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

Happy, happy in Panama

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

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.   I have a guest room with a single bed and a queen size sofa bed for visitors.   So, come on down and see me…..and enjoy these photos of how it looks today.

Dining room area with seating for 6

Second Entrance foyer

Open living room

Living room from opposite side

Living room into kitchen....TV area

Now THIS is a kitchen I can enjoy

Living room opens onto a great terrace

Lots of room for entertaining

Gutters make a big difference to my garden

WOW....do I love this garden

My own private paradise

Both bedrooms have little terraces of their own

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

Well, now you’ve had the tour and can picture me relaxed and enjoying my new digs. There’s room (remember the sofa is a queen sized bed) for more than 1. Come on down and enjoy a vacation in my new home….rates are reasonable (hahaha).

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.

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Buenas Aires

This is a city created by the French, and their architectual fingerprint is everywhere.   Charming tree lined streets with Paris style buildings but of course, also the steel and glass high rises so common in big cities.   Buenas Aires city proper houses 3,000,000 people, but that number swells signnificantly on work days when the surrounding Province of Buenas Aires contributes many of it’s 11,000,000 inhabitants to the working city.

And the President lives in the Pink House…..like our White House

There is a huge cemetary in the area we stayed, for all the wealthy people of the past years…..Eva Peron (Don’t Cry For Me Argentina) is buried here.  It is interesting that when she and husband dictator Juan Peron were driven out of the country, and Eva died…she was buried in Europe under a fictitious name, to avoid her body being dug up and mutilated.   Juan married again, and after his death, his widow brought Evita’s body back to Buenas Aires to be buried here in her family’s crypt.

There’s Tango, of course….and the BEST was at a renovated Art Deco theater on 9 de Julio Boulevard called Tango Porteno.   The show was fabulous and the food delicious…..friend Larson and I went one night.

Hard to capture photos there, but here’s the cast and orchestra, above them.

Another night we went to a club called Senor Tango….not as good a production, but what’s not to like about the Tango????

One night we were treated to a fabulous exhibition of actors, singers and horses at the Opera Pampas.   These photos cannot adequately depict the show because they were always moving very fast….and I didn’t think to video it!   Suffice it to say it was a history of Argentina in a huge arena with a dirt floor and big stage (click link above for more info)….we had an Argentinean Grill dinner before….

Buenas Aires sits on a HUGE river called Rio de la Plata that at some places, you can’t see the other side.   Smaller rivers feed off of it and run through the city.

Lots of lovely European type restaurants are everywhere…

One day we went to a street fair with stalls selling everything…lots of antique “smalls”…and lots of entertainment going on.

NOW….SOMETHING NEW IN MY  BLOG….VIDEO!  THAT’S RIGHT.  I’m just getting the hang of this, so excuse if it’s not the best!   But I learned alot and will improving on my technique.   In the meantime, press the PLAY button at the lower left corner of this video….I’ll be using more video later in this page!

In the cathedral shown above, there is a special gallery in tribute to the overthrow of Spanish Rule by the hero, San Martin.   This gallery showcases Argentina, Chile, Peru and Ecuador.   There are guards in uniforms of that time, that are changed on the hour.  This is much like the changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, only these guys will give you a little smile.

El Tigre

Just upriver from Buenas Aires is the sweet town of El Tigre, on the El Tigre River.   We took a train there, and then boarded a boat at the port to see the sights.   Friends Sylvan and Barbara Cohen have recently bought a condo in El Tigre, and I can really see why they decided on this place. (NO, I’m not moving to El Tigre!!)

Well, as much fun as Buenas Aires was…..it was time to leave for Mendoza.  This is the Province and City where all the fabulous Argentinean wines are grown and we fortunate to visit 4 different wineries.   Here’s some things you may or may not know about Argentina’s wines/vinyards.

Mendoza

Olive trees grow on every vinyard….and all the wineries bottle their olive oil.   We were grateful to be given a bottle of this fabulous olive oil by the good people at Familia Zuccardi where we enjoyed a tour and EXCELLENT lunch in the owner’s dining room.   I bought a wonderful knife there, with leather braided handle and leather scabbard.

