Michael: The Little Things

The early morning
Star, in the dark blue sky, is
Silent and alone.



Friday, October 23, 2015

With all the expenses of moving to a new country I’m trying to reign in any unnecessary purchases. When we go to Panama City shortly, for instance, if there’s a bike shop near to where we’re staying, I’d like to get a sleeveless bike jersey. But I’m not going to go out of my way to find one, or order one on line which, if we were in the states, I’m sure I would have done by now. 

But then there are the semi-unexpected quasi-necessary purchases. Those are the ones that kill me, particularly right now when my safety valve funds are dwindling at an uncomfortably fast rate.

We’re now nearing the tail end of the rainy season, maybe less than two months to go, and I was hoping we’d be able to get by without a dehumidifier. We were told by some ex-pat neighbors we’d eventually need one, and it looks like that time has come.

There are so many other things I’d like to look at and research that I can’t buy, but it looks like when we return from the big city, I’ll be investigating and purchasing a dehumidifier. And the damned thing isn’t going to fit on my feet, do anything for my farmer’s tan, or inspire me at all to workout.

Michael: The Nitty Gritty

The sun and the stars
Are so much brighter when seen
From a dark dark place.

Thursday, October 21, 2015

The loan application process for a loan against my tax shelter annuity was very straight forward. I was given two choices for the length of the loan; 5 y or 10 years. The 10 year period is only allowed for home loans. I checked the 10 year box and, it seems on my good faith alone, the application will go forward. To my surprise, I’m not  required to show any documentation that the loan is for the purchase of a primary residence. That could’ve been a major complication as the loan is technically not for the structure but for the land. And though I feel that’s an integral part of building a house, that doesn’t mean a loan officer would see it that way.

Now for that quick announcer voice over part that details all the different ways this drug could totally mess up my life, except he’s talking about a loan instead of a drug.

This is not an interest rate free loan. I am being charged 6%. Additionally, they are setting aside a reserve account in the amount of 110% of the loan so there is virtually no way to default on this loan. If I were to default, the loan would be paid off from the reserve account and whatever amount hadn’t been repaid would be reported to the IRS as income and taxed appropriately.

The reserve account does continue to draw interest at a guaranteed rate of 4% and not at the rate of the rest of my retirement account, which is tied to the stock market. Of course if the market tanks or lies flat for 10 years, having money set aside with a guaranteed interest, might not be such a terrible thing. But historically, I’m on the losing end of this deal.

Subtracting the loan and the reserve account, the rest of my tax sheltered money continues on the roller coaster ride that is the stock market.

To illustrate how this works using simple numbers; let’s say I have $50,000 in a TSA. I borrow $10,000. The set aside in the reserve account would be $11,000. That would leave $29,000 in the balance of my TSA account. After 10 years, or when the loan is paid in full, my money will be reunited and continues to grow as one investment. 

Once I get a loan from a Panamanian bank to fund the construction of our house, I’m considering drawing a small amount annually from my TSA to pay the annual TSA loan amount. But now I’m getting way ahead of myself. One step a time.

Steven, the Enterprising Taxi Driver

The rhythm of time
Is the sound the ball made when
We use to play catch.


Wednesday, October 20, 2015

We take a taxi home after we do our grocery shopping. That’s very common here. Yesterday my plan was to ask the driver if he could wait for just a minute while I retrieved our empty propane canister and if he could then take us to the nearest store, Berards, and again wait for just a minute while I got a new canister, and then return us home. It sounds like a lot of waiting, but really it’s very quick and would be a win - win for both the driver and us. We don’t have to walk an empty canister to the store and then wait for a taxi, and the driver doesn’t have to spend time looking for other fares.

The young driver, Steven, who picked us up from the grocery store was one of the few drivers who spoke to us in English. He had no problem taking us to Berards if we didn’t mind if he first picked up a friend. That turned out to be just the first little detour on what became a brief tour of some of the small side streets we’ve never traveled down in Volcan.

After he picked up his friend, a mariachi band leader whose band competes in Panama and Costa Rica, he suggested instead of going to Berards for the gas we go to the nearby gas station. It was closer to where he picked his friend up from and we also wouldn’t have to wait in line in the store.

