Three Years in Paradise

This month marks 3 years of living in the beautiful mountains of western Panama. Many have asked if I am happy with my decision to retire here. The answer is yes! There are some minor frustrations with living in a different culture but they are more than made up in the economic advantages, the great living conditions and the friendly people. However, if you need your country club and gated community, this is not the place. If you have a very large budget try Boquete, just around the mountain.

If you have read my blog you know that I am retired (almost). What that means in a practical sense is that I do not have time for anything! Don't misunderstand, I'm perfectly happy doing nothing, but that is not the current situation.

First, there is the urgent need to finish the ceilings in the house. I need to cut down on the number of cubic feet that I have to dehumidify during the green (rainy) season. I have managed to get the ceiling and exhaust fan installed in the bathroom. And, I just finished putting the ceiling in the bedroom / workroom, so now on to the kitchen and living room.

Second, I need to put about 18 cubic meters of concrete in the ground behind the house for the base of my ham radio tower. The hole needs to be enlarged a small amount and the reinforcing bars installed. Then the concrete must be mixed and poured.

Third, after 21 months of building (with a little time off for other things) I am ready for a break. I want to operate more ham radio again and get out into the countryside, or just out on my property, to take more photographs.

Fourth, as there is interest I want to get back to taking individuals or small groups out on Photo Adventure Tours.

Fifth, when there is nothing else urgent, I want to spend more time running and playing with the dogs.

.... Then I will rest for awhile and find more interesting things to do with my time.

A wise person once said; "Happiness is not getting what you want; it is wanting what you get." I believe it. Be well and be happy wherever you are!

Life is Slow...the Way Retirement Should Be

The Three Amigos

Some of you have been wondering what has happened to me. Well, the answer is "not much really" except for taking visiting Gringos around the area which is something that I enjoy.

I have been working on the inside of the house as the mood struck me. I have painted the living room and bathroom. I am now ready to paint some more rooms...when the mood strikes.

I am now owned by 3 dogs. I arrived in Panama with my mostly (Scott!) faithful dog Blue. A year and a half ago we took in a female Panamanian rescue who is still somewhat of a "street" dog. Rosie disappears for a few hours at at time, but always comes home when she is ready.

The newest member of our kennel is Athena, a Rottweiler who a local could no longer keep. She is also a sweet dog and has been with us for about 6 weeks. They are all friends with the understanding that Blue is the Alpha Dog. I would like to think that I am the Alpha, but it is simply not true.

The pack is a bit oversize for my liking but we are doing well. They are great watch dogs yet friendly when I am home to OK visitors. They live in the house and still have the run of the fenced yard.

A friend will stay at the house and take care of the place while I visit family and friends in the U.S. for the first time in almost 3 years. I will travel North in July for about 10 days.

House Mostly Finished

Well, the house is mostly finished. I have a little inside electrical wiring to finish, then paint the inside walls and install the ceilings. A heating system is not needed and the air conditioning is generally to open a window or two. For dehumidifying and a small amount of cooling I have a small window air conditioner near the back door ... on the left in the picture above.

It has taken just over a year to reach this stage with timeouts for surgery, recovery and waits for workers to become available. My two dogs and I are quite comfortable and I've already had my first guest who was here for about a week. So I do have room for company to stay with me.

Work on my ham radio tower has reached the point that I am ready to bolt 60 feet of it together and stand it up in the 10 ft. deep hole for the base. We will put steel reinforcing rods around the base and pour a lot of concrete into the hole. After 30 days we will remove the supporting wires and the tower will stand on its own. I have other plans for wire antennas for the ham bands but they will have to wait for some of the house projects to get completed first.

The party celebrating my birthday was a great success with more than 25 people enjoying food and fellowship. The weather was so pleasant that everyone mostly sat outside and visited. There was a good mix of local and Gringo guests. A good time was had by all!

I am hoping to visit friends and family in the U.S. later this year. I'll have to see how the plans develop over time.

Please note: I am sorry to report that I have had to "moderate" comments on this site. This means that I receive comments by e-mail before they appear here. This is due to some commercial companies trying to promote their products in sneaky ways ... and people with personal agendas that have nothing to do with this site trying to use the comments as a place to rant and rave.

Be well and happy... and let me hear from you.

Life is good in Panama

I enjoyed Christmas Dinner with Gringo friends in Volcan. My grandchildren's birthday is just passed also, and I miss seeing them on a regular basis like I did when I only lived 3 miles away.

My birthday is coming up in a couple of days and quite a number of my new Panamanian friends, neighbors, and Gringo friends are coming over for an afternoon cookout on the following Saturday afternoon. As the 4 month dry season seems to be in full swing, I would expect good weather. The daytime high will undoubtedly be 78 F so a good day to be outside and/or inside in the mountains of western Panama.

Speaking of Gringos, one of my old friends from Nashville, TN will be arriving next week just in time to bring me birthday (& Christmas) gifts from the U.S.

The house is progressing nicely, albeit slowly. We are finishing the plaster facing for the inside walls in the next few days. The two outside walls with concrete blocks were faced with plaster this past week. The plumbing is complete and the major electrical circuits are in. I still need interior doors and the dropped ceiling installed but that will come with time. We will begin part of the painting in the next couple of days and finish in 2 or 3 weeks.

Ham radio has taken a "back seat" to construction and finishing of the house, however I have managed to talk to several hams around the world in the past 3 or 4 weeks. My Internet service is generally reliable but some tree limbs were interfering with the wireless signal. We managed to trim them today so things should be back to normal on the "net".

Personal responses and topics of interest to blog readers are welcome here. However, I have had to moderate comments due to a couple of rude abusers, personal and commercial, so comments do not appear immediately.

All the best from my corner of Paradise!