The Panama Adventure

When I go back to the US I usually write something about how it feels to be there after living here. I don’t think I have much to add to what I have said in the past. It’s still expensive, people won’t look at you when you pass them on the street, it is very orderly and manicured compared to here, and almost everyone is really tall. It’s easier in some ways. You know what store to go to for various things and they don’t use words you don’t understand. But for me, I’ve enjoyed a new language and new things so this isn’t something I need.

It is easy to get very busy even in retirement, so I enjoyed this downtime. We were busy in California helping out, running errands, and shopping,  but in Seattle it was just me when everyone was at work (Joel went east to see other family). I walked to the supermarket a few times to pick up something for dinner, but otherwise I was in the house watching TV (where in spite of having a million channels, there is very little of substance), reading (better), pulling weeds in the yard (yard therapy), and I stripped the wallpaper in the bathrooms (by request of course, home improvement therapy). I ignored the internet and email, except correspondence from actual people who needed responses (and if I missed any of you my apologies), I ignored my blog and barely kept in touch with friends. I was supposed to meet some people in the area but it turned out they were in another city nearby and unable to come to me, so that didn’t work out. Maybe next time…

It is so easy to get caught up in life and forget the need for solitude and quiet time. I think this is why I have always been a night owl. That time late at night when everyone else is asleep, the phone doesn’t ring, and no one expects anything from you, I love that time and I still do. I’m not working but my days still tend to be quite full and my husband is almost always home when I am. We have worked out together time and separate activities in a way that works for us but when we are home we are still together. Maybe I have overextended myself since I am still feeling a need to back off. I’ve always been an extroverted and gregarious person. Am I changing in my old age? Or, maybe I’d rather nurture a few close friendships instead of a multitude of casual relationships?

I do have some good friends and thanks to WhatsApp, we kept in touch even when I was far away. There is a guy who comes every week with fruits and vegetables. He knows me now and always picks out the best broccoli and cauliflower and hides it under the seat just for me. Where else would you get messages from your veggie guy asking how things are in the US and sending greetings to the family? My neighbor kept the birdbath clean, put out trash, and unplugged everything in the house. Even the Indian guy who works in the neighborhood said he missed me and was happy to see me back.

But, I am going to try to take better care of myself and say no when people want time and attention I don’t feel I can give. My career was taking care of people so that is my default mode, but it eventually wrung me dry. I still have to be mindful of taking care of myself now. I don’t have to be available all the time and I don’t have to take care of everyone. Maybe all that quiet time in the US was just what I needed to remind me of this.

For a long time my daughters were busy with education, work, and getting their lives in order. Then, suddenly there were grandchildren! My older daughter has a son who is 4, and both of my daughters have girls who are 1 1/2 years old, born 3 weeks apart. How cool is that! It is so interesting to watch them at this age as they watch everything, soak up everything in their environment and get more skills every day.

Autumn is getting accomplished with the silverware, though hands are also used frequently.

Yeah, sidewalk chalk!

We had a fun afternoon at a nearby park

I’ll hold the bubble container, thank you

Yeah, bubbles!

OK, give me back the bubble container now

They have had a lot of trouble with a woodpecker who insists on pecking holes in their house and making a nest in there. This balloon however seems to be doing the trick and there have been no woodpeckers this year. We saw them on a few other houses so this must be a common problem in the area.

The cats have a rough life

One of the cats has been amazing with the baby. She puts up with being petted, and sometimes none too gently, or being laid on, or stepped on, and never protests. The other two cats leave when they see Autumn coming but Pumpkin seems to love the attention. Autumn is getting better at petting gently but she’s still an energetic toddler who doesn’t always remember.

Yumm, Indian food! She loves a lot of adult food that you wouldn’t think a kid would like. She especially likes sauces, including sour cream. New things though, not so much. I got some really good navel oranges that didn’t look exactly like the smaller ones she gobbles up and she wouldn’t touch them.

