Thanksgiving

I won't' be celebrating in my usual fashion by cooking this year. Costa Rica does not celebrate this day and I have a tree cutter coming to cut down a very old palm that is threatening to fall on my house at any given storm. This pains me a great deal to cut this palm due to all the birds that use it for their nesting tree. I have debated this for years and having seen many other palms near my home that were planted in the same time period fall to the ground, I fear this one could be next. This tree has provided me with many photos and sprung forth many baby birds. A geese has her nest up there now and was very upset when the tree cutter shot his line over the tree to pull the ropes.

Trust me, I'd much rather be cooking up a storm today than what is planned. As far as giving thanks, I ritually do that every day. I feel so fortunate that I did break away from the known and ventured here. It has been a blessing with the many lessons I have learned and the beauty I see every day.

To my friends: Check my comment

"Brokin' da Board Beach" Heartbreak

If you are a reader of Yo-Yo, you know I call my beach Brokin Board Beach. I named it years ago when I first moved here because I saw so many guys walking with their head hung low, carrying their board in two pieces.

Shannon was visiting here from Canada during the Billabong World Surf Championship and she caught this shot of exactly what I see often. She emailed it to me with the subject line, "Boy crying". That says it all. With her permission, I am sharing her photo with you. Ahhh, the heartbreak of good waves.

I am happy to report that Harry from Brazil made it back to Brazil with his board in one piece! Great fun Harry, thanks for getting me back out there on the beach with my telephoto. Harry left just as the waves were settling down and now it's a little flat. The waves are fierce at times in Hermosa and be forewarned.... they do break boards when they are on a roll.

Past post: Brokin Board Beach
Living Large - Two years ago when Harry broke his specially shaped Brazilian board.

Lucky Lapa

Today is the first time in a long time I have had a Lapa (Red Scarlet Macaw) come visit my Almendra tree. It was such a pleasure to watch him. He was alone. They usually are in pairs. I'm not sure which one this one is but around here, there is an odd number in the flock. They usually wake me with their squawking but I don't mind. They make me smile everytime I see them pass overhead. And to see one in my tree!? That's a gift.

Today I was responding to a comment on a past post about my own personal animal planet outside my house.
Here's that past post: http://yo-yoinparadise.blogspot.com/2009/05/animal-planet-at-my-house.html
As I was typing, this Lapa showed up in that same tree as mentioned in that post.
Funny how things happen.

Toucan and the Iguana

Lately, I hear the toucans everyday, calling out to each other. It's an eerie call but beautiful. Typically, they are so high in the trees that I can't usually find them. In this shot, taken awhile back, I didn't even see the iguana until I viewed it on my computer screen. It's another life up there, high in the trees!!
A reader wrote in and identified this toucan as a Fiery Billed Aracari.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiery-billed_Aracari
Thanks to YOU!! I learn so much from my readers!
And iguanas eat toucan eggs???

"All We Do Is Surf" - las Olas!!

That's Alberto warming up to slam some sunset waves... and then my battery died. Manana Alberto!!
This is Harry from this morning.
Having F-U-N again!

IGUANA MIA!!

Ya'll know I love iguanas, I love all the creatures that are part of my backyard. It's entertaining just to watch them in their daily routines. Right now, a red bellied squirrel is picking off almonds, scaling the shell, and dropping them to the pile of left over almonds on the ground. As promised, here are two iguanas sizing each other up for a rendezvous. They're so cute. They bobble their head up and down to see if there is any interest, then follow one another high in the trees.

I love feeding them bananas, pineapples,papayas,,, they even eat hibiscus flowers.
Amazing to watch, now you see it, now you don't.


I am totally fascinated with these prehistoric looking creatures!! I guess I have thousands of photos of them by now.

Board from Brasil

This is Harry's board. Harry has been hitting the surf everyday and it makes me wonder, how do these guys do it? Come here on vacation and day after day, get beat up, thrashed around like a rag doll only to go out and surf again the next day. Amazing. They are all warriors to me, the dedicated ones.