Satisfaction

Tired this morning...the good kind of tired...the kind that settles in after doing a good, exhausting job.

Our band played last night at Las Ruinas, our favorite place to play.

It was hot. Swampy, sticky hot.

As we were setting up, I looked around at my fellow band mates and they were drenched. So was I.

After we set up, I went to the restroom to change into performance clothes. I thought, "this is a bad idea, I'm soaked." So I put on the clothes and they were soaked in a minute.

The house was full when we started. And it was hot...sweaty hot and energy hot.

It stayed that way all night.

The audience was fun. Yella was at her best...jumping around, dancing with the crowd, inciting mayhem and mischief.

When Yella is fully on her game, there is no one better. Really! She is infectious, compelling and riveting. Entertainment at it's best!

The band was good too. I was jumping around and apparently making guitarist faces. Maybe I've arrived.

I looked back at the drummer at one point and he looked like a drowned rat, he was so wet.

This is starting to be a magical thing. Everyone was smiling. Everyone was having a ball. Everyone was wet!

We unveiled a new song, "China Grove" by the Doobie Brothers. It starts with a LOUD, dominant guitar, thundering out into the audience. It is one of those instantly recognized guitar riffs. People exploded onto the dance floor, the spaces between tables and halfway into the kitchen.

The owner ran out from the kitchen with a camera to try and capture the excitement.

There are not many things better than cleaving the crowd with a wicked guitar lick and getting everyone jumping with excitement!

We are definitely onto something.

We have distilled the music and performance down to "party, party, party"!!!

I had no idea playing dance music could be so much fun!

Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving Day in paradise takes on a whole new meaning.

First of all, I haven't cooked in 3 years.

Not a big deal to you, maybe. My contribution to Thanksgiving Day was cooking and I loved it.

For decades, I cooked a big traditional dinner. We had friends and family over for the day. It was always a warm, fellowship day with smiles all around.

One part of the tradition was cooking with my daughter. This became a special event for both of us.

As with all things, it has passed. She grew up and left home, got a family...so we don't do it anymore.

God, I miss it! Isn't it funny how a silly little tradition can mean so much?

Our new tradition is spending the day with a few select friends that have become our new "family". I get to cook the potatoes...not much in the cooking arena but a heartfelt day.

And today is an abbreviated day to boot. Yella is singing at The Rock restaurant with the Day brothers this evening. A great opportunity for her because these are by far the best musicians in town.

Not quite the Thanksgiving Day I'm used too though...

A little quirk here in Panama, turkeys are expensive! About $50 to $70! I remember buying a turkey in the US for $5. They were practically giving them away. That didn't seem right.

Plus another little quirk at our home. The oven goes off at unexpected times. Cooking in the oven takes real vigilance. You have to keep checking to make sure the damn thing hasn't turned off.

No wonder I haven't cooked a turkey since we've been here.

Ok, I'll admit it. I am feeling a little disoriented about this day. Hopefully, visiting and eating with our friends will take care of that.

Even feeling a little off, drumming up some gratitude doesn't take any effort.

How did I get so lucky to live in paradise? To have an abundance of friends? To have a huge part of my life playing music? To hang out with my wife in a relaxed, spacious lifestyle?

Oh, and did I mention, we can afford to do it.

Even though this is The Land Of Unfulfilled Expectations, it is also The Land Of Gratitude!

Let's celebrate!

Gratefully Moving On

I only know it's Thanksgiving Day week because I was watching US TV this morning.

That's how integrated I have become into living in Panama...the holiday season in the US was my favorite season (after summer, that is) and now I don't even remember it without a reminder.

I know the Panamanian holidays because you have to if you are going to live here...everything closes on holidays so you have to pay attention. November is now the month of independence, not Thanksgiving. Parades, drums, more drums, much much more drums, road closures for more parades and on and on.

This is parade month! Not Thanksgiving week.

When I first arrived in Panama, I didn't think I would ever integrate into this place, it is so foreign to the US. Even though I desperately wanted to get here, the reality was brutal. Friends warned us about the long time required for integration.

I arrived from Colorado having just retired as a small business owner. I was used to going a 100 miles an hour, 24/7.

I didn't know this place was a Treatment-Center-for-Type-A-Personalities, an incredibly useful thing for people like me. And most of the immigrants from North America and Europe.

It took almost 3 years to "dry out" from "BEING USEFUL AND HAVING VALUE".

I received an email yesterday from my old partner in business. They are still paying me for my ownership in the business and it has been shaking because the economy is so bad in the US.

I thought I might have to go back and work again to keep my investment in my old company and get paid.

So far I have been blessed with an incredible partner who has made sure I was getting paid over the last 3 years. This was a Herculean effort on his part.

I offered to go back for a few months to help out.

I doesn't look like I will have to do that. When I realized that I can stay here, I was thrilled.

I don't want to return to the US anymore. Nor do I want to work at my old work.

