Never A Dull Moment...

Mono Cara Blanca

Always and adventure in CR!

 Just thought I'd share about my experiences with the amazing amount of bugs and wildlife here since it really is a HUGE part of my life here in Costa Rica!  In and around our house, Don and I are often trying to get one another's attention to come check out a bird, bug, frog, or animal, and a couple times a snake!  

Harmless Green Parrot Snake

Low Tide in Bejuco

Let's see, where do I begin....?

     For those of you who don't already know, the tides here in Costa Rica are extreme.  Low tide leaves an expansive sandy beach great for bike rides, walks and runs.  The sand is hard packed and perfect for a ride on my beach cruiser.

     On one of my first bike adventures after returning from California in March, I headed north past an area called Punta Mala.  I was going to turn around at the Tulane River.

Esterillos Oeste

    
     I was getting closer to my destination, but saw a 7' crocodile laying right at the surfline.  I instantly decided that this was the perfect place to turn around!
     The boost of adrenaline I received caused me to pedal muy rapido.  My trip home was made in record time as I passed many logs on the beach and floating in the ocean all shaped like crocs!

     BTW, when you visit here there is an awesome croc tour available on a different river called the Tarcoles.  On the way to my house from the airport, you drive over this bridge and you can stop and look at all the crocs laying in the river and on its bank.

                                               Costa Rica has over 850 birds!!!
      The Egret below loves the marshes created by all the rain water.  There are also many Cattle Egret hanging out on the backs of cows in the area.

Snowy Egret

Orange-fronted Parakeet

This bird was hanging out
 near the beach one day... 

         Pelicanos skimming over 
      8-10 waves in
      Playa Hermosa.

    Lots of Blue Parricos.  They love to take baths in the puddles left from the rains, out in our road.

Frigate Soaring High...

 (left) The very loud Yellow Crowned Night Heron.  It kind of sounds like a howler monkey!

     There are many macaws (lapas) in Esterillos Oeste where I live and they are an important part of my day!  We get to enjoy the brilliant colors of the gorgeous Scarlet Macaws as they fly over our house daily.  They head to the beach in the morning to eat and play in the almond trees.

         In the late afternoon, they fly back over and head for the hills, squawking all the way as they fly in their pairs.  An interesting fact about Macaws is they choose one mate for life--'til death do us part.  Maybe that's why they are squawking??!!

internet photo!

  Other loud birds in the area are Wild Turkeys, Laughing Falcons, and Oropendula's.  You won't believe some of the crazy bird sounds we get to hear!!!  
    Check out this laughing falcon (left), we just saw one like this in our tree and hear them all the time...

http://www.youtube.com/watchv=X44NSbr7Wi4&feature=related

internet photo!

And check out this utube for the sound this oropendula (right) makes.  One was in our backyard a couple days ago.  They also make these hanging nest!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MznA3yp7uOg&feature=related

  

Mot Mot
Another one of my favorite birds that visits our yard fairly regularly is the Mot Mot.  This is a beautiful, quiet bird that occasional makes a low "woot woot" sound.

    

"Samson"  

   This morning there were four Toucans in the tree next to our house!  




















   We also have an iguana we've named "Samson", that lives on our roof.  It has taken me many months to get used to the fact that Samson is going to startle me when I walk up the stairs to our deck/terraza.
      Occasionally, I still get startled when he suddenly runs through the canoas (rain gutters) with his sharp claws, or when he jumps off the roof to ground!

Aaahhh!  Our terraza!  I really enjoy this part of our property.  Almost every morning, anywhere from 5:30am to whenever, you can find me starting my day on our observation deck that sits atop our carport. It's my little hide away where I can watch the sunrise, macaws heading to the beach, and space out at the hills on one side, and jungle on the other.
     It's a great place to read, work on my Bible study and just listen....  As quiet and mysterious as God can seem, I think many times He is speaking loud and clear in and through His creation--the supernatural in the natural!

   "For what can be known about God is plain to us all, because God has shown it to us.
  Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power 
  and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made." 
           Romans 1:19-20

     Rainy season (el invierno) has begun, so it's been raining most nights which helps bring the tempature down and makes sleeping more comfortable.  Of course all this rain sustains the bugs, reptiles, birds and plantlife.
     There has been amazing lightening and thunder shows.  I put some video I took on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQaSzRsIyGk  
     Every now and then there will be a huge bright blinding bolt of lightening followed immediately by riproaring thunder that sounds like it's shredding the night sky into pieces and BAM! ends with a bomb sound.

     Each day we see a variety of bugs, butterflies, wasps, termites, bees... Some are so unique and creative in their colors and shapes, many of them harmless!!  I can see where Sci-Fi movies and Disney cartoons got their ideas from!

Praying Mantis

    Lots of Creepy 
           Crawly Bugs!

 But also lots of beautiful butterflies and moths...especially the Blue Morpho above!!!

