A Few Extra Steps

This intro is especially for my husband, Dan. He once said, as we were riding on our tandem, “I’ll never know if you have Alzheimer’s,” because my answer was always, “I don’t know,” when he asked me where we were. I am truly geographically challenged. This morning, believe it or not, I completely overshot our resort entrance. I eventually saw a rather large, barn-looking building that I was “quite sure” I had never seen before. I asked a young man if he knew where Las Lajas was located. He said, “This is Las Lajas.” The whole beach is called Las Lajas, not just our resort! So, I just turned around, and, of course, I had past it. My friends said they watched me walk by and thought it was intentional. Maybe it was.

Funny that I had a dream last night that I was lost. I dream that a lot. I also recall a real-life memory from my childhood. I was about six years old. I apparently “knew” where a boy lived who had done something wrong. A policeman came to our house and asked me to show him where the boy lived. Well, danged if I could find it! I can still remember that feeling of confusion. I’ve gotten over it though. GPS is my best friend. I love technology.

So, my walk was a bit longer than anticipated this morning, and oh so lovely.

Don’t blink during this next one. I’ll try it again later, but these are the pelicans that fly overhead. I could not see my phone screen, so not sure what I pressed. They cast an impressive shadow over the resort when they fly over.

Last night’s dinner.

And a great breakfast after my walk.

Papaya, watermelon, kiwi, pineapple, yogurt and granola. I wanted it to have bananas, but it was fab.

A bit of excitement. I’m sitting here next to the pool, and Gloria just got stung by a scorpion. The pool cleared quickly. One man stayed in, caught the scorpion with a Croc, and promptly killed it on the tile at the edge of the pool. The owner took the scorpion and Gloria to the bar. He poured creme de menthe over the sting, rubbed the dead scorpion over the sting, gave Gloria a shot of the creme de menthe, poured a bit more over the sting, and Bob’s your uncle! Now you know.

Given that I have been mesmerized by all the patterns in the sand here, I found interesting this excerpt I read today from Painting in Flowing Out:

“When enjoying nature on a walk in the garden, note how patterns are everywhere: repeating patterns of veins in leaves and drops of water, spirals of fractality in pinecones or broccoli buds, and floral fractals such as Queen Anne’s lace. Some repetitions are as small as a pile of pebbles, or as large as the wave patterns, seen in the ocean. Some of these are forever expanding, as the planets or stars, their movements overlapping, or spiraling within each other. When we take time to recognize these repeating patterns, notice their prolific repetitions or the change from microcosmic to macrocosmic, we can only marvel. Mathematicians talk about the Fibonacci code as being a repeated formation in the Nautilus spiral, the sunflower, the snowflake, and other of nature’s creations based on this common fractal.”

I have found fractals interesting ever since watching a documentary on PBS about a group of biologists who cut down a tree in a virgin forest and discovered that this single tree represented the entire forest, or at least part of it. Each stem and branch represented another tree nearby.

I have also been reading about Carl Jung’s archetypes, which seem to be the fractal patterns from which our personal expressions evolve in the world. Wow! And now there is a band called Archetypes and Repetitions. A rabbit hole for sure. I can’t go there right now. It’s time for dinner.

Daze at the Beach

Kathy said it was 88 degrees yesterday. I would have said 75. It is breezy perfection.

Getting back on the horse:

This morning’s walk:

This is Joy

And then we felt a tropical drink coming on…Cheers, Betty!

Patterns in the Sand

I went for a nice long walk along the beach this morning. Here are a few of the images I experienced. I love the patterns in the sand.

We’ve had a couple of iguanas visit today. They look to be a male and a female. I asked, what shall we name them? Kathy and Nancy both said, “Gracie and George.” And so it is. Meet Gracie and George.

Gracie
George

Las Lajas…The Most Beautiful Beach in the World (at least mine)

Yay!! I finally got a decent Internet connection. Yesterday was hopeless. So I’m going to post some photos from our arrival yesterday. This is hands down the most beautiful beach I have ever experienced in my life. I feel like I’m dreaming. I’m so happy I decided to come. I was worried about the heat, but it is breezy and beautiful.

Arriving at Las Lajas
Gloria’s and my room.

Views of the beach.

I was so surprised to see Suzanne here. She said she comes regularly with a group. I’m going to go boogie boarding with her sometime. I think it is interesting that Boquete is a get-away for expats, and now Las Lajas is the get-away from Boquete. I can see why. I’m feeling like a regular. I came with a group of five, and I knew two other people here. Small community.

And this is my writing spot. Life is good.

My Writing Spot
Our First Sunset at Dinner

Lazy Sunday.

I was looking forward to today. Sundays are going to be my lazy days, which pretty much means no hiking and nothing mentally taxing (like databases); keeping up with this blog is taxing enough, but I also enjoy it enough to want to spend time on it.

Today was a good one.

So, first off, I slept for 11 hours last night. Love that. I woke at 6:45, but knew I wasn’t finished. I slept until 8:40. Delicious.

