The Final Blog, for this trip anyway...

February 21, 2010

Panama, The final chapter        

Here I am, relaxing in a nice hotel room in Panama City, looking to my left at lots of boats moored on the Eastern side of the Miraflores Locks, which (I think) is the end of the Panama Canal. To the right is the Bridge of the Americas, which crosses the body of water that leads to the canal.  Here's the view from our balcony.

It’s sunny and in the high 80’s, and I’m kind of scared to think about the weather I’m going home to tomorrow.

We had a great last couple of days in Boca Chica, doing some final jobs to get our cabina finished, picked up the last few pieces of furniture that we had built, and hung a few things on the walls. We met a wonderful furniture maker when we first coming here, a beautiful lady named Julissa Diaz, who has a high quality, handmade rattan and wood furniture business. A lot of us at Black and Blue have commissioned her to do custom pieces for us, and the quality and beauty are truly exceptional, for very reasonable prices. Here a few pics of what she’s made for us.

 

 

 

She is a pleasure to deal with, and we always look forward to stopping by to see what she’s currently working on.

Friday night we went to Gone Fishing Panama with Carl and Bitsy for our farewell dinner and drinks night out. It was a blast, there must have been 30 gringos there. We got to party, eat, and then regretfully say goodbye to so many people that we have loved getting to know in Boca Chica, and I’m especially sad, since I probably won’t be back until next winter. I just don’t want to go for less than two weeks, and with my Native Sons customer relationships, and my Palmetto Gear venture, I just won’t take that much time off during my busy season, between April and September. The fall is rainy season in Panama, so I don’t really want to go back then, and then it’s time for holiday, so more than likely my feet will not hit the ground in Panama again until January 2011, wow, that seems like a long time away.

Saturday night we planned a quiet dinner back at the camp with Bitsy and Carl, and while we were having cocktail hour and eating my last batch of Palmetto Cheese dip, the power went out. No problem for us though, since we were having whole beef tenderloin on the grill, and mashed potatoes that we cooked on the gas stove with flashlights for lighting. The sliced tomatoes were also OK since they just required a knife. The parts of town that was also without power were everyone on Boca Brava Island, our kitchen, and our four waterfront cabinas. We learned that we’re on the same circuit as the Island, which can be occasionally problematic. After dinner our cabina was really hot, so we decided to sleep in the guest cabina next to Bitsy and Carl up on the hill, and had a little drive-in movie moment of watching Lonesome Dove on my 13” laptop sitting on Carl’s custom version of Adirondack chairs on the front porch, while the cabina cooled down. That was very cool. One of those lifelong memories. It sure is a lot more fun to make the best of a situation than to make the worst of one, what a great life lesson that is.

Sunday morning we left the camp at 8, flew from David to Panama City, checked in at our hotel, and walked to the Balboa Yacht Club for lunch. They have delicious cheeseburgers, and the beer was nice and cold, but the loud speakers blasting a special concert by the Who was a little much for a Sunday afternoon. Here’s a picture of the view from our table.

After lunch we went to a few Artensenal mercados (artisan markets), and bought a few more very unusual molas to take home with us, I think I’ll make them into placemats.We had dinner at our favorite restaurant on the Amador Causeway called Leno and Carbons, and went to bed early. On Monday our travel day went smoothly, and we were home in Awendaw at 6:30 to find a happy cat, an immaculate house, and dinner (and homemade Key Lime Pie!) waiting for us in the fridge. Carole did us such a wonderful job of taking care of things back home, without her I couldn't have had such great peace of mind to enjoy our trip.

Now I've been back to work for a few days, actually slid those tan toes into socks and boots this morning, but you know, it's OK. I've written some nice orders, seen lots of customers and friends from the office, and now it's time to get back to the real world and try to make 2010 my best selling year yet, let's see if I can!

I'm kind of liking this blogging business, so don't be surprsied if you see me post another one from time to time, it's a great way to share your thoughts and pics to all the many people in your world, with just one session of typing.

Adios amigas and amigos!