I'm Back!

Did you miss me? I apologize for my long blog absence while I travelled around the US visiting friends, family and taking care of business. Highlights included attending my 40th Santa Rosa High School Reunion; spending a week at TrueNorth Health meeting new friends and eating gourmet vegan food; dodging snowflakes at Flathead Lake, MT during the River Management Society board meeting in October; spending precious time with my mom in Winlock, WA; attending the Juice Plus + conference in Memphis, TN (no, I didn’t make to Graceland); and finally spending my birthday week in Aruba with friends Pauline and Jennifer. Yes, I am a year older and still having loads of fun! I’ve included some pictures (mostly of Aruba and the Lower Salmon River) that shows the contrast between cold temperatures in Idaho and warm temperatures in Aruba.

I am so happy to be home at my beach in Panama. It is the tail end of the wet season. While we were in Aruba, Ville Escondido in Boquete (where Pauline's house is located) experienced several land and mud slides. They are still digging out! Another good reason to live at the beach.

Isla Paridita -- The Lost Island of Baru

OK...I didn’t exactly get videos of humpback whales breaching out of the water, but I did hear a very satisfied male humpback from Antarctica groaning after coupling with his girlfriend. Yes, Isla Paridita and Kristin Rasmussen (the research whale biologist who was our guide) provided high adventure for 2 nights & 3 days. After meeting Sandy and Dan Shepherd from Boquete (who joined Pauline & I), we left Boca Chica at 11 a.m. on the small boat named “Baru” (after Panama’s tallest mountain/volcano). Pauline & I planted ourselves on the front of the boat (our favorite spot) to enjoy the 40 minute ride to the Island. From the moment we stepped onto the white sand beach we were certain this was paradise. Isla Paridita (125 acres with 5 beaches) is the only island in Chiriqui Gulf National Marine Park where accommodations are provided. We got settled into our Swiss-Family-Robinson style palapa on the beach then went for a walk with Jeff (the host extraordinaire of Isla Paridita). What a lovely island... complete with 2 lagoons, 2 kayaks and loads of hiking trails. After our hike, we showered in hot water while overlooking the ocean. And them I saw them... 3 humpback whales! They were very close to our palapa and appeared to be a cow, calf and one lone male (a distance from the cow and calf). They were playing (especially the calf)... smashing tails (also called flukes) and pectoral fins into the water and generally having a good time. We had a lovely dinner that included roosterfish (somewhat tough like sword fish), rice and veggies. The next morning (9/9/09...hard to forget that date) we left on Kristin's whale research boat about 8:00 a.m. and headed toward Isla Ladronas (Thieves Island). Very soon, Kristin dropped her hydrophone into the ocean, and we heard the lovely songs of male humpbacks (only the males sing). We saw a total of 9 whales throughout the day (the group previous to us saw 21 whales!). Often we followed whale "footprints" (slick circles on the water where whales dive) or looked for iridescent blue pectoral fins. Humpback whale pectoral fins are usually white and 1/3 the length of the body (the longest appendages in the animal kingdom). I found it very odd that pectoral fins turn iridescent blue when they are just under the surface of the blue Pacific ocean. After watching and recording whales for 5 hours, we stopped at Isla Gamez for swimming and lunch. A rainy, tropical storm was brewing, so we headed back to Isla Paridita and hot showers. What a fabulous trip! We returned to Boca Chica and Playa La Barqueta the next day. I can't wait until I return to the island with my next "company".

Footnote: The three lovely whale pictures at the top of this blog were taken on our trip by Kristin with her mega telephoto lens (thanks for sharing your pictures, Kristin).

Whale Watching Expedition Coming Soon

I can't wait!! On September 8, Pauline (you may remember her from previous blogs) and I will board a boat for a 2-day whale watch off Isla Paridita. The humpback whales are calving near the island! Plus, we will stay at primitive huts on Isla Paridita for 2 nights. On the Island, we will hike, kayak and snorkel. Check out these links for more information on Isla Paridita (a biologist's dream).

http://carldealphotography.blogspot.com/2009/04/isla-paridita-pictures.html
http://carldealphotography.blogspot.com/2009/04/isla-paridita.html

Stay tuned! I hope to have videos of whales doing their thing when I return from Isla Paridita September 10!

House Hunters International Comes To Playa La Barqueta

It should be illegal to sit on my back porch as I eat delicious squash stew and stare into the ocean sunset. In case you haven’t gathered from my previous blogs, I absolutely LOVE my new beach house. I hung the hammock hooks, artwork and Hawaiian whale (who has been with me since the early 90’s), so my move is now official. Speaking of official, House Hunters International (www.hgtv.com) just filmed three houses on the beach here (see pictures above). The Playa La Barqueta episode is scheduled to air in fall. This is the third time House Hunters International has come to Panama (before they filmed in Boquete and Panama City). From what I understand, the crew was very impressed with the 16-mile long beach and the gorgeous beach houses. Also, once House Hunters International exposes an area to millions of the viewing public, prices and house sales tend to sky-rocket (i.e. buy my condo now if you want a good deal).

