Easter and Some Things Finished

It's almost Easter and I am happy to report that a couple of major tasks have been completed since I last updated this blog.

First, all of the ceilings are complete in the house. It is much more comfortable as well as more pleasing to look at. By the way, the 3 dogs don't seem to care as long as their dogie door works properly.

And, more importantly, the mobile crane came two weeks ago and lifted over 1,000 pounds of steel into an upright position to complete my 65 foot radio tower. I have included a montage of images. Pictures are: tower ready, truck ready, still ready, diesel problems, top 40 ft. going up, rigger bolting together, rigger at center of tower, house roof below truck bed, waiting for SteppIR beam, and 3 amigos on watch. CLICK ON THE IMAGE ABOVE FOR A LARGER IMAGE.

Take care, be well and be happy!

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!

Milestones - New House

I have two milestones to report today from my new home in Volcan, Chiriqui Province, Panama. The first is really from yesterday. A couple of helpers and I hauled the final load of stuff from my rented house in Volcan to the new house. This follows a month of trips spanning the 5 miles between houses. The very heavy radio tower will have to wait for appropriate help before moving to the new place.

The other important event was that I was able to take my first nice warm shower at the new house today. (No pictures of this event.) No, I have not waited for over a month to bathe! Since I was still paying rent, I have been using the electric "suicide" shower at the old place. I now have a propane fired demand hot water heater and it works great. I'm still working on the other plumbing but a working toilet and shower were first.

I only have a temporary wire antenna up for the 75 meter ham band but it is working great. I have talked to Korea, Japan, the Middle-East, Europe, Australia, and the U.S. in the past month in the early mornings and late evenings when not working on the house.

Happy Holidays to everyone from Panama!

Moving to New House

Well, I'm finally moving to the new house this week. It is not "completely finished" but it is close enough for the 2 dogs and I to enjoy the country life after the confines of the city.

Actually, Volcan, Chiriqui Province, Republic of Panama is just a quiet ranching and farming community in the mountains of far western Panama. However, we will be much happier with more "room to roam" in the country three miles from town. We will not have to be quite so careful of traffic when we walk in the evenings and there is seldom any traffic at all during our early morning walks. Our neighbors across the road run a small dairy and the lady makes very good white cheese that she shares with me in exchange for letting a couple of their cows graze near my house.

The dogs have finally learned to stay on the property and they are very protective of their "turf". I hope to have Internet connected this week and be able to use my ham radios again soon. I will continue to work on the house and it will be much easier when I am there full time.

Best Regards from Panama!

Recovering from Surgery - House on Hold

Well, I am recovering nicely as it has been 17 days since my surgery. I have been out to the new house 2 or 3 times, but I am not yet cleared to "lift" and work. I have been about 1 month from moving in for the past 3 months and the estimate has not changed much.

There are not too many things to finish before the 2 dogs and I will be able to live in the house. It will not be finished and "pretty", but should be a fine place for us to live while I finish everything. The current estimate is near the end of October (next month).

The absence of city noise will be a blessing and the dogs want to move today! It also seems to be a very good location for amateur radio operation just like the 2 previous locations that I have had in the Volcan area. Since I border a small stream with a "mini-Rain Forest" environment I expect to take lots of pictures of Orchids, birds, the occasional monkey and other wildlife.

Best Regards from Volcan, Chiriqui Province, Republic of Panama

Personal Timeout from Building

Well, it's been a while since I have taken time to post here. I'm still alive and soon-to-be well in Panama. Someone recently send me an e-mail with the phrase "Old Age Ain't for Sissies".

Just this week I found out that it is true. I had to go to a local hospital for emergency surgery to remove a "hot" appendix. Then I spent three days in the hospital with IV antibiotics to take care of the infection from the leaking appendix. It was not a pleasant experience! The surgery and medical follow-up were first rate, but concern for other people's comfort is not part of the local culture. I am very happy and grateful to be recovering at home now with many local friends helping out.

My new house that has been one month from being finished (for the past four months) will have to wait until I am fully recovered from the surgery, physically and financially. Maybe I'll be able to move in by the end of October.

People often ask me, "Why Panama?" Well, in the mountains of western Panama I have 75-80 degree days and about 55 degrees at night year round with no tornadoes, hurricanes, snow storms and few prairie fires. We do have plenty of rain (Tropics) and the occasional mild earthquake (living less than 9 miles from Volcan Baru volcano). The volcano is dormant and supposed to stay that way for another 150 to 200 years.

