Quick!! Grab That Vine!

The "slip 'n slide" approach to property viewing

When you're viewing a lovely, somewhat remote property and the owner asks, "Would you like to see the 100 foot waterfall?" - before answering "Yes!", I STRONGLY recommend first asking, "Is there a trail?"

Driving to the property in a '75 Land Cruiser.

Because if there is no trail AND you have to walk downhill to the waterfall AND if there have been torrential rains in the past 24 hours - you'll be sliding in the mud straight down nature's original "slip 'n slide", wildly grabbing for any tree-hanging vines (the best when available), ferns, and bushes to break the fall.

Then you ooh and aah at some water careening over a cliff down to the bottom of this cavern, laughing at the muddy water spraying all over your face and clothes - only to pull your muddy ass and water-logged shoes up the same, impossible slope once again.

Dang, my Aching Back!!

Inching SLOWLY past the property guard.

By the way, we really liked this property and I fell in love with the owners (which is not uncommon).  The property consists of 15 acres partly in pasture, partly overgrown/wooded coffee, surrounded on 3 sides with one stream, one river and one creek emerging from a spring on the property, and including two waterfalls: 60 and 100 feet high.  No house, though various nice home sites.  Decent 1 mile long gravel road leading to the property from the main road.  Less than 10 miles to the regional town.  Access to city water and electric.  Appears to have internet and phone signal.   Asking price is $90,000.

We're not making any decisions yet about the property.  But I suspect we'll pass on it for personal reasons.  I DO like it though.

"The pasture is where the cows live."

A nice hilltop to build a house.  Indisputable.

We head into the woods.
Ricardo tells Little Richie ,"Enough with the Land Cruiser driving."

All alone, Little Richie proudly drove the car down onto the property.
Beaming smile!!

Notice: mini skirt, plastic sandals and a huge machete in a designer leather sheath. 
She's ready for some serious action. 

After decades as a coffee finca, 
regenerating a natural forest also takes decades.

Timber bamboo growing down by the spring.
This is a large clump of "bambusa handholdii."

Ricardo asked if we wanted to see the falls.  We answered that maybe just a view of the river would be nice.  He said that he thought that might be possible - and off we tromped.

We lack photos of the actual descent to the waterfalls because on the way down I didn't want to deal with the camera with muddy hands and slippery ground.  Apparently Jeff felt the same way.

Part way down the muddy slope I felt sorry for Maria Eugenia in her little plastic sandals and mini skirt.  I thought maybe she was just doing this to accompany me.  Nope, she said would be perfectly happy to charge down with the men.

Oh really?  Well then honey, let's do it!!  And off we went again, down that God-forsaken mountainside to the bottom.

The first waterfall.

Yep, Little Richie's thinking about taking a dip. 
He ended up soaking wet minutes later.

Costa Rican Gothic.

The "big" river forms the northern property line 
and drains into the mighty Rio Coto Brus.

This gal knows her way around.

Starr in her best Bat Cave crouch.  Yes, bats were flying around wildly 
during this picture taking though none were injured in the process.

The "plano" shows the property boundaries.
I see a water faucet, what do you see?

And on the same day, we went to . . .

Federico's Medicinal Plant Garden:

Federico works in San Vito. His mother was an indigeneous woman and his father "white" (whatever that is). He learned all about indigenous plant medicine from his grand parents. In the last 50 years his people have become itinerant coffee workers, losing most of their knowledge of medicinal plants along with their ancient culture.

Federico is very proud of his indigenous culture.

His entire front and back yards are devoted to his medicinal and food plant garden. Here are some photos of just a few of the plants he grows.

Papaya fruits year-round.

Citronela insect repellent – tall grass plant

Amaranth – edible leaves and seeds

Barabarát – prevents tumors.

Planta de Culebra – make snake bite antidote from the leaves, and has edible roots.

Cranberry hibiscus has tart leaves we eat raw in salads.