You might be wondering what this picture of a 5-foot long boa is doing on my blog. I had the pleasure of meeting him the other morning when I was learning how to clean Mike & Susan’s pool. Roadie (the gardener-worker) said there was a snake in the front yard. The boa constrictor was hidden very well in the “moanie” (snake grass). Roadie grabbed the boa with a stick & placed it on the driveway. The boa actually hissed a few times as he got more agitated with the tormenting stick. The boa was released across the street where he can continue eating unwary rodents, birds and lizards.

Life continues to be a total adventure as I learn the Argentine Tango, watch an unsuspecting Collard Forest Falcon swooping through the Las Olas canopy, spot 50 species of birds (including my favorite -- Violaceous Trogon) with Jacob Ortega (www.birdinginpanama.com) on the Pipeline Road near Panama City (thanks Jim & Lora), learn Spanish (I’m finally devoting myself to that necessidad), and open my heart to all the new friends coming into my life.

Warm Turtle Eggs

This of course is turtle season, but I spaced out that fact when I walked the beach this morning. It was 6:15 a.m. and the tide was coming in (low tide was at 4:00 a.m.). I was enjoying the morning coolness and hunting for sea beans when I heard a low whistle (not of the bird variety). It was Marciel trying to get my attention. I had just walked by these huge tracks (Leslie & Doug's Villa in the distance) thinking they were tire tracks. He expertly dug up the Olive Ridley turtle eggs and needed a place to put them so they could be carried. He took off his shirt but was wearing only a thin tank. Hummm... I was wearing a double layer stretchy top hidden by my weight vest. So I whipped off my weight vest and top (yes, I was wearing a jog bra) and donated the double layer top to the cause. He dug up 63 eggs which were easily & safely held by the top. I carried the eggs (weighed over 10 pounds) back to the turtle nesting nursery (in front of Marciel's family restaurant) and waited a few minutes for him to return from the rest of his running beach patrol (he found no more nests). The nesting sanctuary that he constructs every year for the turtles is fenced with string designating individual nests. He's on his 7th nest hole. With any luck, the first turtle release will happen by the end of July with my friends Jim, Lora and Forrest are here.

Amazing Connections

It's been exactly 1 month since I wrote the last Blog! Thanks for hanging with me in spite of long transgressions away from Mr. Computer. My iTouch iPod got me by (it still amazes me that I can drive up to a Winlock, WA gift shop, park outside & check/respond to my email). This trip seemed to be all about connections. Highlights were reconnecting with my Lady of the Lake dancing friends (since I was last there in 2004 right before Alaska's worst fire season); seeing Carlette and Larry in their beautiful new house near Rose Lake, Idaho (we worked together in Fairbanks); celebrating July 4 in Kelseyville, CA with my cousins (like Debbie Murphy who I hadn't seen since the 1960's). Yes, that's my official family picture with brother Michael, me, brother Neal & Mom. I'm the one without a beer. By far the weirdest connection occurred when I got Mom on the Horizon flight bound from PDX to Sacramento. As I boarded I belatedly remembered that I forgot Mom's medications. To complicate matters, the woman in the seat just in front of Mom looked deep into my eyes and said, "Elaine... Is that you? What are you doing here?" I recognized her but couldn't figure out the connection. Luckily, she started talking about Panama and I remembered (rather quickly for my age) that it was Amie Zawacki who shares a condo with her dad Ken in my condo development. I last saw Amie in March in Panama. And since Amie and her dad are both doctors (Amie in Portland & Ken in CA), they helped with the proper steps for getting Mom a 2 day supply of meds. My parting connection was a 2-hour cell phone call (this was the first time I had a sore ear from talking on a cell phone) with author Frank Romano who was on tour promoting his book "Storm Over Morocco" (a very good read by the way). Frank & I went to Santa Rosa HS together 40 years ago & will see each other "in the flesh" at the SRHS 40 year reunion on September 26.

Now I'm back to my "normal" fantasy retirement life... leading a bird walk for 10 birders (behind my condo) tomorrow, booking a few kayak adventures for next week, preparing to move into my beach house in a week and sharing Panama in all of her glory with friends from Hawaii starting June 20.

Rio Chiriqui Nuevo

Wow! I had another wonderful adventure today when I joined forces with 3 new couple friends and fellow retires Phil and Susan, Joyce and Nick, Tammy and Mitch. We spent several hours floating the Rio Esti and Rio Chiriqui Nuevo near David. It was a lovely trip full of 1 spill (Joyce and Nick got sideways in their inflatable kayak & went for a swim), great weather (overcast with no rain), and green Panama scenery (I love the rainy season). When I opened Google Earth in search of where we had floated, I was surprised to see these pictures of the Rio Chiriqui Nuevo bridge when it failed in 1984. I couldn't find anything else about the catastrophe. I also had to include a picture of the beach house I am buying. Plans are to move in once I return to Panama July 8.