When the weather turned so much warmer, a pool sounded like a good idea and Autumn seemed to like it a lot.

No hats though, please. YOU wear it.

How does daddy wear this shoe?

Elizabeth’s house is a bit calmer since there is only one child, but there is still plenty to do. When Autumn is awake and active it’s a full time job to keep an eye on her, but she is a lot of fun to play with too. She talks a lot sometimes, entire stories but unfortunately nobody can understand a word. Her mother used to do the same thing, and then stamp her foot in frustration when I had no idea what she was telling me. All of the kids were taught some sign language though, which they still use. It’s great because they can communicate even before they are able to form words, and now they are adding words to the signs.

More grandma tests! I had the knob entirely off the stove a number of times trying to figure this out and/or get it open.

This one is easier. Stick your fingers through the holes to grasp the doorknob.

I have the little girl!

She loves books, and this foot book is a favorite

I visited last in November and at that time Autumn wanted to keep her distance. It’s hard for kids to know me when they have only seen a face in an iPhone or tablet, and it’s been many months since we have been together in person. This time though she warmed up quickly, and it wasn’t long before she was asking me to pick her up or read books with her.

My daughters are adults and we can keep in touch well between visits, but the grandchildren are another matter. They are growing and changing so fast, and I don’t want to go so long between visits that I am a stranger to them. We have decided that if we all work together on travel expenses, I can go every three months instead of every six, which seems like a good idea to me and I am very appreciative of the opportunity.

In case you wonder what happened to Joel, he went to Maine to see his mother and then Kansas to see his children and extended family. We met up together on the second flight from Atlanta to Panama City where my travel agent who thinks of every detail had booked us with seats together. (Andrea Cook viajevacations@gmail.com) Next time though, he’ll get to see the whole family. We are already planning a double second birthday bash with everyone together Thanksgiving blowout holiday! whew 😀

My second stop was in Seattle to see my younger daughter and her family. The Pacific Northwest is gorgeous in the spring. They had been having many rainy, cool, gloomy days so there weren’t as many flowers as I remembered from last year, but there were still many and the weather turned gorgeous soon after I arrived.

azaleas were blooming everywhere. This is in my daughter’s back yard

another spectacular bush across the street

these look like wild roses growing along the highway

the squirrels are gray and plump

pretty flowering tree

flowers in a park

the park was green and beautiful

more azaleas in the yard of the next door neighbor

I love the color of these

This wisteria had climbed up high into a tree

dandelion seeds catch the sun

the cottonwood trees in the area were making it look like it was snowing. Look closely and you can see all the white spots

I walked to the nearby shopping area sometimes and enjoyed the pretty yards and trees along the way. Other days I spent some time weeding. The neighbors thought I was working so hard, but they don’t realize this is what I do to relax and enjoy myself – yard therapy – put a book on the headphones and enjoy being outdoors. A few days were so warm and beautiful I even took off my sweatshirt! 😀

Next up – the real reason I was there – the family!

A big concern of many people considering moving to another country is being away from family. I am lucky that we didn’t live close before so it hasn’t been a big change, we use Facetime and video chats so we see each other more than before, and our cost of living is low enough to allow us money for travel. It’s a very long trip to the west coast of the US so it’s pretty much impossible for my family to come here, especially now that there are very young children so I’m thankful that I can go to them.

Our first stop was California to see my older daughter and her family. Some of the photos below are from the Children’s Museum of Sonoma County. This is a wonderful place for kids with all kinds of activities and fun things, and it seems like every time we go I see more new and interesting things for them to enjoy.

There is a lovely park in my daughter’s neighborhood, and we stopped by the little stream. Camden was happy playing with sticks but Marian had to be convinced to stay out of the water.

The next day we went to the Children’s Museum where they also have water to play in.

The bubble room was a big hit.

Camden’s favorite thing was the trains

Marian went back to the bubble room

By the time she was done she was soaked with bubble juice from head to toe!

