Category: Atenas

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Flower on Today’s Walk

Unknown Flower seen on Today’s Walk Downtown
Atenas, Costa Rica

WORLD CUP

Hope everyone is keeping up with Futbol and noticed that Costa Rica is going to the World Cup in Russia and the U.S. is not! (On that chart only the top 4 teams go.) For Central and North America Costa Rica ranks second only to Mexico. Of course a little country is not expected to go real high in the finals with bigger, richer teams like Brazil, England, Spain, France, etc. But what an honor for Costa Rica! I wear my red, white & blue Costa Rica Futbol shirt with pride on game days!

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Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Waiting for his turn at the feeder in my garden
 on a cloudy, rainy day in
 Atenas, Costa Rica 
A family of these Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds have taken over my two feeders, meaning I watch them literally every morning at breakfast, nice, but . . .  also meaning I do not see other varieties of hummingbirds like I used to. I do still get a wide variety of other kinds of birds in the trees.

See my Costa Rica Birds photo gallery.


Sports News:  

  1. Costa Rica qualified for the International Futbol Event in Russia by tying Honduras last night. 
  2. Costa Rica will have 522 persons running in the Chicago Marathon, 3rd largest group from Latin America after Mexico & Brazil and more than some European countries! 
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Rose-throated Becard

Rose-throated Becard female
In my garden, Atenas, Costa Rica

Rose-throated Becard female
In my garden, Atenas, Costa Rica

This is my first sighting of this particular bird, a breakfast treat off my terrace. Not super photos because of shooting between leaves, but fun! And I thank Yeral Jiménez Porras for identifying it by the technical name of Hembra de Pachyramphus aglaiae. “Hembra” is Spanish for “female” in the birding world. The common Spanish name is: El anambé degollado  He identified it for me in just minutes after I posted these photos on the CR Facebook group Asociación Ornitológica de Costa Rica.

See all my Costa Rica Birds photo gallery.

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“I want to touch snow!”

In our conversational English club at the high school yesterday I continued to work on getting them to talk – in English that is! Like most teens, they chatter a lot to each other, but in Spanish! One way is to ask a question and go around the room with their individual answers, in English of course! So . . .

One question yesterday was “What do you want to do in the USA when you get there?” One boy answered: 

“I want to touch snow.”

Remember, these kids have lived their entire lives in a tropical country that does not have snow. They have never seen nor felt it! They will have a good chance to in January in Virginia.  🙂 Another boy, almost copying him, said “I want to do a snowman.” That gave us an opportunity to talk about “do, make or build” as verbs and how used in the states. This is challenging! But fun!  🙂  And I hope a little bit of help to them! They will get more out of their student exchange trip if they can speak some in English.
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Home Business: Corner Grocery

A “Junkier” Corner Grocery (Pulperia)
 than the El Pinguino I showed earlier
Atenas, Costa Rica

Though that is a home to left, I believe the owners live
 behind and to right of store, behind the tree.
Atenas, Costa Rica

Though I occasionally visit or use some of the home businesses, this one has never appealed to me. It just looks too dirty to sell food, though they are sometimes busy! I keep wanting to take them a few gallons of paint to freshen up the place! But continue to just ignore it as I walk by nearly every day.  

Link to my photo gallery of Home Business Signs

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Enjoyed high school kids this afternoon

Every Monday afternoon until early December George and I are helping a group of high school kids practice their English in preparation for their student exchange trip to Virginia in January. It is not easy for them just like Spanish is not easy for me. But practice is the most important thing about learning a language! Today I had them pull a household object or toy dollhouse furniture from a bag and explain what it is and say one sentence using the word, in English of course! Our focus today was the host home they would be staying in for two weeks.

I haven’t felt comfortable photographing them yet. Maybe next week I can share a photo of the group “Club conversacional inglés.” 

Front Entrance to Liceo Atenas

Kids walking home after school
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In the Garden This Morning

Some mornings start out cloudy, but usually not all day.
Atenas, Costa Rica

EXTRA TIDBITS ABOUT COSTA RICA

Teatro Nacional Celebrates 120 Years by Planning Renovation
And I personally will celebrate it by attending a special presentation of “Swan Lake” by the 72 person ballet of Havana, Cuba on October 15.

Read this interesting article on “The Origin of Name Costa Rica AND phrase Pura Vida.”

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Chachalaca & Church

Gray-headed Chachalaca
 Flying over and into my treetops for breakfast today.
 Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica
Central Catholic Church
Atenas, Costa Rica
Central Catholic Church
Atenas, Costa Rica
Parroquia San Rafael Arcángel Atenas
https://www.parroquiasanrafaelatenas.com/

I walk by this beautiful, simple church building almost every day.

WEATHER: I doubt that it makes your news, but we have had some very heavy rains which is normal for late in the rainy season, but this year it has brought some serious flash flooding in parts of the Central Valley and the North Pacific with flooded homes, washed out roads and landslides. Atenas has not been affected. Most damage was in San Jose, Cartago, and parts of the North Pacific. As my photos show, nice weather here with afternoon or early evening showers. Just right for the gardens!  Mejor clima del mundo! The best weather in the world!   🙂   Fortunate!