Guaitil

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Aug 262010
 

Guaitil is a small village in the Guanacaste province of Costa Rica that is famous for its beautiful pottery. The residents of Guaitil carry on the pottery-making tradition of their ancestors, the Chorotega, who were one of the largest indigenous groups of Costa Rica before the Spaniards arrived to mix things up.

During a visit to the village with friends in August of 2007, we were immediately taken in by the family that owned the first shop that we went into. A lovely young woman named Jessica graciously demonstrated for us how the pottery is thrown, using very simple tools and a hand-operated wheel.  

The economy of the entire village of Guaitil is pretty much based on the pottery and the pottery-making skills are handed down from generation to generation. The tradition is also taught to the youngsters at the village’s primary school. The square of the town is lined with rustic shops (which double as the artisans’ homes) and the ubiquitous Catholic church.

Pottery from the village of Guaitil makes for wonderful authentic, made-in-Costa-Rica souvenirs.

Summer’s End

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Aug 192010
 

It seems as though my summer hiking season is rapidly nearing its final days. It’s kind of a sad time for me since summer hiking is my favorite. But fall is just around the corner and that’s a nice time to hike and a wonderful time to do photography as well. And then there’s my new-found love of winter hiking/snowshoeing. So it’s all good. But I can’t help but feel a little wistful about summer coming to an end.

On the positive side, though, is that maybe I’ll get a little bit of a break from the incessant post-processing of the thousands of photographs I’ve taken during the summer. And maybe I’ll have some time to expand my photographic horizons beyond wildflowers, lakes and mountains. From a creative standpoint, I pretty much get stuck in a single mode during the summer. When I went on the Scott Kelby Worldwide Photo Walk last month, I found that I was completely uninspired because I couldn’t manage to drag myself out of nature/landscape photography mode. So I’m looking forward to having the time to expand my creativity and hone my photography skills.

Playa Flamingo, Costa Rica - August 2007

Playa Flamingo, Costa Rica - August 2007

Playa Tamarindo

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Jul 062010
 

I much prefer mountains and canyons to beaches, but I really wouldn’t mind lounging on a beach in Costa Rica right about now, sipping on one of those fruity umbrella drinks. Where would you rather be right now?

Playa Tamarindo

Playa Tamarindo

Playa Flamingo

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Jun 252010
 

It’s pretty-photo-from-the-archives Friday! This photo was taken at Playa Flamingo in Costa Rica back in August, 2007.  Playa Flamingo is a lovely little resort area in the Guanacaste region on the Pacific side of the country.

Playa Flamingo, Costa Rica

Playa Flamingo, Costa Rica

Earth Day

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Apr 222010
 

I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in. ~ John Muir, Naturalist, Preservationist, Author – 1838-1914

As a self-described tree hugger and completely unapologetic nature nerd, Earth Day is definitely high on my list of favorite holidays. Climate change and the environment in general have become highly politicized topics in recent years and the unfortunate ensuing polarization of thought makes it difficult to get anything done about The Problem. But we’ve definitely made some strides. A few years ago it was hard to feel like anyone was making a difference, but these days it seems like everyone is recycling, switching to fluorescent light bulbs, and bringing their own cloth bags to the grocery store. It’s a start, anyway.

My choice of nature photography is, of course, a logical outgrowth of my love of nature and the Earth and its processes. I’m not sure if getting out in nature is my excuse to photograph or if photography is my excuse to get out in nature, but either way, it works for me. Not only do I love to photograph nature, I love to share my enthusiasm for nature with others via my photos. My hope is that my photography makes my enthusiasm contagious.

Butterfly, Playa Flamingo, Costa Rica

Butterfly, Playa Flamingo, Costa Rica

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