We had some wonderful weather in California so it was a pleasure to go on some fun outings. The rest of the time when the family was at work/school/daycare we tried to make ourselves useful. I don’t know how they keep up with it all! I feel like we loaded and unloaded the dishwasher and washing machine 100 times. There is a whirlwind in the morning getting breakfast, packing lunches, getting everyone ready and then heading out the door. At the end of the day it’s more of the same, unpacking lunch gear, getting dinner, bathing kids, and trying to enjoy a bit of family time before getting them to bed in time to catch up on some chores.

Challenge the grandparents!

Amy giving one of her many work related presentations

Camden and I built a heck of a tracks creation.

Camden’s school

We decided to wash the high chair liner, and another liner for a chair that fastens to the dining room table. Who invents these things?? It took both grandparents quite a bit of fiddling and perseverance to manage to get them back together corectly.

Amy has a very interesting but challenging job. Marijuana is legal in CA. Most of it is grown in northern California so they need laws and policies for all of it – growing, land use, water use, processing, distribution, laboratory testing, more aspects than you can hardly imagine. Amy’s department, and mostly Amy herself has been writing all these laws and policies, meeting with the public and people in all aspects of the industry to understand their concerns and needs, answering phone and email questions, going to government meetings, and now she holds weekly seminars to educate everyone in the industry about running their business in accordance with the laws and policies. And, all this is going on in addition to her other duties at the county. Whew!

So, the photo above is a dinner meeting that Amy was asked to speak at, and we tagged along. The next is the tracks project the Camden and I created. The last is Camden’s Montessori school. It made me think of my friend Linda Yapp in Oregon who put me up in the apartment above her Montessori school on my bike trip last year.

We went to Howarth Park on another beautiful day.

Ducks and geese!

We rented a paddle boat and went out on the lake. Camden smiled for the camera (I think he’s better at candid shots)

Look at this! Could you ask for a more beautiful and perfect day?

We also took a ride on the little train which was very fun.

They had a great playground too

Another fun thing to do is visit a winery for a picnic.

What a beautiful day and beautiful setting. There were many other families picnicking and enjoying themselves. Here Marian scopes out the scene while mom keeps an eye on her.

The other grandma catches a shot of Camden in a tree

Marian is on the run

Then she enjoys a ride on Dad’s shoulders

what a beautiful spot

Joel, Amy, and Marian head back to the car.

I am SO lucky! Both of my daughters are doing well, have great husbands, and wonderful kids. They even have great in laws. Amy’s in laws live in Santa Rosa and were out of town, but returned in time for us to have a few days overlap so we could get together which I really enjoyed.

I know someone else is reading this, someone important from before me who can now see who is coming after us. I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that I am related to all these wonderful new little people! I am thankful every day for the healthy and strong traits that were given to me so I could pass them along to the future generations. They are great kids and I have no doubt they will do well in this world.

I am starting to sort all the photos that I took on my recent trip to the US. My first stop was Santa Rosa, California, north of San Francisco. It’s spring there when they start their dry season but they had been getting an unusual amount of rain. Everything was green, and there were roses and other flowers everywhere. Since I love flowers you all get to see a bazillion flower photos. Well maybe not quite that many since I managed to get this collection down to 19 photos.

These are some totally cool roses!

Baby apples on a tree

Can you see the figs? They are pretty hard to spot

The wild raspberry bushes were blooming

They often disguise cell phone towers with fake branches to make them look like pine trees. This is not one of the more successful examples.

My daughter works for Sonoma County. If you want to disguise your cell phone tower as a pine tree, you have to bring a sample of the material to her office. She said everyone in the office has these fake branches on their desks.

She had a hair appointment one day so we spent the time wandering around a nearby neighborhood. It’s an older neighborhood of charming homes and gorgeous flowers, and it was a beautiful day so we enjoyed the time.

