A Slow Morning

I managed to see everyone I planned to see and then some on this US trip. So I sit around our hosts house, waiting to see a friend for another visit.

The morning has been spent finding a contractor to repair the mailbox out front that we mowed over and ruined. Both contractors are Mexican. Interesting, they both speak good English.

I now have a deep appreciation for their fluency in English. After all, I am struggling to learn Spanish. How have these immigrants learned so quickly? I am impressed.

With the help of a friend who is a general contractor, we found, beat the price down, and accepted a contractor for the repair. They are starting in a few minutes.

Things are slow here with the recession (or should I say depression). There is no way a small repair job would be started this rapidly a few years ago. Hell, we probably couldn't even get a bid on a repair not long ago.

I am ready to go home. And, yes, I do call Panama home now. That is a result of this trip.

Even though our adjustment has been torturous, we do not have a home here in the US so, by default, home is Panama.

It helps to think of Panama as home. This I notice.

As a profound man once said, "it is better to ride the horse in the direction it is going." So off I ride to Panama!

Home.

We have experienced the deepest and most generous hospitality on this trip. The success of the trip rests squarely on the shoulders of this heart-warming hospitality.

Thank you Jim and Kelly, Katey and Matt!

Thank you also to our friends. Your friendship is cherished and treasured!

What a blessing. So many friends.

In spite of the past year, I feel fortune...so fortunate.

I have had misgivings about our relocation, moments went I was convinced that I made a huge mistake. My friend pointed out that even if we return, so few people ever get to have an adventure of this magnitude. Ultimately, leaping off the cliff into the unknown is the real value, the rest is gravy.

I hope the gravy is good!

Fast Food Oxymoron

I was moving fast from one get together to another with only 40 minutes to spare and needed some food. And tacos sounded so good!

I had a thought--a bad one as it turns out--to get some tacos at Taco Bell or as we used to call it, Toxic Hell. They would have good tacos and it would be fast.

As it turned out it wasn't good and certainly wasn't fast!

I rushed into the place, seeing only 4 people ahead of me in line. All right! This should move. I took another look and realized that they were part of the unwashed, obese, snaggled tooth hoard, normally found congregating at WalMart.

Oh no!

They clogged up the line with their antics. An older couple with their son and girl friend. I ended up having to give them a break in my judgmental mind because he was in the Army and I have to appreciate anyone who puts himself in harms way for us. Which was a stretch for me because they stalled the process.

After I ordered, it took 25 minutes to get my food.

What???!!!??? Five meals???

I have been out of the country too long. I forgot about the dominance of the dreaded drive thru lane.

Most businesses now worship the automobile and the drive thru lane as the real source of revenue. I have no idea if this is actually true but that is the way they treat it.

Meal after meal after meal after meal...went out the drive thru window as we marinated in resentment waiting inside.

25 minutes, damn it!

Fast food my ass! And it tasted pretty bland too.

I talked to a friend of mine that reported a story about the same thing at McDonald's earlier this week. A customer, who had been waiting inside for too long, started to shout at the manager about feeding all the drive thru lane customers before any of the inside people were served. The manager was no dumbie. He fed this customer immediately, warding off a Uzi attach in the nick of time!

I have always had distain for the drive thru lane. It represents everything that is rotting the US from the inside out. And we wonder why there is so much obesity here. Between the drive thru lane and the TV remote, we have pounded nails into our coffin for sure.

Oh, what you forget when out of the country.

Thanksgiving in the US

I am amazed at the depth of my relationships. It kind of snuck up on me. They were built over the last 30 years, kind of like a slow, simmering stew.

I didn't know it takes a long time to develop truly deep relationships. It happens seamlessly over time, a little by little. Transparent.

Sure, I knew they were great friends, but the strength and vibrancy of these friendships are stunning. The great pleasure of this trip is reuniting with friends and family. I'm sure it will be a huge loss when we leave.

And you get a second chance. A couple of friendships have faded over the years, lost their luster. Even these are strong and interesting. A second chance sure is nice.

Maybe this leaving the country and returning thing is good.

We had a family day yesterday with a surprise visit from a niece. This was totally unexpected.

Today is another family day. My daughter and I will cook turkey dinner as has been our tradition for years. After the bird is in the oven, we go for a walk...kind of like our annual "get connected" time.

Thanksgiving Day is one of my favorite holidays. Probably because my part is the cooking while someone else cleans up. I think I got the good end of the stick with this one!