Next, instead of taking us home he drove down a little street to drop his friend off at a small store. At the store he picked up a man with a car tire that needed to be fixed and took him to the gas station.

After that he drove down another small road to pick up his wife and daughter. It felt a little odd going up the driveway into Steven’s home, but at this point, we were just along for the ride and hoping we weren’t being kidnapped.

He introduced his wife and daughter though he kept referring to his daughter as his son. In learning English, he may have only learned the translation of “ninos”, which in Spanish can refer to children or boys, as “son”. I don’t know why he didn’t know the translation of “nina” as daughter, but then I’m sure many of the people around here don’t understand what I’m saying half the time either.

He did take us home with his wife and daughter in tow after picking them up. He also gave us his number suggesting that next time we need gas to call him and he’ll bring it to us then take our empty canister to the store. That would definitely be a hassle saver for us. But we might prefer that he pick us from the grocery store so we can enjoy another underground tourist ride through the side streets of Volcan.

Michael: Fuddy Duddies

The guardian frogs
Are out there every night
Gobbling up bugs.

Tuesday, October 19, 2015

Kimme and I enjoy our routines, but I hope that doesn’t make us fuddy duddies. Of course, I suppose just using that phrase is a pretty good indicator that fuddy duddy may be an apt description of us.

But no, we try new things on occasion. Just the other day we went exploring and ran up two new roads. In fact, training on roads this year is very much a new activity for me. I far prefer the trails. But you can’t perform speed work or tempo runs on the trails here. Heck, you really can’t even train for trail races on the trails here. These trails are more for hiking than running.

So we’re adapting; exploring new ways of training. That may not put us in the avant garde, but I think it shows we’re not fuddy duddies.

Michael: Toilet Tissue Issues

The clear sparkles flash
On the black asphalt: jewels
From the cold dark skies.

Monday, October 18, 2015

This is a subject I’m only going to talk about once. I don’t like bathroom talk, not among friends or enemies and particularly not with someone of the opposite sex that I would like to be involved with intimately. It spoils the sense of mystery for me that I believe helps maintain a sense of romance in a relationship. But yesterday, after the toilet almost overflowed, the subject had to be addressed.

There is a small waste basket that sits beside the toilet that I was pretty sure, by how quickly it’s been filling up, Kimme was using after urinating. But was she always using it or just occasionally? She said she was always using it and not just for urinating, but for all of her toilet tissue related functions.

She just excepted that that’s the way things were done here and was surprised I didn’t know that as well. She asked if I hadn’t noticed that when I used any of the public bathrooms. No, I hadn’t. I don’t make a habit of using public toilets and if I do, I only use a urinal. For me, non-domicile toilets are worse than road kill. I don’t want to see them or even glance in their direction if I can at all avoid it.

I also didn’t realize that toilet paper was a problem if you have a septic tank. Again, one of those live and learn kind of things.

I’ve never used a trash can for such matters, but if it would save our toilet from overflowing and extend the use of the septic tank, I suppose I’m going to have to reconsider.

All right, enough of that. But I don’t believe I’ve read International Living talk about this when they talk about retiring overseas.

Michael: Plan B

The mathematics
Of running is lost in the
Haze of a long nap.

Sunday, October 18, 2015

There’s always a glitch. To fund building a house here, I can take out a loan from my tax shelter annuity but not enough and for too short of a pay back period to make it worthwhile. So to plan B.

I’m still probably going to borrow against my T.S.A., only for a smaller amount; just enough to buy a decent plot of land to build on. In Panama, if you own land and are a resident, you can take out what’s called a Bridge Loan. It’s a loan to encourage new construction. I’ll find out more about the requirements for that loan once we get back from Panama City with our Pensionado visas and can open a bank account here.

But I am determined. Only now it’s become a two step loan process dealing with two different institutions in two different countries. I’m keeping my fingers crossed it won’t become much more complicated than that.

Michael: News from the Friday market

Men behind buildings
Are rarely discussing how
To save the planet.

Saturday, October 17, 2015

Almost every Friday at the ex-pat market we talk to someone we haven’t talked to before and learn something new. This week I talked to Blake who’s a working builder living in Cuesta de Piedra, and Don, who is retired and lives in Paso Ancho.

