Weekly Photo Challenge: Foreshadow

Posted on August 11, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Weekly Photo Challenge: Foreshadow

The instructions are: In a post created specifically for this challenge, post a photograph that evokes FORESHADOW to you. This challenge offers some fun opportunities to play — not only with the subject of your photo, but with light, color, and contrast to evoke foreshadow. Perhaps foreshadow is an open bottle of red wine and two wine glasses. Maybe it’s a diamond ring in small velvet box. Maybe it’s a flower bud about to burst into bloom, or the first leaf that turns color on your oak tree. What does foreshadow mean to you? Looking forward to seeing the creative ways in which you portray foreshadow in your posts.

I’ve been thinking about this for more than a week (yes, I know I’m late on this challenge!) and since I’ve been in California with my grandson, all that comes into my head is my grandson. Being a mother myself I know some of what lies ahead – watching him grow, learn, develop, become his own person, become more interactive and interesting. You never know how life is going to unfold for your children, and now my daughter is going to have this amazing experience. What does this child foreshadow? Only time will tell!

Having fun in the park

Having fun in the park

I love it when people talk to me!

I love it when people talk to me!

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So, for this challenge, here are a couple reposts of some grandson photos that make me think of “foreshadow”.

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California – Grandson Photos

Posted on August 8, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

We’re still in California, our second stop on our USA trip. We’ve had a great time and I hate to leave, but I’m looking forward to the next stops very much. Our grandson is here in California so of course I have to post a bunch of baby photos. It’s a grandma thing and of the most interest to family so I won’t blame you if you click on by. He’s three months old now though, smiling and talking and so much more interactive, so it’s been really fun to have some time with him.

Mom and me
Hanging out with Mom and Dad at home.
Having fun in the park
Happy baby
I can get my fist in my mouth now.
Having fun with Mom and Grandad Joel in the park.
I like mom’s thumb.
Am I in this car seat again?
I must have been really tickled by something.
Mom took me out to a street event one evening.
I like my toys, and now I can reach them and make them move.
Someone is being funny.
How did I get stuck on this sofa?
I have so much fun in my play area.
I love it when people talk to me!
Grandma’s got me.
Oh no, the car seat again.
I wake up happy.
Why am I sitting up on the kitchen table?
Having a conference with the family.
Grandma had this photography idea so I’m stuck on the sofa.
Fun with granddad Joel!
Sleeping on mom’s lap.
I feel like a model.
I have some cool toys on my car seat.
Hanging out in the kitchen with Grandad Joel.

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Who can resist a happy, talking baby 😀

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Some of these are already up on Facebook so excuse any repeats, but there are some new ones too. It’s fun to have such a good photography subject!

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Second Stop – California

Posted on August 4, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

We’re in California now with my older daughter and family. Of course the main attraction is the baby who has changed and grown so much in his first three months that we hardly recognize him. There will be a post of baby pictures at some point, don’t worry 😀

It’s been a fun and interesting visit so far. It’s really beautiful here with flowers blooming everywhere. It feels cool to us of course, being from the tropics, but it’s sunny with blue skies and lovely weather. We’ve been walking around a lake, gone shopping, went to a nurse-in with other mothers, a company picnic, and now I have a California drivers license too. I figured since all my other US business is based here it made sense. I won’t be eligible for Panamanian residency for a year, so it will also be awhile before I can get a Panamanian drivers licence.

We landed in Oakland this time, and crossed Richmond–San Rafael Bridge on our way north. What a pretty drive.
We ran into a bit of the infamous California traffic on the way, but it cleared up after a while and we made decent time.
We went walking at Spring Lake, a really beautiful place that I’m always glad to visit.
Blackberries are ripening everywhere!
Spring Lake from the walkway above.
Fennel is in bloom everywhere.
A Spider web in the blackberry bushes catches the sunlight.
What are you looking at??
There are beautiful scenes everywhere at Spring Lake.
A couple ducks on a rock.
Spring Lake on a beautiful day.
There are flowers blooming everywhere! This is a spectacular dahlia in the neighborhood.
There are crepe myrtles in many colors blooming everywhere.
I love the colors of this rose.
We went to the Big Latch On event in the park. Many such events were happening at the same time all over the country to promote breastfeeding.
The neighbor’s sunflowers are beautiful.
These lilies are all over town.
Later we went to a picnic lunch hosted by my son-in-law’s work. We had a lot of fun and some great BBQ.
The picnic was at another beautiful park, and there were lots of ducks and geese.
Camden taking a rest after being a very popular guest at the picnic.
The water balloon toss was one of the picnic games.
The park had many beautiful weeping willow trees.