Then, Friday, back to more friends with family sprinkled in too.

A note on US driving.

I reported earlier that it is easy to drive here. I spoke too soon.

The highways are definitely easier but the city streets are tricky.

This traffic sprints, darts, accelerates and brakes very fast. When turning, if I look at the on coming traffic, I have to make sure their is A LOT of room or they will run over you.

Very fast, sharp driving.

It takes some getting used to.

I went to eat at my favorite Chinese restaurant and found it gone...closed with no new location. This took the breath out of me. I loved this place and eat their for over 25 years. I wonder what happened to this lovely family? How will I ever find hot and sour soup this good again?

This kind of change makes me sad. Kind of like loosing a good friend.

I suspect that more and more of this will happen as time goes on. I don't do well with it.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I hope you get to hang out in the warm embrace of friends and family

Ode To The Cell Phone

Remember when we didn't have cell phones?

Ya, I know, many of us complain about them, the leash tethering us to work or family.

But, I have been without one in Colorado. It throws me back to BCP (Before Cell Phone).

I used to make elaborate arrangements to meet people with back up plans in case the arrangements failed. And, from time to time, I would miss people entirely.

One Christmas, my daughter and I made plans to meet after some independent shopping in a major department store. Unknown to me, the store had an entire huge section that I missed. Consequently, I couldn't find her.

I ACP time, I would pick up the phone and find out where she was.

I waited in the parking lot until I was the last car in the lot. Finally, she walks out to my truck and we reunite.

That one sticks in my mind.

I worked for an engineering firm in the 70's that gave me a roll of dimes and demanded that I call them after each field project. It worked--if I graced them with a call.

The cell phone is one convenience that I don't want to do without. Our visit has been a patchwork of missed appointments, missed opportunities and general planning overload because we can't communicate.

And on to a new topic...

I went to the Social Security Office today to get an application for benefits and information on the required documents.

The place was packed with standing room only. They have a computerized number taking system...for God's sake...does anyone really need that?

I waited a hour and a half. Not a problem, I have been trained in Panama. This was not a wait but more of a short delay.

I call them a few weeks ago to get the same info. They told me I needed 3 years of W2's. I don't trust them to get it right so I visited the office and sure enough, they gave me different information and more information.

I think I will call a few more times to cover all the bases. I have to return to the US to file so I have to get it right or the trip will be waisted.

Believe me I am not complaining. I will jump through any hoops if someone is going to give me money!

The US Blog #2

Visiting with old friends has filled our days and nights.

I had lunch with one of my oldest friends in Colorado. We worked together for over 25 years in 3 different businesses. He is in his 70's, retired and having a ball traveling around the country in his mobile home. No grass is growing under his feet.

Today, I stopped in at a meeting with many, many old friends. I was so happy to be in this energetic, profane and joyous group...I fit in just right.

Some of us went for a late breakfast at a local hash house and whopped it up some more. I worried about driving away customers because we were laughing so hard. This is good stuff for the soul.

Yella and I went to watch the Broncos at some very good friends' house this afternoon. The football game was a disaster but the company was the best. I forgot how much fun it is to be with people committed to laughter and fun.

The theme for the day was laughter and gaiety.

We went to eat at a restaurant that was one of our favorites because it was good and moderately priced. Yella had a meal and I had a drink and side dish because I was stuffed from snacking during the football game.

Oh my God, sticker shock! They have raised their prices A LOT. We paid $35 for a meal and a half. This was so much more than we used to pay...not to mention how expensive compared to Panama.

I'm getting tired of $2.30 cups of coffee.

It is exhausting doing all this visiting. I love it but I am beat by 6 pm and ready for bed.

Musings From the Colorado

Driving out of the Denver airport, the Interstate Highway looked so big, smooth and perfect. I was stunned. The traffic flowed in a predictable, logical fashion. No wonder we drive unconscious in the US. It requires almost no thought because it is so orderly.

Where was a car driving without any lights when you need a little excitement?

I have been over joyed seeing my old friends. Absence does make the heart fonder. It is sooooo good to see old friends. Like putting on a well-worn pair of shoes---comfortable and supportive.

A couple of friends mentioned that I have been hard on Colorado in the blog. Hmmm??? It must be so since they mentioned it. I will have to take a look at that. I have not intended to be hard on my old state.