From Blake we learned he has property for sale that he would be happy to show us. He believes Cuesta de Piedra has the best weather in all of the highlands. It sits at 3,500 ft. , about 1,000 ft. below Volcan and about 5 miles down the main road. He says it’s a bit warmer than Volcan but isn’t subject to the seasonal strong winds we get here. He’ll be happy to show us his for sale property when we return from Panama City in a couple of weeks.

He also estimates our building costs will be between $60 and $80 a square ft. That’s higher than I’d like, but he’s an American builder and does a lot of work in the expensive market of Boquete so his estimate may be on the high side.

He also mentioned another type of visa we may want to investigate, called the E-cedula, or Friendly Nations visa. Once we’ve got the Pensionado visa, he believes it would only take another 30 days to get that visa. We’ll have to do some research to see if it would be worth our while.

From Don we learned there are quite a few properties for sale in Paso Ancho, a nice area just north (?) of us. He was also a builder, but didn’t build his home here. He mentioned a few Panamanian contractors that he thought did excellent work.

He used a real estate agent, Laura, to find his property and was very happy with her services. She’s the same agent we’ve been talking to, so we were happy to here that.

Neither Kimme nor I are big socialisers but we have been learning a lot and also enjoying how friendly and open everyone has been with us here.

Michael: Volcanoes

The cattle being
Shuttled down the road kindly
Stepped aside for me.

Friday, October 16, 2015

Volcanoes have managed to play more of a role in my adult life than I ever thought they would when I was growing up in Southern California. Currently, I’m living under one. As an elementary teacher I would have to constantly admonish students that volcano displays were not acceptable science fair projects. They were not experiments and did not demonstrate their understanding of the scientific method.

Now, via Hulu, Best Buy is haunting me with an idiotic commercial showing a girl creating a dud of a volcano in front of her father. Instead of slapping her and feeling embarrassed that he hasn’t taken enough interest in her schooling to question her about what she’s being taught about science, he takes her to Best Buy to buy a new T.V. that will take her idiotic project and, through the marvel of its clarity and vivid colors, turn it into a winner at the science fair.

I don’t know who to ironically laugh at more; the girl, the father, Best Buy, or me for watching and getting so angry over and over again at the idiocy of this commercial.

Michael: Los Posos Trash Trial #1

When the rain subsides
The birds whistle and chatter
In celebration.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

The trailhead to the Los Posos hot springs is a mess. It’s a bus stop, and typical of bus stops in the area, it’s often littered with trash. To do our civic duty Kimme and I have decided to try and clean it up. The glitch in the plan is that we don’t have a car and don’t feel it would be acceptable to try and board a bus with a hefty bag of refuge.

Our first solution was to pick up the trash and leave the bag at the bus stop to see if any nearby landowner or thoughtful passerby would dispose of it.
But when we returned yesterday the bag had been ripped open, probably by a wandering dog, and was piled where we left it.

We’ve decided that to remove the trash we’ll take what we can in small trash bags that we’ll place in a dry bag and take on the bus. With the trash in a sturdy dry bag we won’t have to worry about it causing a problem on the bus and we won’t feel like eco-nerds boarding a bus with a bag of trash.

Michael: Los Posos trash trial #1

When the rain subsides
The birds whistle and chatter
In celebration.
Thursday, October 15, 2015


The trailhead to the Los Posos hot springs is a mess. It’s a bus stop, and typical of bus stops in the area, it’s often littered with trash. To do our civic duty Kimme and I have decided to try and clean it up. The glitch in the plan is that we don’t have a car and don’t feel it would be acceptable to try and board a bus with a hefty bag of refuge.

Our first solution was to pick up the trash and leave the bag at the bus stop to see if any nearby landowner or thoughtful passerby would dispose of it.
But when we returned yesterday the bag had been ripped open, probably by wandering dog, and was piled where we left it.

We’ve decided that to remove the trash we’ll take what we can in small trash bags that we’ll place in a dry bag and take on the bus. With the trash in a sturdy dry bag we won’t have to worry about it causing a problem on the bus and we won’t feel like eco-nerds boarding a bus with a bag of trash.

