 |
| Dina or Leuce Yellow is a new name to me but that is the internet ID on this guy. Yesterday and today are my first times to see him in my garden. Similar to a Sulphur; found in Caribbean, Central & South America. |
Ash-throated Flycatcher
 |
| Ash-throated Flycatcher is a rare migrant in Costa Rica. Here one is in my Yellow Bells Tree at end of balcony, at end of rain. |
 |
| Zoomed in a little you see the hint of yellow on breast like the other flycatchers. |
“The reason birds can fly and we can’t is simply because they have perfect faith, for to have faith is to have wings.”
― J.M. Barrie, The Little White Bird
Walk with me through my neighborhood
 |
| View from an available lot on top of my hill. You look over Central Valley to northeast, San Jose at left. Your home here? |
 |
| This is the above lot for your dream home. A large, old-growth tree at entrance. I can give you the phone number if interested. 🙂 Come be my neighbor! |
 |
| Looking over my house which is below the orange roof, lower center. The orange roof is my landlord Jean Luc & Nicole, brown roof is Richard’s. You can see cow pasture in front of my house, central Atenas beyond that. |
 |
| Anthony’s house next door to me. He is a Spanish Class friend from Indiana, a bachelor artist who has a clay bird I plan to buy and install in my garden after he has it fired. His house is rented from Richard, is below brown roof, above photo. |
 |
| Some neighbors can see church steeple at Central Park Atenas. |
 |
| A few homes are visible from the street, most are not. |
 |
| All have privacy/security gates & I think this the most creative one on this loop. |
 |
| All are lushly planted for our tropical weather year around. It is like walking through a garden to walk through my neighborhood. |
Come visit me and you can physically walk with me over this and other hills in Roca Verde. Some of you know that I earlier said I would never live in a rich, gated community like this, but people change their minds! Living in a Tico neighborhood has the closeness and familiarity with the people around you that is not what this old independent, private person is real comfortable with. Plus the closeness of dogs barking, roosters crowing, parties going on, constant music, highway traffic, motorcycles, teenagers, is just more noise than I prefer to put up with all the time. I have some noise here, but nothing like in town or at the apartments where I lived for four months. It is mostly birds singing which I love and the roosters and dogs are further away.
Several of the large houses in Roca Verde have “casitas” (little houses) for either guests, parents, or to rent which is what I have. Some of the main houses are lived in by “Snowbirds” only in the North American Winter or dry season here. I am fortunate that this particular one was for rent by a year-round resident landlord on the hill above me. He is also one of two developers of Roca Verde. Though barely affordable for me (cheaper than McKendree Village!), this is the only one of this quality I was able to find within walking distance of Central Atenas, one mile. Not having a car was always part of the plan for living here.
Walking to town most days is my exercise program and now I have several choice walks in my neighborhood for when I don’t go to town. The above loop is just 1.3 miles and of course I did not show all the views and houses. I am so blessed in so many ways at almost every turn of this retirement adventure. I feel so fortunate! Almost everything has worked out positively, even if slower than an impatient American wants it! Just two more main things to finish: a residency card and conversational Spanish. Both are on track for early next year maybe! I’m starting to relax more and be more creative. Life is fun! Pura Vida! Jubilado!
Blue-gray Tanager
 |
| Blue-gray Tanager in my Yellow Bells Tree It is the fattest, bluest, and grayest I have seen of this species. |
|
|
| Singing for me! I’m surrounded by bird music all day! |
If into birds, here’s a List of the Birds of Costa Rica (894) and of course they are not all big colorful toucans, macaws and parrots, but we have those too! This tanager was shot during lunch on a cloudy, gray, overcast day.
And oh yes, I forgot to tell you that a hummingbird got into my house the other day. I was so busy opening screens so he could get out that I didn’t get a photo before he flew away. They are occasional visitors in my garden, though not as many as the butterflies. And a some of the flower blooms are gone now for awhile, so it will be up and down.
Inca Dove
 |
| Inca Dove on my balcony at breakfast this morning. Looks like a wood carving doesn’t he? |
 |
| Then when he flies you see the rufous wings. A fun new bird for me. |
Jardín de la Mariposa
That’s “Butterfly Garden” in Spanish
 |
| I called this a Swallowtail earlier, but don’t think so after getting this view. Still researching for a name. |
I love my garden as much as my house and the many hummingbirds and butterflies are one of the reasons! Just have more trouble catching the hummingbirds with the camera.
