Hello from California

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

I made it! It’s definitely a long trip. I didn’t mind the bus rides, but two 4 hour stints in the airplane were tedious. Being crammed in like sardines in less than comfortable seats gets old. I had a great seat neighbor from Panama City to Houston though, and the conversation made the time fly by. Thank you, my new friend.

It’s cold here! After being acclimated to the current mid 90’s Panama weather this is a big change. Thank goodness for fuzzy socks, sweaters, and my daughter’s down comforter. Everything looks so clean and orderly too. After the organized chaos of Panama, the activity, color, noise, and less than neat and clean appearance, this almost seems sterile and… I’m not sure how to describe it. It’s beautiful, nice, but very different. Maybe it’s the quiet too. There are no dogs barking, roosters crowing, and the symphony of birds and insects I’ve grown accustomed to.

Funny the things that catch your eye. We went to the store today and big display of asparagus made me very excited. I hadn’t even thought about asparagus, something I had very frequently before, so it suddenly looked wonderful. That, and baby spinach. We had roasted asparagus for lunch and made salad with baby spinach. I ate way more than my share. This was a very nice upscale California store with all kinds of delicacies, so you would think I’d have gone nuts, but these were the only things I thought I had to have. Apparently I have been deprived of very little that I like.

It took me a little while to adjust to everyone speaking English. Yesterday I had to think before I opened my mouth. We speak mostly English at home of course, but around town it’s almost always Spanish so it’s starting to come automatically. And, everyone here looks so pale.

But, all in all it’s just a few minor things, nothing that feels like much of an adjustment. And of course it’s really wonderful to be with my daughter and other family, and touch the baby bump that is my growing grandson. Tomorrow is the baby shower with more friends and family, and at some point will be my first portrait photography shoot to see how I do with maternity photos.

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A Night in Panama City

Posted on March 7, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

It feels good to be in the big city. It’s too busy and active for us to want to live here, but it sure is fun to visit. I like the energy and the feeling here.

I am tired tonight! You wouldn’t think one would be tired after sitting in a comfortable bus all day, but I’m sure the excitement of getting ready, making sure everything is in order, and getting this trip under way play a big part.

This was my first bus trip where it was light the whole way, and I enjoyed seeing everything along the way. I left on the 11:00 bus, and arrived at the terminal in Panama City a little before 6:00. This wasn’t even the express bus, and it cost $15.25. It stopped at a number of towns along the way, but only long enough to a few people to board so it didn’t feel like the stops made much difference in our progress. There was also a 30-40 minute break in Santiago so everyone could get out and stretch, and get something to eat. The bus was big, comfortable, and air conditioned (take a sweater). They also played movies the whole way.

I am always surprised at how well behaved the children are. There were women and families with very small children and babies in arms, and except for a few minutes of hollering from one baby there was no fussing at all. An indigenous family near me had a baby who looked maybe 8 months old, and a little boy maybe 3 or 4 years old. Both rode quietly on their parents laps the whole way!

I had no trouble getting a taxi to take me to the hotel, and he says he will be back in the morning to take me to the airport. Then, it’s off to CA.

I must be acclimated to the weather here. The highest setting on the air conditioning in the room is 30 (86F) and it’s chilly even with a t-shirt and jeans. I might end up wearing both of my heavy sweaters at the same time in CA.

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Heading to the USA

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Tomorrow I take a bus to Panama City, and Thursday I take a plane to California. I’m not sure if I will be blogging more because I have time on a bus or plane, or less because I’ll be with family and doing other things. But, either way it will be different!

It’s a bit complicated to travel to and from David. There are no direct flights from here, so you have to go to San Jose, Costa Rica or Panama City.  I haven’t tried the San Jose route. Planes are expensive and there are only three flights a week. Buses sound complicated with the border crossing, changing buses, etc. So far I have only traveled by way of Panama City. Planes are expensive too but less than San Jose, and there are morning and afternoon flights every day. Buses are easy and cheap (less than $20) and leave every hour, but it’s a 7 hour trip so if you take a flight the same day, it’s a very long day.

