Art is the child of nature in whom we trace the features of the mothers face.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Photos from my December Visit to Arenal Observatory Lodge:
Lake Arenal Vista & a Spotted Antbird.
¡Pura Vida!
My Favorite Art Gallery: Nature
Nature’s Delicate Balance
The famous balance of nature is the most extraordinary of all cybernetic systems. Left to itself, it is always self-regulated.
~Joseph Wood Krutch
Photos from my January Visit to Savegre Hotel, San Gerardo de Dota:
Resplendent Quetzal Male & Unidentified Flower
¡Pura Vida!
Opening Up With Nature
“Like music and art, love of nature is a common language that can transcend political or social boundaries.”
~JIMMY CARTER
Sunrise & Flower Shots from my February
Visit to El Silencio Lodge, Bajos del Toro
¡Pura Vida!
HEALTH UPDATE: Today I visited a geriatrics specialist for the first time in my life at my surgeon’s request “to make sure I’m healthy enough for surgery.” — I AM! — But in the process I’ve come to appreciate a new specialist whom I really liked and appreciated and who can possibly help me manage my lifestyle for my remaining years better than anyone I’ve talked to yet. Already he has helped me! In addition to approving me for surgery! 🙂
Tomorrow I go for a negative Covid Test and then I’m ready for surgery, I think. 🙂
Staying Positive When Cancer Comes
Since I was a high school boy when Mom gave me that book The Power of Positive Thinking for Young People by Norman Vincent Peale, I have made being positive a part of my life philosophy and really a part of my personal faith in God and the act of following Jesus.
It is kind of like happiness, it is inside you and you actually decide to be happy or not I believe. Then when bad things happen or come to your life, you make the best of them and keep on living. That is what I did for 20 years of a very difficult marriage while she was never happy and I was always happy in spite of the situation. Likewise with those overlapping years of a special needs child with autism and another rebel child. One survives by staying positive and finding the good things and opportunities, even within the bad!
Now don’t jump to conclusions – I’m not announcing my imminent death by cancer! 🙂
What has been for several years little skin cancers all over my body may have grown deeper roots or a separate and totally different cancer may have come that is more complicated.
New Adventure Started February 11
Not sure what to expect, I kept a journal of what was happening on one of the “static pages” or non-blog-post pages of my website and called it FIRST RAMPANT FEELINGS ON POSSIBLE CANCER. Kind of long.
The Latest Diagnosis
All those appointments and diagnostic tests lead to this current summary diagnosis with more detail in the online journal:
- I have a tumor inside the salivary gland between my left ear and left eye that has grown fairly rapidly to around 3 X 4 cm now.
- Though the needle biopsy indicates it is almost certainly a type of cancer only removing it will tell us for positive. Outside chance of no cancer. Prayers appreciated! 🙂
- Surgery is scheduled for 15 March at Hospital La Católica in San Jose, Costa Rica
- Dr. Christian Hernández Mena is my oncologist and surgeon – terrific in every way!
- After surgery, a full biopsy is done, and the exact type of cancer determined, I could be receiving radiation and yes going bald! 🙂 More reports after surgery!
My Blog and Travel Plans Continue
I had to postpone my March trip to Tambor Bay, but hopefully by the time of my planned May return to Arenal, I will be able to travel just like always if radiation schedules don’t interfere! 🙂
For any readers who are also facing cancer, I want to recommend the following website and encourage you to stay positive and continue life as I will with the same kind of travel and nature blog posts right here at Retired in Costa Rica!
How to Keep a Positive Attitude With Cancer
“Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.”
—Dalai Lama
¡Pura Vida!
Puntarenas Makeover & Train Return
Puntarenas is Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast Port and the closest port city & beaches to Atenas where I live. Christopher Howard has a nice little article on his blog/website that tells all about the coming changes:
PUNTARENAS GETTING A MAKEOVER FOR COSTA RICANS, TOURISTS AND EXPATS TO ENJOY THEMSELVES. I’m especially excited about the return of the train from San Jose to Puntarenas which will probably again make a stop in Atenas. Another way to travel to the coast! But there is no way the train tracks will be ready by 2022, especially if they have to rebuild that Rio Grande Bridge in Atenas!
