Category: Atenas

Posted on

Supermarket Christmas & More!

They usually have a nativity, but for now just this tree and laurels around the entrance.

La Coope Supermercado, Atenas
Entrance to my favorite supermarket, La Coope, operated by the local coffee farmers’ cooperative. I try to keep my money local. 🙂 The other big supermarket is “Maxi-Pali,” a Walmart-owned junk store.
View of tree from other side, still in shadows. 🙂

My 2021 Christmas Photos Gallery

¡Feliz Navidad!

How Costa Ricans Celebrate Christmas . . .

The family that does “Two Weeks in Costa Rica” blog/newsletter has an article about what Ticos do during the holidays which is also “Summer Vacation” from school for all ages with graduations the middle of December and the start of new school year in February. Thus lots of “family vacations” during this time, especially the week between Christmas and New Years when many businesses and factories, etc are closed. The beaches and mountain lodges are full of Ticos that week! Everything is already festive by December 1 with many decorations up and special meal preparations started. Read about it in the Two Weeks guy’s article:

Christmas And New Years In Costa Rica: A Festive Time (“2 Weeks in CR” Blog Page)

Some of My Earlier Posts on CR Christmas . . .

Attending a Tamale-Making Class en Español 2017

2021 Christmas Photos

This Year’s Mall Christmas Trees 2021 Blog Post

2019 Christmas Trees here

2019 Atenas Christmas Parade

2020 Monkeying Around on Christmas Eve at Arenal Observatory where I will be again next Christmas or 2022. Good lodges like this one are booked solid for Christmas a year ahead. I just made my ’22 reservations.

My Christmas Poinsettias 2019

Birds & Tapir – A Perfect Christmas!

Christmas in Costa Rica 2018 (including a cute TV ad)

Madrigal Renaissance Christmas Banquet 2018 (all expats)

2017 Atenas Christmas Parade – one of the best!

Well . . . too many to list them all! You can do a blog search on “Christmas” for more! 🙂

My Indoor Poinsettia this year.

My 2021 Year in Books Read (Goodreads page).

Merry Christmas! – ¡Feliz Navidad!

¡Pura Vida!

Posted on

My “Hill Walk” Vista

Well, just one of many vistas from the hill above my house, but one of my favorite, the hilltop farm of the local farmers’ university here in Atenas, usually covered in cows. 🙂

Hilltop Farm next door to Roca Verde Residential Community.

And that’s the last photo to share from my “Walk up the Hill!” 🙂 Just 4 more days before I go to a Pacific Coast resort south of here for Christmas where I will do daily “same day” reports on that part of my paradise! 🙂 Happy Holidays!

¡Pura Vida!

Posted on

Man-made Bird?

On my walk up the hill the other morning a couple of little planes flew over and I decided to “capture” the second one in a photo! It is not one of our commercial passenger planes, Sansa Airlines, but some older private plane doing who knows what? 🙂

Plane flying over Atenas.

¡Pura Vida!

Posted on

Tropical Kingbird

This is the last bird I will show from that nice morning walk up my hill with camera in hand! It is the fairly common Tropical Kingbird (eBird description link) and of course I have a lot more photos in my Tropical Kingbird Gallery from 18 different locations in Costa Rica! 🙂

Tropical Kingbird, Atenas, Alajuela Province, Costa Rica

Costa Rica is issuing a new Sloth Postage Stamp. ~Tico Times article 🙂

¡Pura Vida!

Posted on

Gray-headed Chachalaca

The “resident big bird” in Roca Verde neighborhood with a lot of them is the Gray-headed Chachalaca (eBird description link) and you can see some of my many photos from here and other locations in Costa Rica in my Gray-headed Chachalaca Gallery.

Gray-headed Chachalaca, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Continue reading “Gray-headed Chachalaca”
Posted on

The Other Grosbeak on this Walk

Earlier I shared my shots of the Blue Grosbeak female from this same walk up the hill, now a couple of shots of a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak (eBird description link) which doesn’t have the “rose breast” that the male has, and I saw no males of either of these grosbeaks today. You can see my other photos of both male and female in my Rose-breasted Grosbeak Gallery seen earlier here near my house plus at Monteverde and at Xandari Resort Alajuela and as with most birds, the male is more colorful. 🙂

Rose-breasted Grosbeak Female, Atenas, Costa Rica
Continue reading “The Other Grosbeak on this Walk”
Posted on

White-winged Dove

This White-winged Dove (eBird description) is the most common in my neighborhood closely followed by the Inca Dove. Its a beautiful bird and you can see more of my photos of him in my White-winged Dove Gallery from all over Costa Rica!

White-winged Dove, Atenas, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Posted on

African Tulip Tree

There are several African Tulip Trees (Wikipedia Link) in Roca Verde which I have highlighted before with their bright orange flowers, but the one on the hill above me is such a bright spot, it is hard to not keep featuring it! 🙂 Another sign that summer is beginning.

African Tulip Tree
Continue reading “African Tulip Tree”
Posted on

Ruddy Ground-Dove

The last time I photographed a Ruddy Ground-Dove (eBird description link) was in 2014 before I moved here, while on the “Live in Costa Rica Tour” in Dominical. You can see that photo and these 4 from today’s walk in my Ruddy Ground-Dove Gallery.

Continue reading “Ruddy Ground-Dove”
Posted on

Keel-billed Toucan

Unlike my previous walk up the steep hill above my house, I left my walking stick and took my main camera with the 600mm zoom lens which is needed for both the little birds in the trees and bushes and the toucans who stay in the tops of the trees, thus I got an almost decent photo of this Keel-billed Toucan who hasn’t been back to my garden for maybe 2 years now. It is just pure luck when one poses on an open limb so you can see all of the bird without limbs blocking parts like this; but this one is okay and you can tell what it is! 🙂 You may want to read about the Keel-billed Toucan (eBird description link) or see the many other photos I have made all over Costa Rica in my Keel-billed Toucan Gallery.

Keel-billed Toucan, Atenas, Costa Rica
Continue reading “Keel-billed Toucan”