Penny In Paradise

Getting 2012 Started

pennyinparadise — Mon, 28 May 2012 12:22:08 +0000

2012 started with a bang and the annual Bid4Boquete Charity Auction. This amazing event began the year I moved here with a few people gathering in the garden of the Panamonte Inn to raise money for a worthy cause. In the 6 years since then it has grown to a multi-day event that this year raised $67,000 to benefit 4 local charities. Included in those is our spay and neuter clinic for animals that has processed over 3,000 cats and dogs (do the math)….also our Buenos Vecinos (Good Neighbors) de Boquete which feeds over 100 elderly and handicapped individuals who need help. These are just a few of the amazing volunteer efforts that go to improving our lives here and the lives of our fellow Panamanians. That’s what makes Boquete so special. This year, I joined the group selling food as part of the fundraiser, at the Sunday Ventas de Patio (Patio Sale). Check out this amazing event at www.bid4boquete.com.

Other stuff going on….check out this local artist who decided to carve an art piece into a tree by the side of the road.

My cousin Joy has finally moved here from Las Vegas after 5 years of trying to get her house sold there and retire from the casino world. On Mother’s Day we celebrated together with lunch at Valle Escondido, with friends Peter and Fran.

I am not artistic, and can’t draw a straight line with a ruler…..but our local Boquete ArtWorks group of talented artists held some classes and one appealed to me…so I signed up. It teaches something called Tangling….check it out at ZenTangles and Tangle Patterns. They are organized doodles created in a 3.5″ x 3.5″ square using black ink pen. You can also color them but I’m not up to that yet. I was amazed at my first try, and at how much I love doing this. Here I am at class, and with my first efforts at this…..I LOVE doing this! It’s a meditation.

My first 2 Zentangles

I’m Getting A Dog!

pennyinparadise — Mon, 28 May 2012 12:14:06 +0000

I got my first Boston Terrier at age 12…his name was Winnie. My mom got one when I was in my 20′s….her name was Becky. I got my second one when I was about 38 and married to David Ripple, who named him Killer. Killer lived with David after we divorced (he had a house…I lived in an apartment), and died at age 13. Since then I had one other dog, named Zap (short for Zapadora….a place where I found her starving here in Panama) who I had to give up to new parents when I moved to Ecuador (you can see Zap in earlier posts).

I went to our little dog show here in Boquete recently and was amazing by the variety of pure bred dogs here…including a beautiful female Boston Terrier. Unfortunately, she does not have a male to mate with, and besides…..it would cost 3 times as much as the ones in the US. Here are some photos of the amazing dogs at the dog show…it’s a slideshow so wait and see it rotate through the fancy dogs in our little village in the third world!

Click to view slideshow.

I have now moved to a condo, but I have a small back yard and I have been longing for another Boston. Problem is, they are very rare here and hard to find. So I’ve looked for and found a puppy near my mom’s home in Melbourne, Florida. I plan to fly up soon and bring her back to Panama with me…..you should see the paperwork that has to be accomplished to do this!!!! But it will be worth it. Her name will be Becky (not only was this my mom’s dog’s name, but it is my great grandmother’s name and my mom’s middle name). Here’s a photo of her at 8 weeks old.

Stay tuned for more Becky photos of our adventure getting her to Panama.

The Caribbean Side

pennyinparadise — Mon, 28 May 2012 12:11:17 +0000

For those of you up in the US, take a look at this map…..

As you can see, the country of Panama runs east to west, so that the Caribbean is on our north and the Pacific is on our south. This takes some getting used to when you have always oriented yourself that the Atlantic is on the east and the Pacific is on the west. Here, the sun rises over Colombia and sets over Costa Rica. OK…got that? There is a big ridge of mountains that run across the center of the country…our Continental Divide. I live on the Pacific side of that mountain range, about 20 miles from the Pacific at an elevation of 3,500 ft above sea level. I can see the Pacific in the distance. If you cross that mountain range, you will be on the Caribbean side…which, as the crow flies, is only about 20 miles away as well. Of course, you can’t see it from my side because of the mountains…and it takes about 3 hours to drive there because of the mountains and getting behind big slow trucks on the 2 lane highway.

