The Carpintero - Lineated Woodpecker

Our weather continues to be dry. The last couple of days we thought it was going to break, and we did get some thick cloud cover, a thunderstorm, but only about a quarter inch of rain total. Enough to slake the thirst of the garden, but not enough for the flow of our spring to increase. We are at perfect balance with the spring it seems. I calculate that about 3,000 liters per day is flowing in and the reserve tank stays at the same level.

The long and dry summer is producing some fantastically colored sunsets like the one above. But the hills are starting to turn brown and everyone is a bit worried about how long this mini-drought will continue. Still, it gives us all a lot more outdoor time for projects, walks, and lounging about. 

Saturday I drove the car up our short back road carrying rock, sand, and cement for the work I'm doing on the entrance of our forest trail, which has eroded quite a bit the last two winters. As I opened the hatch door I caught some movement off to the side of my vision. I turned my head and was quite surprised to see a Lineated Woodpecker (Carpintero) not 25 feet from me working on a big rotten tree stump. I would have thought the noise of the car would have shooed away any wildlife, but he (or she) was oblivious to it and my presence. 

I sat down on the ground and just watched, wishing I'd brought a camera for who knew how long it would stay. Turned out its mate was not far away either working on some surrounding trees and it soon came down to join the one closest to me. 

Luckily, Tamara came out of the house 100 yards away and she saw me sitting there. I motioned to her to get the camera, which she did and thus I was able to get some pictures and make a short video of the pair doing their insect search.

 We spent about a half hour watching them before I went back to work. As I worked so did they, totally at ease with my nearby noisy activity.

Halcyon Summer Days in Costa Rica

Neighbors say this is the driest summer in this part of the country that they can remember. I'd thought it was like our first year here, but Tamara says no, that we did have only a handful, but longer rain showers than this time. Since the first week of January there's been a scant 1 inch of rain. Half of that came in one hard, brief rain about a week ago, the rest from maybe three or four light showers before that. If you're a farmer your crops aren't drying up and blowing away (yet), but it gives them cause for concern.

To me this summer season compares with the best of Oregon summers when it can go 3 or more months without rain, except that here we never get those 90+ (or even 100+) Fahrenheit heat waves. It has felt hot, but it's never more than 85F up here and nights and mornings are cool. Town is nearly unbearable in the middle of the day, though.

Not only is the lack of precipitation unusual, but also the many, many days of clear blue sky. Not so rare in the mornings when we see the peaks of Cerro de La Muerte and Cerro Buena Vista from the balcony, but even some of the sunsets have been cloudless. That's unusual.

Logging Tico-Style

Little by little over the past
few months some neighbors have been clearing about a hectare, probably for coffee planting.

After clearing all the underbrush, they began clearing the larger trees. The tree species is not an endangered one, in fact the wood is of marginal value, but every little bit of cash helps of course.

You've seen these animals in previous postings here when they were helping haul out eucalyptus logs that we used for the lumber in my sister's house.

They started very early around 6 AM. By around 7, we took our front row (albeit distant) seats from the upstairs balcony where we could observe their work over coffee and pastry.

There were three pairs of oxen (they come in matched sets!), but I only saw two of the teams actually used that day. Besides being hard-working, they have a seemingly infinite amount of patience and don't begrudge any task. Their usual reward is the odd green banana, peel and all, that they chew up while a cascade of saliva drips from their mouths.

The video above shows the teams in action.

School Progression

A couple of months ago I mentioned our plans to investigate other options for Sean's transition to colegio (Jr./Sr. High) rather than continue in the same private school, Del Valle. The new school year started a month ago, so it's about time I provided an update. Back in Decemnber Tamara was in the midst of making a trade of awesome wall mosaics for tuition at Del Valle, but that deal fizzled (their loss!). We visited another private high school and got Sean on a waiting list, but we never got the call. So, he ended up attending the local public high school, for which we'd already enrolled him. This choice turned out to be a good one, perhaps the best of the three alternatives.

We were greeted for Sean's first day at school, Feb. 8th, by a setting full moon, which seemed an auspicious beginning. He was only there about 4 hours before he called us for a ride home as students were dispatched early that day. That's happened twice more since he started, once because they had no water due to maintenance on the main line and another for no apparent reason. There's been one other "holiday" due to a country-wide teacher's strike. Despite these glitches Sean is in a steady routine now and he says he likes this school better than his previous one, mostly because "the people are nicer".

Thank Goodness It's Morning!

