Category Archives: nature

Aug2

beauty in costa rica. – part dos.

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leaves in the rain

lovely homemade breakfast

pollinator hotel in the forest

fresh-picked peppercorns

cool water swimming pool at the rainforest hotel

local cat rests with la tortuga sculpture

shadow of a rainforest fern

rainforest hotel lounge

retro lighting and paneling

playing jazz standards and christmas music

the coatis and their families

often joined us for meals

a hut deep in the rainforest

offering a place for the workers to rest

a palm tree on the pacific ocean nods to the end of a day.

—

“i love to mix everything together. it’s really my way to see beauty.”

-alessandro michele

Aug1

you carry it. – part uno.

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ethereal green wall in the alley of a small town

powerful monument in the capitol city

broken pottery mosaic on the sidewalk

tree trunk art in the rainforest

luscious dessert art

bottles create stained glass in the walls of the turtle sanctuary

heart becomes part of the path

where the fairies might live in the rain forest

small storefront in the rain

night setting at one of our rain forest stays

hanging rain forest bridge to ?

fisherman’s boat waits for him on the river

flowers growing wild on the caribbean beach

near where the sea turtle laid her eggs the night before

—

there was beauty of all kinds to be found in costa rica,

often in the most unlikely of places, in all its forms, as is beauty’s way.

—

“when you leave a beautiful place, you carry it with you wherever you go.”

-amanda stoddard

Jul27

“if there is magic on this planet it is contained in water.” -lauren eiseley

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off to the pacific ocean

outrigger canoeing

stop at a little beach

 warm swim in the salty ocean water

short walk to a hidden waterfall

sit under the cool water

 snack on fresh fruits

ending the day walking into a tiny beach bar

enjoying a costa rican cocktail of passion fruit and local sugar cane liquor

as the sun went down over the water

going to the river the morning after

for a boat ride through the mangroves

sharing space with

 crocodiles, pelicans, egrets, herons, storks, white-faced monkeys, macaws

all of them protected and safe.

“water is the driving force of all nature.”

-leonardo da vinci

Jul26

transition forest.

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air plants, leaf-cutting ants, army ants, red macaws, giant caterpillars, fungi, great kapok trees
all live here together
—
 another magical hike
into yet a different kind of forest
 the only transitional forest in central pacific,
where dry and humid forests converge
 Carara National Park  – Garabito/Turrubaresis
—

“i would say that there exist a thousand unbreakable links between each of us and everything else,

and that our dignity and our chances are one.

the farthest star and the mud at our feet are a family;

and there is no decency or sense in honoring one thing, or a few things, and then closing the list.

the pine tree, the leopard, the river, and ourselves –

we are at risk together, or we are on our way to a sustainable world together.

we are each other’s destiny.”

-mary oliver

Upstream: Selected Essays

Jul25

quietly floating through the cloud forest.

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crossing the continental divide

 into the pacific region

for a visit to canto del rio and a hike into the cloud forest

one of the most unique environments in the world

surviving on costa rica’s mountaintops

incredibly quiet and powerful

the cloud forests are formed by a combination of wind and geography.

—

“in the cloud forest the fog is taken into the plants, thus ever clearing the air and feeding the streams. these forests are sacred, for they both bring flowing water to the ecosystem and hold the earth in place during the rains.”

-angela abraham

Jul23

up in the canopy and so lucky.

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it was a very lucky day

to wake up and look out my window

to see the high clouds had cleared

revealing the top of the volcano at last

then a hike up and into the tree canopy of the arenal rainforest

 amidst many highly specialized flora and fauna that very rarely live in other places.

 it’s estimated that no less than 1/3 of all tropical species are found in a rainforest canopy.

it was such a lovely way to end the day

to see these skies when returning in the early evening

after a day spent up high in the canopy

a very lucky day indeed.

“the forest is for me a temple-

a cathedral of tree canopies and dancing light.”

-dr. jane goodall

Jul21

going through.

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a welcoming walk through the rainforest

in the sarapiqui region


beauty everywhere

bravery on the hanging bridge

over the roiling river

finding a lock of love

magnifico.

“the clearest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness.”

-john muir

Jul2

blind date.

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exploring saginaw forest

 

—

“july is a blind date with summer.”

*-hal borland

 

*Harold “Hal” Glen Borland was an American writer, journalist and naturalist. In addition to writing many non-fiction and fiction books about the outdoors, he was a staff writer and editorialist for The New York Times

1900 – 1978

 

 

—

summer 2023, ann arbor, michigan, usa

 

May10

spring chickens.

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the kinder, who are spring chickens, check out the other spring chickens

and the other spring chickens check out the kinder. 

—

“the sun’s not yellow, it’s chicken!”

-bob dylan

Apr27

wild mushrooms.

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mushrooms are one of my absolute favorite foods

and it’s soon time for the elusive morels to appear

luckily i have this handy chart to help.

no time to write more

i’m off to find a sasquatch den.

—

“on the subject of wild mushrooms, it is easy to tell who is an expert and who is not:

the expert is the one who is still alive.”

-donal henahan