Today was a perfect Colorado day. Absolutely still. A calm I have only experienced in the Colorado mountains. Even though it was brisk, the sun warms you on one side while the other is chilled.

As I stood at the base of a mountain, looking east across the town, it looks brown, grey, tan...dry, dormant, bleak.

I turn and look up into the mountains and it is beautiful...verdant green with a huge, looming 14,000 foot Pikes Peak covered with snow against the bluest sky.

I was brought back to 1977 when I first arrived in Colorado. I was awed by this beauty. I couldn't get enough. Hiking in the mountains became my passion.

I have not experienced that passion and love for a few years. Somewhere along the way, my intolerance for the cold took over.

Today, the awe came back. I thought, "I love this day, this beauty!" I used to think this almost every day.

It felt good to be able to appreciate the state I lived in for 32 years, where I started and operate numerous businesses, raised 2 children and much more.

I'm not pulled to move back...simply to appreciate it once again.

I may have gone a little native in Panama.

I missed a promised time to meet my daughter last night at 8 pm. I only miss an appointment once a decade or so. This is not like me. I don't know what happened. It caused quit a little bit of trouble so I had to eat some crow.

Today, I went to her school where she teaches music. Yella and Katey are singing in a talent show for her school tonight so we rehearsed.

My of my, do they sound good together.

I went back for the first show this afternoon. I got to watch Katey work with the kids for a while.

She was born to do this kind of work. She makes them toe the line but doesn't dominate them. A perfect balance.

She was trained in her first two years in an Inner City school in Denver. They had no money, no books, no curriculum, no instruction. She was on her own in an over filled classroom of unruly kids.

In desperation, she started singing and they all stopped acting out, looked up at her in wonder. Her voice does that to people, no matter what age.

Most of you know how well Yella sings so now you can imagine how good they sound together.

I look forward to returning tonight for the main show.

Getting Ready for the US

I have been busy for 2 days getting ready to travel to the US.

Colorado had a snow storm last night and today. It's cold!

I forgot how to pack for this cold weather. I started to fold Tee shirts then realized I wouldn't be wearing them. I had to get my jacket, gloves and hat out. Brrr!

I hate the winter. That was one of reasons I wanted to move to a warmer place. I used to say, "I won't die in the winter, only the summer...who wants to die in the cold."

I had a realization. A bad climate can make you miserable, but a good climate won't make you happy. Damn! I was counting on that. I suffer from the illusion that warm weather will make me happy and it just ain't so. It doesn't make me miserable but it doesn't make me happy either.

Yesterday I did 3 loads of laundry, folded and put away. Today, I cleaned the house including mopping the floors.

Mopping tile floors takes some skill. I watched the maid at our rental house. She taught me that you have to ring the mop out with your hands. The mop press on the bucket leaves the mop to wet and the floors never dry.

Well, that was probably more than you wanted to know about mops.

All in all, working around the house felt good.

I have been bored lately. I need something to do that is a contribution or makes a difference. All this self centered, pleasing myself stuff gets old. I hope I can find something when we get back in December.

It's been a busy 2 days with all the preparations. Plus, I got to watch the Broncos for the first time this season on a friends TV and there was a big party tonight for a couple celebrating 5 years in Boquete.

A lot of activity but there is still something missing down here. I need more than entertainment to be satisfied. I need to feel useful.

We'll see.

Last day in Boquete tomorrow, then off to Panama City early Tuesday morning. On to Colorado on Wednesday.

I am looking forward to seeing friends and family. It's been almost a year.

Crap, Crap & More Crap

As soon as I set foot here, people told me about the bad quality of everything.

There is no way for someone from a 1st World nation to comprehend this.

As time has progressed, I have been learning.

Yesterday, I started to install the parts for the dishwasher. I ordered a new drain hose and "Y" drain connector from the US. I got the drain line on the dishwasher just fine.

Then, I went to connect the "Y" under the sink. All the plastic pipes fell down in my hands.

What??!!

I couldn't believe it. I had all this fixed...supposedly.

The trap wouldn't connect to the pipe, the pipe wouldn't connect to the galvanized 2 inch pipe in the wall. What?

I ran to look at another sink in a bathroom. The pipes fell off with a small touch.

I ran to the other bathroom and the same thing happened.

GRRRRR@#$!@##!!!!

I was livid.

Rafael arrived this morning. He was supposed to have fixed all this. I showed him what was up.

He said he fixed the water pipes but didn't do anything with the drain. Well thanks a lot!