I've moved on.

With the help of an incredible nation...with a gentle way of being, more value on family and play than money and things, perpetual Spring weather, the most amazing friends...I have slowed down and restructured my life.

And, lest I forget, I am now a budding Rock n' Roll guitar player. It's true. I actually played way too loud the other day, the authentic hallmark of guitar player!

How can you beat that!

Sometimes in life, a precious gift comes along. Completely undeserved. Sometimes the gift shines so brightly that it is hard to accept. Part of the W.A.S.P. mentality weaved through the fabric of the US culture.

Enjoying it now is of utmost importance because it could all go away in a heartbeat.

Tuesday Morning Gringo Meeting

Part of what makes this community special comes from the gringo meeting. It creates a strong sense of community.

Every Tuesday morning, there is a market and meeting. The meeting has a different speaker each week.

This last week, Rodrigo Marciacz talked about the history of Boquete. He is a Panamanian who has lived in Boquete since 1970. Rodrigo has a wonderful vision for Boquete and Panama, which includes developing the agricultural industry in Chiriqui. He figured out how to hydroponic farm in this area.

We get the best lettuce, tomatoes and peppers from his hydroponic greenhouses.

Who would think that such a sophisticated agricultural endeavor could be found in a 3rd World nation in the jungle?!

The real Panamanians are the indigenous people. There were essentially wiped out by the Spaniards in the 1500's. Between disease and slaughter, most were killed. The population of Panama was about 300,00 when the Spanish arrived and about 60,000 when they left.

Ah, aren't white men wonderful...

Most Boquetenians are of either Spanish or immigrant descent. Even though there is a significant indigenous population here now, inter mixing is infrequent.

Around the late 1800's, many Europeans, Canadians and Americans emigrated to Boquete. This city is equally founded by Panamanians and gringos.

I didn't know that!

The thrust of Rodrigo's talk was about the immigrant nature of the region. He listed the prominent forefathers of Boquete and there national origin.

Amazing!

Equal gringos and Panamanians.

He said we were all welcome in Boquete...and that this was a continuation of the process started in the late 1800's.

He did encourage us to integrate into the local community. And, he encourages the Panamanians to include us as well.

This is the second wonderful talk I've heard at the Tuesday meeting in 4 weeks. This month they focused on the history of Panama because the month of November is the biggest holiday month...even bigger than December...celebrating not one but two independence days and a host of associated holidays.

Viva la Panama!

Trade Winds

The rainy season typically ends with a gradual tapering off through the month of November, sometimes even going into the first week of December.

Not this year.

The rain turned off in one day on November 2nd. The trade winds kicked up on that day and have blown the rain down toward the Pacific. It is still raining on the coast.

But not here.

Even though it is nice to be out of the rain, it has freaked me out a little. This is abnormal. Who knows what we are in store for in the dry season?

The party season is in full flight also.

Each year between October 31st and New Years Day, both Panamanians and gringos go wild! For us, we limit the number of parties we attend. It gets to exhausting to party every night.

Last Christmas Eve, we attended 3 parties. Way too many! Not this year.

This week, Tuesday we went to the beach with 3 other couples, we attended a birthday party on Thursday and there is another dance party tonight, which I will miss even though Yella is attending.

Dance parties here have really loud music which you can't actually talk over. You can shout at someone but that gets old fast. So if you don't dance...and I don't...and you don't drink...which I don't...there is little reason to go.

Too bad. There will be so many friends there to hang out with...

So tonight I will go to Amigo's to hear the jazz band with a Rock/Blues singer. I have heard he is good so I will go see. A couple of my amigos will be there. Should be fun.

We have been coming up against some culture clash issues. One of them I wrote about in the previous blog.

This is another one...

A friend went to the Arrowsmith concert in Panama City last week. The concert was reportedly great. At the end, all the Panamanians left, before the encore! They didn't know that the "end" of the concert was just the signal for a couple of encores.

So, the concert ended early.

It was held at the national stadium 20 miles outside of town. When it was over, there were no buses or taxis for transportation back into town. Remember, almost no one has a car and drives. Everyone had to walk 5 to 10 miles to pick up a bus or taxi.

Panamanians think nothing of this. Gringos, on the other hand, struggled with it.

Cultural differences. When in Rome, do as the Romans!

Tolerance

Tolerance is a wonderful thing...especially if you are the one being tolerated!

We played at Las Oasis last night to a full house, about 140 people, most who were there for dinner and music.

Being a budding guitar player, I make a lot of mistakes. Of all varieties.

I miss chords. I hit wrong notes. And the big one, I bend notes and miss the tone by a little bit resulting in a sour noise that will drive you crazy.

And I still get to play in a damn good band.

Now that is tolerance.

Rock n' Roll guitar demands a lot of sting bending. You hear it all the time but you probably don't recognize the bending because it is so common in doesn't register in the ear. Hell, I don't recognize it when I'm listening and I play that damn thing.

