monkeys jumping on the bed

One last trip...

2009-09-25T08:45:00.001-07:00

We're down to less than a week left here in Panama and we've decided to go out with yet another beach excursion. This weekend we're off to Kuna Yala the autonomous region of the indigenous Kuna people. We'll be spending Sunday and Monday on Franklin's Island here in Panama. Apparently it's nothing more than a bamboo hut on a white sand spit, a few palm trees and a lot of turquoise water. Our three meals a day will be delivered by Elixto Franklin, the Kuna owner of the island, and his family. We expect fish, a bit of fish and perhaps some fish. Panama beaches have been our absolute favourite part of our time here. Stay tuned for more photos and Max and Zella's reaction to being stranded on a true desert island.

Hellooo? Anyone still out there??

2009-09-07T07:51:00.000-07:00

Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. It's been more than two months since I've updated this and so much has happened. Perhaps that's part of the reason I haven't blogged....who wants to hear the minutiae of our upside down lives?

Here's the update in a nutshell.

We went home to Canada for an AMAZING summer vacation. Rob's job in Canada couldn't extend his leave of absence for him to continue working with the UN so we made the difficult decision to return to Ottawa. In retrospect this is wonderful. We miss home. We want to go back to Ottawa. Badly. We get our dog back. Our house back. Our family and friends back. Siiiigh. :)

We're in Panama until October and then will move back to Ottawa to enjoy the Fall colours. In our last few weeks here we've been beach trekking every weekend and are taking in all the turquoise water, tidal pools and sea shells we can. Man, will we miss the beach. The above photos are a mix of what made our Canadian summer vacation so poignant and our last few weeks here in Panama so special.

Sick of sick

2009-06-19T07:25:00.001-07:00

Let me preface this post by saying that we, as a family, have been sick since since January. At no point in the last 5 and 1/2 months have we all been healthy. Rashes, sniffles, sore throats, fevers, putrid bug bites, vomiting, phlegm- you name it, we've had it. And I'm SICK OF BEING SICK! Our family doctor down here has described Panama as "the perfect petrie dish", meaning viruses love this environment. It's damp, it's hot, it's humid. Voila! You're sick. Add to the mix that there must be viruses down here that are new to us, as in our systems don't have any way to fight them and it feels like we're under attack. On this note alone, I'm ready to come back to Canada, where at least the viruses are ones we've had before and maybe have a measure of being able to defeat. Zella has had it the worst, I believe. She doesn't even know that she's sick. As only a kid could do she has figured out how to use her snot-filled nose to to hammer out a disgusting version of Name That Tune. No kidding. She says things like, "Mom, guess this song..." then proceeds to breath through her nose in time to various pieces of music. ENOUGH! It feels like Panama is beating us right now. Now, if you'll excuse me I have to blow my nose for the 30th time this morning.

Our amazing Zella

2009-06-17T07:21:00.001-07:00

When I dropped Zella off at her school this morning I went in to ask her teacher couple of questions. This isn't quite so easy as it is at home in Canada. I have to study for this sort of everyday interaction. But I had prepped my Spanish and felt reasonably ready to accompany her into her classroom.

What I wasn't ready for was what a rock star my kid is. As we walked down the long hallway towards the Kindergarten B classroom ("it's the one with the brown bear on the door, Mum...") Zella was accosted by girls of all ages. Hugs were given, her name was called, friends came out to walk her down to her room.

When we actually got there, with many friends in tow, I found out a few things. A) Zella is speaking and understanding Spanish fluently in the class. B) Her teachers love her. C) She's giving impromptu English Lessons to the high school girls in the hallways and cafeteria. And D) She hates to colour in the lines.

This is all amazing news. Even the colouring...because as Zel so eloquently puts it, "What's the deal with the LINES anyway?"

A Day in the Darien

2009-06-08T07:41:00.001-07:00

I hate to force you over to another site, but for an update on how our trip to the Darien province went please visit- http://www.bridgingthegappanama.blogspot.com/

This is our new website and will provide lots of updates in the months to come. We had an incredible trip dropping off supplies and learning more about the people we're committed to helping. Take a look at the new site and check back often.

Bridging the Gap

2009-06-03T06:38:00.001-07:00

For the last six months my American friend Jenny and I have been working on a fundraising project. Over many rounds of coffee and playdates we began to organize a small grassroots group called Bridging the Gap. The goal of Bridging the Gap is to raise funds and seek out donations in kind for the children and communitites of the Darien Gap.

If the Darien Gap is new to you Wikipedia has a quick overview- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darien_gap

Needless to say this is, perhaps, Panama's poorest region. Schools are without textbooks, medical clinics are without the most basic of supplies (think antibiotic creams and Tylenol) and the people of the Darien (a mix of Indigenous, Afro-Carribean and Columbian refugees) have struggled for years to develop self sustaining work that would support their families. Add into the mix a reluctance on the part of the Panamanian government to acknowledge there's a problem and the constant threat of Columbian drug terrorists and the it quickly becomes obvious that anything one can do to help would be much appreciated.

So Jenny and I organized a series of events with our network of women here in Panama. The response has been incredible. We have raised enough money to purchase textbooks for an entire school (one of the few in the region, children travel upwards of 2 hours to get there) and when we asked for donations in-kind of school art supplies we were absolutely overwhelmed by the load of paper, paint, glitter, play-doh and other fun stuff that arrived.

Our partners in all of this have been the United Nations High Commission on Refugees, they have been helping us to find where the best use of these resources will be. And tomorrow Jenny and I will accompany a UN Team to the Darien communities that we've been working to support.

I can't wait to meet the kids. I can't wait to give them the textbooks and supplies. We have been told that they have been working without textbooks, without pencils and without notebooks. We've also been told that the school has never had a major shipment of any of the above and would never have expected to receive the fun stuff, like crayons and glitter.

I'll report back after our trip. With photos. And I hope a renewed committment to Bridging the Gap.

Our very big boy

2009-05-22T11:59:00.000-07:00

Max turned three yesterday! And we caved and bought him a Disney Bed shaped like a fossil fuel guzzling sports car, (Lightening McQueen for those of you not initiated into the world of Cars). Oh to be idealistic young parents that we once were..."No DISNEY. No GENDER BASED presents."

In our defence Max also received a baby doll named Matthew. As he was tearing off the gift wrap and caught sight of Matthew he yelled in a confused state, "ZELLA! THIS ONE IS FOR YOU!!"

Free Kittens. Will Ship Internationally.

