About four days into a family vacation in Costa Rica, I grabbed my camera, jumped in the car and headed out alone. I was told the dirt road ended at the river and that some good photography might be found at the end of it, especially birds, and someone mentioned something about a frog farm.
I set off and drove to the end of the road finding a house set back a ways at the very end of the road and on the opposite side I wanted to explore. I began searching the trees for birds. There was a Macaw high up in the canopy and I was trying to get a clear view of it when a man came over from the house. He spoke no English and I spoke so Spanish. But he knew what I was there for – good images – and he had just the subject.
In his hand he held a little Green Costa Rican Tree Frog. As he approached the little frog leapt out of his hand landing on my face just above my cheek and quickly snuggled into my eye socket. I spontaneously handed the camera to the man and he graciously snapped some images. Our journey together had begun.
As I learned later this man had started a frog farm with plans to export frogs to foreign markets. I was told that in Costa Rica you must demonstrate your business is viable for a period of five years in order to gain approval from the government. For some reason he did not receive the approval, so he turned all of his frogs loose.
As he showed me around his farm, which had exotic plants and several outdoor ponds where he was raising beautiful tropical fish, he pointed out frogs hiding in the dense undergrowth. Without his pointing them out I would never have seen them.
Sometimes when I am out with my camera I believe it acts like a divining rod for me, pointing the way for me to meeting new people, new scenes, new adventures. All of them treasures. I will always have fond memories of this man, his friendliness, and his frogs.
I set off and drove to the end of the road finding a house set back a ways at the very end of the road and on the opposite side I wanted to explore. I began searching the trees for birds. There was a Macaw high up in the canopy and I was trying to get a clear view of it when a man came over from the house. He spoke no English and I spoke so Spanish. But he knew what I was there for – good images – and he had just the subject.
In his hand he held a little Green Costa Rican Tree Frog. As he approached the little frog leapt out of his hand landing on my face just above my cheek and quickly snuggled into my eye socket. I spontaneously handed the camera to the man and he graciously snapped some images. Our journey together had begun.
As I learned later this man had started a frog farm with plans to export frogs to foreign markets. I was told that in Costa Rica you must demonstrate your business is viable for a period of five years in order to gain approval from the government. For some reason he did not receive the approval, so he turned all of his frogs loose.
As he showed me around his farm, which had exotic plants and several outdoor ponds where he was raising beautiful tropical fish, he pointed out frogs hiding in the dense undergrowth. Without his pointing them out I would never have seen them.
Sometimes when I am out with my camera I believe it acts like a divining rod for me, pointing the way for me to meeting new people, new scenes, new adventures. All of them treasures. I will always have fond memories of this man, his friendliness, and his frogs.
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