Newsletter

Coming December 2024

New House banner

Photos:

Penonomé Cathedral banner

1) Ana and Tony
2) Cousins painting
3) Ruben’s Rooster

Hibiscus Flower banner

1) Hero
2-4) Ariana in pink pollera
5-6) Ants in laundry room

Oops! No banner

1-3) Sloth/Perezoso in our yard
4) Demetria and Hero
5) Bananas in the courtyard
6) Porch barrier to protect Mom

Horses in Trailer banner

1) Mom after a bad fall
2) Hero the puppy
3) Hero in the sala with Tahina
4-5) Two more trees fell
6) Yard going wild

Home banner

1) Ariana dressed for Día Negro
2) Ari and Hero
3-8) Lorocita’s new home in the jasmin bush

Rainbow Over Our Home banner

1) Ariana & Granny 99th birthday flowers
2-3) Dr Seuss tree flowers
4-5) Guayacan flowers
6) Ari is taller than me

Grassfire banner

Photos
1) Grassfire (6 photos)
2) Rio Zarati (3 photos)
3) Broken house (2 photos)
4) Dr Seuss tree cotton (2 photos)
5) Courtyard cleanup (3 photos)

Dry Season River Rocks Banner

Photos:
1) Tahina in 1:00 AM Fat Tuesday parade (4 photos)
2) Me with my friend Angela and her daughter Charlotte (2 photos)
3) Our front door and real doorbell (2 photos)
4) The back porch, the best part of the house
5) Ariana in her pool (2 photos)

Rio Zarati Banner

Photos:
1) Mom
2) Dog path thru my flowers
3) River (3 photos)

River Rocks Banner closer view

Photos:
1) Dogs – Oreo and Dookie
2) Demetria’s family on the porch
3) Guandu (pigeon pea) bush

River Rocks Banner

Photos:
1) Ariana in her pollera for school patriotic holiday celebration
2) My tuned windchimes (2 photos)
3-5) Morning sun on river rocks 
6) Tahina’s plants on our mossy porch
7) Backyard shrubs outside my bedroom window

Rainbow Over Our Home Banner

Photos:
Chocolaté (His last 2 photos)
Mom
Muddy river (2 photos)

Mom’s Mess Banner

Photos:
Mom ready to move
Gilligan
Skipper
Layla
Ducks
Lorocita
Back yard organic material (3 photos)
Tahina’s orchids (2 photos)
Rio Zarati (5 photos)

Layla Memorial Photo Banner

Video Link:
School Talent Night – Ariana’s class

Photos:
Ari Parade
School festival (2 photos)
Tony 1978 in the Governor’s Office
Backyard tree (2 photos)

Low water river banner

Photos:
New washing machine
Road work (2 photos)
River (3 photos)
Mossy porch (2 photos)

Festival of San Juan Horseback Riders banner

Photos:
Blooming bougainvillea on Mom’s porch
San Juan riders (4 photos)
Erosion control yard work (4 photos)

Side Yard banner

Photos:
Mom after the fall (2 photos)
Tahina and Ariana birthday photos (3 photos)
Bridge construction (2 photos)
River views (5 photos)
Yard photo

Rio Zarati clear and low dry season banner

Video:
Singing Happy Birthday for Mom’s 98 birthday

Photos:
Erosion project – Before and after (6 photos)
Dr Seuss tree
Fallen limb (4 photos)

Ducks banner

Video:
Guayacán Trumpet flower trees flower shower

Photos:
Porch damage (2 photos)
Our dog Layla
Mom
Ariana on the first day of school
Demetria and Tahina’s birthdays (4 photos)

February 2023 Low Muddy River for Carnival

Photos:
1) Broad downstream view of the muddy restricted river flow
2) The narrow muddy channel from the dam construction
3) View of where the water has retreated from the rocks
4) The broken mango tree in the edge of the yard
5) The freshly broken mango trunk
6) Two bunches of bananas growing in the courtyard
7) The banana tree sprouting the new bunch has blown down

Second Phase of Bridge Construction banner

Photos:
1) Mom’s refurbished bedroom
2) Tahalis’s selfies (2 photos) age 9 & 18 with husband
3) Chinese New Year Festival (5 photos)
4) January Bridge construction (7 photos)

Initial Bridge Construction banner

Photos:
1) Sala Xmas Tree Day & Night (2 photos)
2) Tahina & Ariana play Jenga (2 photos)
3) Mom’s bedroom Before photo
4) Summer rearranges the river porch
5) The dry season reveals a new channel in the river rocks (3 photos)
6) Bridge construction (5 photos)

Dry Season River banner

Photos:
1) Ariana, Tahina, and Granny (3 photos)
2) Vintage family photos from the 1930-40’s (6 photos)
3) Blue Morpho moth (5 photos)

Rainbow banner

Photos:
Old home work (4 photos)
1) The original dirt and gravel floor that became my bathroom/laundry room.
2)  The front gate installation. 
3) The only closet in the house when I bought it.
4)  The expanded closet space
Tahina
The green massacre photos (11 photos)

New Downstream Muddy Rio banner

Photos:
1) Lilly and Don visit
2) Mom’s 100+ year old flour sifter (3 photos)
3) Ant damaged door frame (2 photos)
4) Mom and Tony on the river porch
5) 8 years in Panama for Mom; photo from 2014 and now
6) Side yard fruit trees

Muddy River banner

Photos:
1) Mileage on Mom’s walker (2 photos)
2) More bananas (2 photos)
3) Repaired and painted washing machine
4) My pretty Layla

Rainbow banner

Photos:
1) Demetria’s mother with a hat she weaved
2) Preparing her materials
3) Hat weaving materials and the start of a new hat
4) Tahina and Ariana
5) The Bioexcellerator staff who took care of me in MedellÍn

Home front view

Photos:
1) Mom with a bruised forehead
2) Caballeria Ari
3) Mom, Ariana, and Tahina
4) My ripped sheets
5) Fruit trees stripped by leaf cutter ants
6) Carport view with my car

Highway Mountain View banner

Photos:
1)     Ariana is 7
2)     Granny and Ariana
3)     Ariana and her cousins; Leah, Chippy, Mia, Ari, and James
4)     Ari for Etnia Negro celebration
5)     Ari’s class
6)     Girls of Ari’s class
7)     Sean, from Int’l Living, and Tony courtyard photo
8)      The driveway looks great now that the rainy season has returned.
9)     Tree falls in the front yard
10)   Power out due to tree on the power lines
11)   COBRA, the electric contractor crew cut the tree down and cut it up for us.
12)   Road paving crew at work. 

Dry Season River banner

Photos:
1) Lower back muscle diagram
2) Marking Ariana’s growth for her birthday

River Photos
3) This is a comparison photo.  The banner photo at the top is last month during the dry season.  The river is twice as wide and covering the rocks. 
4) A wide view of the river shows the rocks cleaning the water. 
5) The broad slow river looks different from the clear rocky river of a week ago.

Yard & Courtyard Photos
6) The fallen tree has been cleaned up.  Notice the shrubs drooping towards the east from the dry season and the constant breeze. 
7) The return of the rainy season means it is time to clean up dead limbs and dry leaves.
8) The leaves on the courtyard sidewalk roof all had to be hauled out on a big tarp.  The shrubs look sparse after them and banana trees were pruned too. 
9) The flowering ginger cut down completely.  The broken red leaved shrubs is resprouting. 
10) The yellow bird of paradise are all looking good.  The banana trees must be cut after bearing fruit. 

11) Mom looks at our last small bunch of bananas from her favorite spot outside her door. 

12) Granny’s Birthday (5 Photos)

The Rocky Dry Season Rio Zarati banner

Photos:
1) Demetria and Tahina going to work and Ariana going to school
2) Gilligan with an eye infection
3) Spiders making polka dot walls
4) Tree falls across our fence
5) Update on the tree that fell in the river
6) Burned yard

A few photos from my January 2022 trip to Medellín, Colombia

Rio Zarati banner

PHOTOS:
1) Mom’s walker repair
2) Mom and Gilligan sitting on the courtyard sidewalk outside her door

Driveway Project
1-2) Ruben cleaning out for the blocks.
3) The finished work with sand and gravel filled in between the blocks

Bananas and more
1) A big bunch of bananas on the right.  A new bunch growing on the left near Layla.  Between the tree you see two ripe bananas left for the birds from the bunch we ate.  Look on the shelf under the window for a few more.
2) Ruben cut a limb to support the tree with the large bunch.  It has sprouted. 
3) The dwarf tree by the carport has a large bunch.  The big blue tank is our water tank.
4) Looking from mom’s porch you can see we still have lots of lemons on the sagging branches of our tree.  We have been picking lemons for three months.
5) The view from the driveway shows the bougainvillea blooming below mom’s porch.  Behind the blocks is the other side of our lemon tree.  The two orange trees still have fruit too.  The banana trees off to the right are looking sad.  Wind and lack of rain have hurt them, yet they have two bunches of bananas growing.  The wispy tree in front of the bananas is our tamarind tree. 

PHOTOS:
Rio Zarati in January 2022 banner

1) Listening to music during a hyperbaric oxygen treatment
2) Sleeping during my treatment

RIVER PHOTOS: 
1)  The main channel once again comes to the near side as it wraps around the rock bed
2)  This wide view shows the crystal clear shallow water upstream of the rock bed diverting to the near side channel
3)  A close look at the rock bed shows the space is covered in rock and leaves with very little water infiltrating the rocks

PHOTOS:
River banner

Ariana Kindergarten Graduation photos
1) Ariana receiving her diploma from her teacher
2) Her diploma3) Class photo with my tall girl standing in the middle
4) Proud papa with his daddy’s girl
5) Ari with the clown at the after-graduation party

Porch photos
6) Mi chicas; Layla, Mom, Ariana, and Tahina
7) Mom, Ariana, Tahina, and me 
Ariana was not happy.  Tahina was the only one smiling in every photo.

PHOTOS:
Highway mountain view banner

1) This photo shows all three bunches of bananas growing in the courtyard.  The first bunch is just starting.  The second bunch to the right is still adding rows of bananas.  The one in the back should be ready to eat in December. 
2) On the left, just above the support brace, is a volunteer orchid.  Notice on the bunch, how the bananas get smaller going down the bunch.  It is continuing to add new rows of bananas.
3) The tree on the right will soon need to be braced too. 
4) We will be eating this front bunch soon
5) Our plantains.
6) The dark green tangerine tree has a few fruits on it.  The starfruit tree in front of it is growing well.  The second starfruit tree on the opposite side is also growing well.
7) I was not quick enough to take a picture when Chocolata was standing on the tree trunk over the river barking.  If you look closely, you can see Ruben’s rooster has wandered down there.

House street view banner
Camera problems, no photos

River view banner
Photos:
1)  The big tree that fell in the river has not changed much.  It has lost the small crown branches that were in the water.  The tree trunk by the bank is still there even after several big rains. 
2)  mom’s hair braided
3)  We have a new bunch of bananas starting in the courtyard.  The process begins with a reddish-purplish pod drooping down.
4)  The outer leaf drops.  Under each of the interior leaves, a row of bananas develops.  This could be a big bunch.  It has ten interior leaves.   

Photos
1) St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Penonomé (Banner)
2) Monument recognizing the 15 districts in the Coclé province
3) This marks geographic center of Panama
4) The geographic coordinates.
5) Afternoon in the Mercado  (2 photos)
6) Our friend Rubi, her daughter Natalie, Mom, and Layla sitting on the porch.
7) Rubi, Mom, and Tony

New Rainbow Banner (July 30 rainbow)
Photos:
1) Floodplain tree fall (3 photos)
2) 1998 World Championship Team photo
3) Layla on the bed (2 photos)
4) Wonder Woman Ariana (2 photos)
5) Porch chairs (3 photos)

Rainbow banner

Photos:
1) Snaggletooth Ariana (2 photos)
2) Dogs (4 photos)
3) River (2 photos)
4) Car repair (3 photos)
5) Rooster

Photos:
1) River (3 photos)
2) Ariana (1 school & 2 birthday photos)
3) Tree pruning (2 photos)
4) More erosion control (2 photos)

Photos:
1) Mom’s Birthday (3 photos)
2) Building Mom’s Swing (7 photos)
3) My Indoor/outdoor Baño (3 photos)

Photos: Dry season river rocks
1) A nice warm afternoon with a cool breeze is the perfect time for a nap on the porch.
2) The morning after Tahina’s birthday she wanted a photo with Granny
3) Tahina in her pajamas helping  Ariana in her school uniform with a lesson.
4) New driveway (5 photos)
5) Bananas, banana tree (3 photos)

Photos: River banner
Mom’s antique flour sifter
Courtyard (3 photo tour)

Recipe: One Pot Wonder

Photos: River banner

1) Courtyard: Our dwarf banana tree is in the courtyard center, pineapple plants, hibiscus shrub, and the white Jasmin flowering shrub.
2) Jasmin Flowering Shrub: This bush blooms constantly.  See the blossoms on the ground. 
3) Back Side Porch: Summer is starting Ariana has a new pool.  The only access into the house is thru the carport door and the porch door outside my bedroom. 
4) The Back Porch:  At 50’ long and 12’ wide this porch is everyone’s favorite part of the house.  Incredible river views and wonderful breezes are two of our favorite features.
5) The Back Porch:  See some of the ways we enjoy the porch.  Ruben’s weights, Demetria and Tahina have taken over mother’s plants, (notice the tricycle converted into a plant older,) Ruben’s 55 gallon drum grill, mom’s swing, and the hammock.  Ruben even has his stereo rack on wheels for rolling it out to the porch.

Photos: Backyard banner
Spirits in the Dr. Seuss tree.  Human, elf, and animals all peer out of this tree.
Ariana in her new pollera
Lorocita, little parrot.  Tahina named her Lorocita because she responded to it.
Lorocita in her cage
Parakeets in their cage.  There were five, but they got the gate opened and three escaped.
River rocks (4 photos)
Navidad/Christmas (5 photos)

Photos: Backyard banner
Tony clean shaven for Movember challenge
Mom in pigtails
Bedroom tour (5 photos)

Photos: Courtyard banner
Papaya tree
Before/deck construction yard views (7 photos)
Mom 2014

Photos: Mom
Green Orchid Bee
Before and Now photos of mom’s apartment (9 photos)
Memories: When mom moved down

Videos: Ariana’s school project
Edison and Ruben pounding rice
Photos: Big brown butterfly
Our interior courtyard (2 photos)
Ariana’s home school set up

Photos:  Tony’s 2020 birthday photos with mi chicas, Ariana (5) and Tahina (19).  Gilligan photobombing in the back
Ariana with her pet chick
Home photos – front view (5 photos), north side (1photo)

Photos:  The erosion control walls just added in the yard (8 photos)

Videos: Ariana playing ball with her Granny
The cliff face by the river

Photos:
Mom with 95^th birthday cake, Demetria, Tahina, and Ariana  (2 photos)
Mom playing ball with Ariana (3 photos)
Ariana’s dolls and stuffed animals hanging out to dry after Demetria washed them
More of Ariana’s dolls and stuffed animals
Gilligan and Skipper as little puppies and big dogs

Photos: Tahina with 19^th birthday cake (2 photos)
Rio Zarati in the dry season (3 photos)
Guaba fruit (2 photos)

Video:  Me sitting up in bed
Photo:  View from behind of me looking at the river

Photos: Bougainvillea flowers, oranges and lemons on our trees
Our first homegrown pineapple  (2 photos)
Our friend Carlo and mom in the swing
Rio Zarati (2 photos)

Icebox Fruitcake recipe
Photos: Ruben’s family Christmas tree and Nativity scene
Antonio’s Famous hot dog, my favorite

Photos: Tony with Pain (stuffed Disney character)
Ariana with Pain
Video: Independence Day Parade
2013 video tour of Penonomé link

Photo: Gilligan and Skipper the new puppies

Photos: Old photos of me walking and exercising in Beyond Therapy (3 photos)

Photos: Tony’s burned belly
Ariana and Granny
Tony ages 1 to 5; 9th Grade; 1996 Paralympic hopeful
Panama 2012:  Just returned from getting my residency visa

Photos: Tony’s birthday cake
Yard grading (3 photos)

Photos: Festival of San Juan caballeros riding by our home
Grass planting outside river porch (3 photos)
Caballera Ariana

Photos: Nurse Ariana taking care of Granny
The yard in the dry season (5 photos)
The yard after the start of the rainy season (5 photos)