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We’ll be here for a few more days so there will be other posts, but right now I must go have another conversation with a talkative baby!

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First Stop – Kansas

Posted on August 3, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

We’re on our trip around the US visiting family, and I’m catching up on my blog here and there as I have time. Joel’s son, two daughters, their families, extended family, and some friends still live in the Kansas area. I hadn’t been back since 1997 so it felt strange to see things from so long ago. In a way it took me back, but it also showed me how many different turns my life has taken since then.

I should have taken more pictures! Often we were too busy talking with people and doing things to make the camera a priority. But, I do have a few.

A few of the family – Joel, sitting next to one of his daughters and her son, and behind them Joel’s son and one of his daughters.
The soybean fields are really green.
Corn fields. There is an amazing amount of corn grown in the area!
Kansas wildflowers – photo by Joel.
Joel’s son’s home. He’s built a lot of it with his own hands and he’s made a wonderful place.
Joel’s granddaughter and I out for a walk with the dogs.
Joel bonds with Samson, one of the biggest dogs I’ve ever seen.
Buster loved to hang out under the table.
Buster and I became friends.
The irrigation machines look really big up close!
Huge Cargill grain elevators.
We head back to the airport as the sun cuts through the morning fog.

We had a good time in Kansas. It’s summer so it was warm and everything was green and very pretty. The best part, of course, was connecting with people and having time with family.

Now are are in California with my daughter and family, so the next week will be California news. It’s beautiful here too and we’re having a very good time. I can’t believe how much my grandson has grown! Photos will be coming, of course 😀

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Travels back to the USA

Posted on August 1, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

We made it to Panama City on the bus on Saturday night, arriving at the Albrook bus terminal.

This display was at the Albrook bus terminal showing an example of the new metro subway under construction.

This display was at the Albrook bus terminal showing an example of the new metro subway under construction.

I’m not good at overnight travel and red eye flights, so we stayed overnight at the Costa Inn. Panama City is a big city with a lot of hotel options at every price range, but this one works for us. It’s an older hotel but it’s clean, comfortable, and the staff is pleasant and accommodating. A room is about $60, comes with a nice buffet breakfast, and there is a free van service to the airport. That alone would cost about $30 for a taxi, and when include a nice breakfast we think it’s a very good deal.

We ate dinner in the outside part of the restaurant since it was a beautiful evening.
But, when you are outside sometimes the wildlife joins you. There was a wrestling match on TV. This gecko was on the TV and at one point it looked like he was on the announcer’s face.

We had an excellent and relaxing dinner at the hotel. I had corvina topped with mixed seafood in a creamy sauce, and Joel had one of the best steaks he’d had since coming to Panama. We had breakfast at the hotel in the past and it was very good. This time our flight left early so we had to get on the van before they started serving breakfast. It’s really nice to have a free van ride to the airport though!

We were on American Airlines this time, and the airport scene was interesting. By the time we had stood in line long enough to make it almost up to the desk, they took everyone going to Dallas out of the line, and proceeded to process everyone going on an earlier flight to Miami. I was very glad to be at the head of the Dallas line because by the time they got to us, the line was back and forth through the whole waiting area and down the hall and almost past security!

But, we made it through in plenty of time to board our flight. When we landed in Dallas things went equally smoothly. A friend told me bad stories about a disorganized mob scene at customs in Houston, but thankfully we found no such thing. There was a line but it moved along at a decent pace, and though we needed all of our 1 1/2 hr layover they seemed to be getting everything done as efficiently and considerately as one would expect.

The lines of people in Dallas waiting to clear customs.
Leaving Dallas, some pretty scenery below.
Flying into Kansas, the green farmland below.

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Our first stop in the US was Kansas to visit Joel’s son and family, and see his other children and family. I lived there in the past but I hadn’t been back for 16 years. It was a very good visit though! I’ll keep posting updates of our travels as I have free time.

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Travels Back to the USA start with the Bus Trip

Posted on August 1, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Last Saturday (July 27th) we left on our journey back to the USA. One difficult thing about living in David is that it’s hard to get in and out of Panama. There has been talk of direct flights to the US from David for a long time, but I don’t think anything is happening in the immediate future.

So, our first day of the journey was the bus trip to Panama City. There are flights on Air Panama but they are expensive ($114.82 one way) so we’d rather take the bus ($15.25) and stay overnight ($60 including van to the airport).