So, having survived the surgery and hospital stay, I can now say without reservation: "Old age ain't for sissies" nor is it for the faint of heart.

Best Regards (73 to my ham friends),

Jay

Busy Times

These are busy times for me. I am building a new home and construction is slow due to having to build for the future house that goes on top of the lower section. I will move into the lower portion of the house, about 1,100 sq. ft., later this summer.

I had hoped to attend my high school reunion in Kansas this month (May), but I will not be able to leave during this phase of construction. I will reschedule my trip to the U.S. for later this year or early next year.

My two dogs go out to the site quite often and they both approve of the move. All of us are looking forward to the freedom from noise, traffic and crowds of the city.

The great news is that the paving of the 5 km. (3 miles) of road to Volcan is complete and I can be at the 24 hr. supermarket in 10 minutes. My photography and ham radio have been limited due to a 5 1/2 day work week on the house. I am very happy with my decision to relocate to the mild climate of the mountains of western Panama. My best regards to everyone ... be well and prosper!

Ground Breaking

We finally broke ground, in a big way on the new house on 21 January 2009.  I am building the downstairs "basement" and will move there in June or July.  My 2 dogs, Blue and Rosie approve of the change to the rural setting.  It is just 10 minutes or 3 miles from the city of Volcan, but a world away from the traffic and noise.

I am looking forward an even better location for my ham radio and photography than I have with my rented house in the city of Volcan.  The mountain air and slower pace have been good to me as I have lost (the extra) weight and my blood pressure is much lower.

I have been on several photo adventures in the past few weeks and everyone has had a great time as well as some good exercise with the hiking.

I have invited a couple of International hams to visit me and we will see if any of the plans materialize.  This is a great DX location with almost 10,000 contacts since February 2007.

Take care and all the best from the land of "Eternal Springtime"; the mountains of western Panama.

Happy New Year from Panama

I have not posted anything for many weeks, but wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year from the land of eternal Springtime!  Nights are in the range of 50-60 F, with 74-79 F almost every day. 

After being here permanently for 14 months I am very happy with my decision to move.  I still live in a 2 bedroom rented house with my 2 dogs, 1 Australian Cattle Dog (Red Heeler) and 1 Panamanian mixed breed (mut).

My on and off home building plans are on again.  Sort of!  I am still looking for a bilingual person to manage the small crew of locals who will build my new home.  Because of the economic difficulties in the U.S. and Europe I have scaled back my plans until real estate prices in other areas rebound.  In general, land and home prices here are about the same, with a pause in the rapid escalation of the past 3 to 5 years.

I now plan to only build the lower level of the house, including the 2 car garage.  The lower level was planned as an apartment and I have redesigned it for my personal comfort.  I am hoping that construction will not interfere with my plans to attend my CVHS Class of '59 reunion in Kansas in May. I am also planning to visit my family and friends while in the U.S.,  as my plans do not include many more trips stateside. 

Wishing you and yours a happy, healthy & prosperous 2009!

Jay & best friends Blue & Rosie

One Year in Paradise

A year in Paradise has made lazy, although I was somewhat lazy before arriving here. I don't feel any pressure to do anything at a certain time or in a particular order, so I have neglected to update this blog and my www.paradisepanama.net web site on a regular basis.

I have been very busy with Photo Adventure trips, ham radio (over 7,000 contacts with other hams around the world), and preparations for construction on my new house near Volcan. Below are some of my reflections on my first year in paradise as contained in a small newsletter that I send to a list of interested contacts 2 or 3 times per year.

Reflections about Paradise after one year. I chose Panama after over a year of study and 3 visits here to get acquainted with the area, and to acquire a building site for my home. I am still happy with my decision! *Be aware that this is not the U.S. and we should not expect things to be done "out way". That said, living here is much less stressful than in the U.S.

The positives totally outweigh the few irritations. The people are friendly and almost the only crime is petty theft. The climate is mild all year up here in the mountains. You can get by without learning Spanish, although it would help.

The price of living is much less even though some things will cost as much as the states. Some of the few things that are as expensive here include:
-- gasoline but we take fewer, shorter and slower trips
-- land; in short supply in every desirable part of the world
-- electricity; although we use much less due to no
air conditioning
-- major appliances and vehicles

Things that cost less, to much less, include:
-- building costs; as much as 50% less
-- car insurance; less than 50%
-- health insurance; less than 20%
-- doctor / dentist visits; about 50%
-- rent; much less than 33% of stateside
-- food in restaurants and locally grown vegetables & beef; varies
-- car registration; varies
-- maid / cleaning service; 10% what I was paying in U.S.
-- repairs of almost any kind; 50%, to much less
-- public transportation; buses and taxis; less than 50%
-- haircut; less than 50%
-- and the list goes on

I am looking forward to a long, happy interesting life here. I welcome your questions and e-mails.

Regards and try to enjoy where you are while you are there!

Jay
panama@jaymills.org

A Welcome Vist from Family

My daughter, her husband and their triplets just returned to the U.S. after a week-long visit to my Paradise in Panama. We had a great time sightseeing and experiencing the local area. I have posted a few snapshots from their visit at my photo website.

We all visited Barriles, a local archeological site that dates to about 600 B.C. where we saw barrel-shaped stones used to transport heavy loads and etched rock maps. We also saw a flat rock stained with drawings that can only been seen when the stone is wet. The original people who lived here were not Indian, but probably from Asia and Africa. The site also has beautiful gardens.

Vince and the boys hiked for an hour with my local guide Manolo through the jungle to a high local waterfall. It was a great adventure. Then we all visited friends, took in the Saturday market at Cerro Punta, found souvenirs in Guadalupe, and spend a day at the beach (Pacific side). All of us enjoyed visiting an English language class and a kindergarten class at a local elementary school

The family got to see my city lot and the country lots, which they agree are in a fantastic setting. We also visited the plaza in David and the Bambito resort hotel for a good meal. They really enjoyed the local and international food at the Loco Pollo and Daly's restaurants here in Volcan.

I'm very glad that they got to visit and to see why I personally think the the mountains of western Panama are Paradise.

Activity at My Country Lot

UPDATE 20 JULY 2008

I have delayed the beginning of my new house until later this year or early next year because the crew that I want to do the work is not available at this time. Also, because some parts of the structure are unique to this area we are still finding suppliers and getting quotations. I did find out that the taxes on new construction are forgiven for 20 years (again) if the structure is completed by 31 Dec. 2009.

The road paving is complete in front of my property. However, it appears that it will be at least a year before all sections and new bridges are complete. I purchased the property because it was in a low traffic location and it should remain so. The new road is somewhat narrow and will still be used mostly by the 10 or 15 residents along the road. Almost all are Dairy farmers with a couple of Gringos thrown in. I can now drive to Volcan in 15 minutes at no more than 35 miles per hour. When the paving is complete, it will be an easy 10 minute drive.

The water connection is in and we have the stand for the electric connection and the beginning of the entrance from the roadway completed. The house will be about 2,300 square feet, with a half-basement that contains the garage and a small apartment.

Deep River Gorge at New House

Today Blue and I went out to "Paradise Ranch", the site of my new home project. I had never ventured down to the river behind my property. It involves cutting through a jungle type environment on a very steep slope and some of the trees that would make good hand holds have thorns on their trunks

Blue went part way down with me, only stopping when he could no longer get footing ... long after I had told him to "stay". The first trail I cut was down a drainage ditch behind the 2 lots that I have for sale. That trek ended on a rock ledge about 30 feet above the river. Altogether it is about 120 feet vertically to the river at this location. It is dry season, so the river is just a small, steady, spring-fed creek now.

The second attempt was led by one of my helpers who cut a new path with his machete. This was about 40 yards from the building site for my new house. Again, we ended up about 30 feet above the river on a cliff. The third try, we went down beside my building site, below the 2 old giant trees and were successful in reaching the bottom.

It is evident that much more water flows in the river during the 8 month "green" season but right now it is a pleasant, shallow, rocky stream with a very small water flow.

We had a successful morning and even managed to get the tall grass cut over the entire "footprint" of the new house.

Rain Starts - New Oranges - House

It seems that the "green" season (rainy) has begun. We have had heavy rain showers for the past 3 days, starting from noon to 3:00 pm and lasting for 30 minutes to an hour. I haven't checked the amount of rainfall but it is usually 1 to 2 inches in a short period of time. Update 8 May: False alarm! We are still not fully into the green season.

Today I picked the first new orange from one of the 3 orange trees in the back yard of my rented house in Volcan. I should have waited another day or two. Although oranges here are often ripe while the skin is still green, this one was not yet ripe.