Swallow-tail Butterfly

      But there are some harmful spiders and long wormlike things that can give you a fever.  And, of course, there are mosquitoes that can carry Dengue!
     My least favorites are scorpions.   I am sure to shake my shoes out first before putting my toes in!
     Don and I were making the bed together a few weeks ago and noticed a "pile of threads" (my first thought) on the spread.  We quickly realized it was a scorpion about 2" long coiled up.  I couldn't smash it into our bedspread so I grabbed the BBQ tongs and picked it up.  While I carried it outside, it's tail was ramming the tongs and making a "tink, tink" sound on the metal tongs.  Yuck!  No me gusta lo!!! 

                     All for now 'til the next blog....

Sunset at Jaco Beach

UPDATE....

Beautiful Laguna Beach, CA

      Much time has passed since my last entry in January so I’ll try to get you somewhat up to date.  First of all, we entered the dry season here in Costa Rica, which has been very nice.  Locals say it is not as hot, dry and dusty as usual.  We’ve even been blessed this summer with a few pleasant rain showers.

Laguna Volleyball with friends

Kelsey, growing in her Faith

Secondly, over Feb and March I was in California for a month.  I thoroughly enjoyed a strong dose of all my 3 adult children by staying in their home.  Thank you so much Kelsey, Kagen and Alex!!!  A family friend has blessed them with an affordable place to live in a safe community with other benefits that include walking to the beach and store, and enjoying the club house and pool amenities.  Life’s Rough!!!

           

Good for the Core and the Soul

Yum...Grilled veggies
and tri-tip!

        My in-laws sacrificed and graciously gave me use of their car—Thank you Bertie and Bob!!!  This was a huge unexpected gift for me to have my own wheels in the OC and enabled me to visit with many friends.  I regret being unable to visit with you all!!  I spent the bulk of my time with my “fun coordinator”, Kelsey.  She kept me busy and even took me paddle boarding for my first time, which I thoroughly enjoyed.  I was able to spend a bit of time with my mom and her husband and enjoy their company as well. 

Tuesday Women's Bible Study, CVC

    
       I was also invited to attend a weekend at Murrieta Hot Springs on a women’s retreat with my old church CVC.  These amazing women were kind enough to give me the privilege of speaking about the Bible and my current life experiences the last morning of the event.  Public speaking is always nerve wracking for me, but it is also so humbling to experience the influence and encouragement you can give to others from behind a podium.

California Hiking

Gotta use the hands
 when speaking!

                  This was the first time I didn’t type out notes of what I would say, word for word.  I wanted to use this opportunity to trust God that He would help me speak from my heart and His word.  Now don’t get me wrong, I DID have an outline to follow!  That would be scary, as many of you know, for me to just talk without guidelines, because you know how many tangents I can go on.  How many times have many of you heard me say… “now why was I talking about that??!!”  The entire weekend was awesome, even the “accidental” 9 mile mountain hike (it was supposed to be a 3 mile hike).

Love to all,
Kristi

I have been back home in Costa Rica for 3 weeks now, which really feels like three months because life is so different here and so far from what I experience in CA.  My strong dose of my kids only lasted through the first week of my return.  But I have found some other things to do to keep me focused on positives, not on my loss of touch with friends and family in the States.  I will share some of these in my next blog.  But for now, I’m back and readjusting to the two speeds of Costa Rica, slow and stop…

The Transplant

On 1/1/11, I was struggling.  Feelings of hopelessness, seeing no end to my trials, only more problems in the future were in my sights.  I was outside watering a hibiscus I had transplanted.  It was once strong, vibrant, well rooted, grounded and established.  It had adapted to where it was originally planted and was "comfortable" blooming and growing where it was at.

But I had a "better" spot for it.  So I moved it into a sparse hedge where it could be of more use and could help the entire hedge in the long run.  I dug it out, hacking away at it's roots, because I know things grow so easily here in the Costa Rican climate.  Then I placed it in it's new home and soaked it with water.

I was very satisfied to see my new vivacious transplant.  It already made the hedge look better and I could picture how it would help support the thickness and lusciousness of the entire hedge in the future.  For the hedge I placed it in was uncared for.  But now, I would see to it that the entire hedge was protected from leaf cutter ants, fertilized, trimmed and watered.

Three days went by and the leaves on my transplant were wilting.  Two weeks have passed and now the leaves have yellowed wilted and are begun to drop off.

As I stared at the plant, it's as if God said, "Kristi, this is what happens to transplants...it's normal.  I have transplanted you, and although I'm a more careful and gentler gardner than you, I still have allowed your roots that had spread out into South Orange County to be severed."

"All the paths you were so familiar with and many of the comforts that you enjoyed are no more.  Things are definitely different!  And yes, I even showered you with water after replanting you (rained for 6 weeks) but you will still wilt and faint and struggle to reroot yourself.  But I've placed you right where I want you."

"You are in the hedge of my protection and provision.  I see how you fit and will grow together and the whole hedge will become stronger and more beautiful together.  You are part of my purpose, plan and design.  Don't think for a minute that I don't have my eye on My landscape!  And by the way, I know every root that was cut and every leaf that you've lost and will continue to lose.  Until slowly, over time and with the right care you will reestablish, reroot, re-bud and re-blossom.