charliedoggett.net
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| Sunday evening I was watching the 5:30 TV News when the loud chattering began of 30 or more Chachalacas landing in the tops of my trees, including the above Guarumo. A few came down low enough for me to get this decent shot of full name: Gray-headed Chachalaca There is a huge colony of this chicken-sized, noisy bird in Roca Verde and they occasionally visit my trees. Atenas, Costa Rica |
Check out my photo gallery BIRDS. https://charliedoggett.smugmug.com/BIRDS
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| On a walk over my hill today, not quite to the top, a different view. Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica |
Click image for larger view.
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| A new business in Atenas is quite popular, especially with young adults. Fresh tropical fruit juices/smoothies frozen on a stick. Some with ice cream filling Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| I had the green one on the right, Cas/Mora, Cas fruit (CR Guava) with Blackberry filling – Tart but Yum! Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Along wall by windows are a “Crown of Thorns” that blooms constantly year around and I just moved from white pot, as it is growing! Stair-stepping down is my favorite which is a Desert Rose or Adenium Obesum. And the tiny pot is a now small Jade Plant. Desert Rose came from it in my transplantings. There are of course more pot plants on the terrace all the way back! 🙂 Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Desert Rose or Adenium Obesum It too is growing and I just moved it from that smallest pot above. Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Desert Rose Blooms This is the most blooms together like this yet in 2 years. For those who knew Anthony, this came from him when he moved to states. For locals: they are available at Vivero Central in La Garita, but not cheap. Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| A Cecropia or Guarumo leaf with its exquisite shape, color and lighting in this case. Captivating to me. Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort, San Ramon, Costa Rica |
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| A dying banana or other tropical plant leaf with its vibrancy of change in color, contrast and life/death Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort, San Ramon, Costa Rica |
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| On the Sidewalk Atenas, Costa Rica |
Recycling older photos that may or may not have been used on this blog. For more see
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| Scarlet Macaw Tambor Tropical Resort, Costa Rica by Charlie Doggett |
Christopher Howard is affirming International Living’s ranking of Costa Rica as the best place in the world to retire. You might like to read his take on it:
Costa Rica as the Best Place to Retire
It has been good to have so many people, organizations, blogs and magazines confirm my decision to retire in Costa Rica! Of course those of you who follow my blog know how much I like it here. The perfect place for a nature lover and peace lover.
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| Sunrise Tambor Tropical Resort, Costa Rica by Charlie Doggett |
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| A photo from the river trail in Tambor not used yet and a fun effort at nature poetry by Charlie Tambor Tropical Resort, Costa Rica |
For more of my nature poems as see Haiku Nature
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| Cimarrona (small band) Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| This time the band was paid to play for this politician who was talking to people and giving out literature. An election is coming up soon in Atenas, Costa Rica |
Definition of a Cimarrona on Wikipedia
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| Soccer Fields are the most defining thing of a community in Costa Rica even along a dirt road among farms out in the country! Necessary! Calle Nueva Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Calle Nueva Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Calle Nueva Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Calle Nueva Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Mango Tree Grove Calle Nueva Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Lots of Purple and Yellow Flowers if you look close Calle Nueva Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Calle Nueva Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Calle Nueva Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Calle Nueva Atenas, Costa Rica |
After the walk we had a late lunch in a little Soda in the village of Rio Grande on the river of same name and our expressway Ruta 27 where there is an Atenas exit just south of Atenas. In this same little village is a chicken processing plant (low-pay jobs) owned my Walmart and a small air conditioner plant, both on the expressway. We road the local bus back to Atenas Central which went by these two job sources locally. And back in town a political experience which I will share tomorrow. See the Photo Gallery Walking Calle nueva – PS: WARNING! I learned later that two days before this walk an expat man from Canada was walking this same road solo (as I often go) and he was robbed at knifepoint by two young men on motorcycles, supposedly Nicaraguans, which is who most Ticos blame crime on. This is highly unusual in little Atenas, but of course can happen anywhere. It is more common in parts of the big city of San Jose.
International Living magazine again ranks Costa Rica the #1 Place to Retire!
The USA Today article on Costa Rica, the Country Without an Army & the Happiest Country
“Blessed is the Costa Rican mother who knows her son at birth will never be a soldier.”
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| A pastoral vista like this sometimes requires a trip far away from a busy town, yet I found this one maybe 500 meters from my house as the crow flies and maybe twice as far walking the streets to this spot. Calle Nueva, Atenas Costa Rica |
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| The cow pasture across the street from my house. A stream runs under that row of trees on opposite side. On the other side of the stream and to the left is a little known street, Calle Nueva, Atenas Costa Rica |
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| First I walk into town on Avenida 8 and turn left on Calle 1 making another left turn at next street, Avenida 10 for 2 blocks where I walk past our technical high school above. The pavement stops just past the school and I’m on a gravel road called Calle Nueva, Atenas Costa Rica |
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| It is so cool to suddenly be in the country! Past Roca Verde it becomes a dirt road going on to Rio Grande village. Calle Nueva, Atenas Costa Rica |
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| After 200 or 300 meters on a rise you see Roca Verde up ahead, those roofs. Before I saw this, I saw the pastoral scene photo above, my opening photo. Calle Nueva, Atenas Costa Rica |
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| Then down that hill to a bridge behind the Roca Verde duplex facing the pasture. That house is about one block from my house! But seen here from behind on Calle Nueva, Atenas Costa Rica |
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| The little stream opposite the cow pasture in front of my house. Which the above bridge crosses over behind the duplex. Calle Nueva, Atenas Costa Rica |
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| At the foot of the bridge I snap this shot of the cow pasture in front of my house from the backside. The duplex and two single family houses are to the right of those shrubs, all facing the cow pasture. Calle Nueva, Atenas, Costa Rica |
–JOHN MUIR, US naturalist, 1838—1914
If it the link works, here is the Google Map showing where I walked: