Drumming Season

Noise, noise and more noise.

And disruption.

November is the biggest holiday month for Panamanians. They celebrate 2 independence days and a couple of days for bloody battles resulting from their independence.

A total of 5 official holidays with a little stretching of the days for more fiesta!

Last Sunday afternoon, I went into town to drop off my trash. No can do...a parade with much drumming was in progress, shutting down many roads, so no trash disposal.

This parade was a warm up for the November holidays.

November is the transition month from the rainy season into summer, windy and dry days.

Most of the parades are in the rain. Kids everywhere, with drums and maybe one or two trumpets.

Always in the rain.

I don't know how they do it. The rain is chilly and can soak you to the bone with the cold.

But it always goes on.

December has fewer holidays even with Christmas, a big deal in a Catholic country. And Mother's Day is in early December. This is also a huge day for Panamanians.

In spite of the Latin machismo culture, this is a matriarchal society, so mom is celebrated in a big way.

All in all, two months of holidays!

Very good for the people but very bad if you are trying to get anything done!

One interesting law...banks can not be closed for more than 3 days. This week the banks will stay open for Wednesday morning, then re-open Saturday morning for a half a day.

A good custom...money makes the world go around.

Stuck Both feet in My Mouth

I should know better.

I am actually aware of a few quirks in Boquete, so I should have avoided this social blunder.

But I didn't.

When I was at the the gym, an acquaintance walked in. He had a little, year-old boy with him that looked Panamanian. He is about 75.

So I asked him if the boy was his grandson and he said, a little indignantly, no this is my son.

Whoops!

There are more than a few old gringos who marry young Panamanian women and have babies when they are in their 70's and sometimes 80's.

This is not a good idea for many reasons but it happens with alarming frequency.

There is the age issue and the fact that the gringo will not be around for the majority of the child's formative life and will not see the kid marry.

But there is another cultural issue that rarely gets considered in the "heat" of the moment.

When a gringo is considered wealthy...believe me, most gringos are wealthy in the eyes of Panamanians...they are expected to support the entire extended family...dozens of brothers, sisters, parents, cousins and on and on. Normally 30 to 60 people.

This of course does not occur to the starry eyed, horny gringo. Even though they appear to be intelligent, successful men...judges, district attorneys, airline captains and others.

But believe me it occurs to the young lady and her parents!

Families in Panama are extensive and close, frequently living in adjacent houses with more than one family unit in each house...crowded by our standards but completely normal to them.

They will be a little bit better off financially after the marriage of their daughter to the fossil-bait, old codger.

So, there will be a few young children without their gringo father running around this community in the future.

But, I didn't have to make the social mistake and rub it in this guys face.

Sun!!!!

14 days without any sun...socked in, foggy, drizzle, rain and torrential rain...and cold, for here.

This is unusual weather. Even in the rainy season, even in the rainiest month of October, we get sun most mornings and rain later in the day. In October, it rains almost every day.

But we get sun in the morning.

Not for the last 2 weeks.

A breeze is in the air and sunshine with bajareque (cloud forest mist) pushed down the continental divide into the upper reaches of Boquete, leaving the rest of us in sun.

This is our summer (December through March) weather...too early really. But I'll take it.

This morning was a paradise morning.

Breakfast at Olga's with a friend that I rarely see in the morning.

Then I left Olga's and ran into a friend out on the street so we got caught up on everything.

Then a walk around the village...in the SUN!

As I passed Amigo's, I saw the owner and his wife...so of course we talked.

This required some time because he just this last Monday re-opened after being closed for over a year for renovations.

Yes, that is Panama. Nothing happens fast here.

They have an incredible new facility.

Their open area is on the opposite side of the wind! For 4 months of the year, wind is a big issue here. Now they have the ONLY open area, covered from the rain and protected from the wind.

And it is HUGE!

It must seat about 150 under cover. Incredible! And there is a raised stage for the bands with a large dance floor.

We discussed our first gig at this new facility. Can't wait! Should be a hoot.

I continued on walking, through an area of town that I've never walked.

This neighborhood is a couple of blocks off the highway so the noise from the trucks and the marching bands and every other way of producing LOUD noises...which is the Panamanian way...is blocked from the houses.

