Rainy, rainy October and it is Election Day in the US

Well, I missed getting something up in October, but it was such a whirlwind, that I figure today is close enough! We are right smack in the middle of rainy season and actually really liking it. Yes,it rains a lot, but the weather is cooler and much more bearable, so we hang out on the patio at night and read and breathe the freshness. Plus, all the rainfall and the lovely sounds of it means we sleep like rocks. Nice.

In October, there was a lot going on. He officially formed his Panamanian corporation – really important – and started working pretty much full time for this three clients. We are all thankful for that, but especially him, as he really loves his work and we’re lucky that he is so busy, already! Of course, we had also gotten really spoiled having him around the house full-time. You might think that running a household in Panama is easy, but it’s not. Grocery shopping takes a minimum of four to five hours a week – including stops to multiple stores to find all the things we take for granted in a 30-minute trip to SuperTarget in the States. One such recent shopping trip took four stops just to find milk that was not expired. No kidding. We are so spoiled in the US.

She had one trade show in country, and then two trade shows on the road in the US the last week of October. And, oh yeah, she launched a new website on October 31st. Is she nuts? Yes! Thankfully, it was back home to Panama for three national holidays the 3rd-5th of Nov, which we are right smack in the middle of, so that has been nice. A lot of sleeping, reading and getting mentally and emotionally caught up from 8 days of travel. He was in Denver for five days too, and got back on Sunday as well, so they are both getting over the grumpiness and exhaustion of international travel. I know, wah, but it can be hard on the body.

It was fun to see the continued fervor for the political landscape while they were back in the US - we miss it sometimes. Today is the election and they will be walking down to the yacht club down the hill in an hour or so, to watch the returns. (Again, something we all take for granted – cable TV or satellite access. We have not had it since we moved into the new place at the end of July, due to a merger at which time DirecTV froze all new accounts, so that the existing accounts could be verified – hmmmm, one might think they would not want to limit GROWTH because that might lead to the bottom line and thus make the seller and buyer more happy. But that would be thinking like an American, not like a Panamanian, and thus, we have all taken to reading a lot more books.) At any rate, it will be fun to see the final votes coming in and watch the media coverage and miss all the watch parties happening tonight in our old ‘hoods.

The photos on this edition are ones from our rooftop on a particularly sunny day in October. You can see the Bridge of the Americas, plus the Amador Causeway, back to the City and the giant park where she and I walk almost every morning. Lately, with an umbrella in hand, most all the time.

He reminded her yesterday that she had ‘always wanted to live by the water’ to which she thoughtfully agreed. They then both agreed that it is wise to be careful what you ask for, as you just might get it. Really. Happily, as time progresses, this little family is becoming more and more accustomed to life in Latin America , what it is and what it is not, and not languishing over the latter, but instead, just going with the flow, letting life be what it is and actually enjoying it. It is a much nicer place to be, this mental state, then worrying about what we miss, and pining for things that simply do not exist here, like Starbucks and SuperTarget and doggy daycare. Call her shallow but even she is adjusting, pretty darn well, even without those things. Instead, enjoying 4 dollar manicures, 13 dollar haircuts, and pretty inexpensive dining out.

She surprised me with a bath today, unexpectedly to me, after I rolled in some iguana guano on our morning walk. I guess she did not fully appreciate the green and yellow colors added to my coat and what it might have meant for the upholstery of the couch and guest bed (which of course I do not lay on, they sometimes just take on my smell!).

We also saw a Harpie eagle today and yesterday on our morning walks – he is golden and brown and really really cool. He evidently lives in our big park and nests somewhere around here. Wingspan of at least four feel, really really cool.

Lizard tails and guano to all of my dedicated readers (which coming from me is a compliment!). ‘Til next time or sometime maybe around Thanksgiving. We here in Panama are very thankful tonight, on voting day, for free speech, votes that make a real difference, choice to live abroad, and all of our family and friends who support us with their love and friendship from afar. Blessings to all of you. God bless America and God bless Panama.

Our first guests in Panama!

