On to DC

We took the train from NY to DC. It takes you directly into the Central Station, which is also where one catches the tram around DC.

We had not had any luck finding an exchange for NY, but we found a very nice simultaneous exchange with a couple with a house in Takoma, which is just outside DC, and is on the Metro line. There house was a ten minute walk from the Metro, and we included cars in our exchange. We used their car to go to the store and one trip to Harpers Ferry and the Aero Space museum.

We were able to see all the usual things in DC. We saw both houses of congress. The house was having one of their lightly attended debates. The Senate was actually having a vote on a gun control issue, so we saw all the Senators. Clay was quite impressed with seeing John McCain.

We missed our tea with Patty Murray, but one of her new staffers gave us a tour.

Summer Trip to New York and DC

Over the summer I made three trips to California to play in water polo tounaments. About four years ago I received notice that my HS swim and polo coach was being inducted into the Water Polo Hall of Fame. That got me thinking about playing again.

I had been back to competetive swimming for about 8 years, but going to swim meets is not all that much fun. One sits around a lot, waiting for one's event. The results do let you know how your fitness program is doing at fighting off the aging process. Polo is a lot more fun.

Next summer I am planning on participating with a California team in the World Masters in Boras, Sweden, near Goteborg. We will probably spend 3 or 4 weeks prior in Oslo, where we have some time coming on an exchange.

For this summer we had planned to take a trip to NY and DC with our two oldest grandsons, both 12. One of them is in Australia with his family for the year, so we had a great experience with Clay.

For NY we stayed in Flushing at a place we found on VRBO (Vacation Rental By Owner). $100 per night with two bedrooms and a kitchen. Our host even showed us around the local China town. Flushing has changed from a predominantly Jewish commuinity (I did see a temple) to a predominantly Asian, with concentrations of Korean, Chinese, Viet Namese and other groups. Each has its restaurants, which makes for some great choices.

Our ride into NYC was on the train. The station was less than a two block easy walk. The train went past the 1962 World's Fair Globe and the USA Tennis Open Stadium. The ride was about 25 minutes to Grand Central Station.

In NYC we wandered around. We saw Times Square. We did the Empire State Building. We walked to Central Park. We rode the subway. We went to see The Fantastiks, which was a reasonable price compared to most of what was available. I remember sitting in the third row to see Barbara Streisand in Funny Girl in 1965 for $23. Tickets to The Jersey Boys were about $150, and we would have been a football field away from the stage. For Fantastiks we were in the 2nd of four rows.

We were able to spend some great time with two of Jayne's nieces. One is a daughter of her brother Byron, one a daughter of her sister Kitty. It is incredible to see how these girls have matured into beautiful women who are coping confidently in New York.

Panama Goodbyes

One of the great things about living in Panama for half the year is that one meets many individuals and couples from all over the world. To be honest, most of the people we meet who are not Panamanians, are usually from Canada. They are serious about escaping the darkness and the cold, just as we are serious about getting out of Seattle's darkness. They all have interesting stories and attitudes.

There is a community near ours called Coronado. It is primarily an expat community and seems to attract expats who are relatively conservative in their thinking, some holding a semi libertarian view. I'm big on freedom, myself, so I can relate, but as a couple we are progressive Democats. I am very open in my communication, and often surprise the libertarians with my view that govenment has a role in helping people.

Before we left for Seattle we had last visits with some of our new friends.

Catching Up: Altos Construction....Australia

It has been quite a while since I posted a log entry. We are currently in Australia visiting our daughter and her family. Over the summer I played a lot of water polo and we took our oldest grandson to New York and DC. But more about that later.

We spent our last several weeks in Panama trying to build a house in Altos, a community in the mountains, about 40 minutes from our Gorgona casita. We feel we need it as an escape from the noise of the Panamanian holiday revelers. The advent of advanced electronics enables them to blast their music to very uncomfortable levels, and they do it at all hours.

We thought we had a good Panamanian crew with an American who understood American quality and could translate our wishes. Through building the foundation we were about 50% over budget and way behind schedule. We shut down the project and came home to Seattle.