Then I moved on to coffee and calligraphy. My latest challenge is the stem stroke. It’s tough, but it is also quintessential Engrosser’s Script, the movement from hairline to shade and back to hairline. Ash told me to just keep doing the stem stroke over and over again until I have built muscle memory. This is today’s attempt. Not “there” yet. Lazy strokes for my lazy day.

Then I moved on to my conversation class with Hola Spanish! Again, I highly recommend it. Today we discussed our favorite movies and series in Spanish. I have acquired a great list. Then we watched movie trailers and were asked to answer questions, which we should have learned watching the trailer. Ha!! One of the great things about this class is that many others feel the same as I do. We get some of it, but not all…that’s why we’re here. We start out in one big group and then break into small chat groups to “try” to answer the questions.

This little guy is the neighbor dog. Reminds me of Cookie. I don’t know it’s name. It just wanders around here now and again.

El Perrito (Did you hear me trill my R’s?

I guess I’d better pack. We are leaving for the beach tomorrow. The beach is called Las Lajas. The “we” is Betty, Nancy, Kathy, Herta, Gloria and me. Gloria is a maybe. She’s not feeling well today, so she will be tentative. I was a little hesitant to go because I was worried about the heat, but I have been assured it’s not too bad. I have quite un-fond memories of being in Pedasi (one of the beach towns) a few years ago with Dan. I could not tolerate the heat. However, there was also no air conditioning. I am assuming we will have air conditioning at the hotel in Las Lajas. Worse comes to worst, I will have Nancy take me home. She is reading this right now and saying, “Right.”

Knitting Friday

I walked to La Fundación today. It’s a great 5-mile walk with the wind at my back. I enjoyed chatting with my knitting group and then got a lift home. I can’t remember if I posted a photo of what our knitting site looks like. I can’t find it right now, but we sit right outside La Fundación, which is a thrift store and a community meeting place for the disabled. Upon arrival, one must first go inside to see if any new treasures have been added because…you never know. I thought I might find a toner cartridge for my printer, but no such uck.

Today my friendly driver home was Nancy Peterson. She won the prize! Believe it or not, Nancy and her former husband used to live in a house they built in a subdivision off HIghway D in North Prairie. Nancy likely lived less than 10 miles from me in Delafield.

I left one of my walking poles in Nancy’s car, so she was nice enough to bring it to my house. So, then I got to see Bailey! I didn’t get his photo today, but I will, someday. He’s a cutie. He knows me as the “cheese lady.” Today he was looking into my eyes, saying, “It’s great to see you again, but where’s the cheese?”

Here are a couple of photos I did take today on my walk. I think this is the courthouse, although I have never heard anyone talk about having to go here.

Translation: Boquete Municipal Court Judicial Body

I especially like the rock. It feels so substantial. The plaque on the left says Rock of Volcanic Origin.

The following is a rough Google Translate rendition of what is on the plaque on the right:

By divine design
From the bowels of the earth expelled
This rock has here found its destiny

Centuries have passed
at its side

The instruction of justice
has been built

It is the rock of justice
Natural pedestal
Where country and family
United will grow

Review the message sent through millenia
On this rock
Justice will stand

It brings to mind a video I rewatched recently of a young black woman journalist by the name of Kimberly Jones. You may have seen it. The title is How Can We Win I watched it for a class I’m taking called Soul Matters. I dug the video up, if you’re interested. I like adding links now. Jones was in the thick of it in Georgia during the civil unrest after the murder of George Floyd. Jones is eloquent and impassioned about the racial inequality and injustice that have been going on in the U.S. for hundreds of years. She is angry, yes, but she also sounds tired and frustrated. In the end, she said that that the oppressors are lucky that what black people want is equality and not revenge. She also said, “We have created the warrior cop instead of the guardian of the community that we deserve. ” Slowly, slowly I feel things are changing. In her tirade Jones says that she was so grateful for the education she received as a young person. I am too. She can now speak truth to power.

I hear the same courageous, intelligent audacity coming through Barbara Lee, a congressperson from CA. She was interviewed on NPR the other day in regard to a documentary that has come out about her life. Lee learned much from Shirley Chisholm. I just looked it up; the documentary is called Barbara Lee: Speaking Truth to Power. It’s being aired on Starz, which I obviously have no access to right now, but it is definitely on my list.

The interview on NPR was compelling. I loved hearing Lee talk about her shaming of the “old boy” politicians who lacked the courage to vote honestly on issues and instead worried only about their re-elections. Like the “moral authority” I wrote about the other day, the demand for integrity is something that I believe these strong-willed, intelligent women are bringing back to our social fabric. Thank you.

Okay, back to my walk. Here is another image that I love. I don’t know the history of this building, but it is called Ave Maria, and there is a kindergarten attached to it.

Ave Maria

Saturday morning: I had a lovely hike with Barb this morning. We went to the area known as Jaramillo. We met some friends while hiking. I only knew Chris Duffy. Barb introduced me to her friend Mike. When Mike learned I was from Wisconsin he told me that his aunt lived in Madison and used to have a radio program: Judy Rose – Simply Folk. Small world.

Hooray for Pickleball!