Photos: Iguana in a tree
1) Ariana’s class visits the estación de bomberos, fire station
2)  And the estación de policia, police station.  
3) Ariana like the bombero, fireman
4) With the jefe de bomberos, fire chief
5) With the jefe de policia, police chief

Photos: Full moon over our home
Mom’s new flower (2 photos)
Ariana going to school in her new uniform

Graphic of sun striking Earth
Video: Ariana and Granny making pudding
Links: Blaze movie review and Sybil Rosen interview for Hollywood North magazine

Photos: Rainbow over our home
Ariana’s first visit to the preschool
Mom modeling her Christmas present clothes

Photos: Tahina with her High School diploma (3 photos)
Tony with parents 1970’s
Mom and Layla showing off our bananas (2 photos)
Iguana in a tree (2 photos)

Videos: Mom picking a papaya from her porch
Mom cutting a bunch of bananas
Photos: Traditional Panamanian outfits (7 photos)
Tahina, Mom and Ariana in Panamanian Pollera dresses
Ruben and Tony in Guayabera shirts

Photos: Mom and Layla in the yard
Ariana in her pool
Shrubs blooming

Photo: Guava tree and chickens

Video: Mom at 93 with wheelbarrow and garden tools
Photos: Ariana, Granny, and Yami in the swing
Witch spider

Photos: Front of the house (3 photos)
Demetria, Ariana, and Tahina

Photos: Granny and Ariana on the porch
Papayas by the porch
Beautiful flower

Photos: Mom in her kitchen
Expanding mom’s porch (3 photos)
Mom on her new porch
Ariana’s Minnie Mouse 3rd birthday party

Photos: Penonomé Catholic church
Mom on her porch (2 photos)
Mom and Vita with Espíritu de Cristo orchids
Tony age 1 to 5 and 2nd grade (6 photos)

Photos: River views (4 photos)
Dwarf banana tree
Graphic: Angle of the Sun striking the Earth

Front view of our home
Pineapple plants
Banana trees (3 photos)

Photos: Ariana watering flowers (2 photos)
Mom and Ariana sitting together
My trashed lift drive wheel (2 photos)
Blooming Mother-in-law plant

Photos: Our Christmas decorations (3 photos)
Tahina’s new bed

Photos: Tony working on the computer
Ferns growing in the sliding glass door track

Photo: Mom gardening

Photos: White Sands Desert, New Mexico (5 photos)
Museum of Contemporary Native American Art (4 photos)

Photos: Layla
The newly renovated kitchen (4 photos)
Our first bunch of homegrown bananas

Photos: Shrimp flower
Retaining wall / flower bed (3 photos)
Ariana and Granny watching cartoons

Photos: Our banana trees
Our tiny tamarind tree
Mom in wheelchair with Layla
Mom using her walker with Ariana

Photos: Kitchen construction (2 photos)

Photo: Mom and Ariana
Video: Guayacán tree shower of flowers

Photos: Ariana in her pool
Tahina (16) in her school outfit
Our first bananas are growing

Photos: Steve Wells and Tony on the porch
Grading, filling in and transforming the yard

Photos: Before and after yard grading
Penonomé Cathedral
Tahina, Ariana, and Tony in the park

Photo: Tony on the porch

Death of my computer and wheelchair repairs
Why I moved to Panama
Facts about Panama

One year in Panama!
Adapting to the climate, learning the language, getting a car, Carnival and plans for calling this home
Random Observations on Pananmanian money, film industry, food, and a gimp group

New Year’s fireworks, monkey adventure, buying a car and looking at land
Adding a new section: Random Observations

Recovering from my ankle injury
Observations on holidays, stars, birds, Spanish, and more

Tales from my trip to Georgia
Pondering Living my Dreams, procrastination, and Panama becoming my home
Noticing a lot of my newsletter observations include stories about ants.

Plans for my visit back to Georgia
Ankle injury, cash based economy, and other observations

Death of my dear friend Ralph Jarrell causes reflections on life and plans for my first visit back to Georgia

Life evolves, random observations continue, and I begin writing Merlin

Rambling unedited thoughts and observations

First observations of Panama and I started my residency paperwork

My first days in Panama

A short 1 ½ pages sent right before I left for Panama