Cecropia trees are a useful fast-growing species to help
turn pasture back into woodland, and the fruits attract birds.

Orchids bloom year-round in this moist climate.

Planta insulina treats diabetes

Drying and grinding the roots provides tumeric from the prolific Curcumin plant .  

Mule greets the customers while Pinto hangs back.

Whatcha lookin' for?

For the Birds

Costa Rica is for the birds - but we like it that way.

I've considered myself a birder for a long time. Since the age of six, birds have helped draw my attention to the natural world, and the mysteries of life on planet Earth.

I remember tracking pheasant across the white fields of winter. 

Flushing them into flight just to feel that explosion of feathers, 
and see the jewel-like flash of gold, burgundy, and green.

I remember being completely stunned by my first Pileated Woodpecker.
How could such a thing exist? 
I felt like God had singled me out and showed it to me.

I remember the elegant Northern Loon riding low in the water.
His ululating call piercing the long summer twilight of the Minnesota lake country.

Twice in my life I have been startled by feuding Ruby Crowned Kinglets. 
Miniature fury locked in territorial combat, plummeting straight to the ground in front of me.

It might sound odd, but Starr and I love bird watching because of electric moments like these.

So we are very content to realize that we share the jungles, beaches, and mountain ridges of Central America with 900 species of birds. 

Finer neighbors exist nowhere.

Birders like us try to make a pilgrimage to CR at least once in their lifetime. They come to visit places that are literally in sight of our front gate.

Realizing our tardiness, we finally took our first expertly guided bird walk with Alison and the San Vito Bird Club last weekend.  We really enjoyed it.

Here are some photos (not mine) so you can get a good look at some of the awesome species we've seen in the last few weeks.

 

 

Bay Headed Tanager.
Very shy. Loves ripe bananas.

Blue Crowned Motmot. Hoots softly.
Mates for life. Sits still as Buddha. 
(when Buddha is sitting still)

Blue Grey Tanager.
Everywhere. Another banana lover.

Collared Trogon.
Very shy woodland bird. Very bold design and color.

Montezuma Oropendola. Huge, raucous, and clown-like. 
Nest is a 4 foot long hanging pouch.
(As one would expect of a clown)

Fiery Billed Aricari. Impossibly showy bird. 
Moves through the forest in a loose-knit flock.
(or a stretch-knit frock)

Gray Headed Chachalaca. Large loud bird.
We only heard them in Ecuador, but have seen them all over Costa Rica.

Green Honeycreeper. Unmistakable and striking. 
Will do gymnastics to reach a ripe banana. 
(I wonder what he'd do for a Cracker Jack?)

Keel Billed Toucan. A real front-heavy silhouette in flight.
The markings make the bill seem even larger.
(like Alaska airline's tailfin Eskimo, Avianca needs a toucan fuselage)

Laughing Falcon. Eats snakes almost exclusively. 
Hunts in pairs, calling "gua-co" back and forth, 
until falling into a chorus of crazy laughter.
(... with us)

Passerini's Tanager.
With his shockingly fluorescent red-orange safety rump.
(rarely rear-ended, though records are sketchy)

Swallow Tailed Kite.
Snow white head. Soars effortlessly along ridge tops.

Violet Sabrewing.
At 6 inches, our largest hummingbird. Loves heliconia nectar.
(... with a beer chaser)

Turkey Vulture. The garbage man of the jungle and pasture lands.
Sometimes soars with dozens of birds in a tornado formation a thousand feet high.
(dangerous only if you live in a trailer house)

White Crowned Parrot.
Large green and blue bird. A bit rare.
(you might say medium-rare ;-)

Scaled Pigeon. We saw one from behind this morning 
and could not find anything like it in the bird book.
Later I asked Pepe, described how it flew away, and he knew it instantly.

Happiness is - trying out a really good pair of binoculars.

Coffee after the bird walk at the Wilson Botanical Gardens.

Alison & Carla total up the count.

Thinking about the next bird walk.