
Playa San Miguel, Costa Rica
Years and years ago, my friend Dan Wise (Rio Colorado Lodge/Costa Rica Outdoors Magazine – Costa Rica) told me about a high-energy woman who made beautiful floor cloths in Costa Rica. “You should meet her, Lisa,” he urged.

Hand-painted Concrete floors by Lisa!
Although we never met, I subscribed to Laurel’s Originals Newsletter and always look forward to seeing new designs and projects. Her June newsletter brought a jolt of a surprise; sometimes Life does indeed grant us very-personal gifts. See if you can spot what placed a huge smile in my heart:
Laurel’s Originals June 2018 Newsletter
Now enjoy some of her designs:
Here in Ecuador, Museo Portoviejo pushed back the date for the Nomadas en Ecuador Exposition; most likely it will open on July 5, although the showdates are coordinated through the Museum’s home base in Quito. That’s fine with me, as it gives me more time to work on paintings – or to give an old one a new look!
One night I worked until 5 in the morning and was so absorbed in my work that I did not notice the light-loving insects that were just over my shoulder!

The work area now has blue curtains to deter the nocturnal insects, but that night they found their way to the source!
Stepping out of my ‘tent’ area, I was greeted by thousands and thousands and thousands of those wispy little insects. Outside the windows, however, were that many ‘more’ to the 100th power! These ‘hatches’ (?) have happened twice in the past ten months I’ve lived here, and now the numbers have returned to normal!
The flora and fauna continue to grant lovely moments; the squirrels continue to raid the bananas! One has now earned my respect and compassion, as it seems to have a deformed front left foot.

Brown Wood Rail at ground level view!
The natural supply of bananas attracts the Brown Wood Rails for some very-easy photo ops, though the rails are pretty predictable to spot during the final half hour of each day. The forage briefly before crossing the yard and entering their private domain of thick cover.