2009-05-22T11:44:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we went to a Girl Guides event where a friend brought two adorable kittens that she had found abandoned at a local bakery. They were beyond ridiculously cute but we already have pets and so had to say a firm and very clear "no thanks". Rob and I were smugly proud of ourselves for not being impetuous, a trait we share that gets us into trouble.

So off we went on our day, kittenless and happy for it. But the universe had different plans for us because that same day at five o'clock, 20 km away from where we last left the kittens, the security guard at our building approached us with a sob story. Would we like two kittens? Oh please? He couldn't take them on the bus home with him and some man had anonymously dropped them off at our building. Pleeeease would we take them? The crocodiles from the nearby swamp will eat them if they are left for the night!

And so. The rest of this post is unnecessary, isn't it? We now have two kittens. Kittens that we meant to find homes for but haven't yet. Kittens that our kids have been playing with CONSTANTLY since they arrived. And here's the worst of it....we've NAMED them. We're done for.

So please welcome...Tigger and Goggles!

The world's best fruit

2009-03-25T21:07:00.001-07:00

Today while walking Max home from school we heard a big 'thump'. One of the many mangoes that grows just outside our window had fallen to the ground. We trotted over, picked it up and put it in Max's knapsack for later. It made a great addition to our peanut butter sandwich lunch and, without overstating it, was the best mango I think I've ever eaten.

Big Girl School

2009-03-25T10:52:00.001-07:00

Rob and I are constantly amazed by our kids, but really never moreso than this past week. Zella started at her "big girl school" this week. The first day was terrifying. For me. Her? She handled it like an ex-pat pro.

You have to picture that Zella is attending an all girls, Spanish language school. Full on immersion both linguistic and cultural. There are students ranging in age from 4-18yrs and the hallways are full of "really big girls" as Zella so aptly put it.

Her comments? On the first day, "My Spanish totally left my brain. I had to go pee all morning because I couldn't even remember how to ask where the bathroom was...". And then on the second day, "The music room is really far away and we have to walk outside to get there and the teacher let us do it all by ourselves." And by day three when asked how school was? "It was awesome, okay Mom? I love it."

Our children the inventors

2009-03-15T13:34:00.000-07:00

It's a slow, hot Sunday afternoon here. Our kids have been mucking around inventing things. Two spray bottles become an "outdoor water face massage", some brillo pads and tape become "slippy feet floor cleaners" and a length of white wool and a pair of scissors become a "worm and bracelet factory".

Bye Mom! Bye Dad!

2009-03-14T15:40:00.000-07:00

Mom and Dad headed back to Canada today and we've been melancholy ever since. It was so amazing having them here, they were not only fun to have around but a great help with the kids. Max has been chanting a new mantra today, "I miss Gramma and Grampa PEI". We do too.

As I write they're still on the plane heading home. Hopefully Spring will come soon enough and they'll be rid of the snow. We'll see them in the summer, but it does seem like an awfully long time til then. Thanks Mom and Dad. We love you so much. XOXO

We didn't get voted off the island

2009-03-10T18:12:00.000-07:00

So this weekend we went to Contadora Island which is part of the Pearl Islands here in Panama. The Pearl Islands, as you might recall, were used as a location for the television show Survivor. And much like the show protrayed they are remote and extremely beautiful. Think white sand beaches, turquoise water, palm trees and host Jeff Probst. Jeff wasn't there actually.

While we were there the President of Panama, Martin Torrijos, arrived and helicopters carrying the rich and famous kept popping in and out. On an island that's only 1.6 miles across everything is everyone's business. Rob actually shook the President's hand, but only b/c he didn't recognize who he was and the President was wearing a McGill University baseball hat. Go figure. Rob saw the hat, gave the President a big hello, they shook hands, made small talk and then we saw the guy standing behind him with the AK-47. Uh huh. So you're the President. Got it. Never did figure out where the McGill hat came into play.

The shots above are of various beaches, beach creatures and one very sleepy 5 year old in a hammock. Stay tuned for more shots of off road golf carting with Mom and Dad!

Gamboa Rainforest Discovery Center

2009-03-05T14:55:00.000-08:00

In checking out the sites with my parents we headed off this morning to Gamboa Rainforest Discovery Center. The Center is located in the small town of Gamboa just north of Panama City and is absolutely filled with wildlife. Which is, of course, not surprising when you see what it takes to get to it. After a 20 minute drive down a jungle shrouded road you arrive to a visitors kiosk made entirely of recycled materials. Without over stating it, as you stand chatting with the very knowledgeable guides you must constantly duck or risk being hit in the head by dive bombing hummingbird.

After a short hike there's an observation tower that rises above the jungle canopy. It's a killer stairmaster and not for the faint of heart but really worth it. The shots above are from our trip today.

Shot 1: Hummingbirds feeding (expand picture to see the bumble bee too)

Shot 2: Leaf Cutter Ants

Shot 3: Mama Sloth and Baby (Dad spotted these two quietly munching in tree just above our heads)

They're heeeere....

2009-03-04T05:28:00.000-08:00

My parents are here! The kids are ecstatic. The last couple of months have been full of family here in Panama and we're loving it.

a shout out

2009-02-25T19:24:00.000-08:00

I like playing around with photos and have been thinking of buying Photoshop for quite a while now. However, I'm a bit of a technophobe (note to self....MUST get over that) and have been worried that Photoshop will outwit me. (Note to self...it probably will).

In the meantime, while I wrestle with my inner digital demons, I have found http://www.picnik.com/ and it's awesome. If you like fiddling with things you might like this too. Super easy. Free. Relatively easy on the ego.

(Hmmm. Perhaps Max is little too orange? Gotta get him off the self tanner....)

Something cool

2009-02-25T11:24:00.000-08:00

Limes are plentiful in Panama. They're everywhere you look. Consequently you can buy about 20 limes for a buck. We use limes for everything; salad dressing, key lime pie, Zella's exotic and pretend "cold lime soup" and now this new drink we've been gargling down for the last couple of months. Actually, it's not all that new, but it's reallllly tasty.

About six ounces of Quinac (or Tonic Water at home)
Three mini-limes (about the size of a large walnut) yielding almost 1/2 a cup of juice

Crush the limes into the Quinac, add copious amounts of ice and enjoy. It brings down your core temperature by several degrees. Which is always a good thing in Panama.

(For those of you seasoned Gin and Tonic drinkers....yes, this is a virgin G&T:).