We took a taxi to the bus terminal ($3). As soon as we arrived there was a man with a luggage cart waiting to assist us. He directed us to the window where showed our passports and requested two tickets on the next bus. The tickets had our names and passport numbers, and our assigned seats. Our helper took our luggage around where it was to be loaded on the bus, but since we had awhile to wait I gave him $.50 and took our luggage with us into the waiting room.

Before long, the guy was there to put our luggage on the bus and gave us our luggage claim tickets. Don’t lose these because you’ll need them to get your luggage on arrival. After that, it wasn’t long before people lined up to board the bus.

Lined up and ready to board the bus.
There was a boy going around the bus terminal selling these snacks wrapped in fresh banana leaves which I couldn’t resist. I believe they are Colombian, made of corn starch, milk, sugar (the raw brown sugar), and vanilla. It’s like an almost solid pudding and not too sweet. I seem to be the only one that like them, but I think they are really good.
In our seats and ready to go. Most of the buses are new, large, and very comfortable. Today though we ended up on a smaller, older bus so it wasn’t as roomy but it certainly got us there.

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If you are taking the bus in Panama, take at least a sweater! They tend to run the air conditioning and it’s cool to downright cold. I was glad for my sweater and lightweight blanket.

The bus takes you through a lot of beautiful Panamanian countryside. This is one of the many fields of pineapples that we passed. I don’t have the best luck taking photos from a moving bus so please excuse the picture quality.
There were also beautiful green fields of rice.
Fields of sugar cane.
The bus stopped here to take some items across the street to this bus stop and pick up a couple other things.
There is a checkpoint a bit over an hour out of David. The officer just glanced at everyone’s identification this time. Other times I have had them inspect my passport and ask me when I entered the country (this can be confusing unless you remember that they are only interested in the last time you entered the country – are you in compliance with the visa requirements)
There is a rest stop midway in Santiago where you can get a bite to eat and stretch your legs. I saw this big bus marked Bocas del Toro and wondered if it goes there on those winding, steep mountain roads. It must because I don’t think there is any other way to drive there.
We passed this large shopping mall under construction in Santiago. We also passed a couple large, new and upscale looking hotels.
The bus proceeded through lush, green countryside with the beautiful mountains in the background.
Beautiful mountains in the distance through the late afternoon haze.
We reached the canal and Panama City at dusk. We arrived at the terminal slightly over 7 hours from the time we left David.

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This post is getting long enough, so I will proceed with our story in the next post. Stay tuned!

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Our Cost of Living in Panama – July 2013

Posted on July 30, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

July is 4 days short since we left for the US on the 27th, but I think this month’s accounting is useful enough to be worth posting. If we were still in Panama we would have only bought a few more dollars of produce. For more information on where and how we live, check the cost of living page. The February 2013 report has the most background with photos of the house and more detailed information.

The accounting for July is as follows:

TOTAL $1014.24

Food $285.91  Last month was high at $533.61 but we had a lot in the freezer and other bulk items on hand at the end of the month. If you average the two months it’s about $409/mo, which seems fairly on target to me.

Basics – $539.17
Rent is fixed at $385
I spent $21.40 to recharge Joel’s phone with minutes.
Cable was $59.06
Electricity was $73.71  This is higher because we bought a dehumidifier and ran it quite a bit. We are now going to limit our use of this and see if we can bring our bill down closer to $40 where it should be.

Misc – $189.16
Few misc things for the house – 27.71
gas for the car $45
Car tags and inspection – $46.50
liquor – $39.95
lunch out $30.00

Not counted in the above was a couple trips we took for a total of $288.
Las Olas beach resort, one night –  $49/hotel, $55/food
Boca Chica resort, two nights – $134/hotel, $50/food (we took a cooler and only paid for one dinner. Breakfast was included)

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David, Panama – construction everywhere!

Posted on July 30, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

There always seem to be projects underway in our area. There are everything from small home improvement projects to major road construction. New commercial buildings and new homes are everywhere and more are planned. There is a sign in my favorite field that says it will become a housing area soon, and people are looking at land by the river below our house.

This is one of many new walls that have been built in our neighborhood. Most are short with fences above but since this is on a busier street, we figured this is why they built a solid wall.

This is one of many new walls that have been built in our neighborhood. Most are short with fences like the one next to the wall. Since this is on a busier street, we figured this is why they built a solid wall. The opening is for trash. The trash is put in from the back, and the trash men can pick it up from the front.