OK, enough geography lessons….just wanted to orient you as I talk about my recent trip to the Caribbean side. Off the coast is an island chain called Bocas del Toro (mouth of the bull)….the main island (Isla Colon) has a large gringo population but not old retired folks…instead lots of young Americans and Europeans live there. It’s quaint and colorful….a lot like Key West in the 70′s. It has great food, cute hotels and several smaller islands with resorts and homes. Recently my friends Fran, Kris and Dan and I went for a few days. Kris had lived there for a couple of years so she knew everyone and exactly where to go. We spent two nights on Isla Colon and then took a boat over to another island further out in the Caribbean called Isla Popa. We visited a cacao plantation where they make chocolate, we went deep sea fishing and caught LOTS of tuna and bonita and saw a baby whale shark (it was about 20 feet long)….a shark took half of one of our tuna as it was being hauled in….Kris caught 2 baby sharks. It was an amazing trip and I hope you enjoy the slideshow below. When you come visit we’ll go over and you can see it for yourself.

Click to view slideshow.

Mardi Gras Carnival & Jazz/Blues Festival in Boquete

pennyinparadise — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 19:47:59 +0000

In New Orleans they call it Mardi Gras, but all over Latin America it is referred to as Carnival…and it is a BIG DEAL! Stores, banks and businesses close for 4 days so that everyone can get drunk and celebrate!!! Here in Boquete, we ExPats are no exception.

Every year Dee Harris and Richard Lipner have a bash on the date of Mardi Gras…..and this year the theme was GET IN TOUCH WITH YOUR WILD SIDE! I couldn’t decide whether I was a leopard or a zebra, so I came as both…my wild animal side! Here are some photos of myself and some friends having a great time. I’m the one in the big pink wig with face paint of leopard & zebra….

A week later, a Mardi Gras style parade was put on by the ExPats, led by the Smoking Time Jazz Club band from New Orleans. We followed from the BCP Theater & Events Center, past the central park and proceeding up Main Street to the Panamonte Hote. Candy and beads (in true Mardi Gras fashion) were tossed to the amazed Panamanians standing on the sides of the street. The parade culminated at the Panamonte Inn where music, dancing and drinking were enjoyed by all.

That night the 6th Annual 4 day Boquete Jazz & Blues Festival began, where performers from San Francisco, the Netherlands, Switzerland, New Orleans, Panama, and Los Angeles played at various venues around Boquete.

Enjoy the slideshow below of the party, parade and music festival because a picture is worth a thousand words…..

Click to view slideshow.

Control That Water!

pennyinparadise — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:45:29 +0000

Check on the rainfall where you live and compare it to Boquete, which gets over 200 inches every year….all within about 6 months between May and December. When I moved into the new condo and put in the beautiful landscaping, I didn’t know that the ground was a clay pack full of rocks and sandy soil. When the rains started the plants began to die and the back yard became a swimming pool.

Our October rains destroyed the gardens

I asked the developer about gutters and he said “Gutters…they are an American thing. Here in Panama we don’t bother with gutters”!!!!!!! Of course not… why would you need gutters when it only rains 300 inches a year??? But he was kind enough to allow me to PAY FOR GUTTERS myself! So…I had them put 4 stories above me on the roof.

Scaffolding 4 stories high in my yard putting in gutters

Well, the gutters couldn’t cope with the amount of rain we get here so I went to Plan B, and had the garden torn apart and a honeycomb of drainage pipes and catch basins installed. This meant tearing out the expensive landscaping and, of course, ALL materials, wheelbarrows and workers had to trek through my condo to get to the work, since there is no access to my yard except through my house.