"It was the BEST night of my whole entire life"

2009-02-19T05:56:00.000-08:00

Zella had her very first ballet recital last night and she was amazing. After seven months of hard work and practise with her Panamanian dance teacher, Maestra AnaMelissa, she's hooked!

In the car on the way home she announced, "I want to dance forever. I'm going to travel the world dancing on stages with lights. And then I will be a dance teacher."

A star is born.:)

Toys in a tropical country...

2009-02-12T16:56:00.001-08:00

If you've had the good luck of spending any time in Zella's company then you know that her number one, go-to toy is dolls. We have dolls coming out the ying yang at our house. Not just any dolls, they must be baby dolls. The dolls in the pictures above are a set of triplets given to Zella by her godparents Marc and Trish, (thanks M and T...just what we need...are the octuplets in the mail???).

If you will notice though, the triplets are in not just any run of the mill bassinet. Take a closer look. That's a seed pod from a royal palm tree. Royal palms are the ones that grow to about 60 ft and dot desert island screensavers. The seed pods are everywhere these days, the palms are flowering and the pods come crashing to the ground when the huge greenish white flowers come out. Some of the pods are large enough for Max to lie down in!

The kids have been devising ways for these pods to be useful. So far they've come in handy as boats, dolly strollers, toboggans, weapons and very large hats. While they are large and cumbersome they're usually free of insects and generally don't make too much a mess in the house. So seed pods are all the rage. You're all getting them for Christmas next year.

Family

2009-02-12T16:49:00.000-08:00

Some more shots of family. Thanks so much for coming down you guys. You've made Panama feel a little bit more like home to us.:)

Where we've been...

2009-02-11T09:14:00.000-08:00

We've been on vacation with family! Lots of sun, sand and family time. Aunt Chris and Uncle Sandy came from Halifax, Grandma and Grampa came from Bracebridge and we all convened at a local all-inclusive. Much eating, swimming and talking ensued. I think a family tradition was born!

I'm awful

2009-02-06T05:39:00.001-08:00

I'm awful sorry. And apparently I'm an awful blogger too. No posts in January. SHAME. I promise more to come. We've had lots of guests and been busy showing off the sights. No excuse though. I promise I'm coming back. With lots of photos. Stay tuned.

Max's brain

2008-12-30T16:30:00.000-08:00

Max's brain is fantastic. Recently he's devised a new procedure for bedtime that includes a lullaby he developed and a set of rituals for the passing of the bottle of milk that would make a NASA flight procedure manual read like a Dick and Jane grade school primer.

The lullaby is to be sung to some German nursery tune that Rob and I can never actually name but goes kinda like this....dum dum da dum da dum da dum da dum. Something is lost via the internet. Like the tune. But I'll venture forth anyway. The words to said lullaby go like this, (and CANNOT under any circumstances be deviated from)...

Sleep Maxi Sleep

Your bottle of milk won't make you vomit

Your Daddy loves you very much

Your Mommy loves you very much

Zella loves you very much

Your bottle won't make you vomit

After the singing of the lullaby then the passing of the actual bottle (that won't make him vomit) must be performed. The conversation usually goes like this and no I'm not making this up.

Max: Dada you give it to Mum. Mum will hand it to me.

Dad: Give it to Mum like this?

Max: Yes. Go.

Mum: (upon receiving the bottle) Here you go Maxi.

Max: NO NO NO. You STUPID people. (Okay I made that one up, but his tone is saying it nonetheless) Mum, you give it back to Dad. Dad you put it on the BLUE table. Give it to me when Mum gets me in the bed.

Dad: What blue table??

Mum: Do you mean the orange table Maxi?

Max: No the blue table what has the hammer under it.

Zella: (sticking her head in the door, waiting for her own bedtime ritual to begin) Could we please make this process go a little faster???

Yes, this is the conversation we have with our 2 and half year old son and our 5 year old daughter. This has nothing to do with living in Panama, of course. But won't this ritual be all the more rich and nuanced when our children are barking directions at us in Spanish?

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T16:41:00.001-08:00

Christmas in Panama wasn't as terrible as we thought it might be. Without snow, without family we began to question our decision to stay here over the holidays. But with lots of family arriving in January and February we felt like it was the right choice...back in October. But as the day approached the reasons for staying seemed foggier and foggier. Christmas, for us, has always been tied to snow and family and a long cozy day spent inside visiting with loved ones and roasting meat and vegetables.

So no family. No snow. And a kitchen as hot as h-e-double hockey sticks when you try to roast so much as a chicken wing. We began to worry a couple of weeks ago when the spirit of the holidays hadn't really hit us yet.

But, today was great. Our Christmas tree, imported from NOVA SCOTIA, was fragrant and sparkly. Our kids were sweet and lovely and adored the presents from Santa. And our traditional Christmas afternoon hike, which usually finds us kitted out in snowsuits, was this year spent wandering through the rainforest. We even saw an orphaned baby sloth, being lovingly cared for by Park Staff. And as an aside, there is nothing cuter on the entire planet than an 8 week old sloth.

So we made it through our first holiday down here. We survived and actually made quite a good day of it. Merry Christmas, happy holidays and wonderful New Year to you wherever you might be.

Summer Camp Christmas

2008-12-12T10:43:00.001-08:00

We've been wondering what to do with Christmas and getting the house ready. I'm not really one for plastic Santas, light up reindeer and such. In Canada there's a lot to work with. Generally you just wander into your backyard, snip off a few pine branches and frozen berries and you're good to go. Not so much in Panama.

Which is why when I happened upon these pine branches lying by the side of the road this morning I screeched to a halt jumped out and piled the back of our Subaru full. Pine needles in Panama are like palm trees in Canada. Rare. Mind you, they're a little different than I'm used to. Each needle is about 12 inches long. But the smell? It's takes me back to summer camp. As a teenager when I was a summer camp counsellor for many endless summers there was a pine forest that we had to walk through to get to the Great Hall for meals, the smell of that forest has always been one of my very favourite summer memories. The floor was thick with fallen pine needles and in the heat and humidity of a Canadian summer they gave off the most wonderful scent of hot, dry pine. (The stuff that Fire Fighters nightmares are made of, I'm sure).

Our big collection of found Panama Pine, despite it's appearance of a steady diet of uber growth hormone, has just the exact same scent. It's a real Christmas blessing.

Lunch on the patio

2008-12-12T09:49:00.000-08:00

After a swim, peanut butter roll ups with apples on the patio produces two sleepy, happy children. The very best part of Panama is the sunshine.

