Colorful Costa Rica depicted in a village church… Check out what we made for dinner!

The church’s attendant encouraged us to reach high above a window to capture this beautiful scene in the yard at Iglesia de Catholica Zarcero.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

We smelled smoke to discover this fire not far from us, as shown from the veranda.

It’s Thursday morning in Atenas, Costa Rica. The sun is shining but based on the mountains’ cloud perimeter, it won’t be for long. The birds sing in their usual manner, a cacophony of varying sounds from a high-pitched chirp to a low roar.

Tom continuously checks out every nook and cranny to ensure we don’t miss a thing.
What appears to be smoke to the right in the photo are clouds. Unfortunately, it rained the entire time we visited Iglesia Catolica de Zarcero and the topiary garden.

One of many cows (or bulls) moos loudly throughout the day. They are doing so with gusto this morning. Now that the day has dawned, only an occasional rooster’s crow permeates the air. Only a few hours ago, their sounds dominated the plethora of sounds.

We’ve seen many churches in our travels, but we’re always intrigued with yet another, as was the case in seeing Iglesia Catolica de Zarcero in Zarcero, Costa Rica.
The hummingbird feeder we’ve kept fully supplied with homemade sugar water is surrounded by a half dozen of these tiny fluttering creatures aggressively taking turns for a beak full of the syrupy liquid.
Beautiful fresco in the church’s ceiling.
They chirp during this process, either from sheer happiness or with a sense of determination in keeping the others away. They don’t seem to like sharing, with only two in a pair ever sipping simultaneously. Yet, we can’t seem to keep our eyes off of them during the many hours we spend each day outdoors.
Although it was raining with a heavy cloud cover, the light reflected in this shot.

Tonight’s dinner is already made when yesterday I worked tirelessly to create a new item, a knockoff and revised (by me) recipe for Costco’s Low Carb Chicken Bake. If you’d like the recipe, please email me or comment here.  Here’s a photo of the finished product after baking. It was amazing!

Oh, my. These low-carb almond flour, coconut flour, and ground flaxseed pastries stuffed with a creamy, cheesy chicken and bacon filling were “to die for!” See me for the recipe.
We froze enough for dinner for the night we return from Nicaragua in about five and a half weeks.  We like planning for such occasions. It’s not as if we can call for carry-out or pop into our favorite restaurant for dinner.
Churches in various countries offer their unique design commensurate with the local culture.
Speaking of restaurants, today we’re going to lunch with our neighbor Charlie who lives down the steep road about four houses. We met at an Atenas group on Facebook. It will be fun to visit with a neighbor and try one of Atenas’ local restaurants at long last. 
Few of the pillars and design consisted of solid wood, but the plan was rich and appealing.

I doubt there will be anything I can eat when so much of the local foods include sugar, starch, and grains. But, it’s the get-together holding the significance, not the food, although I will try to find something suitable.

We can easily imagine the workers, decades ago, giving this structure their attention to detail and love.
Tomorrow, in the morning, we plan to go to the Friday Atenas Farmers Market to pick up more veggies to last through next week. Afterward, we’re off on the road again, taking advantage of having the rental car and hoping (weather providing) to head to the beach.
A side chapel/altar within the walls of the church.
Since we’ll be gone in the early morning, tomorrow’s post will be available approximately eight hours later than usual unless I get ambitious tonight and prepare it to post it before we take off. We shall see.
More fresh flowers at the base of this crucifix.
Fresh flowers.
On a rare occasion, my desire for a leisurely day supersedes my determination to have each day’s post become available at a predictable time. It’s never a case of becoming tired of doing it. That hasn’t happened. Nor will it ever happen based on what I can ascertain thus far. There’s still so much to share going forward.
Representation of Jesus after His death.
Have a stress-free and easy day!    
Photo from one year ago today, September 21, 2016:
In Bali, the main pipe for the water heater broke on the roof, pouring water into the house. None of our belongings were damaged, although the owner’s digital equipment was destroyed, including a flat-screen TV. For more details, please click here.

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