Bird Sculpture Engulfed in Garden
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| My Garden Sculpture Bird is engulfed in my growing garden, even in the dry season. This is as intended, a changing garden, my little jungle growing around the bird. Sculpture by Anthony Joseph Jeroski. |
See more photos of My Garden in my bigger Flora & Forest Gallery
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| ¡Pura Vida! |
Tope Tonight
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| Washing a Horse in the street . . . That, cowboy hats and boots, means it is “Tope Time!” A tope is a horse parade & this year at night, 1st in 3 years! |
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| It is suppose to be about horses, but is mostly about partying & beer! Lots of beer! |
The last time Atenas had a night Tope was three years ago (before I came) and the story is they trashed downtown Atenas so much they had to take a 3-year break. The later it gets the drunker people get I’ve been told and it is not pretty.
I had an early dinner downtown with Anthony and got just these two “pre-Tope” shots before we walked back home. I am not participating in the Tope tonight. I went to the afternoon Tope in Mercedes two years ago and it was pretty bad in the daylight! So I chose not to participate tonight. But I am hearing the music, noise, band, and an announcer from my house. I may sleep with ear plugs tonight.
And an announcement about Anthony, my artist friend who lives next door: He is moving back to the states the end of May. He cannot get the art supplies and support he needs here and is missing some of the opportunities he will have living in Chicago. He is retired from a corporate job, but does not want to retire from being a professional artist which he can simply do better in the states! (And he never learned to speak Spanish!) Living in Costa Rica is not for everyone! Pura vida!
And on top of that I just learned today that my landlord has put his house or compound up for sale of which my house is a part. I have to wait and see who buys it to know what happens to me. Possibly nothing will change. Or the new owner could want my house as a guest house or “Mother-in-law Apartment.” Either way, life goes on. 🙂 And maybe some new adventures. 🙂 ¡Tenga Paz!
Stay tuned for the continuing saga of “Retired in Costa Rica.” Every day an adventure!
Holy Week is Approaching in Atenas
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| Statue of Mary On private property on the edge of Atenas, Costa Rica I’m still trying to learn something about it, the artist, etc. |
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| Purple is Displayed In front of Catholic Church here and in front of many homes in town. |
See my Atenas Photo Galleries:
Walking Through Atenas (flowers & trees)
Or see Atenas, the official video
Nance Tree Bloom
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| Nance Tree bloom from this orange to yellow It will later become little yellow berries eaten here. My Home Garden, Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica |
Americans: Please don’t let your government de-fund public broadcasting & Nature!
Atenas, Costa Rica – A Photo Book!
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| New Photo Book About Atenas Click image or this caption to go to a PREVIEW of the book online. You can thumb through the book page by page for free. Just keep clicking the pages. |
Now that I have finished it, I just realized I left out the Farmers’ Market & Central Mercado. Oh well, I guess every book has to be imperfect! 🙂 Enjoy anyway! And I will do more!
And check out the “official” video on Atenas, just 2 1/2 min.
Yellow Warbler
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| Yellow Warbler juvenile I think Gray on head/neck is similar to Prairie Warbler, but not my choice In my Nance Tree, Home Garden, Atenas Costa Rica |
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| Yellow Warbler In my Nance Tree, Home Garden, Atenas, Costa Rica |
I continue to be happy with the large variety of birds right here in my own gardens! I will keep traveling to more exotic places for even more birds, but it is fun to have these at breakfast!
See also my BIRDS photo gallery.
First Visit to Hospital Mexico
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| Hospital Mexico Entrance It is the largest public hospital in Costa Rica and where most serious surgeries, tests, and treatments take place; “The Mother Ship” if you please. There’s a tall building behind this with all the rooms, etc. |
My primary hospital is Hospital Alajuela where I have been seeing a cardiologist (cardiólogo) who now wants a picture of my arteries, an angiogram. Well the only public hospital with equipment for that is the main hospital, Hospital Mexico (named that because it is located in the Barrio México or neighborhood called “Mexico”). It is a huge hospital with lots of doctors, specialists and the ability to do just about anything any hospital can do! And it is paid for by the government healthcare program! I will never have a co-pay or any bill from either on of my two government hospitals. I’m very pleased with my healthcare here and my private options should I ever need them. Just be happier when I can speak better Spanish! 🙂
TODAY – 3 April
I had an appointment to get an appointment. I had to wait and go to three different people which only took an hour which is not bad in a bureaucratic government hospital. One of those was a lady who just created a file on me at that hospital, just like I had to do at Alajuela Hospital to get started there. I’m now one of their patients.
17 April
I have an appointment there with one of their cardiologists who will review the files I have from Alajuela and see if he agrees that I need an angiogram. If so, I assume he tells one of the girls to schedule it. That is two weeks from today which is really not bad.
Later – Maybe this year or next
I go in for an angiogram (if approved) – Actually I think it will be earlier because I’m gathering that cardiology is considered more urgent, but it could still be 2 months away. We will see. 🙂
Technically, this is my second visit to Hospital Mexico, I did go there briefly in January 2016 on the Healthcare Tour of Costa Rica – which I recommend!
A Cup of Coffee and a Good Book
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| Even if the book is on my Kindle Fire! My favorite place to read: on terrace at table or in rocking chair. |
And for my friends on “Goodreads” note that they usually only show 2 books being read at a time and I almost always have more in process as my interests change, plus one is a daily devotional book which will take a year. My biggest escape right now is another re-read of another Harry Potter book, then I’ll go back to another mystery unless I find an adventure book that appeals to me. I have television only because it comes with the best price for internet which I must have. I seldom watch television. I’m mostly a “doing person” who is now “doing” things with my photography or simply making more photos! And of course the doing the essentials of life that can take a good bit of one’s time! But in my reading I think I am expanding some the types of books I read, though at my stage of life the most important is reading for fun! Which I do! 🙂 And I no longer feel guilty starting a book and not finishing it. That’s okay!
Roble de Sabana
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| Roble de Sabana Tree across cow pasture from my house, seen from street. Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Roble de Sabana Zooming in through my trees Atenas, Costa Rica |
It is still dry season and trees that lose their leaves immediately burst out in flowers. This week it is the Roble de Sabana, which is a type of oak tree they say, but nothing like a north american oak!
Rainy season officially starts in May, so just a month away and I will be glad! I prefer the “green season.”