This & That

The new year burst forward with many creative opportunities, and the sister site to this one has been sorely neglected!   A new story was added today that might be worthy of your time.  Press HERE to go to Hermit Crab B&B.

It refects my love for nature and also calls attention to the pollution that finds its way to our oceans and beaches.  

"Pelagic Sea Snake"

The story’s setting is Playa San Miguel, Costa Rica, where Freddie (pictured right) works daily to clean litter from the beach.   Although he is not mentioned in the story, Freddie often assisted while I searched for unique items from Playamart’s well-stocked inventory.   Sometimes big surprises arrive in petite packages, and you’ll find that story here: 

http://zeebradesigns.wordpress.com/2012/01/30/hermit-crab-bb/

The Cancebi Museum of Manta Ecuador has accepted my work for a solo show in May of this year.   That’s not so far away when one considers filling a space as grand as this!   The mola watercolor series is approaching 20, and the larger acrylics evolve at their own pace.  I can’t let them down, so with a smile, I continue to paint!

From the Deck, A Bird List

Tags

Ecuador, Ecuador Bird List. Birding, frigate, kingfisher, pelican

A birding friend recently asked, “How many birds can you see from your front door?”

I retrieved my modest scribblings and began to count.  Though not taken from the vantage point of the door,  this list documents birds seen from the deck that faces the river.

Rivas Nicaragua

Tags

Ometepe, Rivas Nicaragua, Southern Nicaragua

“Mother.  Why are you in Rivas?  There’s nothing to do there,”  my son once wrote when I reported where I was staying.

“Exactly!”  I retorted, and the next few days were spent at an unhurried pace as I caught up on sleep and recharged my weary batteries.  You won’t find tourists gathered at street-side tables, but you’ll find sun-drenched streets and locals who acknowledge your presence without trying to sell a trinket!

Why I Don’t Drive at Night

Tags

Driving 4WD, Driving hazards, Rainy season, What can go wrong

Many times during Costa Rica’s rainy season, I will say to people, “I know that road, and I would not drive it at night.”     When one veers way off the beaten path, a harmless mud hole might turn into a monster that all but swallows a vehicle.

San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua (SJDS)

Tags

Nicaragua, Park Avenue Villas, San Juan Del Sur, SJDS, Zeebra Maps

Sunset from Park Avenue Villas

San Juan del Sur endeared itself to me in 2001 when I consulted a pictorial map in Rivas and saw the symbols for food and lodging where a road ended at the Pacific coast. The sleepy little town town’s picturesque front street was a mix between classic Pacific post card and Colonial American architecture.  I liked it instantly.

Walking one street back from the harbor, I felt as if I had stepped onto the set of a Hollywood ghost town! The streets were swept clean, and the empty buildings were basic and unpainted, yet dripped with character.

“I wish I had enough money to buy the entire town!” I exclaimed to my friends when I returned to Costa Rica.

LIMON, Nicaragua

Tags

Buena Onda, Casa Rosada, Hacienda Iguana, Hostal Las Tortugas, Limon 1, Limon 2, Nica Waves, Nicaragua, Nicaragua Map, Nicaragua Rental, Rancho Santana, Zeebra Maps

Playa Rosada Sunset

Needing privacy and isolation to work on a deadline last year, I stayed at Casa Rosada, part of the Rancho Santana Project along Nicaragua’s southern Pacific Coast.  Mike, the owner of Casa Rosada, suggested that I draw a Zeebra Map for the area, which presented several unexpected problems.  While I slowly explored the 4-wheel drive backroads, the sleepy area from Hacienda Iguana to La Salinas fast endeared itself to my senses!

Quickly discovering there were no decent maps of the area, (most showed the entire area as “POPOYO”) I slowly plotted the curves of the roads and noted points of interest while a friend navigated the bumpy and often-muddy roads.  The map incubated as we explored side roads, stopped for sodas or inquired about locations.   The locals gladly nudged us along, though finding correct names of beaches and where one community started while another ended was one big question mark!

The Magnificent Ceibo Trees

Tags

Ceiba, Ceiba trichistandra, Ceibo, Manabi Ecuador trees

(Ceibo: Ceiba trichistandra - a cousin to Ceiba: Ceiba pentandra )

“What is the name of that tree?” people often ask when travelling through the province of Manabi, Ecuador.

“The one that sinks its toes into the earth, pokes out its belly, stretches its arms into the sky and looks almost human?”  I smirk.

“Yes!” they exclaim.

“Ceibo; Isn’t it magical?”

A close cousin to tropical America’s Ceiba trees, the Ceibos look as if they could pull up roots and waltz across the landscape beneath the spell of a full moon!   Anyone who has ever gaped up at cumulus clouds and seen faces or animals will easily see the humanesque traits of the ceibos.