This is going to be a complicated trip with multiple destinations so I don’t need additional adventures. Flights to California were cheaper from Panama than from San Jose, so I’m going to Panama City by bus. I’m staying at the Eco Inn Avila in Panama City. I’ve been there a number of times before and they always take good care of me. The rooms are clean and comfortable. The WiFi works. They feed you breakfast. The last time I was there I had a very early flight out. The night clerk couldn’t find a taxi to pick me up so he called a friend to give me a ride, and made me cups of tea while I waited. Extra touches like that make you want to come back again.

I am headed to northern CA to see my older daughter, then southern UT to see a part of the country I’ve never been to (with camera in hand, for sure!), and then to Austin TX to see my younger daughter.  Thank goodness for email, phones, and skype which allow us to keep in touch frequently, but I haven’t seen them in person since June. Oh yes I am happy to be going!

I wonder how I will feel though, to be back in the US after living in Panama for 5 months.  This has come to feel like home so quickly, so easily.

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Nuestro Vecino Roberto (our neighbor)

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

It seems like we are always meeting someone new and interesting in the neighborhood. One evening we went down the street across from the entrance to our area. There is a field there and we thought it would be a good place to get a photo or two of a sunset. Roberto lives in the last house and came out to see what we were doing, and we’ve been friends ever since.

roberto

We had a lot of fun visiting Roberto! He has a farm elsewhere, but he recently bought two calves and said they were going to stay at his house until they were big enough to live on the farm. He also had chickens and baby chicks, which he was keeping in boxes at the time. I’ve seen them later in the yard, so maybe he doesn’t let them out until they are big enough to fend for themselves better.

 

This picture below is my favorite. One day when I was heading out on my bicycle, I saw the calves playing in the street, running up and down, and chasing each other. They headed back to their yard when they saw me approaching, but I caught them with my camera before they made it.

calves2

 

This is such an interesting place to live! We are within the city limits, minutes from the Pan-American Highway and a major shopping area.  There are chickens and dogs everywhere, and an occasional cow, cat, or horse. No one seems to fuss about anything. Neighbors relax outside, kids play in the streets, dogs roam free, and you can park anywhere you want. People don’t sweat the small stuff, and just adjust to whatever goes on.  It’s hard to explain in words but it’s easy to feel that it’s different here, and it’s good.

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Lost in the Details

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Weekly Photo Challenge: Lost in the Details  In this challenge, after we have found a scene we are encouraged to go deeper into the scene, go closer in and see if we can find things we didn’t see at first. Since I can be endlessly entertained but very little, this is a great challenge for me!

The banana plants:

A couple banana plants in our back yard – nothing extraordinary.
The dying leaf on the bigger banana plant is much more interesting
I love the beautiful greens of this brand new leaf on the banana plant

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The neighbor’s hedge:

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The beautiful tree overhead:

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The weed patch in the back yard:

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A few other Related articles fro Zemanta
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A Change in the Weather. Summer is Over?

Posted on March 3, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Yesterday it got cloudy and rained in the evening. This morning I woke up to a steady, gentle rain. I first heard it before sunup but I don’t know if it rained all night. What a change! For many weeks now it has been hot and dry, highs well into the 90’s. I was told that summer doesn’t usually end until April but it sure feels different today. It’s much cooler, in the lower 80’s, and there are more clouds.

weatherClip

Before we moved here we tried to visit at different times of the year to get a sense of what different seasons were like, but it wasn’t the same as living here. We visited in February but I don’t remember finding it that much different from our previous June visit. Or, maybe we were in tourist mode and didn’t notice.

However, living here in the summer (December – March) has been very different from living here in the rainy season. In the summer it almost never rains. Our yard has turned brown and crunchy, and any plants you want to keep need to be watered. Trees have burst into flower all over, followed by fruits. I’ve heard different bird songs and different insects, and seen iguanas that I hadn’t seen before. Even the river looks different. The sun is intense and the afternoons are quite hot, though there is often a strong wind, but nights are usually cool. The water system struggles to keep up and we’re learned to manage the frequent water outages.