She who rocks

2008-12-10T18:42:00.001-08:00

My sister rocks. She's also awesome at Anthony-Robbins-like-telephone-pep-talks. I love her. That is all.

An advance apology

2008-12-10T13:40:00.001-08:00

We went to the Caribbean side of Panama for the first time this past weekend. As the pictures show...it was stunning. White sand. Turquoise water. Tropical fish for the kids to muck about with. Coconuts to kick. Etc. Etc.

And I would like to add to this post that I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm putting these up at this time. I know full well that there's 30 centimetres of snow in Canada and that the city of Ottawa (where many of our loved friends live) is facing a harrowing transit strike. So no buses and piles of slush. Sorry. Again. Truly.

But if it helps it wasn't all sunshine and roses on our tropical island. The hotel had bugs and mould. Max pooped all over his legs and the floor. Twice. Zella scraped her shoulder badly on coral encrusted concrete. And Rob and I didn't sleep at all on account of Max waking up at 1am, silently walking to the front door of our room and only yelling for help, (waking us up), when he couldn't unlock the door so that he might "take a walk by the ocean". Save us all from 2 year olds.

So just wanted to throw in that dose of reality with the gorgeousness of this location. It wasn't quite as bad as 30 cm of snow and a transit strike but perhaps it paints a more realistic picture than the photos may offer on the surface. I think we may face this problem quite a bit in the months to come. Panama is getting warmer and sunnier as many parts of the world get wetter and colder and darker. Again, sorry 'bout that. I do promise, though, to try and take photos of the less pleasant aspects of life here. So stay tuned for shots of Max throwing temper tantrums. Zella announcing she's bored. Rob and I doing the dishes. Panamanian store clerks looking at me like I'm pond scum. Those sorts of things. Riveting blogging abounds!

Blessed in my gut

2008-12-10T05:33:00.001-08:00

Monday was Mother's Day here in Panama. Zella picked out this beautiful ring for me as a token of her affection, Max handed over earrings and Rob cooked a great bbq salmon dinner. It was a lovely day and it's a nice turn of events to get to celebrate Mother's Day twice in one year.:)

The best part of Mother's Day was the poem that Zella's class were asked to learn and recite to their Moms back at home. IT sounded so beautiful rolling off of Zella's tongue, my mom genes were singing with pride as I heard her amazing Spanish accent and her mastery of the complicate and foreign words. I, of course, understood very little of it. But that didn't matter. It was the effort I appreciated.

Later, Rob passed on the translation of the poem. He, in trying to help Zella learn the poem, had translated it word for word. Here is the poem in it's literal translation...

those that made other lives

blessed in their guts

and they gave their souls

with a love that does not fool

I guess there really is something to said for cultural and linguistic context!

We can come out from under our rocks....

2008-12-03T06:45:00.001-08:00

It's sunny again! All is right in the world:) Cue the choir.

Wow. What a difference a bit of sun makes. After 9 straight days of rain everyone is very ready for a bit of a reprieve. I went swimming this morning (at the local Olympic size outdoor pool) and spent a good deal of time just floating there looking up at the blue, blue sky. I came home and took these photos from our balconies. The different shades of blue and green in Panama are unbelievable.

But I shouldn't get too comfortable just yet...the rainy season isn't over. Tomorrow we'll probably be back to Noah-type rains. So we'll just enjoy it while we can....

Happy Birthday to my Mum

2008-12-02T00:00:00.000-08:00

Today is the day my Mum was born. My amazing, loving, funny, goofy, wonderful Mum. We love you Mum. Happy Birthday! XOXOXOXO

Like at the lake

2008-12-01T14:29:00.000-08:00

We went swimming this afternoon in our pool here at the condo. After the rains for the last two weeks the water was deliciously cold. The kind of cold that you find in a northern Ontario lake at the end of August, enough to make you yelp as you jump in but not enough to make you leave it. The kids and I loved it. I think it must be in the DNA, a Canadian recessive gene as it were. I'm sure our neighbours thought we were insane.

But honestly, if we squinted our eyes up tight, tried to ignore the palm trees and toucans overhead and focused on the dark grey sky farther back on the horizon, it felt as if summer was coming to a close. It was an awesome feeling. We came in after our little lake dip, had soup and put on warm pyjamas and cranked up the air conditioning just to keep the feeling.

Throw a snowball for us.

Fish and Curious Kids

2008-11-30T18:30:00.001-08:00

We went to the Fish Market for dinner tonight. This isn't some trendy spot with netting on the walls and servers wearing nor'easter rain hats. This is the actual fish market. Big, stinky, lots of dead fish, people haggling....you know the kind of place. Except this is a Central American fish market so there's lots of huge, bright fish and the people are yelling in Spanish and Mandarin. Or a combination of the two. Spandarin? Manish?

The four of us found a great little table in among the locals, ordered grilled catch of the day, ceviche, octopus marinara, patacones (fried plaintain discs) and coconut rice. Washed it down with sippy cups of water and beer (you can guess who had which) and generally had a happy time of it. Great food and no major kid meltdowns= an excellent evening. And then Max spotted a local cat that was wandering under the tables whereby a solid relationship was formed.

We rounded the evening off with Max and Zella performing their "Under the Sea" dance from their upcoming school concert. The table next to us benefited from the floor show as well, turns out Zella and Max as dancing mermaids doesn't need translation.

November is icky everywhere

2008-11-26T19:22:00.000-08:00

So November has been a low-posting month. Sorry about that. I've nothing to blame it on except that November sucks. It's a scientific fact, I'm sure of it. Here in Panama we've seen nothing but rain and gloom for weeks on end. And a quick trip home to Canada, for work and family, produced nothing but blustery grey days as well. Is there any part of the world not affected? Who's having lovely sunny days right now?? Damn them.

Zella and I hauled out some Christmas stuff today and tried to get in the holiday spirit a bit. It may have worked somewhat. I promise to post again soon. We're trying to get our heads wrapped around a Christmas with palm trees. Any ideas??

(Photos above: 1. Snow on the 401 outside of Toronto. 2. Downtown Panama City on a gloomy day. 3. Wicked storm coming in as seen from the kitchen window).

An incredible night

2008-11-05T18:38:00.000-08:00

Rob is in NYC this week on business. Last night as historic results unfolded he made his way down to Harlem- he said it was incredible. It must have been. It was incredible just watching it on my couch in Panama. I cried my eyes out.