The digging into the clay pack begins

8 catch basins were constructed and connected with irrigation tubes

Curbs were built to raise the flower beds

Raised flower bed with catch basin

My garden backs up onto a very steep canyon. To avoid erosion of the canyon wall, the drain pipes carrying the water from the catch basins and tubes had to be installed far out, away from the canyon wall…..these guys are like goats…they sure can climb on the steep sides.

Digging to the edge of the canyon

Protecting from erosion…the pipes went way out and down

Here’s how it all looked from up above

From the 4th floor balcony, looking down at the work

Here’s how it looked when finished

Girls Go Fishin’

pennyinparadise — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 13:30:23 +0000

Dottie Thompson, Penny Barrett, Fran Hogan, Olga Alexander, Brenda Hoffpauir and I (oh yeah…and Brenda’s Jack Russell Terrier Abbey) went fishing on Lake Gatun which is a huge lake built by the US to feed water to the locks on the Panama Canal. Peacock Bass is the fish that populates this lake and it is great!! We caught 108 of those little suckers and Dottie made us a fabulous fish dinner with them. Click on the link above to read about this fascinating place. Here’s some photos….

Click to view slideshow.

Does anyone wonder why I love living in this place???

Happy, happy in Panama

New Digs…..I LOVE IT!

pennyinparadise — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 13:25:55 +0000

Returning home in late June from the US where I moved my mother across the state of Florida, I then faced doing the same for myself…packing up and moving from the house I’ve lived in for almost 6 years, to a smaller and more manageable condominium in the Boquete Country Club. I actually bought the place in early February, but had to do a renovation (even though it was brand new, never lived in before)…because, that’s what I do!! It turned out to be fabulous, and I finally moved in July 20. Here are some photos:

My building is on the left

This is how the building materials came in

There’s a back yard, so we began preparing for the garden with a bamboo privacy fence

A round patio was built in the center, and pathways designed around it

We tore out the old kitchen and chiseled LOTS of concrete

Everything had to be removed, even those concrete toe kicks on the floor

Notice the line showing the low profile of the old cabinets

The solid concrete ceilings required me to run lighting and 220 for air conditioners, and then drop a drywall ceiling 6″ below that

Water filtration was added outside the kitchen, and air conditioner/dehumidifiers in the living room and bedroom

Ceiling drywall continued

Adding a big drain pipe to take water away from my terrace

Hmmm…what to do about those cars right outside the windows?

A space gobbling laundry sink had to come out

Lots of holes in concrete to repair broken pipes and stuff

New kitchen cabinets were being built nearby from teak wood

Master bedroom closets were NOT going to hold all my stuff!

New floor pad for bigger closets, and wires for hanging TV chiseled in the walls

Taller closets take shape, big mirror and TV installed….all in the master bedroom

Painting begins…lovely shades of grey

New kitchen begins to come in

Shoji Screens…solution for those windows looking out at the cars!

The shoji screen wrap all the way around into the foyer

3 sets of sliding glass doors turned out to be inadequate and had to be replaced

Doors in living room, and both bedrooms had to be totally replaced

Due to no gutters 4 stories up, my new garden began to become a lake

And the wind below rain onto my terrace without gutters…and the wind was very strong

A glass wall solved the wind and some water problems on the terrace

At my expense, gutters were installed on the roof 4 floors above me to manage the rain and keep my garden from being destroyed

OOPS….more destruction of walls all along the way to fix leaks and bad stuff

A new glass wall went in behind what will soon be a beautiful metal art fountain

Hole for fountain was wired for electricity

Meanwhile, my neighbors were totally unaffected by the goings on inside

Toilets had to bed raised

Metal cabinets were built to provide storage and hide the water filters on the terrace

THEN….the movers came! Downsizing is no fun….and, I had to leave some things in the house for my tenant, since we do not close on the sale until January 3rd. So in the meantime, keeping up the house (and paying for it) is my responsibility. I’ve got a wonderful woman and her little dog living there and taking care of everything for me……moving was no picnic, but luckily I had the world’s BEST moving company….. Panama International Packers and their wonderful guys.

