The tide pools exposed at low tide along along the rocky San Francisco Point and Playa Langosta are teeming with sea life. This is a photo of a sea urchin in one of the tide pools.
Tamarindo Beach never ceases to amaze and delight me regarding the gentle slope of the beach. Here you can see the patterns and color in the sand under a glaze of water and reflections. Reflections are common in lakes, but not in the water of the ocean.
After yesterday's photo showing he volcanic rock, I thought I would post a photo to reassure people who are thinking of visiting Tamarindo that the beach is sandy and not rocky. This is the area right next to the scene that I posted yesterday.
This little series of beach photos would not be complete without a surfing scene. This is from the northern end of Tamarindo beach, which is popular with people learning to surf. It is also popular with swimmers who like to stay out of the way of those who are learning to surf.
I have shown photos of families enjoying Langosta beach during the past two days, so here is a photo of a family on Tamarindo beach. I took this photo at low tide. Where this family is standing is usually where people would be wading out into the ocean.
After showing several weeks of photos of crocodiles, iguanas and other animals, it is time to return to some photos of the beach, such as yesterday's and today's photos. 
A ritual of vacations, of course, is to take family photos standing in front of memorable places. This family is creating memories that will hopefully last a lifetime.
The first of the month worldwide Daily Photo theme for July is "green." This is an easy theme for Costa Rica, as green is all around. We are blessed with lush tropical landscaping, trees, and greenery all around. 
Did you notice the bird sitting on the water trough in yesterday's photo? I knew I could count on Brattcat to notice it, as she often leaves perceptive comments about details in the photos, and for Jarart to have an eagle eye for birds.
Here is another rural, pastoral scene from the countryside about 10 minutes inland from Tamarindo. I love the simplicity of the green hillside, accented with trees, and a windmill to pump water into a basin for cattle.
Continuing with the rural scenes that I have been showing, here is a photo of a spotted bull that caught my eye in a pasture about 10 minutes east of Tamarindo. Sorry that this photo is from a distance and not a close up. Unlike when I am taking photos of crocodiles, I do not get close to bulls. 
This photo shows the entrance to a house in a village close to the location where we took the wildlife river cruise on the Tempisque River, which I have shown during the last week or so.
Yesterday I showed a cattle egret. Here is a close up of the cow that was next to the egret. Brahman cattle are popular in Costa Rica because they can withstand the warm climate better than other types of cows. Brahman cattle originated in India and have been exported throughout the tropics.
Continuing with my animal series, here is a photo of a cattle egret, and a cow. Cattle egrets are very common in Guanacaste, our province of Northwest Costa Rica. There are lots of ranches and cattle in the area, which suits the cattle egrets just fine.
My current little series of some wildlife photos would not be complete without at least one photo of a bird. Here is a colorful kingfisher. Kingfishers are located primarily in tropical and temperate climate areas, and only few of the many types of kingfishers are found in the Western Hemisphere.
After posting photos of a crocodile for a week, followed by a rather unattractive iguana yesterday, I figured I better show photos of some cute animals animals for balance. Here are some white-faced capuchin monkeys playing around on the boat we took for our wildlife viewing trip on the Tempisque River in Palo Verde National Park.
After finishing our boat ride in which we saw the crocodile shown during the past week, we walked on the river bank and who was our greeting party? This iguana.
Crocodiles have excellent eyesight above water, but not very good underwater. They have excellent hearing though little slits instead of ears. They can even hear their young calling from inside their shells before they are hatched.
I promised a closer view of the crocodile's teeth. The way to tell a crocodile from an alligator is that crocodiles have a more pointed snout and the fourth lower tooth of a crocodile sticks up outside the upper jaw. 
Several of my treasured and favorite regular readers during the past few days, such as Brattcat, Kate, Sharon, Jarart, Lois, and more have left comments saying that one should not get closer to the crocodile than the photo shown yesterday. 
As the crocodile came closer, we got a better opportunity to assess its size. Yesterday's photo from a distance revealed that he was wide, and presumably large. Today's closer photo of the crocodile confirms that he is large. Even though he is mostly under water, the length of his tail is visible in the ripple of the water.
Yesterday I showed a photo of the crocodile lurking in a river. Today's photo shows the same crocodile as he glided slowly and silently towards us. 
I have showed lots of photos of the beach lately, popular with swimmers and surfers. Would you like to go swimming in this river? Better take a careful look before deciding to jump into the water.