So…here’s some skinny about wine.   Of course you know that Argentina is best known for it’s fabulous MALBEC, but they also bottle Merlot, Siraz, Chardonney, Sauvignon Blanc and sparkling wines (you can only call wine grown in the Champagne region of France,  Champagne….all other wineries call theirs “sparkling” wine).    So….the reds are aged in oak for a while and also in stainless steel for a while.    Temperatures are carefully monitored, and each wine maker decides on everything….when the grape is picked, how long it stays in each medium (steel or oak), etc.   He’s the Jefe!   And, oak comes in either French Oak or American Oak…..no other.   Usually a winery uses 70% French and 30% American in their barrells.

One of the wineries we visited had a big and wonderful museum!   It was fascinating to see how the industry started.   Here’s some facts….originally grape vines were brought to Mendoza by Spanish settlers and was only pressed for home consumption.   As technology improved, so did the quality of the home consumption product.   Mendoza is in the far west of the country, near the Andes Mountains, so it was not exported at all.   By the mid-20th century, Argentineans were comsuming about 96 litres of wine per person, per year so they didn’t have to export it…there was plenty of market demand right there in Argentina…..wagons that took the wine to the various cities within the country were replaced by trucks, and as roads improved, so did the distribution of wine…still within Argentina.  People worked 1/2 a day, went home for lunch, had wine and went to sleep.   By the 1960′s people began to work full days, so the wine consumption dropped by half.   The exports of other goods going out of Buenas Aires and other port cities, made it possible to begin exporting their wines.   And now, Argentinean wine is considered some of the most prized wines on the planet.

The town of Cordoba wasn’t anything to see at all….thus no photos.  It is the biggest manufacturing center of the country…factories.   We actually went to the Mall and saw a movie!  But the one interesting thing we did see there was the childhood home of Che Guevara.   He was born in Santa Fe, Argentina but his parents moved when he was 7 to near Cordoba for the dry climate, because of the child’s very severe asthma.   They were a middle class family, and Che was in school to be a doctor.

One surprise was a video we say, in which childhood friends, neighbors and teachers were interviewed about what he was like as a young person.  Without exception, they report that he was always putting others before himself….he was a kind person who helped the less fortunate whenever he encountered them.   He was a born, natural leader, but never used his traits to the detriment of others…indeed, just the opposite.   He was a loving, giving, generous and very popular person.

If you saw the movie Motorcycle Diaries, which is about his trip around South America with another young man, you will recall how he was helpful and friendly to everyone, and how he worked in a leper colony, and went over and above the efforts of others, even swimming across a big river (with crocodiles) to get to the lepers who were kept on the other side from the missionary settlement that cared for them.  It was a fiesta, and the lepers were unable to participate, so he went across the river and in the middle, his asthma kicked in…he almost died, but he didn’t want the lepers to be left out of the celebration.   It is interesting to think about what would have been Cuba’s outcome, had Che (instead of Castro) been in the lead of that country after the revolution.   He died in Bolovia,where some say Castro had him killed because of his popularity among the Cubans.

Iguazu Falls

Now Iguazu Falls (one of the 8 Wonders of the World) is an entirely different story.   WOW….I spent my birthday there, and was blown away.  Here again I will use some of my newly acquired video skills to give you more of a sense of it than you could see in a still photograph.   The falls are so powerful, and generate so much energy and mist that it is even difficult to see them properly on a video.

One thing you should know is, these falls are more than just one or two areas…..they are kilometers long, and you walk to different places to view the segments….even taking a train to the BEST one, which is called Gargantua del Diablo (Devil’s Throat).   So….hang onto your seat!

Pretty amazing…..huh?   Here are some stills

Wanda Mines

Iguazu Falls is situated in a national park and nearby is an area where mines are located, extracting semi-precious stones.   I visited one called the Wanda Mine, and it was amazing.   The government issues permits to private mining companies who are authorized to extract 20 meters down (about 65 feet).    The first layer reveals Amethyst, Quartz, Agate and Crystal bubbles.   Below that are found Topaz and Aquamarine.

Bubbles containing air, gas and water are trapped within volcanic lava during an eruption period, and the amount of each determines what kind of stone results.  Some of the volcanic rock is at the surface level, and is cross cut so bubbles are revealed right at earth’s surface in the ground.

The owner of world famous Swavorski Crystals has a home nearby….guess he likes to be near his source of revenue!

The first 10 meters down contains Amythest, Quartz, Crystal and Agate.  The miner looks for a thin white line in the volcanic rock because that line is an indication that bubbles are nearby.   A small explosive is set off to reveal about a 10 foot section of rock containing bubbles.

This was a fabulous way to spend my birthday, and it is an experience I will never forget!    Argentina was fabulous and I look forward to going back again someday.

My flight back took me through Santiago, Chili…I couldn’t leave the airport but the familiar sight below was a great place to spend the stopover.   Pisco Sours have become my favorite drink down here.   They originated in Peru, and it seems Chili has adopted the drink as their own.   This bar was next to my gate at the airport.

Well, my tenant (a single woman from Iowa) and I reached an agreement to share my house since she has a lease until the end of June and I want to come back into my home.   She immediately took off for a 3 week trip to Mexico to see the Monarch butterfly migration and other wonders.   After coming back for a week, she took off again for 10 weeks in Colombia.   She’s due back tomorrow and will be moving out on June 15.    So…I’ve had my house virtually to myself since I got back.   It was a great solution for both of us.

So, as usual I’m looking for something about my house to pound on!!  I have 4 bathrooms in my house, but they all have showers.   I do have the hot tub outside, but in rainy season I’m unable to use it much.   So, I decided to install a bathtub in my guest shower (the only one big enough to accommodate a bathtub) while my roommate has been in Colombia.   Unfortunately, the ONLY white plain bathtub in Panama with left hand controls was accidentally dropped in the warehouse and broke.    The only other one they had was a right hand control, which required the plumber to chip out the floor and run drain and water lines to the other side of the shower stall.   It was quite a process, but he was impeccable and got it done beautifully, with some creative concrete work to fill in the unused space around the tub.

I’ve had some really special time with various groups of women that I know and love here in Boquete, since I returned.   One day, Babbe Earle asked us up to her little hacienda on Jaramillo Mountain with beautiful views down to the Pacific.

Babbe & John Earle's House

We had a potluck lunch

It was a perfect day for art projects (Marni, Carol & Marnie)

Gina & I watched Barbie at the easel

And….there was SHOPPING!   Babbe’s daughter makes fabulous pearl necklaces and earrings….so we all got a strand of what we are calling Sorority Pearls that we wear with jeans and tee shirts.  It’s very elegant

Picking out our favorite pearls....

Lazing the day away in the sun!

On another day, Carol and her husband Peter had a party at their place to celebrate Peter’s birthday, and to say farewell….they return to their beautiful home in Vermont for the summer…..they’ll return to us when it gets cold up there!   Pretty fabulous life they have….and their house is on the mountain, just above Babbe’s….so the views are spectacular.   This day we were mostly in the clouds, so couldn’t see down to the Pacific…but who cares, in a surrounding like this!!

Carol & Peter at his birthday

As you can see, their house is literally up in the trees….

Their bedroom is the highest tower...imagine waking up to the view from up there!

Bocci Fun

Another friend named Carol Putnam has moved back to the US and I will miss her terribly…..we shared a going-away dinner

Carol will definitely be missed

Now it’s time for some words and photos from the garden!

Did you know how Pineapples have babies???

Beautiful hibiscus on my terrace

This one is called Navidad (Christmas)....it has taken me 2 years to get the first bloom off my little cutting

Twins

Coral

Giant Pink & White

Here’s a video clip I shot in the garden this morning….

An American metal artist has arrived in Boquete, and I needed a new gate.  He designed something beautiful, and on the opposite side I saw how very, very secure it was…..so I asked him to continue his work along the top of my rock wall.   This was my only vulnerable spot and now it is totally secure.   He curved short metal pieces and cut the ends sharp….so no one in their right mind would try to crawl over my rock wall now.

From my side, the appearance is very organic..you can barely see the bars

But from the other side....OUCH!

Back to adventures…..so one day a bunch of us women drove the brand new paved shortcut road over to Volcan on the other side of the volcano.  We came around a curve, and some Panamanian workers were there…can you imagine…3 gringo cars screeched to a hault, all these women climbed out and started taking photos….and asking them to take photos for and with us.   Then, we just as abruptly climbed back in our cards and sped off.   I would love to hear the talk around those guys’ dinner tables that night!

Girlfriends On The Go!

Road Guys!

When we got there, we played Mexican Train and then went to dinner at Cerro Brujo, which is a wonderful little jewel of a restaurant in Volcan, whose female owner/chef created a wonderful party for us.

We spent the night at the resort/spa that is immediately next door to my very first property here, in Bambito.   The next day, Denise had a fabulous brunch for us (lobster quiche, champagne, salmon rolls) under the trees.   We felt so blessed to be living in this paradise!

When Denise bought this house it was covered with vines...and had no running water in the kitchen!

Denise, Debbie & Helen

Denise, Carol, me, Helen & Debbie and our Mimosas

The setting for our brunch was heavenly!

Our scrumptous brunch!

Does it seem like all we do is eat down here?

OK….you might be getting bored watching a bunch of women eat and drink all the time….so here’s an adventure when we included some guys.

*  My Mom….my dad died in February and my mom is now alone and lonely in the US.    My residency visa in Ecuador gives me only 90 days each year, for 2 years, out of the country.   My first year ends November of 2009 and way before that I ran out of days that would allow me to be with her.   I decided it wouldn’t be good to stand over her grave and say “Well, I would have spent more time with mom in her older years, but I had to get that residency visa in Ecuador”.   She is way too important to me, and she needs me with her more often now.  So I will spend 3 months in Florida to be with her through the holidays, another month in the summer and will bring her back to Boquete for a long visit with me there beginning July 1st.

Mom chilling out

*   The Weather…..I am a Florida girl and the lush tropical rain forest of Boquete suits me better than the chilly upper Andes climes of Cuenca.   I found myself growing weary of the weather at 8,000 ft above sea level although my lungs really loved the dry air.   Although there are sunny, warm days, the vast amount of cloudy grey sky days and very cold nights just aren’t for me.   While it is more humid in Boquete, the close up verdant green mountains and beautiful flowers…and the ability to wear lighter clothes and most of all…sit out on my terrace at night with friends, was a biggie for me.  Boots and jackets are fun, but not all the time.

*   The Community…..Boquete is a very rare place…and the people there are also very special.   There are dozens of things to get involved with to help the local community, and Boquete’s ExPats are always cooking up something fun to do together.    Cuenca is a very special place, but the ExPat community  is VERY different from that in Boquete.   Maybe it is because Cuenca is a big city and people live mostly in condos and farther apart than in the small village of Boquete.   Whatever the reason for the difference, I much prefer the ExPat community in Boquete.

*   The Politics….Rafael Correa is an educated and exciting president with great ideas on how to improve life for the people of Ecuador.   He is, however, in complete power and is very close to the political ideas of Chavez of Venezuela.    His recent placing of a 43% tax on everything that comes in from any foreign country, combined with the 12% sales tax, means that none of the US brands we find easily in Panama can be found in Ecuador….the 55% tax just makes them unavailable.   There is a tax of 1% (soon to be 2%) on any money that leaves the country….meaning the wire transfer of funds to Panama or the US are subject to VERY big fees.     Recently, despite Correa’s claims of transparency and putting away corruption, his sister was recorded soliciting a bribe to make a law suit against Chevron Oil go away….Correa’s response was to set about to close down the private television station that aired the recordings.    When a recent rumor circulated that he was going to abandon the US dollar in favor of a new SA currency, he announced that anyone found circulating this rumor would be jailed.    These minor issues can grow to larger issues.   Finally, the growing scorn of the government toward the US is cause to pause and consider what would happen should the 5 new bases in Colombia really become a thorn in his side.  Chavez has recently invited both the Chinese and the Russians to become more involved in his politics, and the recent photo of him embracing Mohamar Khadafi was just scarey.   Again, this is not Correa, but as they say…you can judge a man by the company he keeps.   So far these are only shadows in the background, but they added to the decision against having a major investment in Ecuador at this time.

The Culture…..one reason I moved to Cuenca was to enjoy the vast cultural life and one of my main loves was the Symphony Orchestra.   Also, there was a very good Cultural Calendar published each month, allowing me to know where things were going on (concerts, art exhibits, museums, etc.).   The government declared that the economy required they cut funding for the Symphony and the Ensemble orchestras, and they stopped printing the Cultural Calendar….they even stopped publishing the online version.   Many locals say that this is really because Correa does not attend to the needs of the rich…only the poor…and that the poor don’t go to the symphony, concerts, art exhibitions, etc.   It is said they plan to reinstate this vital organ in the future, but for now it is defunct.  Whatever the reason….one of my main reasons for wanting to be there was removed from my life.

So……here is the last report I will file as a permanent resident of Cuenca.  I’ll return from time to time for a visit, but at last I am free of the restrictions of permanent residency.   Below are photos taken just before I left…including some views of the capital city Quito, the visit by ex-husband David Ripple (to spend our would-be 30th wedding anniversary together), and some celebrations just prior to my departure.

So….my friends Mary Ann & Greg decided to tie the knot back in Vermont, and then returned to Cuenca to begin their residency.   Mary Ann (you may recall) threw me a birthday bash this year and hosted a Christmas dinner for friends last year (see previous posts).   So…it seemed a good idea to toss them a wedding reception as a farewell event in my condo.  Even the guy who bought my condo came….here are some photos of the event.

Turn about is fair play….Mary Ann decided to throw a SURPRISE going away party for me…..and was I surprised!!!   I have never had a surprise party before…..

As I came into the room to see all the smiling faces shouting SURPRISE!

Shock at seeing someone I had just hung up with on the phone 2 minutes earlier....SHE was already at the party when we talked!!!

Gathering of surprise friends

So….I’ll be going to Argentina and Uruguay in January and then returning to beautiful Boquete.   It will be good to be back home.

We're enthralled by the live entertainment.....

The night after I got back, Erin and Dave Ross threw a huge party for our friend Garn’s 90th birthday, complete with live entertainment by the Boquettes (the new Do-Op Girl’s Group singing the Oldies), and others.

Panamanian guitarists serenaded the birthday boy.....

And he got the Presidential treatment, with a Marilyn Monroe (at an older age) ballad of “Happy Birthday….”

Our own Marilyn singing...Happy Birthday to Garn...Roady on keyboards

I forgot how much fun it is to live in Boquete…..there’s something going on all the time.   I really miss this group of ExPat’s when down in Ecuador.   It’s great to have a life in these two very different places….

Live music at Guari, Guari in Palmira on a Sunday afternoon

The Boquettes singin' the Oldies at Guari, Guari in nearby Palmira

Here's the monthly Ladies Who Do Lunch club ...a group I started 3 years ago, and it's still going strong!

View from Rancho de Caldera, a small, beautiful resort near Boquete

Three of my girlfriends celebrated Gemini birthdays and they invited me along for their spend-the-night fun at Rancho de Caldera….

Linda, Mikey, me and Sharon....... (birthday hostess, owner of the resort, Gina was busy at work)

The next day, the rest of our women friends joined for lunch and a dip in the infinity pool

Wonderful women live in Boquete, and look for any reason to come together

Yes, some of us really did get in the pool....out of camera range!

