restroom
and then coffee and sometimes pancakes, eating upstairs
overlooking the Cathedral of Alajuela – all cellphone photos
Alajuela, Costa Rica

And Central Park Alajuela 
 Alajuela, Costa Rica

Pigeons & Grackles often join me on the balcony
Alajuela, Costa Rica

And as I board my bus back to Atenas
A guitar-pickin’ & singing preacher.
Alajuela is interesting!

My Photo Gallery of Alajuela

Posted on

My House Location

My House Location  (Red arrow)
The big orange roof above & to left is my landlord from Montreal.
Little orange to right & down is Anthony of Indiana. Big gray house is Richard from England.
Towards mountains is downtown Atenas, white church steeple seen, top center-right.
I walk this whole valley almost daily, one great advantage of not owning a car!
Life in a rural small town. Pura vida!

Note that it is the end of dry season which is therefore the wildfire season, But we are starting to get some rain. Had a shower early this evening. Happy days are here again! (Rainy Season! May-Nov.)
Note to my relatives in Warren, Arkansas (Where I was born): Atenas is the same size town as Warren with about the same population (6,000 +/-), farming community, county seat, 4 supermarkets, 2 or 3 hardware stores, and only small shops for other needs with a 45 minute drive to Alajuela or hour drive to San Jose for big shopping and hospitals. Small towns are a lot alike around the world! Though we have a different kind of immigrants here than does Warren. Never thought I would be an immigrant in a small farm town! Life is full of surprises! And I did not consciously have this in mine when I chose Atenas. 
Check out the “official” video on Atenas, just 2 1/2 min.
See my photo gallery of Public Art & Graffiti in Atenas

Or the general gallery on Atenas,     or    Walking in Atenas (flowers/trees),

Or the People & Fiestas of Atenas
Posted on

Birds at Tarcoles

Great Egret
Tarcoles River, Costa Rica

Crested Caracara
Tarcoles River, Costa Rica

Yellow-headed Caracara juvenile
Tarcoles River, Costa Rica

Great Blue Heron with catfish
Tarcoles River, Costa Rica

Great Blue Heron finding fish
Tarcoles River, Costa Rica

Roseate Spoonbill
Tarcoles River, Costa Rica

Bare-throated Tiger-Heron
Tarcoles River, Costa Rica

Mangrove Swallow
Tarcoles River, Costa Rica

Tricolored Heron
Tarcoles River, Costa Rica

Green Kingfisher female
Tarcoles River, Costa Rica

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Tarcoles River, Costa Rica

Whimbrel
Tarcoles River, Costa Rica
Tomorrow I will post some photos of other animals and scenery from this trip. And I’ve created a new section of my photo gallery for trips and this is the first trip to get a gallery, though I may still be working on it  when you get there:  2017-13-April Tarcoles Float Trip