We have seen more piles of dirt left by the street lately. When this happens, soon after there are men with wheelbarrows to move the dirt and get going on whatever gardening project is underway.

We have seen more piles of dirt by the street lately. Soon after they appear, there are men with wheelbarrows to move the dirt and get going on whatever gardening project is underway.

This is a very common sight! People often add new rooms or terraces to their homes. Construction is with block and cement, and the cement is mixed by the side of the street. Whenever you see piles of sand, gravel, and blocks by the side of the road you know a new addition is soon to come.

This is a very common sight. People often add new rooms or terraces to their homes. Construction is with block and cement. The cement is mixed on the ground and taken by wheelbarrow to where it is needed. Whenever you see piles of sand, gravel, and blocks by the side of the road you know a project is underway.

They are building a little complex of houses here. It will be interesting to see this when it is finished.

They are building a little complex of houses here. It looks like it’s going to be nice so will be interesting to see this when it is finished.

There are also more major projects underway everywhere. We have seen many bus stops being built, and a number of overpasses for pedestrians over busy roadways.

This is one of the many new bus stops being constructed. The pedestrian walkway behind it is almost finished.
When we went to Boquete to the bank, they were in the process of placing the big steel beam for a pedestrian walkway.
These beams are huge! We saw them parking another by the side of the road. They had a big truck on either end, and they were working together to put the beam where they wanted it. Here there are two cranes working together to place the beam.
As we were driving back from Boquete later, we saw that the beam was in place but the southbound lanes were still closed for work in progress.

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The biggest project underway in our area is an overpass. The new road from Boquete is almost finished, and where it intersects with the PanAmerican highway it will go up over the highway. On and off ramps are also planned. This is a congested area so hopefully this will help the traffic flow, and it is very interesting to see the construction in progress.

Construction started on the south side of the highway with a lot of heavy equipment and large drillers. Now they have placed these round structures made of rebar. We have seen these rebar cylinders in a storage area up the road, and what you see here is maybe 1/4 of the length, so they must be dug into the ground at quite a depth.
We also saw this big machine on the south side of the road.
Now they also have some of these rebar cylinders dug into the ground on the north side of the highway.
This digger has been working hard and it’s fun to see it in action.
It’s fun to ride our bikes down to the site and come up behind all the action.
Lots of big machines at work!

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We are in the US now so there won’t be many more posts from Panama for awhile. I had these photos standing by and this post planned though, so I’m catching up a bit. It will be interesting to see what has been happening when we return to Panama!

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Masterpiece

Posted on July 29, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Weekly Photo Challenge: Masterpiece

The instructions are:  Masterpiece. No matter where you are (and where you’ve been), I’m certain you’ve stumbled upon something extraordinary: a place that blows your mind; a work of art or object that speaks to you; or even a location or scene that’s special, unusual, or even magical in some way.  For this challenge, get creative. Reach far. And remember that “masterpiece” can mean many things. We want to see awesome sites you’ve discovered, fantastic things you’ve come upon, wondrous moments you’ve captured, and more.  

masterpiece ceibo 1

In my mind, there is no masterpiece more amazing that what nature provides, like the trees that grow in Panama. There is no way photos can do justice to this one in our neighborhood. It is huge and the branches look as big as trees themselves. They also support a large variety of bromeliads, ferns, vines, and other plants.

masterpiece ceibo 2

This is the massive trunk that supports this great tree. If it wasn’t in someone’s private yard I would have asked Joel to stand in front for some scale. It’s bigger than it looks in the photo.

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Fresh

Posted on July 29, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Weekly Photo Challenge: Fresh

The instructions are:   Fresh. The definition for fresh has a bit of a fork in it – it’s a state (new, recent, previously unknown) and it’s a taste or sensation (cool, sweet, invigorating, refreshing).  I’m going to let the Daily Post community divide however you want with this – which definition will you go with? Show us what you got! 

fresh banana 2

One of our ornamental banana plants is making a beautiful new leaf. I can think of many examples of “fresh”, especially with so much fresh produce in our area. I know this doesn’t have a fork in it but I think this new leaf is really pretty. The fresh, new, green leaf in the morning light with a few droplets of dew looks fresh to me.

fresh banana 1

I know I’m behind and this was last weeks photo challenge. I’ve been busy with this and that, and then preparations and travels. We’re in the US now, just arrived last night. We’ll be here almost a month in four different locations, so there will be news and photos when I have some time to spend on the computer!

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