The world famous Boquete Chicas (a group of 45 single women living in Boquete, who get together for fun and to support each other in times of need) got together for the monthly birthday celebration.   This month we went to Volcan (on the other side of Volcan Baru) for lunch and a visit to the VERY interesting Petroglyphs.

Chicas nestled between the giant petroglyph stone, calculated to be almost 3,000 years old, and beautiful Lobster Claw heliconia flowers

Chica Louise Orr isn't really this tiny....it's just a giant plant!

The petroglyph place has more than just rocks with carvings….it has plants of all kinds!

And talk about giant plants.....this is a LEMON!

In 1949 National Geographics visited this site, and discovered things they date back 5,000 years!   The stones below have magnetic energy in them that is registered with a compass…..and there’s a spring that creates a stream that flows AGAINST gravity….up the volcano (instead of down)

These stones are amazing...with carvings that date back 5,000 years

This blind dog's leg was broken, which makes it seem he is begging with palm up. He is one of many Dalmations living at the petroglyph place.

One of the great things in Boquete is the Tuesday Morning Information & Networking Meeting, started several years ago as a simple monthly pot luck in the home of Sylvan and Barbara Cohen.   As the number of ExPats living in and visiting Boquete grew, so did this meeting.   Every week, a speaker is asked to present information of interest to foreign resisdents.    Depending on the topic, the meeting is attended by 40 to 80 people each week.   I was asked to present information and field questions from the group during my stay there….about the differences between Panama and Ecuador, and Boquete and Cuenca, since I now live in both places.   It was well attended.  I got an assist from Cheryl and Richard Johnson, who live in Boquete and visited me in Cuenca last September….they know more about the area around Quito than I do.    Just after this, they returned to Ecuador, and bought a condo in Cotacachi, north of Quito.  They too will live bi-country….spending the rainy season in Boquete down in the drier climes of Ecuador.

Explaining Ecuador to the Tuesday Morning meeting in Boquete

There are a few sure things about Latin America….bars on your windows, dogs on the street and roosters that crow at first light.   You get used to it…..actually, you begin to love it.   But some roosters have a special job…that is cock fighting.  I know, I know….me too, but it’s the culture and I prefer it to bullfighting.   So below is one VERY valuable guy who was transported up to Boquete from somewhere in the country, via the trucking company that does so much for us by getting our stuff where we need it to be.   He has his own, color coordinated, leather bag for traveling to the fights.  I kept looking around the trucking office to see where the crowing was coming from….then I spied the bag with his cock’s comb sticking out the right side.

Look closely at the top right side of this red bag...just above the black plastic. A fighting cock is peeking out on his way to the matches.

One of the changes in Boquete since I left 9 months ago, is the new shop Tucan Tiles…..the woman owner is a fabulous artist from Santa Fe, New Mexico.   She designs the tiles, and hires local women to do the production work.

Local woman helps produce the tiles at Tucan Tiles

And here’s my very own tile…oh, it’s of roosters!!!   No, not because of the cock fights here….because my maiden name “Hahn” means “Rooster” in German.   I have wooden roosters topping my kitchen cabinets in Boquete, so it seemed appropriate to get a Rooster tile from Tucan tiles…I love it.

Beautiful Rooster Tile in my kitchen

So…I know you’re asking yourself….what about Zap the Dog?    Well, yes…in addition to bringing her toys back from the US (she just LOVES fibre-fill), I visited with her several times at the home of her new parents, Donna and Ken O’Brien.  I am so lucky to have found this loving home for her…..and she’s growing up to be a lazy old dog.   She’s 3 1/2 years now but I still remember that day 3 years ago when I found her starving at the Zapadora open house…and took her home, just long enough to get her healthy, spaed and find her a new home….well, you know the rest.   She was my constant companion until I moved to Ecuador, where my condo doesn’t allow dogs.  Here she is….I know she looks like an ordinary dog…you’d never know she was so extraordinary just by looking at her.

I still love this dog!!!!