Everything was packed well and protected

Valentino was so careful with my precious stuff

NOW…..it’s time to see the totally finished product….after 6 months of renovation (yes, of a totally new, never-lived-in-before, condo) and every penny I could get my hands on….it’s finally over. I’m living here and LOVING it! It was totally worth it. Of course, there is no one living on either side of me or above me, so part of what I love (VERY QUIET) could change when neighbors move in. But for now, everything is perfect! The drier climate is great for my lungs and I have a chiropractor living right across the street so my back is very happy.

NOW…..enjoy the finished project…it took 5 months to complete!

Entrance from the lobby

Entrance to Living Room

Dining room area with seating for 6

Now THIS is a kitchen I can enjoy

Bedroom is comfy

NOW..lots of closet space

Downsized from 2 guest rooms and an office to 1 guest room that is also the office

Nice guest bathroom facilities

And…finally I’m able to entertain

And the gardens, drainage and gutters are finished and all is right with the world! OH YEAH! Did I mention???? I had to tear out the entire garden to install a very serious drainage system under the entire property to carry the water out to the canyon…. check this post for those photos and story. CONTROL THAT WATER!

Everyone’s Moving!!

pennyinparadise — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 13:50:41 +0000

In April of 2011 I visited mother in Florida, and she decided to sell her house in The Villages and move into a beautiful independent living development in Melbourne, near my son Paul. So I stayed 2 1/2 months to help her. Sold her house in 1 day, closed in 3 weeks and moved in and got settled. I stayed 3 weeks with her in her new home. She’s trying to adjust and some days are better than others. She has a lovely 2 bedroom/2 bathroom apartment, her own laundry room and granite kitchen, indoor and outdoor pools, fabulous food in a beautiful dining room, movies, activities, a bus and a Town Car with chauffeur, but she still has her own car.

My son Paul and his family helped

Waiting for the movers to come, Paul assembles stuff

Here's mom's job during the move

As soon as I got back to Boquete, I had to pack up and get ready for the move down to my new condo. More to come on another post.

Mexico in 2011

pennyinparadise — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 17:23:45 +0000

In February of 2011 I joined a group of Canadians, Australians, Danish and Sweds (I was the only American) in Bucerias, Mexico which is 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta on the Pacific Coast. The weather was amazing! Beautiful blue skies every day, low humidity and gentle breezes. We had morning workshop sessions with Andrew Schneider and his wife Bonnie, who live the winter months in Boquete. The workshop was spiritual in nature, teaching us how to open our hearts and make our lives better. Afternoons were spent by the pool or shopping in the beautiful, artistic town. Below are some photos of the resort where we stayed (Star Bay Resort), and of the village itself. My roommate was a woman from northern Canada named Charmain Wagner and we shared a beautiful suite complete with 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, dining room and living room, looking out at the ocean. The slideshow of photos below will take a few minutes to load, depending on the speed of your connection. It will automatically progress through the slides without you doing anything, but if you want to remain longer over any one of the photos, click the square STOP button at the bottom.

Click to view slideshow.

Peruvian Paso Fino Horse Show

pennyinparadise — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 16:40:06 +0000

In January of 2011, I was invited to Coronado for an amazing horse show and party. Coronado is a beach town with high rise developments favored by both Panamanians and ExPats. Peruvian Paso Fino Horses are gated horses whose front legs are trained to walk in a certain way….much like Tennessee Walking Horses, but more pronounced. My host Rogelio and his wife Kathy made me very comfortable in their hacienda on the ocean. Here are some photos of the horse show and the hacienda. Funny thing is, they had other house guests who were from Ecuador! Coincidence!

The slideshow of photos below will take a few minutes to load, depending on the speed of your connection. It will automatically progress through the slides without you doing anything, but if you want to remain longer over any one of the photos, click the square STOP button at the bottom.

Click to view slideshow.