On the eve of Christmas, 2010, Feliz Navidad from Panama (where I am now) and Mele Kalikimaka from Hawaii (where I'll be next year). It is the beginning of the dry season (December through April), and I've been very busy with activities. Nina and Richard have returned from Alaska (that's Nina & I bicycling in the Alaska shirts). My friends Sandy Itzkowitz and Merill Creaghz (pictured hiking the Pipeline trail near Boquete) just arrived from Oregon for 10 days. Sandy is a total inspiration as she was in a bicycle accident 4 years ago and suffered a spinal cord surgery that made her quadriplegic. With some major tenacity on her part, she is nearly totally recovered (& you wouldn't know it looking at these pictures). If you Google Sandy, you can read her great story of recovery.
We are keeping very busy watching the Solstice Lunar Eclipse (Sandy recorded it with her camera for 2 hours the first night she was here!), kayaking in the mangrove (8 miles) bicycling on the beach at low tide (8 miles), moonlight hiking on the beach (3 miles), shopping at the Frontera (border of Panama & Costa Rica), driving to Volcan and Cerra Punta, and hiking with Chester-dog (today he was driven crazy by an iguana hiding in a log). We have seen loads of wildlife including a Northern Tamandua Anteater, 3 Crab-eating Raccoons, 2 Spectacled Caimans, Howler Monkeys (heard only) and Agouti. This is a lovely location for celebrating Solstice, Christmas and New Year's. Stay tuned! I'll soon be adding a blog about my adventures in Hawaii.