Michael: Shocking News

Thunder shook our house
With the equivalent  force
of a small earthquake.

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Kimme couldn’t leave painful enough alone. She’s been picking at the hole left from her extracted wisdom tooth and was afraid she might have developed dry socket so we set up a dentist appointment for Tuesday at three.

We’re good Americans so we got there at three, but our dentist, Dr. Sinclair wasn’t there; Perhaps just running a little Latin late. Past three thirty and since he still hadn’t shown, we decided to walk home. He pulled up as we were just slightly down the street. He explained to us he had been preparing a sign to inform his patients that he would not be able to keep his appointments because lightening from Monday’s storm knocked out the transmitter that supplies his office with electricity. Until the government fixes it, he’s out of business. He’ll call us when he’s back up and running.

The gods above have at least temporarily restored our internet service, but taken away our dentist. We still haven’t figured out yet why they do what they do or what sacrifices we should make to please them.

Michael: Winter in Central America?

From the horizon
Comes the old promises of new
Tides, sun and sirens.

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

In Los Angeles, while the rest of the country might be blanketed in snow, the high can still reach into the 80s. While I lived there, I always thought that many people in the country didn’t understand that there is definitely a difference between a summer 80 and a winter 80. In the summer an 80 usually means it’s warm from early in the morning until late in the afternoon. A winter 80 means it’s usually 80 for about half an hour around midday then it cools off quickly back into sweater weather.

Well, now I’m beginning to understand why Panamananians call this their winter season. It’s like L.A. in reverse. The lows here at night can get into the low 60s or high 50s, but now in the rainy season, because of the longer cloud cover and more persistent rain, the cold comes in earlier and last longer. In the dry season I might have my sweatshirt on just to stave off the morning chill (I’m a pretty early riser.). But now I’m wearing it starting late in the afternoon.

I know people in Minnesota may not understand or be very sympathetic, but anyone from Southern California knows what I’m talking about. Numbers don’t tell the whole story, and even in the cloud forest of Central America, there can be a winter.

Michael: The Next Steps

The heart of the storm
Bleeds in clear rivulets of
Life giving water.

Monday, October 12, 2015

For those of you following along at home, we’re approaching the finish of obtaining our Pensionado visas. Our lawyer has advised us that to complete the process we should plan on visiting Panama City for 5 working days. She’s laid out an itinerary that goes as follows:
1. We meet her assistant at the Immigration office at 6:30 a.m. to register for the visa. That costs $5 each.
2. He takes us to a doctor for a medical examinations. $20 each.
3. We go to the lawyer’s office to complete the documents we picked up at the Immigration office.
4. The following day, if the documents are ready, we go back to the Immigration office with the documents and our passports and file for the visas. $100 each. While they have our passports, we’re given temporary I.D. cards.
5. We wait two days while they process the documents, our visas are returned and we are given temporary Visa cards until our final ones are ready.

I knew at some point we’d probably have to go to Panama City to complete the process, but I didn’t know it would be for 5 days. That I’m not keen on, but Kimme sees it as an adventure. We did just finish watching season 19 of the Amazing Race on Hulu and the next to last place they raced through was Panama City. I guess I can look at the process as a similar event - Will they get through the maze that’s Panama City and leave with their new visas, or will they be eliminated from the race? We’ll find out shortly.

Michael: Can it be that simple?

Bugs are becoming
Part of my nutrition plan
During my bike rides.

Sunday, October 11, 2015

This is the part during the beautiful drug commercial where the narrator steps in and starts reading all the complications and fine print, but instead of drugs he’s talking about home loans.

I figure borrowing against my own money for a home loan should be an easy process, but that low voiced quick talking unseen narrator may be delivering the fine print via e-mail this time round, instead of disrupting the dream sequence of our frolicking in our garden in front of our beautiful new home. 

That I should find out very shortly as I just sent a note to my financial advisor inquiring about the conditions of loaning myself my own money.
If it’s inordinately complicated or impossible, I do have a back up plan; taking out a loan through a Panamanian bank.

But I am beginning to feel like instead of showing the couple holding hands while sitting on the porch gazing off into the sunset, this may be the part where it would be more realistic to show them sitting on the curb, haggard and bitter, and sniping at each other. No voice over necessary. 