Now I can finally get some rest. Last night was a perfect storm of disturbances that conspired to keep us awake most of the night. First, Lily, our little Tica dog went ballistic with barking at something she heard outside. She completely disregarded our pleas to use her "house voice", a command she knows well. She could not be quelled, so we let her out to run the perimeter for intruders.

At least her barking substituted for what seemed like constant high-pitched whining from 2 or 3 mosquitoes right in my ear, which I'm sure were taking shifts annoying me. At least they didn't draw blood and I finally got at least one of them with a good self-inflicted whack to my head.

To top things off, just before dawn we had a 5.8 quake that shook for quite a while, maybe 30 seconds or more. Usually they are hit and run, but this one rocked and rolled and seemed it would never stop. Actually, since I was in bed it felt not unlike being in a massage bed.

Finally, dog asleep, mosquito R.I.P., and the earth quiescent again I could doze off for a few more Zzzzzs. No sooner do I drift off than "gnyaaaagnyaaagnyaaa" goes the alarm clock!!

First Trip to the Big Lake - Part Final

The slow, but long hike at Hanging Bridges whetted our appetite for some lunch and the German Bakery looked even more inviting in our minds' eyes than it had when we'd passed it up in Nuevo Arenal. So, we headed back that way, passing the wood carving gallery again, but making a mental note to double-back for a visit after our anticipated post-prandial satisfaction. 


At trail's end we had time for a couple more photos, one of a beautiful Amapola blossom and another of a butterfly with a perfect picture of an owl under its wings. Actually, two owls, with the one on the left doing a pirate imitation (click to enlarge).


Sean and I had grabbed some cookies on our way out of the bakery and were happy to sit in the car once we got to the gallery to enjoy our dessert while Tamara poked around in the gallery, which from outward appearances seemed not terribly interesting.  After about 10 minutes, however, she came back to the car insisting that we come inside. 

The pictures that follow are just a tiny sampling of what's on display. These pieces are quite a bit different than what we've usually seen in roadside galleries and I was impressed. Part of the reason they are different is that they are made from rare tropical woods (such as Cocobolo heartwood), which have been submerged for years, maybe decades beneath Arenal Lake.

About every five years or so the lake level will drop low enough that some of this wood can be "harvested" by the artist for his sculptures. 


But, of course, these pieces strongest characteristics come from the work of the artist, Ronal Sibaja, himself. He is self-taught and has been making these pieces for many years. They have such an originality and flair that even if you don't like them, you can find them compelling just the same.

No, we didn't buy any this trip, but Ronald's work is definitely on our minds and we will make a point of visiting his small gallery on our next trip to Arenal. If you are intrigued by his work you can contact him at dkako09@hotmail.com or +506 8928-0262

First Trip to the Big Lake - Part II

The drive to the other end of Lake Arenal from Tilarán is steeped in scenery on both sides of the road. It's narrow and winding, but generally in good condition. Being a tourist area there is substantial traffic, so the driver can't spend too much time gazing at the sights. The road, the weather that day, and the ubiquitous rental cars brought back memories of my visits to the island of Kauai where there is but one road upon which you pass back and forth as you explore the island.

We passed several interesting looking waysides including a Swiss hotel and restaurant and the turn-off to the Venado Caves. Those we reserve for the next trip to the area. We did stop on the way back in Neuvo Arenal at the German Bakery/Restaurant. The food alone is well worth the stop, not to mention a pleasant atmosphere and outstanding service. My wife makes better cinnamon rolls than they do, though!

The main destination that day was the Hanging Bridges trail complex, just before you cross the dam. Though there were many cars and small tour buses in the parking lot the trails were very sparsely populated. We felt like we were the only hikers for most of the walk. The entrance fee seems a bit steep ($24/adult), but for once we were able to utilize our residency cedulas to get a 50% discount (yay!).

 
The concrete block trails meander through many acres of primary rain forest. The suspension bridges with aluminum grating for the walkways span vegetation cloaked ravines of depths to nearly 200 feet in some places. It's like a walking version of the ubiquitous forest zip lines, though more peaceful and more time to observe the forest and birds.  



 





 'Twas was a very pleasant way to spend 3 hours or so before we headed back towards Tilarán, on the way stopping at the aforementioned German restaurant.






 













After lunch we made a short double-back to stop at a wood carving gallery we'd noticed, but had already passed by twice. A blip along the road, it didn't look like much from the outside. Inside however was a different story, which I'll relate in the next lake trip posting.