In the rainy season you do what you need to do in the morning because by mid afternoon, the rains are likely to be heading your way. It’s rather nice because it cools everything off in the warmest part of the day. Everything tends to be lush and green with almost daily rain, and there is a lot of humidity. I think I prefer the rainy season, but I haven’t been here for all of it. My friends here tell me it rains a LOT in April and May.

I’m not sure what is going on now. Is it a brief break in the summer dry weather, or is it the rainy season returning? I guess time will tell, but I’ll enjoy it while it’s here.

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The River

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

I know, I have posted photos of the river before, but maybe not in this spot, at this time of year, on this cloudy day. It’s such a beautiful river and I never get tired of taking photos there!

Joel took a camera too, so to see his photos check out his post HERE

 

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Crested Oropendola

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

I got a very lucky shot with my camera yesterday!

oropendola1

 

This is a crested oropendola. At first glance it looks like a crow until you see the bright yellow tail feathers and the white beak. I’ve seen them in the area but haven’t been able to get a decent photo until this one landed in the tree outside my window. I also got lucky when I was looking for something else, and happened across information that told me what kind of bird I’d seen.

I don’t know if it’s called a pendulum bird because of the interesting nests that look like pouches hanging from trees, or because of the interesting displays.

THIS ARTICLE has more information and pictures of the interesting nests.

This is a short 22 second video, and what I usually hear when one is nearby. \

This is a 28 second video of one doing their display. 

Another short video. He tried his best but she didn’t seem impressed.  

This video is longer (2:39) but interesting because you can see the whole colony with their nests, and listen to all their sounds.  

There always seems to be something interesting in Panama!

And, some ordinary things from outside my window yesterday, a beautiful blue bird, an big iguana… ordinary! Only in Panama

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Cicadas, Hawks, and a Day in Panama

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

As always, I continue to be amazed by things I see every day, and I continue to keep a camera close.

I was out on my bike and rode into some sort of commotion. Apparently there was a family of hawks, at least four, maybe more. They were flying between utility wires, poles, and nearby trees, all the while calling in voices that sounded more like screams.

 

I came home from my bike ride just before sunset. For the last couple nights we have been hearing very strange sounds from the woods, like whistles. It starts just before sunset and continues for a short while until it’s dark. My neighbors explained that it’s cicadas, and you only hear them for a short time at this time of year.

I took this video at the end of my street. It’s mainly for the sound, but I also panned back and forth in the woods, zoomed down to the pink bananas, and then back towards our house.

And, as I’m writing here, the desk lizard is still on the job.

desklizard2

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Power Outage

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Yesterday the power went out. I was happy for neighbors with smart phones who were able to get the news. It turns out that most of Panama was without power for a while because of an incident with a main transmission line. Electricity is reliable here so this is unusual.

The water was out too. This is not unusual. There are many days that the water slows to a trickle by afternoon and doesn’t come back on until evening. The neighbors say this is more common in the dry season, and has become more of a problem as more houses are built in our part of town. We have learned to keep spare water on hand and we can manage easily for quite a while.

So, when it’s hot and all the utilities are out, what do you do? Go shopping with your neighbor! We had a good time running around after a few odds and ends. The stores had generators so business was fairly normal. On our way home she got a call that power wasn’t expected back on until 9PM, but when we arrived in our neighborhood we saw lights on.

The power was back on in the late afternoon, but it was a while before the cable and internet service resumed. Finally, about 10PM the water came back too, and all was back to normal.

I certainly can’t complain. I have blog friends in more rural areas and other nearby countries who have a lot more trouble with utilities, with frequent power outages and water problems, and very unreliable internet. I also remind myself of the many people in the world who never have power, and who have to haul all their water from an outside water source. So, stepping away from the desk and spending a lot of the day with friends and neighbors was a good thing. I’ll have to do that more even when there isn’t a power outage.

According to the news, the Panama Canal was not affected by the power outage.

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