Michael: Home versus Home Base

The intense gray skies
Cry out in low primal screams
Right before they weep.

October 10, 2015

With the process of obtaining our visas well underway along with our planning to build a home here, it would seem I’ve made a firm decision to retire in Panama. But I don’t see it that way.

Kimme likes to think of it as home versus home base. Panama is going to be our home base while we explore and travel, but it’s not necessarily going to be our permanent home. We just don’t know at this stage of the game where we’ll eventually end up, though we both feel we’ll return to the U.S. at some point.

I also think of it in terms of a resource allocations decision. If I take part of my retirement savings now and invest it in a home here, I will dramatically decrease my costs of living and free up my financial resources to use now as opposed to later. I’ll use some approximate numbers to demonstrate. Rent cost $750. Let’s say I build a home here for $90,000. Over 30 years that’s a monthly mortgage of  about $300. That’s an annual savings of over $5,000 per year. That’s money we can use to travel or invest or buy shoes.

And since I’m loaning the money to myself, in 30 years that money will all be there waiting for me as I’m about to turn 90. I know, if I invested that money wisely now, I’d probably have a great deal more of it as I neared my 90th  birthday, but I’m not so sure I’m going to care all that much then. I feel a far more younger chipper me, would enjoy the money a bit more now, and I’ll let the old man me curse the younger dude making these decisions when he gets there and wonders why he can’t buy that yacht he’s always dreamed of.

I figure at the worst, in a few years we decide to move elsewhere and sell our place. We may not make money, but I don’t anticipate we’ll lose either.

In the meantime, we’ll be living and working in a beautiful home in a lovely part of the world with resources to travel and visit the people we love and care about. 

Michael: Better Late Than

A long straight descent
With the wind at your back is
Beautifully scary.

Friday, October 9, 2015

After a two week wait, on what was promised to be a three to five day delivery, I finally got word from our lawyer that USPS delivered the documents we need to obtain our Pensionado Visas. That is not only a huge relief but a big step in moving forward on any plans we have on living here.

I haven’t heard back yet from our lawyer on what the next steps are or what the timeline for the visa looks like now, but I do feel much freer to push the needle of the dream machine closer to the reality side of the dial.

Once we get the visa, I’ll be able to open a bank account with a Panamanian bank and eventually qualify for an auto and home loan. But first, I’m going to ask my tax shelter annuity advisor on the conditions of a home loan through my annuity. That will give me some options regarding the financing of the house.

I’m also going to contact houseplans.com to see what they’ll charge me to modify one of their housing plans.

Everything else, like arranging for shipping our goods in our storage unit from the states, to looking for land, to looking to buy a new or used  car, and whatever else will be easier once we have our visas, is going to wait until we have the visas in our hands.

Panaderias: Thursday, October 8, 2015

The old man rummaged
Through a box of tools while some
Boys cleared out his house.

A panaderia is a combination of a small bakery, an ice cream parlor and a coffee shop and they are ubiquitous in Volcan. They may sound similar to Starbucks, but there are quite different. For one, they’re not chains. At the most you’ll find a second bakery run by the same people, but otherwise, they’re all individually owned and operated which leads to variations in products, service and atmosphere.

But they do have their commonalities. Unlike Starbucks, or most coffee shops in the states, panaderias are much more of a gathering spot for the whole family. Workers do come in for coffee and a treat to go (para llevar), but people are much more inclined to sit down with a friend or family member and enjoy they’re coffee at a leisurely pace. There are no drive-thrus and no one is sitting with a lap top and doing business or searching the net. It’s not Shangra La mind you. Phones are as omnipresent here as they are in the states, but kids do come in with their parents or with their friends after school for donas or an ice cream.

There are also tangible differences between the panaderias and coffee shops in the states, like you get one size of coffee here, but those quantifiable differences aren’t nearly as telling as the differences in feel between panaderias and most coffee shops in the states. Panaderias just seem to have a less glossy and more to the heart vibe than coffee shops do in the states.

Michael:ESL

ESL: Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Solitude should be
As rewarding to the soul
As any marriage.