Bending a string takes a lot of getting used to, and strength, if it is going to sound right.

Sometimes you bend a half tone, sometimes a full tone and sometimes you bend a tone and a half.

And, you HAVE to end on a true tone. There in lies the problem! I either don't bend enough or I over shoot and bend to much. No time to evaluate, put in correction and get it right. Too FAST!!! For me anyway.

Well, I'll get it eventually, just not now.

Thank God for tolerance or I wouldn't be on stage with this group. Oh, and a scarcity of guitarist helps too!

We have been having some cultural issues with The Oasis, which is owned and managed by a Panamanian lady. She is an astute Panamanian business lady who owns half the town.

When we play, we draw a big crowd, for here anyway.

This inundates the restaurant with 100 or more people, arriving at the same time, all wanting their dinner at the same time.

Now the cultural problems start.

Panamanians don't mind waiting. They have waited their entire life. It is hard wired into the culture.

Gringos don't want to wait. And they get pissed if they have to wait.

The Panamanians are baffled that waiting is a problem.

The first 2 times we played The Oasis, gringos waited up to 3 hours for their food.

Many refuse to return and were very vocal about telling others about this problem.

The owner took some steps to speed things up and about 80% of the time, it works.

Unfortunately, the final 20% include all the muckity mucks with the big bucks. It is always the big wigs who fancy themselves as a gift to Panama who don't get served in a timely manner.

Wouldn't you know it.

Now we have another 25 people...very vocal, influential people...who refuse to return to The Oasis.

Unfortunately, we may have to stop playing at this venue. I am still amazed that we draw as many people as we do, having had so many people burned. But, this will catch up with us soon or later so we may have to nip it in the bud before our reputation gets crushed.

Too bad, it is a great place to play.

We shall see.

Oh, by the way, it was a great night. Most people had a ball.

An Estrogen Community

Women in Boquete have an incredible amount of fun.

This is a strong female community. They organize all sorts of fun activities.

Movie afternoons, beach trips, wild--incredibly wild--nights out with some sort of dress up theme doing a bar crawl, coffees and it goes on and on.

All while the men sit back and keep a low profile.

Let me give you an example.

Yella invited 13 women for a Sunday morning get together. It started at 10 AM and was so wild that before noon one of them had broken a lamp, end table and floor tile. Now, I'm not implying that these parties are alcohol fueled because most are not...but this one had a couple of sauced ladies in the midst of a majority of sober ones.

I am getting to my point soon...

All 13 women had spouses. All 13 men spend the morning alone. I went to the beach, alone. None of us even thought about calling one of the other men to doing something.

Men are simply socially inept and poorly motivated in the get together realm.

(I'm not writing this from my pity pot. We men have our ways of socializing too. We just aren't pros like the women.)

Women not only have fun but also do the most amazing things that benefit people and the community.

One lady started a spay and neuter clinic that each month handles about 100 dogs. This village used to be overrun with starving, flea-bitten dogs. No more. She powerfully impacted the quality and health of the dog population.

And there are at least a couple dozen other ventures equally impactful.

So, I take my hat off to the ladies of Boquete! Way to go! I am impressed.

An Excellent Panama Day

The sun is shining...I've missed it...maybe the rainy season really is ending.

We came home last night from dinner at the Rock, a 5 star restaurant, a birthday party for a good friend with magnificent jazz...hard to beat this anywhere in the world..only to find no electricity.

Ugh!

A few notes on Panama electricity...

The power goes off several times a day. Sometimes it "bumps" hard, you can actually feel it. All our electric devices have surge protectors and the bigger stuff like the frig has a voltage limiter which cuts off the power if the voltage goes to high or low. And our computers are on battery backups to condition the power.

Even with all this protection stuff gets fried.

If the power goes off for the whole town, we don't worry too much because it will be repaired soon.

But if our power goes off and the town is good, we've got problems.

We live on a short line off the main line that no one at the power company knows about. And calling them to report the problem is dicey because my Spanish is poor.

This morning at 6 AM I called and got a guy that spoke enough English to take my report.

Now the fun starts.

I start getting calls...where are we...how far past the school are we...what side of the road are we on...etc.

All in Spanish.

This is a huge problem for me.

I was in a restaurant having just ordered food when I get the 4th call. I find someone who speaks English and have them translate. I have to rush home and try to find the crew on the way and get them to my house.

Remember, there are NO addresses where I live...it is all done by landmark.

I find the crew, lead them home and they fix the problem. All before 9:30 AM.

Wow!!! Was that slick.

Normally we wait all day and night, only to never get electricity. Then we call again. They pull a new work order. And we wait another day.

This was so fast.

I love electricity! I am for it. Bring it on.

After that, I did a whirlwind tour of town and got an incredible amount of errands completed.

What a great morning!

Anytime you get something done, much less on the day before 3 holidays, it is a wonderful day in Panama!