Gail Boogie Boarding

When you go Boogie Boarding, the first thing you have to do is get out to the waves.   That is always a challenge.

Once you find a good wave, you try to catch it at just the right moment.

And then you ride.

Some rides can be really good.

 

But some don't turn out quite like you planned.

But it's always a good day at the beach.

Day Care and Catholic Church

Just down the street from us is a day care center.  It is easy to tell when you are approaching it.

The parents drop the children off in the morning and pick them in the afternoon.

 

I have noticed that often the children wear uniforms but not always.  Not real sure how that works.

 

The children appear to be well mannered and well disciplined.

Many of the decorations around the school are made of old tires.

Some of the things in the playground would probably not pass our standards.

Right across the street from the day care is a small Catholic church.

 

It is not a large church but it is very pretty inside and very well kept.

 

As you can see, there are lots of fans but no air conditioning.

On Wednesday and Saturday evenings and on Sunday morning the street is full of cars and the church is overflowing with standing room only. 

 

 

The outside of the church is beautiful and well maintained also.

Jaco Flowers

Flowers---wow, that is be a big topic here in Jaco.  The variety and colors of the flowers are amazing.  One of the more prolific varieties is the Hibiscus.  They are everywhere and can be seen in a variety of colors:

 



 



There are a lot of flowers that we recognize.  Here is one we think is a Wisteria.

 

 



 Other varieties include the Bougainvillea and the Mandeville.  You can find these everywhere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here you have purple, yellow, red, and pink all in the same picture.

 

There are quite a few that I have no idea what their names are.  These yellow flowers are beautiful and seem to sneak in amongst the other flowers just to make sure you notice the contrast.

 

Yellow is a good color.

 Red is a good color too.

 

Jaco Trees

As you can imagine, there are a large number of flowers and trees in Costa Rica.  There are so many that I could never include them all in this blog.  However, there are a few right in our neighborhood.

 



For example, the palm tree is a beautiful tree.  

There are many different kinds of Palm trees but this  very colorful variety is one of my favorites and is right outside our door.

 

There are also many varieties of evergreen trees.  Some are very tall.

 

And some are very soft.

 

 

There is a tree just down the street that has very large "fruit". 

 

 This is called a Jicaro tree and as it turns out what really looks like a fruit is just a swelling of the tree's woody parts.  These jícaras have a very hard shell and, inside, a dark purplish pulp, very spongy, where the seeds are embedded. 

 

The seeds have been used to prepare a beverage called horchata and some home remedies. Since time immemorial, those who live in the lands of the jícaro or morro, as the tree is known in other Central American countries have used the shell of the jícara to make bowls and scoops for household use. Simple or intricately etched glasses are made out of the oval jícaras, from which people drink horchata or the corn based pinolillo.

 

If you are interested in more information on the Jicara tree, you can follow this link--http://www.envio.org.ni/articulo/1762

it really is pretty fascinating.

 

There are almond trees everywhere.

 

That's why the Macaws are here--they love almonds.

And, we have a lime tree right beside our balcony.

Beside the courts where we play tennis are some very large bamboo trees.

 

I don't know their name but there are also some trees that have very few leaves and lots of pink flowers. 

 

The Macaws like to hide in here.

 

 

There is a Cashew tree just down the street.  It is not bearing fruit right now but the last time we were here in the month of February--it had a lot of cashews on it.

 



The nuts on the cashew tree grow from something that looks like an apple. 

 

The nut hangs down from the "apple"--one cashew per apple.   It is the only nut that grows outside it's shell.

 

This only  touches the surface of the multitude of varieties of trees that are around us.  But, I hope this shows that this is an ecological wonderland.  I can see why many students come here to study the environment and all of the plants and wildlife that Costa Rica has to offer.