All Inclusive Heaven

2008-11-01T15:06:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a mini-vacation to an all inclusive resort here in Panama. It was the first time we've ever been to an all inclusive and Rob and I remembered the days when we were the "back packing" types and thumbed our noses at anyone caught dead with an all inclusive mentality. Well, I'm here to say we've happily crossed to the other side. We didn't know what we were missing. Such fools we were.

We ate. We swam. We ate. We swam. (I would say that we slept, but we have a two year old that likes to wake at 5am). That about sums up our 3 days. At the end, we looked exactly like Max in the above photo. (The new slideshow is a result of our eating and swimming adventure...)

The definition of hot

2008-10-27T16:39:00.001-07:00

It's so hot here that my toenail polish is melting off. I kid you not. I think this may mean that I should seek professional help- a pedicure is probably culturally necessary.

Red Diablos and Telenovas

2008-10-26T18:29:00.000-07:00

You really can't go anywhere in Panama without seeing a Diablo Rojo (or in English a Red Devil). What on earth is that? Of course it's a public transportation bus. Duh. Rigged up school buses are used for the purpose of transporting Panamanians all over the city and country. Individual owners have them lovingly painted- favourite cartoon characters, scenic mountain shots and the requisite girlfriend/wife/popstar painted onto the back (most prominent) panel. Ciara, in the case of the bus above, has been immortalized in airbrush. I am, of course, disappointed that the UN doesn't have this sort of option built in...maybe someday Rob will drive a Diablo Rojo and I can get my sultry mug painted on the back.

As we drove to the beach today, through the downtown, we not only dodged many Diablos Rojos but also happened upon a film set for one of the telenovas that runs down here. A telenova is the equivalent of a soap opera- lots of drama, lots of cleavage. It was fun to watch the filming for a bit and we got to see the traditional Panamanian dress in full swing. Some the actresses are above. Max and Zella really wanted to get in on the action, we had to hold them back. But if you ever catch a late-night telenova on the Spanish language channel at home, keep an eye out in the background for the two blond kids sneaking into the shot.:)

Another day at the beach

2008-10-26T13:58:00.001-07:00

We found a beach that's 20 minutes from our house. So close. So fun.

I miss my camera

2008-10-22T18:50:00.000-07:00

Rob has my camera in Uruguay. I feel naked without it. I realize I have become the paparazzi of my children's lives, however, once my camera is rightfully returned to me I plan to take some serious pictures this weekend (only shots of people frowning...I jest). So if the pickings have been a little slim this week my apologies, but we can all rest easy that Rob is taking all sorts of blurry and useless shots of Uruguanian (is that a WORD??) things. I'll post the best of those too.

NOTE: Spellcheck has just managed to raise my IQ- it's Uruguayan. My favourite cultural blur word was passed on to us by Maurizio (Rob's mountain bike buddy extraordinaire) who asked Rob if he would have to learn to speak "Panamish" for his new job. Yes, he was trying to be a smart-ass. But still it cracked me up.

Where are you?

2008-10-19T21:28:00.000-07:00

I love writing this blog. One of the reasons I love writing it is getting feedback and interacting with people- loved ones and new ones. I also get some technical feedback on the site, number of visits, times people visit, etc. One of the features of this reporting is that I'm able to see the countries people are viewing from. Weekly, I see readers from Canada, China, Australia, Japan, Italy, the States etc. It's amazing to me. So here's my question to you...(and I think I can ask this b/c everyone knows every blasted detail of my life if they're reading this with any regularity....)

Where in the world are you? And what did you have for dinner last night? Don't be shy. 'Fess up.

Where does it all go? Panama.

2008-10-17T08:34:00.000-07:00

Last night was date night for Rob and I, so where did we head? The mall. Ridiculous but true. In our defence we did go there to see a movie but were thwarted by bad timing. Anyhooo, back to the mall and the reason for this post.

Shopping in Panama is hilarious. Did you ever wonder what happens to the clothing that doesn't sell back at home? It might have been the red shirt you saw at the Gap last season. It didn't sell at it's original price, then it was marked down and still didn't sell, it may have made it to an "outlet" store finally. But what happens to it then, when it's still sitting on the rack and the store has to make room for more stuff? It gets sold to a consolidator who packs it all up and ships it off to.....Panama! (Among other places I'm sure).

It's easy here to find LL Bean, Lands End, Gap, Eddie Bauer etc. But you won't find it in any of those stores, instead you'll find it in Albrook Mall. Or as we have come to call it The Land Where Bargains Come to Die. Please note in the picture above that, yes, you are seeing a merry-go-round at the mall. I'm sure you can imagine Max and Zella's joy at this latest cultural development. But back to my story, last night Rob walked out with three Land's End dress shirts (probably about $60 a piece at home) and a pair of Steve Madden shoes....are you ready for the grand total? Sit down. $14.

And then after all the shopping, we went and had curried chicken mango crepes with ice cold beer and homemade gelato for dessert. Grand total $24.

We're really starting to like Panama.:)

The Traditional Thanksgiving Monkey

2008-10-13T06:06:00.000-07:00

If we were in Canada we probably would've spent yesterday taking a bit of a Thanksgiving Hike. You know, you probably did it yourself- take in the leaves, work up a bit of hunger for the turkey ahead.

Thanksgiving was slightly different for us this year. No turkey. Four hours of the oven on full blast would've heated our house up beyond human endurance, so dinner was at the Canal Restaurant. Steak and seafood. Yum. And the pre-dinner hike was a little off the beaten path too. Rob took the kids to a waterfall pool and along the way ran into a pod of howler monkeys. He got some great shots and I've included the best one of a mom and her baby. Needless to say the kids were blown away by the monkeys and their unearthly howling.

So if we had to be without red maple leaves and roasting turkey then I guess howler monkeys and Panamax ships weren't too bad.

Captain Canada

2008-10-10T06:43:00.000-07:00

Max and Zella recently dressed up for National Pride Day at their school. As they're the only Canadians at the school we felt a certain amount of pressure to perform. A day before the event one of the Panamanian moms asked me what the national dress of Canada was- this sent us into a bit of a tailspin because Panama is so verrry clear about what they're cultural dress is. Canada on the other hand? Not so much. We could've dressed the kids up a la Corner Gas, or as hockey players, Ann of Green Gables maybe? Small cute moose? Really no strong image came to mind. So, we ended up doing the Captain Canada look. All red, maple leaf on cheek, Senators pom-pom and an ABC Canada book to read to their friends (Thanks BEN and NATE for giving it to us!!) You will also note that Max is carrying scissors- this has nothing to do with Captain Canada and everything to do with his newly acquired love of all things contraband.

