Recovered

Took This Panoramic Photo in front of Condo Yesterday
We Had Beach to Ourselves for Miles in Each Direction

Yesterday was fully consumed with recovery operations, at least from the gringo side of the equation down here in Panama. For the first time in many visits over the past few years here I had nothing to accomplish other than staying out of the sun to insure the impacted skin from the Las Lajas visit could calm down. I didn’t realize how much I needed a break because I’ve been so busy over the past few months but a day of total sloth was just what the doctor ordered.

Granddaughter at Doc today for Checkup
3 Shots - no Crying - Nurse Amazed
Just Another Day of Sustained Excellence

I spent the day reading and watching movies because I went with my default settings. Speaking of default settings my Favorite Panamanian was out shopping with her sister. The stated reason was choosing the lighting fixtures for the condo now that she’s seen it in a semi-finished state. That did not explain the nearly day long absence but this was fully clarified by saying there had to be an element of shopping for the granddaughter while they were out. She knows there would be no retort from me given that explanation.

My Friend

I feel fully rested for the first time in months but I find myself waiting for the return of my wife from church which ended over two hours ago. I’m sure there will be a granddaughterly explanation. We had a fun night out on the front porch last night watching the citizenry of David walk and drive by. It’s hard to explain to most New Englanders where mosquitos drive you inside on summer nights but that’s not the case here in the tropics. They certainly have more than their share of biting insects but you can sit comfortably outside in the open for most of the year without being bothered too much. It helps to have the trusty geckos manning the porch light eating any insect drawn to the light.

In my reading gig I finished off another book I found waiting for me on the Kindle, The Highway, by CJ Box. This was purportedly the second book in the Cody Hoyt series and is a direct sequel to the events in Back Of Beyond which I enjoyed so much. Hoyt is hard hero to root for given his personal failings but that wasn’t a problem for most of the book as a new hero emerges in the form of his partner Cassie Dewel. She’s a war widow struggling to make ends meet while also trying to learn from Hoyt. They are up against a trio of mass murderers who’ve kidnapped Hoyt’s son’s girlfriend and her sister. Box tells the story from both sides of the equation and builds the tension to incredible heights by revealing more and more of the evil the police are up against. There’s also a huge, and very surprising, twist built into the first third of the book. As with all of Box’s writing the reader is fully immersed in the western setting and a taut plot.