Great Aunt Effect & BRS Day

Following my policy of not mentioning any real names means the title of this post is not fully explanatory. In my last post I chronicled the unsavory weather that Great Aunt brought with her, combined with her unfortunate request to experience tropical rain. We thought we had escaped the incurred curse until it reasserted itself yesterday in the mountains of Panama. Great Aunt is a huge fan of birds and Panama offers a truly remarkable supply of same, including the ones spending their winters here from up north. One of the highlights of her trip here this year was a scheduled trip to the mountain rain forest with an exceptional guide. That guide is a recognized expert on Panamanian fowl and has literally written the book on them. In 2005 he authored an illustrated guide to Panamanian birds. He holds advanced degrees in both biology and ecology and is sought after by construction firms to perform ecological impact statements. Oh yeah, he’s also my brother-in-law.

Great Aunt with our Guide

Into the Mountains

Looking for Birds

On Sunday he went up into the mountains to recon the best locations for Great Aunt to see Panama’s verdant bird population up close. Yesterday, we linked up with him in David and he drove us into the mountains above Boquete. This is when Great Aunt’s curse struck again. A cold front was caught in the central mountain range which meant low clouds, high winds, and a steady mist like rain, called (please excuse my attempt to spell this), “bajarackes”. When my brother-in-law heard about the curse, he suggested we should call it “El Effecto de Great Aunt” (insert my sister’s name in place of Great Aunt). I, of course, immediately latched onto to this appellation. Great Aunt simply rolled her eyes and muttered something about younger brother’s lifelong penchant for mischief.

Some of the Views

One of those Trees

The bad weather had driven most of the sought after birds under cover as they hunkered down, out of sight. Luckily, we had, literally, the guy who wrote the book with us. We would pull over in the rain forest and as we tried to pinpoint birds, he would identify the birds making the omnipresent sounds and then show us their picture in his book. At one point he said we were incredibly lucky to hear an especially rare bird sound off. We saw a few of our elusive prey but the trip was more than redeemed with our guide’s continual education concerning both the flora and fauna we were seeing. He pointed out the huge, seemingly dead trees that still sported green foliage. A plant related to the pineapple will start growing in a tree and then sends roots down (think Tarzan vines), which thicken when they reach the ground. While the tree eventually dies, the plants continue to thrive. Your daily dose of tropical ecological education.

Canopy Trek

A Couple of the Hotel Rooms

A Mountain Stream with a Farmer's Bridge

A Couple of our Guide's Friends Ran into us Here

The Road

Coffee Plantation

Constant Flowers

I have to mention the road we took for our initial foray into the mountains. The paved road wound through the ubiquitous coffee plantations and petered out to a double concrete track. It made for some nervous moments as a passenger. I envisioned a large truck coming down the mountain, surely around the next sharp turn. We were fortunate for the experienced driver as he expertly avoided the feared collision. We had a full-size bus pass by us at one point. The road went up and up until ending at an eco-resort called the Canopy Trek. We stopped off there where Great Aunt had what she described as the best cold brew coffee she had ever had. She said Dunkin Doughnuts paled in comparison, which amounts to near blasphemy for a New Englander. I guess it helps when the coffee is grown within fifty meters of the brew. While we didn’t see a lot of birds, the trip was memorable for the nearly constant fabulous views, including Panama’s usual explosion of color with tropical flowers. A great day.

Tuesday Night Dinner

It was truly a week of superlatives as I scored the best cheeseburger I’ve ever had in Panama courtesy of our upstairs neighbors. Tuesday night they invited us to accompany them down the beach to the Las Lajas Beach Resort. They’ve established status as a regular at the restaurant. I hadn’t been there in over ten years. We last stayed there for our anniversary and saw a billboard announcing the building of a condo complex down the beach (the rest is history). The normally quiet restaurant was packed when we walked in, courtesy of the large bus parked outside. A group of American farmers were on a tour of Panamanian eco-farming techniques and this was their night at the resort. Since we were with regulars, we were served fairly expeditiously and I became acquainted with the aforementioned cheeseburger. My Favorite Panamanian has been after me to wear shorts more when we go out to eat (here in Panama at least). I finally succumbed to her pleas for this dinner and yesterday was able to point out the numerous mosquito bites I acquired. All of the beach restaurants are open air and while the overhead fan kept the bugs at bay over the table, underneath they were having a party with my exposed skin. She at least looked a little chagrined. My fault for not putting repellent on the legs, rookie mistake.

The Birthday Girl

With her Dad

And Mom

Off to School

Wish we Were There Today

I’ve kept the biggest, most important news of the day for last. Today marks the 6^th birthday of the BRS. She’s celebrated a couple of her birthdays here with us in Panama but now that she’s a full fledged school attendee we had to factor in school vacation weeks. At least we get her here in a couple weeks to celebrate with her. She is a consistent source of joy for grandparents. She shares a secretive smile every time I see her, as if she knows how special she is. She’s especially proud to be a big sister to BR3 despite BR3’s penchant for chaos. I know she’s got her dad and a couple grandparents (guilty) wrapped around her finger, an ability granddaughters apparently acquire at birth. So, happiest of birthdays to the BRS, a reliable source of love and pride.

Sunset Ceremony Crew

Pinterest Strikes Again, Wife's Latest Invention
Toilet Paper Laced with Toothpaste and Lit in Soda Can
to Ward off Mosquitos

Last Couple of Sunsets

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RECURRING CHARACTERS:                                     

ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete - my daughter in law; BR3 – Blog Reader #3 – granddaughter #3; BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; CRC - Connecticut Riverboat Captain – another close friend from high school, renowned sailor of the big river; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during him her single days in Brooklyn; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter; First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd Musquetera (musketeer); Namesake Nephew – son of Great Aunt and Soxfather named after me; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member; PanaGals – female relatives /friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife accumulates wherever we have lived & their spouses; PCR - Pittsburgh College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; PCR+1 - Pittsburgh College Roommate’s wife; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; Soxfather - my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course