And to all back home HAPPY THANKSGIVING! We miss everyone of you and will be thinking of you eating turkey and enjoying the leaves.:)

So instead, I give you, a houseplant....

2008-10-06T06:31:00.000-07:00

This is where I should be posting about poverty in Panama. Instead, I will present our newest house plant.

Over the weekend we spent a bit more time downtown, running errands, getting lost...you know, the usual. It was a grey day, icky really. Perfect for errands. But the poverty around Panama City really hit me. So I started to take some pictures and they, sort of, conveyed the scope of some of the poverty down here. But not quite. Because you really have to see it with your eyes to grasp the scale of it. I had planned to put them up here. And I will. But we've lost our memory card from the camera- it's off hidden in a pile of the flotsam and jetsam that litters our house. Sorry about that. But I promise I'll get around to it.

But just in case you're checking in and hoping for the newest James Family installment, you'll want something interesting to read, I'm sure. So (drumroll please) let me present our newest houseplant. Ta da!

I jest, but really it is quite an interesting houseplant. It's a bromeliad. There are over 2400 species of bromeliads, (god only knows what this one is) and the most interesting part of the bromeliad is that it doesn't require soil. It will happily grow on the branch of tree, on a trunk or a random rock. All it needs is moisture and sunlight. We bought this particular one at a roadside stand last week for $3 and it now sits on our bedroom balcony. You would think that such a sturdy plant would be hard to kill. Let's hope so. I'll keep you updated.

Swimmers in the family

2008-10-01T17:49:00.001-07:00

The Olympic hopefuls in the family have been working on a rigorous training schedule. This includes daily visits to the pool for such hard-core drills as "Save Dora from the Waterfall", "Catch the Dead Frog at the Bottom of the Pool" and "Whip Rocks at Each Other".

Please note that if you click on the picture (to view the mega-version) and take a close look at Zella's Barbie (I kid you not) goggles, you'll notice that said goggles are fogged over completely and there is a visable water line that hovers somewhere near her upper cheekbone. This doesn't bother her.

That's because she's got the heart of champion. They both do.

Long lost twin

2008-09-29T13:28:00.000-07:00

So Max has a new friend, Sean. Max and Sean are such dead ringers for eachother even I get them mixed up! They both love cars, yelling and food. It's a match made in heaven.

Lucky for us Sean has a sister too, exactly Zella's age. Es muy perfecto.:)

Pool or the beach? One for each

2008-09-26T19:03:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning we'll pack our bags amid much chaos (as is always the case with a 2 yr and 5 yr old in tow) and head to the beach again. Just one night. But a good fish dinner and a lot of swimming will hit the spot. Still the pool for Max and the ocean for Zel...but who knows? Maybe we'll convince Max to get his feet wet.

UPDATE: Max went boogie boarding with Rob on REALLY BIG waves. So in typical fashion he didn't just get his feet wet, he jumped right in. I think the fear of the ocean is over. Of course, we forgot the camera. Damn.

New additions to the family

2008-09-24T12:58:00.000-07:00

Zella's newest joy is making stuffed animals for her stuffed animals. Yes, you read that right. Dollies for the dolls. These are the two that were made this afternoon. As yet unnamed. She is accepting any and all suggestions and will check in regularly to see who has been able to navigate the "leave a comment" function and come up with the best suggestions.....her only requirement one be a boy name and one be a girl name. As Zella put it, "and they get to decide but I will pick...you guys will get to help me but it's my decision in the end". Aha...so really you're only being asked to participate in a consultative process.

And as an aside, if you're really looking to help out here you're going to want to come up with something so sickly sweet, over-the-top cute, ridiculously embarassing that you probably won't want to leave a comment admitting to it. But do it anyway. For the sock bunny and for Zel.:) (nobody will laugh, or at least you won't hear them anyway....)

What your tax dollars do for you...

2008-09-24T07:10:00.000-07:00

We recently had a situation in which we began to fully understand where our Canadian tax dollars went. Here in Panama there's so much to love, great weather, great beaches, beautiful wildlife, etc etc. The list is long. However, there are some basic services that are missing. Services that we rely on. Services that are paid for by our municipal (I think?) tax dollars at home in Canada. Like animal control.

If an animal is hit and killed on your residential street in Canada there's someone to call to take care of it. I don't know who...everytime I've ever seen a dead animal in said situation it's usually gone the next time I look. Some mysterious service, that I've never had to give a second thought to, does the job of coming to take the poor creature away. It's a given.

Here in Panama...not quite the same. No mysterious service to pick up dead animals. The tax dollars are needed elsewhere and rightfully so. However, when a very dead cat is sitting outside of your patio door and your two small children are able to see, in graphic detail, the entire decomposition/back-to-the-earth cycle you begin to feel like you might have to take the whole thing into "your own two hands". Ha.

Rob did just that. Awesome dad that he is. Here's his account...

"The limits of my dedication as a father were well tested a couple weeks ago. A small white cat was killed in the street directly in front of our condo building. Directly in front of our 1st floor balcony to be precise. There it lay, blood-splotched white cat rotting in the gutter. In the gutter that you had to walk past to get the kids to school. Day 2 - there it lay. Panama being Panama, there would be no expectation of this thing being cleaned up before it simply washed down the sewer grate. So when I came back from Lima, the first job I had was to go out with garbage bag in hand and peel said dead cat from the road to spare innocent Max and Zella from a graphic lesson in post-mortem mammalian physiology. After answering Max's question the next morning about where the cat had gone, I heard nothing but "touch it?" "with your hand?" for the next two days."

So that was Rob, 20 minutes back from the airport and Peru. In full business attire plucking dead cat from the road. Our neighbours think we're crazy.:)

A walk in the park....

2008-09-20T18:46:00.001-07:00

Today we went for a walk in the rain forest on Cerro Campana, a small mountain 30 minutes outside Panama City. The kids loved it. Highlights included another Blue Morpho butterfly sighting and Max learning to pee standing up. The two had nothing to with each other, though. Much to the Morpho's relief, I'm sure.

Another big highlight was the cooling breezes and relief from the humidity to be found at that altitude. I think we'll be going back often!

Tomorrow promises more excitement. An electrician is coming to hook up our dryer. Finally dry towels!!

The new 'do

2008-09-18T16:57:00.001-07:00

Max got haircut No. 4 of his whole entire life yesterday. He and Rob went to the local salon and had head massages, cappucino/agua in a sippy cup and generally got fawned over. Both of them loved it. But Max has spent the last 24 hours saying hello to everyone with a "Hola! Like my new haircut?" Let's just say he's feelin' his new 'do.