His son Jack-o came back to Panama with us after we were in Denver for about a week in late July, early August. It was really great to have him. We have moved to our second place – another apartment – in Panama City, on the Amador Causeway. Thankfully, there is a lot less noise – while the original place in Punta pacifica was beautiful and right on the ocean, it was loud – with Corredor Sur and 12 other high-rise buildings next to it, all under construction. With the concrete and steel shortages here, when concrete arrives, no matter what time it is, they start pouring. And,when steel arrives, they drill caissons, even when it is 2 AM and so forth. Aw, well, this is Panama.

No matter, we did decide that it was too much for us – that, and the fact that our international landlord had not had anything fixed in the time period we had agreed to in our lease. So, we gave our notice and got out early and found the new place that we really like in Amador.
The new apartment on an isthmus (not sure if it really is, but it sounds cool) – surrounded on three sides by water, essentially – overlooking the Panama Canal, the Pacific Ocean and back to Panama City. Some photos show the views, which we think really must be the best views in all of Panama.

We like to sit up on our 7th floor social area and watch the huge ships come through the canal. It truly is spectacular to see.

Anyway, Jack came and he and his dad did a bunch of exploring the city together while I had to go back to work for a couple of days right after we returned from Denver. They had a great time, even getting over to the Caribe side to have lunch one week day. Then, they had a 4.5 hour ride back (only 60 miles) because the construction on the one highway between the city and Colon shut the highway down to one lane. And, then of course all the Panamanians got impatient and there was no one moderating the traffic, so everyone started pushing through trying to get through and it turned into a crazy standstill for literally hours. They were so stressed by the time they arrived home, he said, ‘I will NEVER go that direction again,until that highway is finished.” So, we may never see the Caribe again while we are here unless we fly. It was interesting for Jack, no doubt, to see the stupidity that exists around no traffic planning for a major construction project. Bottom line, we take all that type of thing way too much for granted stateside.

My sis Hannah came in from NYC which was really special. She arrived Thursday night, and I took off Friday so the four of us could go the beach. We drove up to a tiny beach called El Palmar – about 60 miles west of Panama City – a great tiny hotel there with 30 rooms, very rustic but clean. The beach is good for learning to surf, which originally we thot Jack might enjoy. But, instead, we all did a lot of hanging, which was lovely. We ended up drinking a lot of beer, eating a lot of fish and lazily wandering up and down the beach. It was a really nice day and a half.
The next morning and afternoon, more of the same. Again, lovely.

Then mid afternoon, we packed up and drove further west – 15 miles or so, maybe – to Playa Blanca. This is an all-inclusive resort, probably the second nicest in all of Panama. The grounds are really nice, the rooms are pretty nice, and the food is the expected middle of the road, all inclusive crap you get at most all-inclusive places. We tried to get into the nice restaurant there, but it was a busy weekend of holiday-ers (kids were out of school, we had no idea, so the place was booked), and we could not get it. Drat. Anyway, we enjoyed the two pools and the beach too and all got some more R & R in, and some sunbathing. After dinner, Playa Blanca has its own theater for entertainment and they do a kids show first, and then a pretty erotic adult show. It was a bit of a shock for us, when we walked back through around 930 PM and the adult show – mostly mimicking videos by Beyonce and stuff like that – but with the ladies on stage in thong swimsuits and such – going on and dancing like strippers…..and all the kids were still there! I guess maybe in North America we are pretty tame, according to Latin American standards, no one else really seemed to mind it. And, no, I did not take any pictures.
Jack and Hannah left early the next week. We both were sad for a few days because we had enjoyed their visit so much. It really was special to have both of them.
Now, we are getting adjusted to the new place in Amador. We love it because there are a mating pair of Toucans right outside our apartment. We probably see them about once a week, flitting around and sounding like frogs. They are beautiful birds, such pretty beaks. For those of you that do not remember what a Toucan looks like, think of the bird on the Fruit Loops box. That is them. Pretty frigging cool!

I am back to work. He has started his company and already has two clients, which is really exciting for him.

Now, back to hanging our new hammock on our porch……and we are having some new friends from Columbia over for dinner….should be fun. It is nice to be making some social contacts and getting a little more acclimated to life here. The first few months were really lonely, and we missed our friends.

Til the next time. We love you all and are thinking of you!