The reflection that you see in the bottom of this photo is the sheen from a light rain that moistened the front table at Longboards Restaurant, which I showed last summer. The tables are wood carved in the shape of surfboards, and they are finished with a clear varnish that provided an opportunity for me to take this reflection shot. 
Who do you think made these footprints on the beach in this photo? 
This surfer has finished his surfing for the day and is walking back towards the central part of Tamarindo where most of the hotels and condos are located. He looks content.
After yesterday's photo of a surfing failure, I figured I better show a successful surfer today. The northern end of Tamarindo beach is a popular area for people learning to surf.
Here is a photo of some surfers at Tamarindo beach. The odd thing about this photo is the stray leg poking up out of the wave on the left, the only visible part of a surfer who had fallen into the wave.
I do not post many macro photos, but here is a close up of patterns in the sand on Tamarindo beach. These patterns made by the slowly receding water are a function of the gradual slope of the beach. 
Why should vacationers be the only ones to relax on Tamarindo beach? Shouldn't local dogs also get to lie around and enjoy the warmth of the sun, the cooling effect of the ocean's waves, and the relaxing effect watching the fishing boats bobbing in the southern end of Tamarindo bay?
Here is a photo of a storm at sea, with a log of driftwood in the foreground. Like many photographers, I will at times try to find an object in the foreground to add depth to a distant scene being photographed.
Every once in a while the woman wit the dog would pretend that she did not have the stick that the dog was retrieving. This photo shows one of those moments. The dog is not fooled in the slightest. He knows that she has the stick and he will wait until she throws it again. I wonder what he is thinking when she teases him in this way.
The lab has trained his companion to pick up the stick after he returns it, ready to toss the stick to him again and again.
The dog has successfully retrieved a stick from the ocean where the woman threw it. I don't know how dogs acquired the instinct to retrieve thrown objects, but they have trained humans very well to throw sticks and balls for them.
A split second after the photo I posted yesterday, the girl tossed the stick and off ran the dog. Within the first two strides by the dog he was up to speed and his eyes had already picked up the flight of the stick. I think he has done this before, yet he never seems to tire of doing it again.
This yellow lab is anxiously awaiting the toss of a stick on Langosta Beach at low tide. I love yellow labrador retrievers and had one for my two sons when they were growing up. They are smart and very attentive, as this dog's posture reflects. 
Today's worldwide Daily Photo theme is "Construction." I took this photo a few years ago when the Pacific Park condo building was under construction at one of the two main intersections in Tamarindo.
Because I have shown a series of photos of some of the flowers and butterflies around our Langosta Beach condo, I should show a photo of the person who keeps the garden looking nice, Pablo, the gardener. He takes pride in his work.
The flower that I showed yesterday is a popular feeding spot for yellow butterflies. They seem especially attracted to it and it is common to see 5 or 6 butterflies all fluttering about the same plant, and the walkway to the beach alongside our Langosta condo has lots of these plants.
Here is another one of the flowers in the gardens around our Langosta Beach condo. These flowers are huge and spindly. They remind me of a feather duster. 
Here is one more photo of the type of flowers I have been showing this past week. These flowers around our condo are popular with butterflies.
This photo is an even closer view of the center of the same type of flower that I showed yesterday.
While we are on the subject of flowers with the photos I have posted during the last few days, I thought I would show this photo of a flower that has not yet bloomed. As readers of this and my wife's Scottsdale Daily Photo site know, she takes lots of macro photos of flowers, and I take very few. 
Here is another photo of an orchid from Lankester Botanical Gardens near San Jose. In the recent newspaper article about the discovery of 10 new orchid species, the Tico Times quoted the Lankester Director as saying that the discovery of new orchid species is the result of an effort begun 10 years ago by the University of Costa Rica to identify and classify plant species.
After yesterday's post with news about new species of orchids, I got out my external hard drive to show an orchid photo. I took this photo in one of the greenhouses at the Lankester Botanical Gardens outside San Jose in the Central Valley.
This week there is news about orchids in Costa Rica. I don't have any photos of orchids handy, so I will show this flower instead.
I stopped in and had a refreshing fruit smoothie at the bar alongside the swimming pool at the Langosta Beach Club. I just walked in from the beach, and no one stopped me or asked if I had paid a fee to use the facilities. Maybe it is free to eat or drink there, but I am sure that you would need to pay to use the pool or other facilities.
The Langosta Beach Club provides a place for people to take a break from the beach, relax on some lounge chairs in the shade, take a dip in the pool, use their towels and lockers, work out in the exercise room that I showed in the photo a few days ago, or get something to eat or drink. 