The ex-pat volunteer that asked if I could help out teaching Panamanians English gave me an update last Sunday. I won’t be needed this month, but in a couple of weeks I am going to meet the Panamanian teacher that runs the program. She’ll give me a course overview and I’ll  begin volunteering in March. That puts me back in a classroom teaching for the first time in over two years; very exciting.

I’m really hoping the interaction with these highly motivated Panamanians will help spur me to improve my Spanish. It’s surprising how little Spanish we’ve been able to get by with here. “ I’m fine. How are you? How much does it cost?  Bye. See you next time.” and a few other essential odds and ends have gotten us through living in a pretty small town in Panama for 10 months.

I know there are numerous benefits to learning a second language and I’m certain that it will expand my interactions with interesting people both here and in the states.  

Michael: Updates, Odds and Ends

Panaderias
Are the gathering centers
Of life in Volcan.

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

On Saturday, after our Dentist Dr. Sinclair looked at Kimme’s x-rays, he decided that pulling her wisdom tooth would be a simple procedure that he could perform. We made an appointment for yesterday afternoon at 4 and slightly thereafter, out came her tooth. She’s in the usual amount of discomfort after a pulled tooth and has been taking ibuprofen.

We walked to and from the dentist without any rain. It didn’t rain all day yesterday, which was pretty unusual. There was sheet lightening and maybe that had something to do with us not having internet service for about the fourth night since a magical storm shorted out our phone but restored our internet service about a month ago.

That means to relax we reverted to watching an old Columbo CD. Ah, those were the days when murders were easy to count and understand. At the most, there are only two murders per episode and there’s always a pretty relatable motive; greed, jealousy, family… Now, when we do have the net and I go to AOL to check my mail, I’m usually greeted by some new mass shooting back in the states.

In the mail (e-mail, of course. No one uses snail mail here.) we get our own little local crime updates now and then through a blog called the Chiriqui Chatter. Here in the Chiriqui region, there seems to be an ongoing rash of home invasion robberies that have involved stabbings and shootings and a few murders. I haven’t looked at the statistics, but I doubt homicides are any where near the U.S. numbers.

And speaking of the U.S. and snail mail. Against the advice of our lawyer, who told me the only reliable service here is FedEx, I had documents sent to her via the good old USPS. It was insured and guaranteed to arrive in 3-5 days. It’s been two weeks. According to their tracking service it’s been in Panama City almost the whole time and continues to be in transit to our lawyer’s office. I know Panama City is a big confusing place, but a week and a half to walk a letter across town seems kind of on the ridiculous side. Our lawyer is now involved in the hunt for the missing documents and hopefully her knowledge of the ways of Panama will allow her to find them. We’re trying to remain hopeful. 

It is raining right now, after 6 a.m., which is also very unusual. But the net is up again. I’m hoping when I check into AOL I’ll be greeted by some naked babe celeb or Donald Trump at the worst and not some vacuous eyed loner posing with a rifle. Even better would be a note from the USPS that their courier was able to crawl up to the fifth floor of our lawyer’s building and deliver our documents.

Michael: A Rare Sight

The rugged Quetzal
Is a battered and muddy
Mess still worth hiking.

Monday, October 5, 2015

We haven’t hiked the Quetzal in over a month. But still, deep into the rainy season, it’s a doable and worthwhile jog/hike/crawl.

We haven’t seen the elusive Quetzal in a while, but yesterday we did get a glimpse of an even rarer sight; two young parents patiently hiking up the trail with their very young daughter. I don’t believe I’ve seen anyone younger than a teenager on any of the trails we’ve hiked this year, and at under 5, this girl was definitely the youngest person we’ve seen hiking here.

We saw them walking together very slowly from the beginning of the trail and an hour and a half later, when I was on my way back, they were just reaching the ranger station at the 2 kilometer mark. Granted, the first two kilometers of the Quetzal are a very steep and rocky trek up a jeep trail, but I would’ve been pulling my short stubby hairs out if I had to wait that long for someone to walk 2k with me. The girl wasn’t being carried or cajoled to speed it up and the parents looked just as happy and patient as they did when I saw them at the start.

All of them are three of my new heroes.

