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| Toronjas Rellenas (Stuffed Grapefruits) In the front of their house they sell muy rica (very rich) stuffed grapefruit. Grapefruit is cooked in sugar to make it candied, then stuffed with cream cheese Delicious! Atenas, Costa Rica |
See also the photo gallery: Home Business Signs – Atenas
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| I circled in red what he is talking about in yesterday’s photo. Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| And zoomed in on it for a closer look. It is something every house is suppose to have, cesto de basura or trash basket like your garbage can in the states. You put your trash bags in here for pickup and they only pick up bags. Anything not in a bag will be left, even boxes! Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Here is my trash basket along the street by our gate. 3 houses in our compound use it. Size and color is up to you, but metal required and off the ground to avoid dogs, iguanas, etc. And everything must be in a bag to be picked up! There is a recycling center here, but without a car, not accessible or used much. Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Su Espacio where I study Spanish 3rd location is in home of owners Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Home of David & Corinna & location of language classes Near public library & police station downtown Atenas, Costa Rica |
It was difficult for them to pay rent for a house in the country and a storefront in town plus riding bus to town daily, so by moving to town to a large-enough house they can live and work in the same location with just one rent. They have one room as a classroom and could have additional classes at same time in their living room and on their covered terrace, so very practical.
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| Auto Decorations? Of course this image makes you think of your car. And adding decorations, audio, alarms, etc. 🙂 Atenas, Costa Rica |
Across the street from the Sports Park one young man runs a business out of his garage or more likely out of his parents’ garage. And every morning he carries this portable sign out to the curb to attract other young men fortunate enough to have a car (not many). He basically adds unnecessary accessories to your car, I guess to attract women like this. Interesting home business.
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| Before he gets up and puts the girl out, his closed business. Atenas, Costa Rica |
I’m growing a new photo gallery: Home Business Signs – Atenas
This blog was originally for friends and family with hopes that a few who are considering retirement in Costa Rica might find it and learn a little bit. Well, one of those is Ed Fair, a professor of law at the University of Texas in Austin and a bigger birder than me. Thus we met through him reading the blog and contacting me and we have corresponded off and on. He wants to retire here maybe next year and do the same sort of things I do He is here now for 6 weeks with two week-long birding trips planned and checking out what it is like to live here. That’s interesting but not the miracle yet.
Tuesday I gave Ed a walking tour of Central Atenas and we had breakfast in a little Tico Soda. He was carrying his camera in his hands rather than his backpack and when he missed it later we both thought he left it in the little soda. But alas, when we went back it was not there. (He didn’t leave it there but on sidewalk wall in front of a shoe store we later learned.) Ed was numb and sad and the loss of his one camera was going to affect his birding experience and he wasn’t sure he wanted to buy one here. I of course told him about losing 3 cameras in Puntarenas.
We went our own ways yesterday (Wed) and had planned to ride a bus to the beautiful vista restaurant La Casita del Cafe up a mountain outside Atenas. We missed one bus and after an hour and a half wait on another one we gave up and called a taxi, and were later getting there than intended (providential?).
Seated at the bar overlooking the vista was a young American couple we started talking with who lived nearby in Barrio Jesus and just came at this time to get away from their 10 & 15 year old boys for a cappuccino. Earlier we would have missed them. He works over the internet and can live anywhere and chose here. In all the things we talked about, somehow photos came up and Ed commented, “Well, since I just lost my camera, I won’t have many photos this trip.” And Walter casually responded, “Oh don’t worry Ed, I have your camera at my house.” Ed and I were stunned. Walter then asked Ed if he has a daughter or granddaughter named Ashley and of course he did. (Camera had folder of photos labeled Ashley) Then he asked Ed if he took a lot of bird photos? Bingo! It had to be Ed’s lost camera. Walter was advertising it as found on multiple Atenas Facebook groups, hoping he would find the owner. But none of us expected this little miracle meeting! Praise God!
We road in their car with them to their house and got his camera and admired their house with a big yard. Then walked down the highway to Jalapeno Restaurant for a taxi back to Atenas central. Now the chances that we would meet the way we did with the person who found his camera has to be a one in a million kind of miracle! Guardian angels? Sorry I can’t say it is an answer to my prayer because I did not pray for it to be returned. I even told him he would never see it again. Oh me of little faith!
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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!
Every artist dips his brush in his own soul,
and paints his own nature into his pictures.
~Henry Ward Beecher
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| It is not every day, but I do see both wagons and carriages in town occasionally. And even more so, guys/girls riding horses. Safer than motorcycles! 🙂 Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| In yesterday’s effort to be descriptive, this is the coffee shop mentioned. That’s my empty cup next to the coffee-maker on my table. La Cafetería (The Coffee Shop) Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| And my sidewalk cafe view of Central Park across the street. Atenas, Costa Rica |
Just another quiet Saturday morning in a little coffee-farming town in central Costa Rica.
My idea of Retired in Costa Rica, THIS BLOG
quiet
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| A view of Roca Verde just before I begin the descent down a hill to our main entrance. Above is some of my neighbors in Atenas, Costa Rica |
(Sort of like Ernest Hemingway would describe it)
I leave the modern Banco Nacional (the only place I visit with air conditioning), crossing the street between two red taxis as they wait out front for customers, one of two red taxi stands in central Atenas. The other colors of taxis are not legally registered with the government and don’t have taxi stands, you just have to call them. As I step into the shade of mango trees in Central Park, I’m careful not to step on a rotting mango on the sidewalk and try to avoid staring at the teenage couple kissing on a park bench. The next park bench has a couple with small child and though less romantic, seem happy and peaceful in their little rural piece of tranquility. The second sidewalk to the right is where the old men sit and talk all morning and parrots gather in the treetops chattering away, while straight ahead the diagonal sidewalk takes me to the opposite corner of the park from the bank where a little corner “cafeteria,” or “sidewalk cafe” (for westerners), sits on the only corner not occupied by the stately courthouse, the imposing Catholic Church or the park. A great spot to be!
And if you are wondering about this descriptive writing I am attempting, it is motivated by one of the books I am currently reading, the first novel written by Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises. I will never be able to write descriptions of my surroundings like Hemingway, but it was fun to try. 🙂 I will probably stick to mostly photo captions in the future on this blog, but I am enjoying reading Hemingway again and will probably read some more of him in between my Agatha Christie mysteries and an occasional serious book and my effort to go back to reading more classics. Books give you a lot more choices than TV or movies! And more quality!
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| A team of 6 young men come every two weeks to cut grass, edge beds, weed, and trim shrubs, flowers or trees as needed. 6 guys swooping over my yard in two hours. Neat! And just $50! This is Cristian in my garden, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| They save my back and other potential aches and pains as well as time, and they do it fast and very well. I am fortunate! And they are my friends! This is Alfredo in my garden, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| My back garden is still the centerpiece, but the whole yard is a garden! I love living here among the tropical plants with doors/windows always open! Atenas, Costa Rica |
My gardeners were here today and halfway through their work we sat down together on my terraza as they call it (my tiled deck) or patio for water, root beer and cookies, chatting in Spanish with my limited understanding but great enjoyment! In addition to the regular chores, they climbed up my Nance Tree and trimmed out the top with a machete. It had grown so much that I had lost nearly half my vista which is now opened up. They had already done that to the Yellow Bells Trees on the left and they too will need it again soon it appears. And in two weeks they are going to plant an Elephant Ears plant in my back garden where something else died. What a joy to have gardeners!
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| Tree-trimming opened up a view that was decreasing rapidly. Probably an annual chore now. Atenas, Costa rica (on a cloudy day) |