It was about time for a cut, too. We noticed a funny smell emanating from Maxi recently- his hair was getting a bit mildewy. Not unheard of when the humidex runs at 300. Hence, the new buzz cut.

Spiders and such

2008-09-16T06:58:00.001-07:00

I've had several requests to go back and take that picture I promised of the humongous spider I see while I'm walking/running/heaving myself through this heat. This morning I managed it. She (as I have come to think of her) wasn't at the best angle and I am by no means National Geographic quality in my photo taking. But I think you get a feeling for how stupendous she is. Her mint green colour and gold iridescence don't come across, which is too bad, because that's what makes her look like a Dr. Seuss character. The picture doesn't really show scale but take my word when I tell you she is about 5-6 inches across, from leg to leg, on her MASSIVE web. I was thoroughly creeped out as I had to actually step off the path and put myself near the primordial mess of jungle that is just off every sidewalk in our neighbourhood.

My fear off stepping off the sidewalk made me think of a book I'm reading right now that is describing, in great detail, the plight of the Jamaican and Chinese workers that came here to dig the canal a hundred years ago. It describes them as having to bed down on the jungle floor and live through the rains and humidity 24/7 without adequate food and housing. They did this for 2o cents a day. The mind boggles. Anyway, I think of them as I realize how ridiculously cushy my life is and what they must have coped with. And anything you're using today, anything made in China, most likely came through the canal that they dug, in many cases, by hand.

Which brings me back to my spider and how not really all that brave I was to take the picture. But I am glad she's out there and I'm not.

Fair and balanced reporting....

2008-09-15T18:58:00.000-07:00

I don't want to be accused of only reporting on the happy, sunny, vacationland type posts that eventually drive people away in droves. So here's the other side of things. Two emails from friends today, and a phonecall with my sister last night, have rendered me resolutely homesick. I miss Ottawa. I miss my family. I miss my friends. I'm ridiculously weepy. And the humidex is still hovering at 300. So bad hair in the mix as well.

There you have it. This is my attempt at fair and balanced reporting. I will now go and scour the neighbourhood for potential friendlies. I'm sure I will be ever so successful with puffy red eyes and beyond-frizzy hair. 'Night all.

The beach

2008-09-14T19:43:00.001-07:00

Everytime we go to the beach we come back relaxed and happily exhausted. The slideshow is an addition to share some photos, not sure if it'll stick around for a long time. On the other hand, it took so long to get the bloody thing working I'm not sure I'll ever figure out how to delete it. We may be stuck with it for the duration!

Ridiculously off topic...

2008-09-11T19:54:00.000-07:00

While cruising Craigslist trying to scare up some friends (to no avail, I might add) I happened upon one of the funniest classified ads I've ever seen.

If you've ever hated living in a noisy environment or had a love of minotaurs this is something you MUST read. Also, if McCabe is your last name or in your DNA the absurdity of this one will hit the mark. It's just a little off in left field....:)

Enjoy.... http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/min/733317143.html

Things we see...

2008-09-10T17:41:00.000-07:00

These are some of the things we see. Downtown Panama City shots. Too much commentary here might start to sound like a second rate version of Frommers. So I'll just let the pictures talk.

Something lost and a fairy visit

2008-09-07T15:04:00.000-07:00

We've got something big to show off. Lost teeth. Two of them, in fact. Zella's two bottom teeth are gone! She's been madly picking at them for about two months now and finally her efforts have paid off. The teeth fell out. And teeth that have fallen out are in the realm of the tooth fairy! Even more joy!

Zella would like everyone to know the following (straight from the horse's toothless mouth...)

"It feels like, kinda like I'm a baby again because I don't have these teeth anymore and now I only feel my gums. Just like a baby." She also would like to describe the tooth fairy, "She's got a red dress and a little wand and a money machine to give out money to kids with no teeth. And I know that because she gave me two dollars already." And what does the tooth fairy do with the teeth? "I can take one guess. And I think what she does is that she takes them to her castle and then what she does is uses them to build her castle. She uses baby teeth instead of bricks. Like a tooth castle."

And there you have it.

Four and counting

2008-09-03T08:50:00.000-07:00

I've now seen four blue morpho butterflies. Keeping a mental tally is easy because they're so ridiculously beautiful. Each one is about 4 to 5 inches across at the farthest wing tips. And when I see them flitting by their colour is so shocking it always stops me in my tracks.

Such was the case this morning as I attempted a run/walk and came across one of these guys in a particularly wooded area. As a side bar, I've never sweated so much in all life for a measly 25 minutes of exercise. It's hot. See previous post for description.:)

Anyway, back to the wildlife. I also saw a spider that was mint green with golden spots, it was about 6 inches across. Tomorrow I will attempt to take a picture. Those of you that know my fear of spiders will understand what a big mental hurdle this is. But this spider was definitely worth the effort. Hopefully it will still be on it's massive (6 ft) web tomorrow when I head out for another sweatfest.

No diaper. No pool.

2008-09-01T17:32:00.000-07:00

Today must've been over 40 degrees with a humidex hovering somewhere around 300. Not sure what made today feel so different...every day here is stinking hot. Opening the patio doors felt like opening the dryer, after it had been running for 6 hours straight. With fireballs in it. While drinking freshly squeezed hot pepper juice.

Would've been nice to spend this kind of a day in the pool. But not possible because 2 yr old Max has decided that he will no longer wear swim-up diapers. We spent 30 minutes debating/fighting it out in the front hall. Him standing naked and yelling, "No swim up, mum. Just my penis." Which would've been fine, except that the pool is shared by the other 30 families that live in this complex. Max has not mastered the art of using a toilet yet and, in fact, sometimes takes great pleasure in NOT using a toilet. Let's just say he likes to pee in corners. Zella yelling, "Mom, Max is peeing on my (insert various items here) again" is a very common phrase these days.

So no pool for us. Maybe tomorrow.

Too noisy. Too big.

2008-08-29T07:12:00.000-07:00

Another quick post. Zella being Zella....pretty happy. Max surveying the ocean. His thoughts? As voiced to us, they include..."It's too noisy. It's moving. Don't like it." From his perspective at 3 foot nothing even small waves seem horrific, I'm sure. We're going to try and find a placid bay for him to try out, much to Rob's chagrin!