Cows!
 |
| Walking out my compound gate. |
Not sure if I have ever mentioned that across the street from my house is a cow pasture with about a dozen cows keeping the grass trimmed until the developers slap houses on it. (Without vistas!)
 |
| I’m not sure of the breed, maybe Brahma? Whatever, they have big ears! |
 |
| And a cowboy riding the fence line! Just one wire, electrified! But the cows still get out some. Grass is always greener . . . |
House Tour – Inside Today!
 |
| Dining Room & Kitchen with my new pot plant on right. |
 |
| Looking out towards balcony from kitchen. Living Room left, dining right. |
 |
| Living Room with my Strangler Fig Tree out the window. And my new indoor plant at left. (She had an artificial plant there.) |
 |
| Guest Room Bed is a couch until you get here! Living room couch also a bed! This one is my office couch most of the time. |
 |
| This office/guest room came with a desk and chair! I added printer table and have an extra desk chair for sale! (The one I bought while at apartments.) |
 |
| My bedroom without her pretty comforter on bed. I don’t care for her orange accent and plan to replace that lamp with a bronze one I saw at the hardware store today, maybe this week. I’m pretty quickly making it my home in every way. Sleep well! Ceiling fans are in here, office/guest room, and living room. A/C is not needed. Remember, Atenas has the best climate in the world says National Geographic. I leave all windows open around the clock, including the sliding glass door. That way I get breeze from all directions and a wide overhang roof keeps rain out. |
 |
| One bath is plenty even with the rare overnight guest. I have plenty of storage, big shower & like brown trim. |
 |
| Entrance Plaza to Entrance Hall at end of my driveway parking space. Fall color oil painting isn’t very Costa Rica like or tropical, but beautiful! I may not replace it. Everything doesn’t have to be tropical or Latin American! |
 |
| Laundry Room off the kitchen The electric dryer was almost reason enough to move! And this is an American brand with English on dials! It was fun hanging clothes out, but its rainy season now. Had I stayed in apartment, I would have purchased a dryer. |
 |
| “La Terraza o El Balcón” in Spanish and Latin Culture, Patio/Deck or Balcony I’m sure I’ve already said that this is my favorite room! I eat most meals here and do a lot of reading out here. I’m more than halfway through Lord of the Rings! |
Yesterday’s post was “House Tour – Outside” in case you missed it!
This is where I enjoy retirement! Pura Vida! in Atenas, Costa Rica!
House Tour – Outside Today
Here’s a few views of the outside of my house and some of the new plants I got today. Tomorrow I will show the inside rooms.
 |
| My favorite room in the house is actually outside, my balcony, deck, patio. This tile floor is throughout the house and outside walkways around three sides. Nice! Plus the wooden ceiling is throughout the house. |
 |
| 105 Calle Roca Verde, one of the few houses in Atenas with a house number! I’m the house on right behind trees, Don & Linda to left with carport and our landlord lives on top of the hill behind us. I guard the gate, ha, ha! There is also a gate to get inside the development with a real guard 24/7. |
 |
| View of my house from street. The three little decorative palms in front were added today to replace the three that died from lack of water in dry season. I plan to make watering plants a major dry season activity! You can barely see the Red Palm planted at end of balcony & a tall, skinny Guarumo Tree in front of balcony. |
 |
| You have already seen my new entry garden, but we planted ground cover today that should spread fast. |
 |
| Three Fishtail Palms and a Banana Plant (on right) were planted today as a screen in front of my bedroom window (right) and guest room (left) for privacy on this street side. They will fill in and spread in a month or two. And maybe I’ll be eating the bananas by Christmas! 🙂 |
 |
| The driveway and entry side. The entry hall is to left by garden, but I mainly use the balcony at right as my main entrance. This may be the least interesting side of house, but my new entry garden is going to change that! Pot plants on this wall would block the tile walkway, except maybe at that corner on patio. I’m making it my home and so for love it inside and out! It is just right for me. |
Tomorrow I’ll show you around inside the house as it is now decorated. My art may arrive this week, but I will probably add only a few pieces around a well decorated house! Buenas Noches!
 |
| Tonight’s sunset colored the clouds in the north. Beautiful! Each evening a new surprise! How did I ever live without a balcony? This is my cathedral! |
More Balcony Birds
The balcony of my new house is providing a lot of birds, I just haven’t had time to sit still and wait on them for photos. Here’s 5 made in about a week, plus the hummingbird and toucan shown earlier. 7!
 |
| White-winged Dove He ties with Yigüirro as the most heard birds. His is a coo-coo coo cooooooo |
 |
| Yigüirro or Clay-colored Thrush Day and night I hear him with his Tch, Tch, Tch, Tch or Toc, Toc, Toc, Toc The National Bird of Costa Rica |
 |
| Melodious Blackbird My bird sounds app doesn’t have this one, but “melodious” must be happy! The only all-black bird in Costa Rica with dark eye, shaking rainwater off here. |
 |
| Gray-capped Flycatcher He kind of squeaks in the morning among all the other bird sounds then more of a chirp during the day |
 |
| White-tipped Dove His sound is not as noticed, a low-pitched uuuuuuu His tail tip is white while above dove’s wing’s white |
And if you’re wondering about the sounds, I got a new app for my phone, “The Bird Sounds of Costa Rica.” Cool! Maybe I will begin to recognize more of them now. For more information, check your app source (I got it from GooglePlays) or direct from the birdsounds website in the Netherlands: http://www.birdsounds.nl/ They have a bunch for all around the world.