My first experience with Puntarenas was from a 2011 Tampa to San Diego Panama Canal Cruise when the cruise ship stopped for a day in the port of Puntarenas. The Feature Photo at Top and the one below are from that trip as well as the following slide show:
Adventure by Chicken Bus
Members of the ARCR (Association of Residents of Costa Rica), an organization formed to help expats get to and live better in Costa Rica get a subscription to the bimonthly magazine El Residente and I hope this link to the March/April 21 issue works for non-members! 🙂
The first main article in this issue is titled “Adventure by Chicken Bus” which is actually one chapter of a book by the same title, this chapter about the Canadian family traveling Central America while homeschooling is specifically about their efforts at helping Costa Rica save the endangered sea turtles on our east coast. A great story for nature lovers and wildlife preservers that will make you want to visit Costa Rica.
At the end of the story is a link to the book by this family’s mother and school teacher, Janet La Sole, Adventures by Chicken Bus, An Unschooling Odyssey Through Central America. Be sure to check out the tab “Chapters Gallery” which summarizes the chapters and where all they traveled through pretty much every country of Central America. Amazing! And they were backpacking with two young girls! That’s her book website. If you want to purchase, go directly to Amazon.com Adventures by Chicken Bus.
And in case you don’t know, “Chicken Bus” is the nickname for the small, rural, cheap buses (Used U.S. school buses painted bright colors) found all over Central America for cheap rural or out of the way places of travel. We do have big, modern buses in Costa Rica between major cities and towns and major tourist attractions, but these are common all over rural Central America and yes, they do carry their chickens on these buses. 🙂
¡Pura Vida!
“Costa Rica Culture” by 7 “Kids”
Back in May 2018 I reviewed here and told about the Costa Rica made movie “Güilas” the title of which is the Costa Rican slang word for children like American English “Kids.” The movie is actually seven short stories about seven different kids, each in a different one of the seven provinces of Costa Rica thus visually showing many parts of this beautiful country and its varied cultures by my favorite Costa Rica Photographer, Sergio Pucci (I use one of his CR Calendars every year for his beautiful photography!). This is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen anywhere and is definitely the best one on the culture of Costa Rica! Well worth $10 USD from Vimeo!
One of the 7 Stories:
Triquitraque Color
Back home from the latest trip and not all is without color! 🙂
My Triquitraque or Flame Vine is possibly at its peak of blooming now and will soon begin to become a green vine again, most commonly blooming here in just January & February, and possibly the brightest or most color of all my flowers . . .
¡Pura Vida!
For more flowers, my Flora & Forest Gallery.
🙂
El Silencio – GALLERY 2
The “Trip Gallery” for last week’s 4 nights at El Silencio Lodge & Reserve in Bajos del Toro, Alajuela, Costa Rica is now completed and ready to visit by clicking the image below or this web address with many photos not yet shared on the blog:
https://charliedoggett.smugmug.com/TRIPS/2021-02-15-20-El-Silencio-Lodge
And because I was there just 6 months ago, last September, and was not having a knee problem, I have even more photos in THAT FIRST TRIP GALLERY, especially more waterfalls! 🙂 Just click the gallery title below to see it . . .
2020 September 14-19 — El Silencio Lodge & Reserve
The joy of being “Retired in Costa Rica!”
¡Pura Vida!
23 Species of Birds: El Silencio
This past week at El Silencio Lodge & Reserve I photographed 23 species of birds, 2 of which were “Lifers” for me or the first time seen/photographed. (3 unidentified) Because it was cloudy, windy and sometimes raining, many of my photos are not of good quality, but if interested they can be seen in this week’s “Trip Gallery” – Birds. And they are also listed below.