The new house and an advertising question

2008-08-29T06:37:00.000-07:00

This post is mainly for our moms and dads. If my kids ever move far away and I can't picture where they're living I'll have a hard time of it I'm sure.:) So here's the new digs. The pictures are pretty self explanatory. The condo is less than a one minute walk to the kid's school (I can see it as I type) and life here feels really good.

Now we just have to find some friends. And a social life. Any ideas on how to advertise for that? (There are some pretty big shoes to fill for all positions...)

The Importance of Stuff

2008-08-20T07:05:00.000-07:00

The container arrived. Our furniture, toys, books, dishes, etc etc are here with us. It feels like Christmas a thousand times over. I think Max said it best when we told him what had finally landed in Panama- "My cars? My cars are here?"

What I have learned from this is never underestimate the importance of stuff. The stuff that fills up your house, that I used to curse because it was all over the floor or the counter or the bedroom....this same stuff is the stuff that that makes you feel like you're home. Tethered to something. Without stuff it becomes way too easy to feel quite adrift in the world.

Anyway. Just glad our stuff is here.

An Acouti wearing one blue Croc...

2008-08-16T17:44:00.000-07:00

These are everywhere. Hoards of them. Bands of roaming, thieving, stinky little guys. We're pretty sure they're the ones responsible for removing Max's size 7 blue Croc from our front porch. The shoe was found 4 days later, unharmed, about 300 metres away on the main road.

That's the Saturday Night Report from Panama.:)

The big update

2008-08-11T06:51:00.000-07:00

Okay so we're at three weeks today and it's about time for an update. My apologies for being so lax with this blog but without internet/furnishings/phone at home it's been a hassle. To say the least.

So three weeks in here's where we're at....

no shipping container yet, but's it's coming this Friday just in time for Zella's Birthday!

We're moving! Again. For many reasons (animals in the attic, break-ins in the neighbourhood and a landlord that may sell the property) we decided to look around. We found a great condo that we're REALLY excited about. Pool, palm trees and a very nice security guard.:)
Zella and Max have started kindergarten and nursery school at the same school. Sending them off to a completely Spanish speaking school together was a bit heart-breaking, but they held hands, were fierce in their combined determination to fit in and have made a really good go of it. Photo of ridiculously cute uniformed children above.
Rob wants everyone to know that beaches are close by, work is going really well and beer is 39 cents.:)

Stay tuned for more updates to come. Including Max and Zella's Adventures with the Leaf Cutter Ants and How Mara Came to Love Coffee.

Ciao!

We're here!

2008-08-05T16:30:00.000-07:00

We've arrived. Sorry about no new posts, we don't actually have any internet hookup yet. Sounds like we might on Friday (?). Question marks abound for us right now, as we try to settle in. The kids are well and we're all adjusting to the HEAT. Phew. Hot like hot has never been. For us anyway.:)

Stay tuned, as we get internet connection in the house, lots of photos and updates to come.

everything....literally everything

2008-07-14T19:25:00.000-07:00

See that red box, third from the left? That's ours.

It was a weird moment watching everything you own in the world rumble down your street in 40 foot international shipping container. Off it goes. Apparently on to some ship, where it will meander down the East Coast until it lands in Panama....this will, of course, take up to 6 weeks. Hmmm. We leave in one week. Yes, that means that right now (in Canada) and for the next 3-5 weeks (in Panama) we're living with (and this is a thorough list)..

one queen size blow up bed
one Disney Princess blow up bed-on-the-go

one overly small pack'n'play for one overly large 2 year old
4 plates and 3 bowls (the dog ate one)

65+ assorted children's DVDs including such favourites as Barney's Disco Dancin' Hits and the ever-popular Meet Diego (for the 9oooth frickin' time)

Doesn't really seem like all that much, but surprisingly it's doing a good job of keeping us afloat. Let's just hope the boat is doing as good a job with the rest of our stuff.

And did I mention that Rob's obsessive, perfectionistic, detail-driven nature reeeally comes in handy sometimes?? His packing job was extraordinary. (Special thanks to Ted, Steve and David for their help in packing. It's not easy to keep that fresh feeling when hauling boxes onto a sun-baked, metallic target, reading 48 on the Humidex...thanks guys!)

Leaving is hard. That's it.

2008-07-14T19:08:00.000-07:00

Leaving is hard. Harder than I thought. It's awful saying good bye. Squishing each other with one last hug, fitting in one last instruction, voicing one last thought. I guess what I've come to realize is that we have the most wonderful group surrounding us, our family as it were. Those connected by DNA and those we claim as friends. Without getting all maudlin, we'll miss you so much. You're a wonderful group. I think a picture really is worth a thousand words on this particular post...

P-A-R-K-E-R

2008-06-24T19:44:00.000-07:00

So after much searching and seeking and hemming and hawing and backing and forthing, we finally got a house in Panama. Finally. I, certainly, feel better about this. Rob has assured me he's "relieved" as well, although I fear I was the one most obssessing about this decision. And no easy decision it was.

The Canal Zone where Rob works, and we have now found a house, is former American Military land that was handed back to Panama in 1999. Houses are very American-like and there aren't very many of them spread out amongst the green space bordering the canal. Because of this demand is high and supply is low, which means rents are steep and some landlords have gotten away with not doing much to improve housing that was orginally built in the 1950s. All this accumulated in a prolonged and slightly painful housing search.

But the search is over, we will now call the Canal Zone home and will be living on...are you ready for it....PARKER DRIVE. P-A-R-K-E-R. Not Avenida Balboa or Calle Boqueron...nope none of that Spanish language stuff for us...Parker Drive, it is. Hmmm. This is embarrassing. I feel like we're moving to Ohio. Or Saskatchewan.

Oh well. It is what it is. Rob will have a three minute walk to work and Parker Drive will soon feel like home. Fingers crossed.

just to pretty the place up...

2008-05-25T18:46:00.000-07:00

So far this blog still feels foreign (almost as much as Panama). I keep checking in, somehow expecting there will be updates. Right. I'm in charge around here. Note to self- must update posts if expecting new material to just...well...materialize. So, to pretty the place up here are some shots of Panama. Hopefully this will lure some of you down to us in the months to come.

we might be completely insane

2008-05-13T11:15:00.000-07:00

It's only just beginning to sink in but we're leaving once again. This time with kids and dog in tow. This blog will document our insanity. The title of the blog comes from Max's incessant singing of the song and Zella's newfound excitement around the possibility of having monkeys in her backyard. Hopefully not her bed.

Panama here we come.