The small are is our small bath room. We are hoping it will be large enough

Our design is for a simple 50 m house with about an additional 50 m of deck around it. We built on the bottom of our lot to gain an unobstructed view of up and down the valley. The house will have a bedroom with a walk through open air closet, living room, kitchen, bath with shower, and lots of deck space. The front of the house will be mostly glass. We are working on what type of windows to use. We have seen some bi-fold and multi-fold garage doors that could work. I don't know if we can get them in Panama.

We decided to tint our floors. If it doesn't come out well, we can always lay tile.

Above the house on the lot, we plan to build a pool among the boulders.

From our lot we can hear the water fall that fills a lovely swimming holes. We and our grandchildren hae enjoyed it immensely.

March 09 Carribbean

March 09 Carribbean Cruise

Our balcony view.



Cartegena, Columbia.



There were 2700 people on board, including 500 kids. The families, mostly form Panama, seemed to enjoy the pools and the music.

Colon, Panama, before departing.

I have been remiss in updating this blog since our friends Stan and Camille left in early February. We enjoyed their company and seeing Panama through their eyes.

Our major activities since then have been our cruise and beginning to build our casita in the mountain community of Altos del Maria.

The cruise left from Colon on Sunday morning, March 1. We had lucked out with an upgrade to a balcony suite. A balcony is the only way to go. We spent many enjoyable hours sitting on our balcony as the ship sailed to each port: Cartegena and Santa Marta, Columbia and three Netherland Antilles islands of Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire. Each port was different and we enjoyed our day exploring.

Stan and Camille's Account of Panama

The Hermans, Stan and Camille arrived in beautiful, warm, Panama on Jan. 28th. We had a 6:00 am flight out of St. Louis and left our house in the last gasp of a snowstorm. It was 28 degrees! We had to wear heavy jackets, gloves, etc. We tried to dress in layers that we could shed on our way south. We stopped at an Xtra Market on our way to the casita to stock up on the standard Herman breakfast fare, cereal, milk, bananas, eggs, bacon, juice, and bread for toast. John & Jayne's breakfast of fish and fruit around 11 sounded much more like lunch to us! We stayed in Casita #4, just 2 doors away, but spent most of our time together in their Casita. Stepping out our front door gave us a lovely view of the pool and ocean beyond. Everyday we were there brought sunny skies, warm temps & cool breezes. John & Jayne were great hosts. We alternated days of lying around the pool/ocean not doing much of anything with visiting some of the local spots and also tourist attractions. We took two delightful trips into the mountains, one to see El Valle and enjoy the views as well as their open air market. The other was to see J&J's lot in Altos and go to a party at the top of the mountain that placed us squarely in the middle of a cloud! We visited a variety of local restaurants eating everything from native Panamanian to Italian food! J&J knew all the good spots and we enjoyed every bite. We really enjoyed brunch at the Leet's Casita and the VERY fresh fish John cooked along with his fruit smoothies and fresh fruits and vegetables.Of course, Stan couldn't miss the Super Bowl so we left the countryside for Panama City on Sunday to cheer for Arizona & Kurt Warner in the Marriott Bar. On Monday, we made a visit to a National Park and also Old Panama City and the President's Palace (at least we got to walk past it). Very interesting to contrast the old with the new. Tuesday morning, before we left, John & the Hermans paid a visit to the Panama Canal. We got to watch 3 ships move through the Canal. This was fascinating. Stan especially loved the little engines that pull the ships through. We visited the wonderful museum that is there and learned all about the history of the Canal and the new locks that are being built. We met up with Jayne, who spent the morning in PC handling real estate and legal business, in time to head for the airport and our trip home. Worst part of the whole trip was coming back through customs in Miami. You have to walk - forever - to nowhere. Then it was back into our winter wear for a 26 degree arrival in St. Louis!We had a wonderful, relaxing time with John & Jayne. They are great hosts. They showed us some of their favorite places and took us places where we could discover things on our own. It's doubtful we would ever take the step of retiring to a foreign country but it's nice to have friends who have. We found the people very friendly and the drivers worse than New York City, although probably not as bad as Rome!! All in all, we came home relaxed, refreshed, and glad to have been warm for a week - Camille & Stan