So, with a little investigation we discovered that the "J" traps were installed backwards and the pipes at the wall were never sealed with a washer.

It all got corrected but I learned a good lesson. You have to double check everything.

Now everything was all right...

Not!!!

Rafael calls me outside to look at the hot water heater which is leaking. Now what!

We pull it apart and find a pinhole leak in a cast brass valve. No way to fix it.

I am looking into the warranty but my hopes are low.

Many people are convinced that the goods shipped to Panama are rejects and seconds. I think they are right.

As fast as I correct something, another breaks.

This is never ending.

Thunderstruck!

By a 12 year old Panamanian girl who is rail thin and looks 10. And can she sing! She won the Panama Idol last year which tells you some of the story.

First a little discussion on great voices.

When Yella and I were on the road, she started to develop vocal nodes after about a year. We were playing and singing 5 hours a night, 6 nights a week. It was just too much for the human voice.

Yella found a vocal coach in KCMO who was an opera star in Europe but then living in KC. She took lessons for a few weeks and invited me to go to one of them. I didn't know she was learning how to sing in a whole new way.

Oh boy...just what I wanted to do...how much fun could that be?

After I arrived, sat in a small living room, crowded with a baby grand piano, the lesson began.

The coach told Yella to warm up singing scales.

Of boy...love those interesting scales...

She played the scale on the piano and Yella started to sing.

A voice I had never heard came out of Yella. It was huge, piercing into every nook and cranny of the room, penetrating into my soul, moving me to the quick.

I had never heard anything like this. It was a rare experience that I remember to this day.

So back to Ana Lisa, the little girl.

I went to the rehearsal for the Grand Opening of the Boquete Community Players new auditorium. I was invited by the music director who said I HAD to hear this girl even though we would be in Colorado for the show. So come to the rehearsal.

I waited for 3 hours and no girl. I was nodding off in the corner, about to leave, thoroughly discussed with my waist of time.

Then in walks this little girl with her dad.

She walks right up to the stage, stands in front of the microphone, hands at her sides, smiling, waiting for the band to get it together.

She already got my attention by her way of being.

Then she hit the first note...oh my God...what and hell was this!

Her voice filled the auditorium and beyond, resonating all the space, penetrating into every cell.

Everything stopped.

People that were working or milling around, stopped.

Jaws hit the floor.

To hear a voice this magnificent is moving. Now the problem is how to look good and not make a fool of your self by sobbing out loud with joy from the shear beauty of it.

Wow!!!

I cannot properly articulate the experience. It was so moving.

A voice at this level, LIVE...IN PERSON...chokes you up, makes your nose run, your eyes leak and tightens the chest while simultaneously calming and centering you with serenity.

This is an altered state for sure.

Am I glad I waited!

It took me back to that lesson in KC with Yella.

I Am a Social Animal

A few years ago, I would deny it. And, I have the personality tests to prove I am not social.

But I am.

If I stay home all day, not talking or meeting anyone, it leaves me feeling lonely and incomplete.

Yella called this morning and we finally got to talk for a while. It was good to connect.

Then, off for breakfast and the weekly expat meeting.

I enjoyed breakfast with a couple, then onto the meeting. A friend was doing the presentation and I wanted to support him.

We normally make fun of the expat meeting--it is for those without a clue, those not knowing how to figure out Panama, those who should have stayed in the states, etc.

The meeting was surprisingly fun. I got to see a few people I haven't seen for a while. Yella and I have been out of the social loop for a couple of weeks because of house stuff and we aren't in any music production so we haven't seen this group of people for a while.

I visited with them for about a hour, all fun.

Then, on to Amigo's for a light lunch.

Now, I normally see "the usuals" at Amigo's and I did see them and the normal, mundane conversation was going on.

If I relax and let the conversation develop slow and easy, it is amazing what pops out.

The lady next to me, out of the blue, says she used to work for Werner Erhardt & Associates in the early 80's. She was a computer programer and she wrote their systems software.

I know there are a lots of opinions about Werner ranging from he's a saint to he's the anti-Christ. For me, he, his work and organizations were impactful.

The lady proceeds to talk about working with Werner. On Saturdays, frequently they were the only two there. He would walk across the office and sit down and talk to her. She said he would let her talk and he would listen.

She said, "Isn't that funny...this great man with so much to say and offer would sit and listen to me...just listen."