California poppies

a real beauty

I love how this tree has spilled over on to the sidewalk

Is this the coolest thing ever?! A little library in the neighborhood

more roses and other flowers

very cool looking bush

What a beautiful iris!

another beautiful rose

And, a few more pictures taken around my daughter’s neighborhood and other random places.

There are still homeless people. I also saw tents along the road under bridges. Since I was treated as a homeless person on my bike trip last year this really tugs at my heartstrings. I met so many and heard so many stories of really difficult lives during my travels.

OK, back to flowers

and more flowers

I’m not sure what these are but they sure are pretty

artichokes growing in someone’s front yard

more roses

California is fun because it doesn’t get really cold or hot, and it is possible to grow a large variety of flowers and plants. It isn’t unusual to see food plants growing in people’s yards either. It’s wine country so there are also many beautiful vineyards in the area. It’s super expensive so even if you have a good job it might be a struggle to make ends meet. I’m glad my daughter is there though so I can visit and enjoy the area as well as my family. More on that soon…

You turn over your underwear bin and two lizard eggs fall out

There’s a big noise on the roof and you realize it’s an iguana

You have to clean some mold off your computer screen even though it was stored inside, and the spiders have spun webs in every corner.

It’s hard to get out of the house in the afternoon because neighbors keep dropping by to say hi and tell you how happy they are to see you back

Another neighbor braids your hair and gives you a bag of avocados because they are falling from her trees and there are more than she can use

A feeling of peace and happiness washes over you when you wake up and realize you are back in Panama.

Yes, we are back. It’s going to take a few days to clean, organize, and restock the house and since we are in the rainy season now, there’s plenty of weeding and trimming to do in the yard. It’s all good though. I loved my time with family and it was really nice to take a break and do different things. But now that I’m back I will try to catch up on correspondence, blogging, and the many other activities I can’t resist. Mi vida difícil en panamá 😀

I have a blog? Oh right, yes I do but you wouldn’t know it by the long time I have been ignoring it. I have been in the US first with my California daughter and family, and now in Seattle with my other daughter and her family. I’ve been enjoying time with them, playing with the grandchildren, helping out with the workloads of the busy working families, and generally having a wonderful time.

I have paid no attention to the blog though, as you all can see. It’s spring and I have photos of some beautiful flowers and scenery, and of course photos of the grandchildren which I will get to at some point but I think right now, it’s been time for focusing on different things.

I will be back soon. Panama is where I am most happy and as wonderful as this is, it will be good to be home again. Right now though it’s time for Saturday morning Sesame Street. It takes me back to when I watched Sesame Street with my own kids. Good times!

Boca Chica is my favorite place on the water in Chiriqui, and Seagull Cove Lodge is my favorite resort in Boca Chica. Today the Ofertasimple folks came out with a deal I had to share with you all.

http://ofertasimple.com/ofertas/panama/seagullcove-resort-boca-chica-chiriqui-coctel-bienvenida-kayak-bungalow-deluxe-vista-mar-2may17-e   $89 (normally $191) for a bungalow, welcome cocktail, 2 hours of kayaking, and discounts on a sunset cruise and/or a relaxing massage.

I have written about the resort in the past HERE. It’s a very special place with only six lovely bungalows, all with wonderful views of the water and islands beyond. The grounds are beautifully landscaped and there is an excellent restaurant on site. There is a small beach area and sitting area for hanging out and relaxing, and a dock to a cute tiki bar where they serve grilled food and drinks on weekend evenings. You can get a water taxi to Boca Brava if you want to check out that restaurant or go looking for howler monkeys, or you can hire a boat for a tour around the islands.

(Caution – the resort is built on the hillside so if you have trouble climbing up and down stairs this might not be the place for you. )

I have written other posts about visits to the area HERE (the ride down to Boca Chica), and HERE (Boca Brava and monkeys), and HERE (includes a boat tour of the area), and HERE (our recent day at Isla Seca, one of the nearby islands)

You can use the offer from May 9th through August 9th. If you want a beautiful little getaway, or want to include it as part of a vacation or exploratory tour in Panama, here you go. It’s a unique and special place.