They are funny when they prepare to jump into the bananas!
When I first ‘discovered’ that the rarely seen or photographed Brown Wood Rails were my closest neighbors, I thought they were chickens! They often forage near the chickens – the same way that cattle and horses occupy the same tract of pasture. At times the sometimes-territorial chickens chase the Wood Rails, which dart from zero to lightning speed, which always gives me a chuckle! Other times the Wood Rails strut across the yard while pumping their stumpy tails, as if practicing for a parade performance! This area is home to the Brown Wood Rail and five other VIP bird species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Two Wood Rails and one Chicken!
Last week while watching the end-of-day activities of the Wood Rails, I suddenly realized that one small brown bird in the cast was not a Wood Rail! Camera – quick! – I managed three not-too-clear images, but good enough for identification.
The Little Tinamou, which often graces the area with its perfect-pitch and projected whistle; several mornings earlier it called from what seemed to be right outside the window. Usually a second one answers, and sometimes a third. About every 45 seconds it repeats the same tune, and several minutes later they go mute. Let’s close this post with the audio of of an ultra-strong whistle from a very-timid little bird:
(Tinamou-Sound Cloud)
After I listened to the Tinamou upload, Sound Cloud rolled me to an artist I follow. Enjoy some of the music that often plays when I paint late at night – if you feel exceptionally creative, start the Maassen tune on the Sound Cloud page, and then add the Tinamou from this one! Now THAT’s a sample of my work environment!
May your week be a good one! Thank you all for your support! Lisa
What a lucky winner! I hope you’ll show us your prize when you receive it, please Lisa?
Of course I’ll show that lovely prize! Hopefully I’ll be able to visit her studio, and write another post about her work!
What a lovely prize! 🙂 🙂 And your artwork looks beautiful, Lisa.
Thank you! The museum still has no set date and said it might be the 29th or early July or late July – I’m going to feel funny if suddenly they say it’s on the 29th!
Keep painting, lovely lady xx
Congratulations! Your paintings are stunning. We had a baby Virginia Rail in our vet clinic last week. I thought it was a chicken!
How great to have a rain in the clinic! It was surely adorable! Yes, they are all so chickenlike – except for those long toes! Today |I saw two adult \|Limpkins and three young ones!
Such amazing art work Lisa a well deserved win. I love the gentle relaxing music you shared with us, I can imagine it being a very motivating back ground sound to paint to
Thank you! Yes, the music is very relaxing; I prefer the subtle sounds of nature, but many times there are other intruding noises, like motorcycles or weed whackers; thihs week it’s been worse – power saws as a line of trees and bamboo along the lake come down…. grrrr, i’ve not been in a painting mood! i don’t paint well when things are troubling me – how about you?
It’s not too surprising to me that your fine artwork is winning awards. Admiring it
since the very first it’s great to see you are being recognized
for the quality work you do.
You know nature will win in the end.
The insects will just gang up on you.
They don’t like smoke of certain fragrances
“You know nature will win in the end.” === yes, there’s a website called, nature bats last… recently a neighbor has allowed a timber person to come in and cut trees and bamboo.. each day is challenging to hear it, as it’s right across the ‘ravine’ from the house, so it sounds like they’re in the house. it makes me sad to witness the altered landscape, the displaced birds, yet they adapt as best they can…
tomorrow’s the solstice; i hope that yours is a nice one!
Just some trivia–yes, the insects do have “hatches”, and certain flying ones, such as mayflies, carry a disease that can be a real issue for horses. That’s why I know about “hatches” and when to watch for them. Enjoyed your birds!
i had no idea about mayflies transmitting a disease to horses; in the southern usa, it was/is the mosquitoes and equine encephalitis. i’ve been gone for almost 20 years, so there’s no telling what’s happening ‘up’ there now!
i thought of you while inserting those water lily pads int he stilt painting; i’d hoped to get new reference material this year when i returned to the segua, but the areas had been turned into shrimp ponds and were ‘sterile.’ boo! i relied on not-so-good images taken last year.
your next sky pads will surely be the swan song of all of them.. i read your last post at home/offline, and haven’t check wp to see if you’ve posted an update!
am about to be off line til next week!
From the Merck Veterinary manual (sorry for the geekiness of it–N risticii causes what is commonly called Potomac Horse Fever and can present as a range from fever, diarrhea, sepsis, dyhydration, laminitis and more… ): N risticii DNA was detected in 13 species of immature and adult caddisflies (Trichoptera), mayflies (Ephemeroptera), damselflies (Odonata, Zygoptera), dragonflies (Odonata, Anisoptera), and stoneflies (Plecoptera). Transmission studies using N risticii–infected caddisflies have reproduced the clinical disease. One route of exposure is believed to be inadvertent ingestion of hatched aquatic insects that carry N risticii in the metacercarial stage of a trematode.
I am delighted to have found you on SoundCloud!!! Fantastic.
ha! random bird sounds, but there are some lovely and unique voices in my area! now i just need a week of internet!
You always make my day.
Such a lovely post Lisa. I loved the canvas rugs. The colors are amazing.
thank you, and yes, that rug will make a great easy-to-clean addition to the house! the rainy season is almost over, so now we wean into the cooler dry season. thanks! – i really enjoyed your post about what one might be – i don’t think i’d want to come back as a tree, because too many people are cutting down trees!!!! maybe come back as a mango tree – they stay green year round, give fruit so wouldn’t be cut down.. monkeys and squirrels and lots of birds hide in the canopy… yes, maybe i’d come back as a mango tree!
Congratulations Lisa! Such fantastic news and so well deserved. Your artwork is stunning.
thank you! now it’s a question of finalizing the date for the first show.. it could be in 9 days, or in two weeks, or toward the end of july!
Wonderful!!!
No natural detail escapes Lisa’s alert eye! Lovely photos and observations.
Thank you for a few calm, inviting moments, Lisa! I love the jumping Wood Rail – so cute….and the lily pads behind the Stilts make a great graphic statement. It’s nice that you have some extra time to get the show ready. And congrats on winning the rug!
If some of the birds that you spoke about line up, do they form a wood rail fence?
Thanks for your introduction to the pretty music of Dirk Maassen. His last name is unusual in having two double letters in a row.
What a beautiful painting and the ambience of the music indeed sets the scene.. Me too I play meditative music often chants and Celtic music inspire me.. And I am lost in another world..
Not surprising that you lost track of time.. for when we create, we get absorbed in the moment.. And the Moment holds no time in the Now.. Sometime I am discovering I enjoy more and more..
And I am listening now to the piano’s soothing soul.. All is vibration and we are choosing that frequency we wish to resonate within..
I have so enjoyed my time here among your Songbirds, Paintings, videos photos and music…….
You live from your heart, and you inspire me greatly with your love of nature .. We may be at opposite ends of the earth, But I know from a soul level our connection is ever present..
Much love dear Lisa.. ❤