One Saturday, Bucky Fuller walked in to see Werner. Werner lead Bucky across the office and introduced him to her. She said that was common, Werner always included her with his guests.

I feel that Werner made a big impact on modern society and personal responsibility. And I thought that sitting down to talk to him would be an incredible event. Now I know it would be. Only truly great people listen.

I should pay attention to my own words.

I left Amigo's for home feeling full and complete after spending a few hours talking to friends.

Full Days

With Yella gone, I am into a pattern of roaming around and meeting people.

This is one of the great pleasures of being retired!

There are a lot of interesting people here...and I get to meet them if I take the time.

I had a conversation with the wife of a gringo builder who has a good reputation. Now that was interesting! We decided he needed to start a blog helping people with their construction projects. Talk about a needed service!

I bumped into a man who is into baking bread in wood-fired, stone ovens. Uhh?? He claims there are several people doing this here. What??? .

I met a civil engineer who has worked all over the world. He is traveling around Latin America for a while. He is fluent in Spanish and he has many stories. What an interesting life! It makes me feel that I missed out on so much when I was younger.

On Saturday, I drove to the beach just for the hell of it. Traffic was light being Saturday so it was a fast trip. When I got there it looked like sun for a half hour, then clouds. I decided to forgo the "Day Rate" at the resort and parked at the public access road and walked the beach for 30 minutes, then left.

It was a fun trip...and fast too.

Tonight, I am going to Amigo's to watch the Broncos play Pittsburg on Monday Night Football. The only problem is that we are on Eastern Standard Time now, with the switch back from Daylight Savings Time, so the game starts at 8:30. Way too late for me. We'll see if I make it to the second half.

I talked to Yella yesterday in Colorado. She reports that she had a shower with a flood of water ANY TEMPERATURE she wanted. Then she went to Walmart and broke out in a consumer frenzy wanting to buy 6 of everything. She had to smack herself around to stop it.

I do remember feeling that we couldn't get hardly anything we wanted when we first got here. Now I can't remember what we wanted.

That is a telling perspective on the States.

Maybe we should revisit studying the rise and fall of nations in history.

Ou La La

I went out to the Ou La La restaurant last night.

I was the only one there which was a little disconcerting. Christof, the chef, was willing and able to fix dinner.

The menu included a new Corvina (Sea Bass) dish with tomatoes, onions and jalapino peppers. He offer to cook the fish any way I wanted. He has fixed some remarkable fish meals for me.

But, I wanted to try the new dish.

A moment later, he came out of the kitchen with an empty 25 pound bottle of gas and said he was out and couldn't cook. So he runs across the street to a little store and returns with a full bottle of gas, and a bottle of pop which I also ordered. It is so slow he doesn't stock soft drinks...he runs across the street and buys them.

Panama!

The meal did get cooked and it was fantastic. I think Christof is the best chef in Boquete.

There are at least 4 gourmet chefs in town but he is the best one in my book. We are fortunate to have a lot of good food here. There are about 6 restaurants just below the gourmet ones that are also good eating. And, then there are about a dozen typical places which aren't bad for a quick lunch.

Hans and Terry came in while I was eating. We met them on our first trip to Boquete 6 years ago. They lead birding, hiking and coffee tours. Over the years we have done a few things with them. They are now our neighbors, in the loose sense...they live about a mile away which makes them the closest gringo neighbors. We met her on the road a few days ago riding her horse.

The mornings now are sunny and beautiful. The rain holds off until the afternoon.

Life is good.

Super Scare on Highway

I drove Yella to the David airport this evening. She is off to Colorado. She called when she got to PC, having arrived intact and at the right hotel. Ya!

Now for the drive back.

It was dark, rainy and really, really dangerous.

A little background...

Panamanians either have no lights or the lights are not aimed properly, meaning that the lights are in your eyes. Add in people walking on the side of the roads dressed in dark colors. Now mix in a little slow bus traffic, erratic side road entry and general stopping on the road for no reason.

Get the picture?

I was traveling through a little town when an on-coming bus pulled half off the road to let people exit. This is a typical move where the on-coming traffic swerves out into my lane to get around the bus.

Normally, this is accepted and easy to deal with.

But it's raining with lights in my eyes and I can't see shit. So I swerve over to the edge of the road or at least where I think the edge is.

Suddenly, I see a women walking on the edge of the road, dressed in grey, RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME.

Faster than I can think, I jerk the wheel over toward the center of the road, somehow missing her and the on-coming traffic. It seemed like it was physically impossible to miss everyone but I did.