Remember the pretty trees I’ve been seeing around town?

I stopped by one for a closer look a while back. I think it is a Crepe Myrtle. The flowers look right, though the leaves look a bit different than what I found on google and what I remember from the smaller variety that commonly grew in Florida. They sure are pretty!

I have a few other photos to share too –

I saw some other pretty shrubs in someone’s yard

what a pretty yard!

Once a banana fruits, it’s done for. It’s up to the pups to grow up and carry on. We recently had a nice bunch of bananas so we cut down the trunk, and this is what the interesting inside of the truck looks like. They must hold tons of water too because if you cut them, they drip juice everywhere. Be careful because it will make some serious stains on your clothes.

Pretty bougainvillea

Other than this, there hasn’t been much going on here lately. I’ve had such a bad cold that I’ve done pretty much nothing for the last week. Even paradise isn’t all rainbows and unicorns. One still has to do the laundry and weather the occasional illness. I’m still super tired but at least I’m finally showing signs of recovery. I actually slept through the night without coughing, and my head isn’t in such a fog.

Of course, Joel got it too so he’s coughing and sniffling today but thankfully isn’t nearly as sick as I was. Thank goodness, because we have to get our act together by Thursday because we are leaving to visit family in the US. I’m really excited to be seeing everyone, and the grandkids are growing so fast. I may not be blogging as much in the near future either but I might have some pretty pictures. It’s spring on the west coast and word is that everything is blooming and looking beautiful.

Everything is looking better here too. We’ve gotten some rain almost every day and it didn’t take any time at all for everything to get green again. Right now it’s 3PM, some showers just came through, and it’s a very pleasant 78F on my terrace. The birds are singing everywhere and the iguana with the pink face just strolled through the yard. It will be good to see family but it’s always wonderful to come back to our home in Panama.

Yaira, my Spanish teacher and good friend has been teaching privately for over a year now. I studied with her for 6 months before I arrived in Panama, and she helped me SO much! She is patient, kind, professional, capable, and Panamanian so she can talk about the local customs and culture in the local accent.

She has gotten very positive feedback from other students but this one really blew me away. I don’t know this man, but he obviously has studied a lot and speaks a lot of Spanish.

I have had the pleasure of working with Yaíra a few times over the years and  will certainly study with her again in the future. I have studied Spanish for many years, in many different schools with many different professors; I can say Yaíra is easily amongst the best. She creates engaging lessons, excellent materials, and is able to explain the Spanish language in a way that all students can understand. Her online classes are well organized and allow me to study Spanish despite my busy schedule. I personally have worked with Yaíra on different occasions to improve my Spanish for various jobs and job interviews and on each occasion she has prepared me not only to achieve the Spanish required but actually exceed it. I will continue my studies with her again in the future to prepare for my DELE exam.  Yaíra is an amazing person and an excellent teacher. Whether you are a beginning Spanish learner or advanced, she can and will help you achieve your language goals. (from Nick)

I was very excited to get this recommendation! (it was sent to me because I maintain her website http://www.yairatutoria.com/). It isn’t just me and my bias towards a good friend. She really is as good as I think she is!

I thank Yaira and my Panamanian friends every day for my ability to communicate. I know my experience of living here has been much more rewarding because I can speak the language well enough to converse on most topics. It’s difficult. I’m not good at languages, so it took me a long time and I still have a lot to learn. But, it’s so worth it! It’s a whole different experience when your best friends are Panamanian.

OK, I will put that soap box away and stop going on about Yaira. She is trying to take care of her family and go to university, so if she gets overrun with students she will be working overtime. She loves what she does though and seems to have endless energy, and I’m really happy to see her succeeding on all fronts.