Tag: Playa Potrero

Circulo ~

At one time, here in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, a ponga was the way to go on the water. It was all you needed. One oar would do, if that was all you had. Get on the water and cast your lines. Fish were over abundant here. The coastline left behind, in a world of speed. Fast people living fast lives, simply were not here.

Now, the boats, people and construction is moving at a pace, equivalent of the sound breaking barrier aircraft of my youth. I lived in the country. Cecil Airfield was down the road. I would be sitting by the pool and here a boom. An aircraft breaking the sound barrier. I paid no attention. Why should I?

Today as I type, the boom here is evident. My sleepy village is alive. It’s a snake swallowing its tail.

Monkey Business

What to do with this monkey?

I have lived on a monkey trail for over twenty years. The Howlers travel down from the hills towards the beach. Swinging and climbing. They travel. Daily sojourners. Feasting on the lush abundant leaves of the disappearing jungle. My habitat is their habitat. The tribe moves together. They have a system. Mamas carry babies on their backs. Papas hang back and watch. They are much bigger. Their eyes dart. Perched precariously until all have crossed safely.

They make noise across my roof tops. The last tree on their trail – lines up with a small cottage we put together. We call it the bird house. They scamper. I know they are there. Then to the mango. The tree that gives us fruit and shade. It saves us from the blistering April sun. The mango is the monkey’s favorite tree.

They cross another roof and then an electrical wire. Then they are gone. Every morning is ritual. They return in the afternoon.

Today, Mary, my amiga, alerted me. I thought she was going to show me a toucan. They have been coming back around. But no, it was a baby monkey. By itself. It was peering out from the bushes. I knew it was in trouble. Where is the rest of the gang. We stared at each other. The baby in a panic. It darted into Mary’s house.

Oh no, there’s a dog in there. Dogs and monkeys are natural enemies. Fala, the non-watching, watch dog, never bothered to wake up. She was probably lost in a good dream. Suenos.

Rooster caught the little feller in a fish net and took him around to our mango. He or she, didn’t want to move. It didn’t seem to have energy. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and called for help.

We were relayed to the monkey expert in Brasilito. Also a person who rescues was informed of the orphan on our property.

We learned a lot in the next hour. The babies’ mother had been electrocuted down at the other end of the block. It had probably been on her back at the time. Can you imagine?

Poor thing. It had somehow made its way to the trail.

After we put it in the mango. It crossed the street – south – to the mango match and began to bark. I went inside. There was nothing I could do. When I came back out it was once again in our mango. It moved once again to yet another mango. It barked loud.

I was looking up to locate the baby. A buzzard flew into a Guanacaste tree and rested. Oh No!

Then came another buzzard.

Then the jungle went silent.

I feel the weight of nature. The baby that would have no milk. Lost and screaming for help. Only to be answered by predators.

I know more about monkeys now.

My Endless Summer

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When I arrived in October we had four days of rain. We got here, on the heels of damage, caused by sixty inches of water, in six days. Many had lost their homes.

This was on the wake of Hurricane Irma back home, in Florida. We had just survived that near disaster.

Almost six months have gone by, and it’s time to pack up and leave again. Continue reading My Endless Summer

Julie Ann

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The full moon loomed. She was a creature of the night. She was an intricate piece of the jungle puzzle. She was Julie Ann.

I have never seen such a narrow coffin. A small glass, over her face, in a closed casket, for her viewing. I made myself move slowly to see her; to say my good bye. Continue reading Julie Ann

Keeping it Tico

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Christmas Sunset ~ Playa Potrero

Four of us ventured out to the beach, three carrying rod and reel, one a swimmer. All day, I had waited for this. First, we deposited our shoes at the hotel, fence corner. You must always wear shoes that are so ugly and cheap, no one will steal them. Then we began walking and casting. We were passed by a group of tico youths, chasing the birds and a large school of fish below them. They were laughing and tossing their lures. One fish was caught, as they continued to run. Continue reading Keeping it Tico

The View

IMG_0043Life is all about ” how you see it.” Your personal view on things.

I walked yesterday morning to a spot, that I calculate daily, suspending the morning light; a stratum of pink and peach hues, that veil the mountains, boats and sea. This photo, in no way, exhibits what I see. Soon, I will try another angle.

I will love the light, because it shows me the Way. ~ me and Og

Painting a Life

Picture this ~ A world with no cameras.

I have not been able to upload pics to my blog, since arriving, in Costa Rica. Today, I have been here one week. This alteration, of my posts, has interrupted my life, like the internet has twisted my reading. It’s an upheaval. This visual denial has shifted my thinking. My brain is climbing the Continental Divide.

I rely on my photos to not only tell my story, but to allow the reader to create, with their imagination, a hybrid. A creation of their own, that I do not control, nor do I want to. That’s what my posts are all about. Sharing my thoughts and my life with others, but in an artistic manner, that allows the reader to choose their own interpretation. That is art. And what is life without art.

I think I am going to break out my paints.

 

Day of the Iguana

There is an abundance of iguanas in Costa Rica. It takes a while to get use to that fact. Actually, it takes a while to get use to all the wild life in Costa Rica. At one time, I felt as if I was living in the pages of a National Geographic Magazine. However, some of that feeling has dissipated, due to the development in the Guanacaste area where I live. And some of it is due to becoming accustomed to life in Central America.

One day, returning from a trip to Santa Cruz, the municipal seat of our area, a monster, blue iguana fell out of a tree and landed on the hood of our 76 Land Rover. Just a few more seconds and it would have been in my lap. That was terrifying. What are the odds of that happening?

Iguanas are a formidable looking, prehistoric-like, scaly, big lizard.

I have so many of them around my house, because I live on the edge of a farm. To the right of me is old Costa Rica; to the left, the new. For that reason, I have a lot of animals here on my little postage stamp property. Also, they love my garden and home. When I first put my garden in, I had to stack up rocks in preparation of defending my plants. Around three, every afternoon they would wake up and come out of their fallen logs, to eat my flowers. I was not going to let that happen. It actually was kind of fun. I didn’t really having anything better to do. It worked. All of my plants can fend for themselves now.

When I first lived in this house and the beams of the roof were still exposed, I could look up and see the tail of a brown lizard wrapped around the wood. He was up there and I was in my bed, so I just let it be. I ended up naming him Lynard, for Lynard Skynard, as I’m from the westside of Jacksonville. His presence was kind of comforting.

Eventually, Lynard left and was replaced by a bigger lizard. Now, I know it was a bigger lizard, because I saw it rather than just heard it, rustling around in the rafters.

When I pulled up in to the yard today, the dog was barking and the children were squealing, IGUANA, IGUANA!…. Meet my longtime house guest, whom I have no name for. He looks harmless and I’m sure he is, but I had a hard time walking around him to get in my door. They just look so creepy. He looked as if he would spring and attack, but I guess that wasn’t the case.

This freeloader was lassoed and escorted to the street.

This guy, who also posed for the top picture, has been circling my house for the last few days. He appears to be aggressive.

I think I need to put out a no vacancy~then I’ll have just enough time to go see the sunset!

Have a good day and have a GREAT year.