Michael: New Shoes!

New Shoes! Sunday, October 4, 2015

The religions marched
Down the street with only their
Banners and Jesus.

Sunday, October 4, 2015

Trail shoes. They’re definitely an expensive weakness. I’ve pledged to live with less and try to get by with what I have, but damn it, it’s hard to shake the belief that the perfect number of trail shoes is what I have +1.

I intended to return from Panama with two new pairs of shoes. I came back from the states with three new pairs. That should do it for this year. But if we should get lucky enough to make a return visit, I’m sure I’ll pick up a few more. If I were smart, I’d get a few extra pairs of some of the shoes I just purchased. 

I know. I said three pairs and the picture shows four. The pair on the bottom are an old pair that I included because they round out what should be a complete trail shoe line-up for everyone except possibly for those that live in very cold weather. One or more of these shoes might work under those conditions as well. I wouldn’t know. But under any other conditions, one of these shoes should work.

Starting from the top and going clockwise:

The Brooks Pure Grit 4s. Great all around shoe and the one I’d go to if I could only use one shoe. I used these on a four day fast pack trip in the Emigrant Wilderness and was on my feet (one injured) for at least 6 hours a day and never had anything to complain about foot wise. The only reason I wouldn’t use these as racing flats is because the North Face Ultras are lighter, and I’d go to those for short races, and the Hokas provide slightly better cushioning for long jaunts or very rocky trails. But if I were asked to take only one shoe on an Amazing Race - Trail Edition, I’d take the Brooks.

Next up are the Hoka ATR Challengers. These are my oingy boingy shoes that I use to Tigr (They’re bouncy flouncy ouncy wouncy fun fun fun fun! Or however that song goes.) down the Los Posas trail; a very rocky roller coaster of a road. The only thing I don’t like about them so far is that, like a lot of other shoes, to save weight they’ve taken all the cushioning out of the very short tongue so the top of my tendons hurt if I wear them too long cinched down tight like I’d like to. This trend has me looking to find out if any sock maker is stepping into to fill that loss with some strategic top of the sock cushioning.

I’ve also read that the cushioning of the these Hokas have a short life. Time will tell. I wasn’t very happy with the outsole life that I got out of my Clifton’s, so if these Hokas don’t last, it’ll give me a good excuse to try some other high cushioned shoes.

At the six o’clock hour are my Quetzal shoes; the Asics Runnagades. The Quetzal can be a muddy mess of a trail and that’s just what the Asics, with their neoprene booty and deep lugs are made for. I know Reebok makes a similar shoe and Merrill has now come out with a their version of a mud stomper that I wouldn’t mind trying, but it’s not because I’m disappointed with the Runnagades. I just like to try new shoes once in a while.

Lastly are the North Face Ultra Twos. But for me “ultra” would be pushing it. They are a very light, comfortable and fast shoe. I’m just not sure how far my aging joints could take them past a marathon. I’m saving these for shorter affairs and have only used them once. That was at the Bull Dog 25k where, despite a slowly healing bone bruise, I still was able to run a decent race in the Ultras.

With these four shoes at my disposal, I should be equipped to run just about anywhere over any distance. If they hold up, I’d be smart to pick up another pair and have them waiting at my mom’s house so I could pick them up on my next visit. But there’s always new shoe vixens out there tempting me to give them a try.

Michael: X-Rayed

Mystics want the touch
Of god without the pleasures
Or pains we desire.

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Kimme and I were both a little anxious about her trip to the public hospital yesterday for her dental x-rays. I’ve been to hospitals several times in the states and even with an appointment getting in and out can take up a good chunk of the day. And here, given our limited Spanish, if there were any snags, we weren’t sure we’d be able to understand what was happening.

Before we could go to the hospital we were told by Dr. Sinclair to purchase a CD so they could download the x-rays and be brought to him. A little surprising to me that neither he nor the hospital would provide this if it’s an integral part of the practice, but when in Rome…

From start to finish we were only at the new, very clean and modern hospital for 15 minutes. We walked in and showed the receptionist the note from Dr. Sinclair. She directed us to x-ray. They told us we needed to go back to the front and pay first. We did. Back to x-ray and we were done and on our way back home.