Lush jungle foliage, bright yellow houses with brick red roofs. A beautiful area of town. And I've never seen it.

A delightful morning!

With SUN!!!

And it is snowing in our old home of Colorado. That makes it so much better!

Smiles

We played at Las Ruinas, our favorite venue, last night.

We were a little worried because we haven't played a gig for 2 months and it is the heart of the rainy season when the fewest people are here.

We had a couple of rehearsals prior to the gig. Basically, they went well but, oh man, there is a difference between rehearsal and LIVE.

Our worries about the rainy season were unfounded. We had a full house from the first note and the crowd held for our entire 3 hour night.

We were a little rusty with the music though.

We are getting old and it shows. Memories are not what they used to be. Attention span is somewhat reduced. Focus is a little harder. And it takes it's toll physically standing up for 3 hours and pumping out the energy.

But, all in all, things were pretty good in the quality area...I don't think they could hear the problems.

The audience was special.

About half the audience was new. Where do all these people come from?

I looked up several times during playing and made eye contact with someone smiling at me. The eye contact was held and beamed out.

Making eye contact is not unusual.

What was unusual was the warmth and length of the eye contact. I have never experienced this. I asked Yella is she had the same experience and she did.

These people were having fun. And a lot of it. And they weren't the drunken sort. No one seemed to be overly intoxicated. They couldn't stop smiling!

This was pure fun!

I had a blast!

In spite of all the things that went wrong. The fun, the joy of the audience transcended all the issues.

Great night!

The Rainy Season

I love rain.

I lived in a semi-arid high desert for 32 years, missing rain all those years.

I love the rain!

So I didn't think the rainy season effected me in a downer way.

I went to the beach today. There is something about the beach that is magical. Surreal. Calming and grounding.

I looked out at the horizon and noticed the darkness of clouds building to a big rain in the distance. There was a low overcast of thin clouds with half sun and half shadows under the clouds at the beach.

Then I noticed a slight depressing feeling with the dark distant clouds and the lack of full, bring-it-on sunshine.

It occurred to me that the rainy season is slightly depressing, even for someone who loves rain.

That shook me up. I didn't think the rainy season got to me like so many of the people that complain loudly about it.

I was at the beach with a friend...Yella couldn't make it. She wasn't all that enthusiastic about going to the beach because she can't go in the water yet with her wound still open.

So I went with a friend, the drummer in our group.

We walked up the beach toward the building clouds on the horizon, collecting a beach dog on the way. The dog was a large lab that was chasing the sand crabs and following us. I enjoy watching a dog have fun.

On the way back we stopped at the Las Lajas Beach Resort, a big name for a small 10 room resort with a pretty good restaurant, right on the beach.

We stopped for coffee and got a carafe of coffee for $2 total. What a great way to hang out at the beach.

The rest of the day was wonderful.

The sun came out full on bright. We boogie boarded, ate a true Panamanian fish lunch. The fish is deep fat fried whole...head, eyes and all. It was delicious although I don't think it is very healthy.

We got back to Boquete about 5:30 with no rain anywhere alone the way.

That is a big deal in October, the rainiest month of the year!

I Retired from Band #2

Getting old isn't for the faint of heart.

In an effort to master the guitar, I joined 2 groups. I know, I know...if anything is worth doing, it's worth over doing.

The first group is with Yella and is a Rock n' Roll band with a big sound. The second group is a vocal duet with two ladies that is more a folk rock group with a lighter sound.

As I practiced to develop the music for these two groups, my left fretting hand started to get problems. Like arthritis and tendonitis and several other itis's.

In an effort to find out what the problem was, I limited my guitar playing to 30 to 45 minutes a day for a month with small improvements. Then I quit playing for 3 weeks and the hand healed up.

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that I suffered from over playing and "getting older."

Today, I called the members of group #2 and quit. Very hard to do. Given the enormous amount of work that goes into rehearsing a band that can play for 3 hours. And they were great people to play with too.

They were all understanding and I don't think there will be hard feelings. The piano player did say that he thought band #2 will have to add another player before they perform again. He doesn't want to carry the total instrumental load which I understand.

Good luck to them for finding someone.

I have been playing all week for 30 to 45 minutes a day. My hand is still in good shape but I can feel it on the edge of slipping back. We rehearse tomorrow for 3 hours so that will be the litmus test.