During my visit, I took her to the beach for a 2 day romp….unfortunately, she was attacked by another dog and while attempting to extricate her by pulling on her tail, I dislocated 3 ribs….ouch!    (Yes, that is the attack dog in the shadow).

Lorraine and me from her patio overlooking the Pacific...and Zap, of course

I must say that one of the highlights of my visit back to Boquete was getting to play the amazing new course, Cielo Paraiso (Heavenly Paradise)….which is definitely is!   LONG holes, up to 500 yards, offer amazing views of both the Pacific Ocean and the beautiful rainforest mountains.  I cannot wait to return and play there again.

Finally!!!! A REAL golf course in Boquete. Here with my friend Michael Mullin who lives here with his beautiful wife Debbie. Yes, that is the Pacific Ocean in the background.

One last thing….remember last November, the 40 year flood that practically swept Boquete away?   To refresh your memory, here’s a hotel that was just completed 6 months earlier.   Below that is the repair job being done on it as I departed Boquete…..

The waves were crashing above the first floor windows and water was over the road

The road, rough as it is, is open now and reconstruction has begun!

Yes….those are the very tiny footers you see exposed at the bottom of the photo…..the entire building is sitting on a little dirt and rock in the center of the structure.    They are now pouring HUGE footers inside the empty space.

So….that’s my report on my trip back to Boquete….GOD, I love that place.    I returned to Cuenca on June 29th, and am glad to be back in my cozy condo….of course, I found lots of projects to increase the beauty of my condo (cabinets, tile work and lighting),  and spent the first 2 weeks working on it….now it is finally finished!   Stay tuned for my next report from Cuenca.

My son Paul was the first person to visit me in Boquete....here we are at the Bistro, with murals of coffee and orange pickers that were painted in the 50's

My Canadian friend Annette Preston bought a house at the beach near Las Tablas

Some of my very best friends at a luncheon (L to R..Georgiann, Olga, Helen, me and KitzieAn auction in the gardens of the Panamonte Inn for a local charity

My jewelry exhibit at the Art Expo

A bunch of us at the Bistro doing our thing!

Don & Nancy Huff (and me) in Bocas Del Toro

A breakfast with friends in Portobello

The airport runway on Contadora island

Life in the 3rd World sure is wonderful....on Contadora Island

Exile home of the Shah of Iran, on Contadora

One day I heard a noise in the road outside my house....looked out and here is what I saw

Waterfront in Bocas del Toro

Allison & Scott (left) with me, Teri & Don Murray in PC at dinner. Go to www.earthrace.com to see what Allison & Scott did on their vacation....she's a 500 ton ship's captain...he's a Marine Engineer.

Women gather for Elizabeth's birthday at her coffee plantation

Parade in Boquete

Friend Wanda Stoll visited me in Boquete...AND applied for her permanent residency. Wanda and I worked at Eastern Airlines in the 70's.

Of course, Wanda went tree trekking

This is what tree trekking looks like from afar

We have 40 Chicas (single women) in Boquete...we have a monthly birthday lunch or dinner

Dancing is one of our favorite passtimes....I am taking tango lessons

My parents came to visit in May of 2007

It was great showing them around Boquete

Cousin Joy brought her daughter Tracy down for a little vacation.   I gave a party to introduce Tracy to the best of the best of Boquete

Joy, Penny & Tracy

Girlfriends enjoying a special overnight at the beautiful Rancho de Caldera, just over the mountain from Boquete

Linda, Mikey and Me, with Linda's friend in front

Zap and I went to the beach to visit Lee and Lorraine Handler at their new house right on the Pacific

Zap, Penny & Lorraine....Life is good!

Girl’s birthday luncheon at Rancho de Caldera….complete with infinity pool

Retired Life is SOOOO strenuous...and what DO we do all day??

We’ve got a new Do-Op girl’s group in Boquete…..they are called the Boquettes and WOW are they popular!

Boquettes sing the Oldies at Guari, Guari on a Sunday afternoon