Monday I have a second appointment with the surveyor to stake out the foundation outlines of the new house at "Paradise Ranch". Keeping appointments is not a 'thing' to be counted upon in Panama. I may overwork "Paradise" but this is my own personal experience of the scenery, climate, location and people in the mountains of Chiriqui Province in western Panama.

New Adventure Begins

Today is not the first day of the new adventure of building a new home in Panama, but I have made significant progress. The plans are complete and they have the dozen or so agency approvals stamped on them. I have estimates from a couple of builders and I will be getting some more.

Appointments were made today to get the surveyor out to "Paradise Ranch" to stake out the outline of the foundation and columns on my lot so that we can begin building soon. I have arranged for the water connection, and we will set up the temporary connection for the electricity soon. I plan to be on-site each day to monitor the progress of the building.

The wet season has started but we don't have rain every day yet. Part of the building schedule has to allow for a 1 to 3 hour stoppage of work each day, during the earlier stages, while the rain falls.

My dog Blue and I have been to Paradise Ranch several times in the last 2 weeks. He is as anxious as I am to get the house built so that we can move to the country. The property is 3.5 miles from the main highway at the outskirts of Volcan. With the road improvements it will soon less than a 10 minute drive to Volcan.

The road work for the new paved road is coming along nicely. Workers are putting concrete gutters along the road in places where they are needed and work is progressing on several new bridges. There is a fair amount of remaining work before they can begin paving, but they are making rapid progress.

Things move more slowly here than in some other parts of the world. However, the positive side is that very few people are "stressed out". Patience is definitely required, especially regarding schedules and appointments.

Blue & I Travel to the Coast

It's not very far from where we live in Volcan to the coast. About 30 miles due south will reach the Pacific and a little farther (and over the mountains) and we could be at the Atlantic (Caribbean) coast.

Today we traveled down the Pan American Highway, east of David about 25 miles, then south to the coast. The small town of Boca Chica itself does not have much to offer, but nearby are a couple of resorts with restaurants and great coastal views, including the small islands nearby.

On the way, we stopped to visit with our new friends "Sam" and Fred and their great pets. Two Doberman dogs and a squirrel monkey... along with another dog and various birds. They are on a private hilltop outside of Boca Chica and have an excellent view of the mountains, David at night, and the Pacific inlets and coves. The climate at nearly sea level is much too warm for me, but we had a nice visit!

I did get to let the monkey climb on my arm and Blue got to chase the monkey. Blue discovered that he is not as fast as a monkey, and that dogs cannot climb trees.

Vacation Friends & Adventures

Sometimes while on vacation you meet someone who is a delight to share time with. This happened to me recently here in Panama. I live here now, but she was on vacation ... and now she has returned home. I am already missing the times that we shared talking, dining out and most of all exploring the mountain trails, waterfalls, and nature that surrounds us here in the Volcan area.

With my passion for exploring the area to take photographs, including steep trails up and down mountain sides, it takes someone who is in good physical condition to keep up with me and with our younger guides. Most of the (gringo) men and women that I meet here are not ready for steep mountain hikes or long walks through the rain forest. Lorna was more than able to keep up with the climbs and hikes.

My very limited Spanish makes it difficult for me to make friends with locals who do not speak some English. So, I was delighted to meet a Scottish lady on vacation from England who had an interest in the local people, nature and photography. She has been here many times, speaks Spanish (with a Scottish accent) and knew many of the locals and several of the "tourist" areas.

We hiked and took pictures in the "bamboo forest" on the lower reaches of Volcan Baru, visited the Pre-Columbian archaeological site at Barriles, and hiked down (and up) to the big water falls at Cordillera. We also shared dinner at local restaurants and visited with other gringos.

At my age, finding people with similar interests is not easy. And true friendship becomes much more important than "romance". The "funk" that I am in will pass, but I will remember the adventures and good times that we shared. I am much like a child that lost his playmate, sad, but I will recover soon. God speed...

"Dry Season" Shower in Volcan, Chiriqui Province

Picture taken just after noon on Sunday, February 17, 2008. We are supposed to be in "summer" here; the "dry season".
Notice the boy on the bicycle in the middle of the picture and the water falling out of the open down spout on the adjacent roof.
I could see the heavy rain moving slowly up the street from the southwest to the northeast. We had heavy showers for at least 30 minutes. Over 2 inches of rain fell altogether.