Again, it’s been quite a while since I posted anything. I went back to the US to visit my daughters and grandchildren. My time there was spent with family, helping out, and any free time was spent practicing the bass. I bought a cheap bass and had it sent to California. It was a surprisingly good instrument for the price and allowed me to make a lot of progress. The bass I bought on eBay Check it out!
The grandchildren are growing fast, as kids do. My grandson is four now so he’s way past being a baby, and the granddaughters are 21 months so they are doing and learning more every day. I’ll post some pictures at some point here, and I also have photos of the Seattle area and a weekend trip we made into the mountains.
It’s really beautiful in California and Washington state, and they were having a big summer heat wave. Some days were even above 100F, even in the mountains. I got by in sandals and no sweatshirt on many days! But as soon as the sun went down it cooled off again and with no rain for quite some time, there was little humidity.
I sat next to a French guy on the plane back and it was funny to watch his face as we stepped out of the airport and that warm, moist air hit him. Yeah, this is the Panama climate. After spending two days in air conditioned airports and planes it was heaven! I came down with stomach flu during my trip back and couldn’t get warm, so that night in the hotel in Panama City with the window open and that tropical air wafting in was just heaven.
I’ve been home for a couple days now. My flu has finally left and I woke up today feeling like myself again. The bass practice has really paid off. Practice with Joel is going really well and I’m much more confident that by next month, I’ll be able to hold my own with the band.
And, most important to me, I am home. I don’t think it’s something that can be explained. You have to feel it, experience it yourself. It’s like there is a happiness and calmness energy in the very air you breathe here. I don’t always think abut it and appreciate it as much as I should, but when I leave I definitely feel the change and I’m reminded of why I wake up every morning filled with gratitude for this life.
The Panama Adventure 
I love your posts, Kris! Every time I read them, I want to pack up and get down to Panama NOW. But I’m still in Michigan – for now – caring for my elderly Mother and elderly dog. But life is good and I always make the best out of whatever situation I happen to be in. So all is well.
I’m excited to hear you play the bass when I come down in February! I’m coming down Feb 21 for the jazz and blues festival again, and staying for two weeks. So hopefully, during that time, Joel will have a gig somewhere. If so, I won’t miss it!
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I’m glad all is well. You are doing what you need to do right now.
It will be great to see you again! I’m only the substitute bass player so if Gary is in town you’ll hear him, but the band is a ton of fun either way.
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Hi Kris
Welcome home. I know the feeling you are talking about because I experienced it when I was there earlier this year, and miss that feeling even now.
Glad your trip went well, California , Oregon and Washington are my favorite west coast places and still feel a tinge when I see pictures because I spent so much of my life there.
Right now I am a little over half way to my fund raising goal for returning hopefully by November.
I am also putting out good vibrations to manifest the money to start the process of getting my status there in Panama.
I just bought my first new t-shirt for Panama and put it away so it will be fresh and new when I arrive.
Your blog keeps me connected to what in my mind , feels more and more like home.
Nick
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I know you understand what I mean since you also experienced the Panamanian culture and hospitality. Good work on the preparations to get back here! I’ll see you in a few short months.
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Dorthy had it right — There’s no place like HOME! Wherever that is. For me it’s central Oregon and a little spot of my own Heaven called Lost Valley Education and Event Center. Glad you had such a wonderful extended stay with your family, Kris. Sorry you had the flu on the way back. We hit 105 here for about three days this past week and I was grateful for no humidity, except now we have very dry, combustible material all around us and fire season upon us. My sister in Tacoma said the one in BC is making the Seattle air quality worse that Beijing. That’s BAD!
Congratulations on your bass acquisition and musicianship. It will be fun for you and Joel to play together. Thanks for your reports and welcome HOME, Alia
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You have a very special spot there where you are. I know it’s been beastly hot all over your area though, and my Seattle daughter told me they have a lot of smoke in the air. It must be a bit better now though. She just sent a picture from their neighborhood playground. Thanks, it is great to be home 🙂
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We have had four days of blessed rain, the kind we usually do not get until at lest a month from now. The rain vanquished the last of the 21 fires that raged across Oregon, the largest one near the Southern Coast where we once lived and the second largest not far from where we no live. Being as we live on 87 acres of heavily under brushed forest and grassland, we were very concerned. So were our neighbors. Very unusual to go three months here in Oregon with NO rain, even during the summer. Everything looks so clean and smells so fresh now. We feel most grateful, Alia
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Great news that you got some nice rain and it out an end to the fires. Yes I’m sure living where you do the fire threat is way too serious.