Today we’ll take the x-rays to Dr. Sinclair. 

Michael: The Chair

The vegetable
Farms carve a patchwork design
Out of the forest.

Friday, October 2, 2015

We feel very fortunate to have Dr. Sinclair as our dentist. Kimme has an infected molar that she would like pulled so yesterday we went to his office.
He wants x-ray taken before deciding whether he can pull her tooth.  Because he doesn’t provide that service, we’ll have to go to the local hospital for that. If the x-ray shows that it would be a routine procedure to pull her tooth, he’ll  do it for $50. Including the consultations, that would bring the total to $75. If it’s a more complicated procedure, and he can’t pull it, he will refer her to a specialist in David. That would cost us $150-$200. 

Today we’ll go to the hospital to have Kimme’s teeth x-rayed.

 In the states, when I switched from employer provided health care to government subsidized health care, I changed dentists because even a routine check up was becoming expensive. It’s typical in the states to calendar in dental procedures according to your insurance coverage. That often means delaying procedures that you wouldn’t otherwise put off if you weren’t concerned about costs. Here the cost are reasonable and we’re very happy that we can go to a dentist of our choosing.  

Michael: Blueprints

This could be magic,
But that doesn’t mean we were
Pulled out of a hat.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

In designing our home, at first I wanted to draw up my own blueprints, but then I then I figured there are so many good architects and designs out there, why not give the web a peak at least for some inspiration. Also, if I could find a design close to what I like, it could save me a lot of hassle with having someone do the plumbing and electrical diagrams and all the other elements that go into a plan that I have no experience with.

I really like the plan #918-4 at houseplans.com. It’s very simple but modern and with just a few slight modifications, it will be pretty close to what I envision as a dream home.

For both reasons of personal choice and because of the way construction is done here, I want as simple a plan as possible. So I’d like to leave the shell of 918 intact but get rid of as many interior walls as possible. Basically, I want to divide the 1,000 square ft. into two equal spaces; a living area and a workspace with the only interior wall, outside of the bathroom walls, being the wall that divides the two. This would create a flat/artist studio space that has always appealed to me.

To further enhance that design, I’d like to go with a sloping ceiling of 18’ sloping down to 12’.  That would also allow for the possibility of creating a small loft space above the living area down the road.

For reasons of simplicity in design and to cut cost, I plan on all of the plumbing, gas and major appliances to be along one wall and for all the windows and doors to be standard and equivalent sizes, except for the large living room sliding doors and a sliding barn style door at the rear of the work space.

Financing all of this is another matter, but I’m hoping that we’ll be able to move on that front soon enough.

Michael: Location, location, location

The moon at sunrise
Is more of a phantom than
It is at midnight.

Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2015

Real estate in Panama works just like any other place in the world. Fortunately for us, we don’t want to live in what’s considered the prime location in Panama: Panama City where building a house would be upwards of $80 a square foot.

We like it here in the highlands. On the net I’ve read building costs here ranging from a much more reasonable $40-$50 a square foot. Boquete, being the town with the most ex-pats, is pushing the high end of that spectrum, while on our side of the volcano would be a little less. But even at $50 a square foot that would make a 1,000 square ft. home a reasonable $50,000 to build here in Volcan. As an adult, I’ve never lived in a place with more than 1,000 square feet and I’ve always felt I had enough space. For me, It’s much more about the layout, sound, light and location than it is the square footage.

Like most people, our resources our limited, so where to build our house is going to take some time and luck to figure out. We could get more land for our buck if we’re willing to slide down the hill a bit and head toward the ocean. For example, we’re going to look at land in Cuesta de Piedra, which is about 10 kilometers down the road from us. Because it’s about a 1,000 ft. drop in altitude the temperature rises from an average low at night in the mid 60s to the mid to upper 80s during the day. It’s also not as populated as Volcan so therefore doesn’t have as many conveniences or well stocked stores. We’d have to make a drive into Volcan at least once a week.

 But what we’re really hoping for is to get lucky enough to find a decent sized lot that fits our requirements where we’re at in Volcan. I’m just going to have to temper my enthusiasm and be patient. But I can’t wait to start building a home I helped design.