I can't wait to try out my new toys that I bought will in Colorado!

And it will be fun to play with the band again!

Steve Jobs Died Yesterday

Why would I blog about Steve Jobs in this blog?

Because life in a remote, 3rd World nation is made easier through technology. And Steve Jobs impacted this technology more than anyone I know.

I was a died-in-the-wool PC user my entire career...up until the last 3 months of my career.

I used PC's because the software available was geared to business and that's what I did, business.

Six months before we moved to Panama, I bought a new PC notebook, with Microsoft Vista on it. I was so angry at the impossibly bad operating system that I ran out and bought a MacBook.

Best thing I ever did in the area of computers!

Once I used an Apple product, experienced the intuitive ease of operation, the stability with no re-booting required, no viruses, and all the incredible software like Garage Band, I was hooked for good.

No way will I go back to a PC...although I hear that Microsoft 7 is good, very Mac like.

When we were visiting Panama before we moved, with a PC I would try to connect to a WiFi service at the various restaurants and fail. My friend who was using a Mac would connect, automatically with no extra effort. I would have to hire an IT Tech to set my machine up FOR EACH WiFi spot.

That pissed me off.

Steve Jobs was clearly a genius. A visionary. And probably a little bit crazy, a requirement for true social changers. Sanity is over rated anyway.

As I watch CNN this morning, and hear and see all that Steve Jobs impacted, I get a little weepy from the loss. People like this can not be "replaced". They are unique...a one of a kind.

Rest in Peace Steve Jobs...

Rain!

The rainiest month of year has started with a vengeance.

It has rained every day this month, although today the rain didn't start until 2 PM. So, not too bad...if you like rain.

I met the gardener this morning and got him working, then I went into town to eat breakfast at Olga's.

I ate alone until one of my favorite couples came in to eat.

He is 92 and she is in her early 80's. Not only are they function but they are also vibrant.

She is a Texas girl and he is a southern gentleman. She speaks her mind without any editing which I find delightful. He keeps his council inside, while enjoying her outspokenness.

She is famous for saying about a new woman in town, who made everyone her enemy in about one week, "Someone is going to kick the shit out of her!"

Gotta like that straight talk...and she was right. The new woman fled the country in about 3 months.

I had no intention of sitting at Olga's for 2 hours but they are so much fun, I let myself drift along for a while.

When I got home, the gardener was using his machete to trim the grounds.

Why the machete?

He had our Weed Whacker repaired over the last 4 weeks. When he tried to fire it up, it broke again.

This is probably a gardener's nightmare...having to use a machete all day.

Now that is work.

I took him back to town because it was raining and we found another repair shop for the Weed Whacker.

I hope this one does the trick. Or he'll be macheteing for a long time.

Metamorphisis

It's the rainy season.

It rained this afternoon...naturally. I like the rain.

Now, it's a little after 6 PM, the daylight is limited. The fog has lifted and I can see across the valley to the base of the volcano and I can see down toward the ocean past David.

I just walked out on my porch to get a better look. Gorgeous! Lush, verdant green, wet and soft.

I have this thought, "This is where I live, this is where my home is, this is my country."

(Not that I have abandon my US citizenship or disowned the US in any way. It is possible to have 2 countries as "home")

But, now, this is my country.

And I love it!

I am acclimated to the humidity and spring like temperatures. The driving here now seems normal...unthinkable when I first arrived. I have great friends and more.

This is home.

Yella is still in the US until Friday, so I talk to the dogs. Am I going crazy? They are great listeners. And Emmy will talk back to you too.

So what do you do on a rainy afternoon...

I fired up my new Digitech multi-stompbox pedal for my guitar. This thing is a computer, just what I needed, another computer. But, oh boy, it does the job.

I am playing with it each day so I can become automatic using it. When you are on stage, everything will go wrong if it is not automatic. The smallest things de-rail you. Like no light on the guitar neck, or a perfectly good cord goes "bad" and you never really know why.

I am starting to feel like a real guitar player. Hmmm????

I am so grateful that I have this opportunity to live a retired life, in a place of adventure and explore new hobbies.

It took almost 3 years to feel "normal" in a foreign country.

But I made it.

Yay!