I have been wanting to learn how to play pickleball since I heard about it a couple of years ago. I was hoping to find a place to play when I got home last spring, but Covid put an end to all of that. At Trivia recently, I met a man named Ashley. He told me about the local games. He plays three times a week. So, Trevor and I went today for a beginner lesson. I’m hooked.

First Pickleball Lesson

And this lovely face greeted me when I got home.

So, tonight’s dinner is a curried lentil/pork sausage stew, hummus with french bread and bananas Foster for dessert.

Today’s playtime:

Sweet Day

I started my day with my calligraphy teacher, Ashok Giri of Mumbai. I just love saying that. Ash was able to partially diagnose my problem with hairlines. Ash is so good that he was able to tell that my issue was due to my ink (thank God it’s not me!!). So, tomorrow I’ll dilute it a bit and try again. Always something.

Just as I was finishing my class, Barb showed up. We chatted for a couple of hours and solved all the world problems…again. Barb is going through a very exciting transition in her life, moving back to the U.S. Barb has been here with her partner, Murray, for about 10 years. Barb has two adult daughters in the U.S., so, like many people who try to establish a lifestyle here, the pull of family (especially grandchildren), is strong. And, that is a good thing. Barb is a loving mom.

I walked to Super Dorado to pick up some supplies (TP and garbage bags not included in $450/month) as well as some ingredients for a dinner I’m making tomorrow night for Gloria and Trevor. I went back and forth from a lentil stew I’ve been conjuring in the slow cooker to a marinara with Italian sausage. I was hoping to find Italian sausage at Gago (across the highway from Super Dorado), but they didn’t have any. I did, however, find curry powder, so the lentil stew won. I’m also going to make hummus with pita and then bananas foster for dessert. I’ve been craving that since I got here. The bananas are exceptional. Now I just need walnuts.

I spent the rest of the afternoon working on cards and listening to an interview on Wisconsin Public Radio’s On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti. She interviewed both a retired colonel and a former prisoner. Here’s the link if you’re interested. It’s one of those that I want to listen to again. It’s ugly but necessary. Also, in my opinion, hopeful: I hear the U.S. military saying they’re sorry and victims possessing the ability to forgive and continue to see the heart in everyone.

So, I guess it was a heart kind of a day.

A Sweet Day

As I was making these cards today, I felt again that I have, what I call, the Henry Ford gene. I really enjoy having a system and doing all the steps. Interesting how this trait comes out in my artwork. Still feels funny to say “my artwork.”

I want to say thank you again to my friend, CathyAnne, who copied all seasons of The Seaside Hotel, as well as many other PBS programs, onto a thumb drive for me. I am so grateful. I can’t access my Passport account from here, and the Netflix and Amazon Prime offerings are very limited (legal stuff). So, I’m so happy now having this to look forward to at night, as well as the book I’m now reading Sooley by John Grisham. Next on the list is Never by Ken Follett.

Seaside Hotel
Fie

Tuesday Morning Market

Here are a few images from the Tuesday Market. It is a weekly market of indigenous, Panamanians and ex-pats alike. Beautiful fresh produce, baked goods, cheese, goat-milk yogurt, coffee, chocolate, oils, jewelry, crafts and much more. It is also an opportunity to socialize.

Tuesday Market
Trevor and Gloria Meeting Krystl

A couple more video clips of the Tuesday Market. Sorry about the Slo-Mo. I had no idea it was even an option.

Budis, my favorite chocolatier and owner of CHOX

I have passed this guy hundreds of times along the main road. I had no idea what he represented. I finally got up close, and I STILL don’t know. There is no explanation.

Panamanian Farmer???

This car has been in this same spot since we first visited Boquete in 2008. I do not believe it has ever moved…horizontally anyhow.

Some things never change.

An uninvited visitor to my room last night. I had to squirt him down with my Waterpik, put him in my yogurt-cup bug collector, and let him outside…where he (we) will be happier.

Spider Puppy

Sunday, A Day of Rest

I just completed this piece for a friend here who was overlooked in my Christmas card delivery. I don’t think she’s reading the blog, but I’ll say again, “Sorry, Betty.”

Card for Betty

I love the above quote from The Little Prince. It has taught me a lot.

I find it very interesting that my biggest mess here is in the word, “invisible.” So, you probably can’t see it. 🙂

I sat with Gloria and her nephew, Trevor (visiting from CO) , this morning to give lesson #1 in calligraphy. Considering what a beginner I am, it is a bit of a joke that I could be considered a teacher, but for someone who knows absolutely nothing…I can do that.

Laundry Day

Taking this to bed with me tonight:

New Journey

Dan gave me this bar of soap shortly before I left home. It is an unusual thing for him to do and, I thought, very sweet. He has asked me a couple of times if I’ve used it yet and thought of him. I had to say no. Today I took it out of its hiding place in my bathroom cart and decided that I will use it next time I need to. Now I’m wondering if there’s hot pepper in it or something. Think positive… He’s been watching After Life with Ricky Gervais. I know he gets very sentimental sometimes.

Very Sweet