Then I was left with the dump of adrenaline in my system. It took 30 minutes to calm down.

If you hit a pedestrian in Panama, you own them and their extended family for life. Not to mention hurting the person. This is the most trouble you can get into in Panama. You don't want to hit a walking person. Bad news!

Of course, people walk all over the roads. And, they pass out lying in the middle of the road. They stop to talk in the road and, generally do what ever they want in the road.

Shit! This is scary stuff.

I feel sooooo fortunate in avoiding this incident. Whew!!!!!!!!

Super Mercado Lily's

As I've mentioned before, Lily's is my favorite store. It is a grocery store with household goods and construction materials...all in one store and it's not that big.

You can get almost anything at Lily's.

You have to ask for most of the stuff and they go get it. Today I needed some more paint thinner. So I ask and he says, "un momento, por favor."

I wait and wait and wait for about 5 minutes. I can't imagine what's going on.

Out he comes with a litter plastic pop bottle filled with paint thinner! I guess they have a 55 gallon drum of it in the back and they fill containers to whatever quantity you want.

It's been a long time since I've seen this way of dispensing goods.

It has been cloudy, rainy and foggy for 5 days now. I'm still not tired of it. But...

We had floods in Boquete yesterday. This is that time of year.

The weather starts to come in from the north, dumping rain on the continental divide above Boquete. The water comes rushing down the mountain and plays havoc in town.

The north and west side of town got hit the worst. Olga's restaurant was full of water and mud last night. 6 of them cleaned it out all evening and she was open for business this morning.

That couldn't have been a pleasant evening.

We had the normal inch or so of rain yesterday at our house. Just 2 miles to the north, they had floods. Fickle weather.

The Independence Day parades have all gone on...they are in the morning and, for the most part, don't get too much rain.

Everyone in town, or so it seems, has a drum and is beating on it. No other instruments, just drums.

They love to make noise here!

This rainy, foggy weather is supposed to last until Friday. A big low pressure is just off the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. It is expected to become a Tropical Depression and maybe worst, going North into Honduras and the Yucatan.

Big storm time of year. I hope Yella's plain gets out from David Thursday night.

I Love the Rain

It has rained for over 36 hours and I'm not tired of it yet.

I have always loved the rain. Ever since I was a little kid.

One of the things that was hard about living in Colorado was the lack of rain...and green, lush growth and birds and life.

I saw a picture from Colorado on FaceBook today. It was so brown and dusty with snow on the mountains...cold....brrrr! It looked awful. Bleak, barren. lifeless.

Down here life is everywhere. It gets in the house and into your clothes and in the car...everywhere.

It is so green. No dust. Out of control growth. Weeds, trees, flowers, birds, more weeds and plants like you grow in pots in your house...wild.

I love the rain. It represents life. Warmth, abundance, life.

We had about 35 inches of rain in October (Colorado gets maybe 17 inches in a year!)and expect about half that in November. The total for the year will end up about 125 inches.

Listening to the rain on the roof gives me permission to read and nap and be lazy. Ahhhh...

First Guests in the House

The house is now in good enough condition so that we are willing to have people see it.

Yella has the curtains made and up...looks great! Most of the boxes are off the floor with the empties hauled off to the trash. And, the TV is in place and working.

We invited a couple over for lunch today. We haven't seen them for a while and we were worried we'd pissed them off or something. Hard to imagine knowing Yella and I, isn't it?

It was a good time. We always enjoy this couple.

She told us about the Halloween parties in Boquete last night. This was a big gringo night, not Panamanian. My friend Johnnie Max played at Amigos and, as is his MO, everyone was outside because he plays so loud no one is willing to endure it too close. She said it sounded good from the street. When will this guy learn? I am not hopeful.

Apparently there were 2 big parties with a huge gringo turnout. She made it until 10 pm then called it a night. The parties raged on to the wee hours.

Panama is gearing up for the first big slug of holidays next week...3 days in a row celebrating an All Souls thing and Independence Day from the Columbians. Later in the month, they celebrate the big Independence Day from Spain.

Much bunting, band stands and closing off of roads is in the works. The parades etc. start on Tuesday.

We rushed out yesterday to go to the bank because everything will be closed (except restaurants and grocery stores) most of next week.

For all practical purposes, the months of November and December are shut down in Panama.

I am looking forward to seeing this holiday period.