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so glad you are feeling better…the flu is awful….but the flu and traveling at the same time is beyond awful! “There’s no place like home!!”
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Yeah, no fun, and I was alone, and had too much heavy luggage but I made it! There is nothing like feeling better and being home to make you thankful for everything!
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Hey Kris,
Looking forward to hearing you play next month when we arrive back, also some warm weather. Glad you had good time on your trip.
Regards Doug
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I’m only the substitute bassist but either way, the band is a lot of fun. We have warm weather though, for sure. It feels wonderful!
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Nice guitar. I think it’s great you’ll be playing with Joel’s band. Good for you! And good luck. We all want pics of the band on stage.
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Thank you! So far practice with Joel is going really well, and soon we will meet with the drummer too. Yes, you are right, I’ll get someone to take some pictures
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Hola Kris,
good to hear you are back safe and well. Traveling sick must be high on the bummer list, hate that.
Don’t forget your sweater going to the gig in Boquete, it can get chilly up there with the rain. Looking forward to more fotos.
jim
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Oh for sure about Boquete. Joel had a gig Sunday evening and it was rainy, windy, and cold. I was chilly even in my heavy sweatshirt. I’m glad to be home and feeling good again!
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I’m glad you had safe travels! We just got back from Vegas on Monday and I really enjoy the humidity of Minnesota. That “dry” heat sure is hot!!
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Oh yes, Vegas can get beastly hot. I hope you had fun though!
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A French traveler with a sore throat is a wonderful thing to behold, but it takes more than tonsillitis to prevent a Frenchman from boasting.
Paul Theroux
Patagonian Express
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Ha! 🤣
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HI Kris – glad you recovered from the flu and are happily home again. Delighted to hear about your bass playing/learning – I hope to be able to hear you play sometime, with Joel and the band! (I have dithering plans of making it down to Panama mid-December this year for two weeks (I’d be very disappointed if you happen to be elsewhere when I’m in David).
…I would have loved to have seen that Frenchman’s face…
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I hope the French guy emails me sometime to let me how how he’s doing here.
I may be going back to the US around Thanksgiving for a family get together and b-day celebrations for th granddaughters, but I should be here in December. I wouldn’t want to miss you either!
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Oh do let us know if you hear from the Frenchman (you exchanged email addresses!?)
Glad to hear you’ll be there in December (and for not wanting to miss me either!) a will keep you informed.
Thanksgiving is definitely a good time for family visits, and birthday celebrations for granddaughters.
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Would you believe, I heard from him last nIght! He says he doesn’t have much wifi out at the beach where he is but it sounds like he is happy and having a good time. Maybe it will work out some time if he’s in town and we can see each other again.
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Oh that’s so nice that you heard from him so soon! Glad to hear he’s happy and having a good time at the beach. I do hope he’ll find his way to David and you see each other again – so nice to make friends with random strangers when traveling, don’t you think? (Rhetorical question). 😀
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Yes indeed you can meet some interesting people. On another flight I sat next to a pilot who flies cargo in and out of the Congo in Africa.
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Not everybody takes the time or makes an effort to meet interesting people though, even if they’re sitting right next to them for a 8 hour flight – you definitely have the knack of making friends wherever you are Kris! That pilot must have had some interesting stories to tell…
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Someone said to me once – I suppose you are the type who talks to strangers in elevators. Umm… yes, of course, why not? And now, being used to this culture it feels even more strange not to talk to someone nearby. The pilot was very interesting, but even more interesting were the stories from the TSA agent, the people and situations he gets to deal with. He says he is going to write a book.
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Of course you’re the type who talks to strangers on elevators! And it’s very good to know that you’re encouraged by the culture you are now immersed in to just be yourself – friendly and outgoing. As for the TSA agent, oh my, I can not only imagine what he has to deal with, I could add to his stories, from the perspective of someone on the “other” side (I’m sure there are many who could do,the same). I hope he does write his book.
As for me, I have two stories that come immediately to mind: Roly Bag Tales – on hauling a roll on bag of rocks back from India (they were nice rocks), and the “Step Away From That Bag Ma’am!” Incident at RDU airport (the bag had a silver hand mirror packed in it , on the top of everything else) – the agent had no idea what a hand mirror was, and when I offered to open it up and show her….😆
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