Michelle’s Garden & Mine

Realizing the country is in tough times, the Obama’s have borrowed a page from history encouraging Americans to plant a modernized “Victory Garden.”  According to Wikipedia,

Victory gardens, also called war gardens or food gardens for defense, were vegetable, fruit and herb gardens planted at private residences in United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Germany[1] during World War I and World War II to reduce the pressure on the public food supply brought on by the war effort. In addition to indirectly aiding the war effort these gardens were also considered a civil “morale booster” — in that gardeners could feel empowered by their contribution of labor and rewarded by the produce grown. Making victory gardens became a part of daily life on the home front.

So, with the Obamaesque eye-catching, production qualities that characterized his march to the White House, the Obamas plowed up a section of the White House lawn to create a vegetable garden. And she had a lot of help and photographers show up.  Now are we to expect that Michelle is up every morning at 6AM and out working in the garden by 7AM?   I think not. 

“Are you crazy Barack?  You think I went to Princeton and Harvard, and gave up a $273,618 job in Chicago to pull weeds and pick peas? ” 

So Michelle gets a lot of help with her garden.   Not only does she have eager volunteers when the cameras are rolling, but . . . according to the White House Historical Association, for day to day weed pulling she has . . .

The grounds and garden crew consists of 13 regular staff. The Chief Horticulturalist is on the Executive Residence staff. The other 12 are National Park Service staff – 3 foreman, 8 gardeners, and 1 maintenance operator. Additional Park Service personal can be called in for more infrequent work on trees, roads and trails, maintenance, and outdoor plumbing and electrical service.

I mention this onlybecause I am struggling to clear just a little plot in which to plant a garden. And today is another day working on getting the garden readyto plant. And it’s just me . . . without a cast of thousands. And I’ve got to be on the look out for snakes! Michelle doesn’t have to worry about snakes . . . at least on the White House grounds. All the snakes the Obamas have to worry about are up on the hill and at the RNC.

S’mores for Boquete

Last night we had our friends, Jeff and Tricia Daugherty, over for a delightful dinner.  In many ways Jeff and Tricia are a big part of how and why we ended up retiring in Boquete, Panama.  Panama was on our “short list” of countries, so we came down to visit Panama for a few weeks just to see if Panama was really a possibility for us.  I was very interested in Bocas del Toro, and was dreaming of my Panamanian island in the sun.  Well we stopped in Boquete, fell in love with the high altitude tropical living, the climate, and the beauty.  We ended up buying a home in Valle Escondido that was built by Jeff.  [BTW, this house is now for sale!  You should check it out.]

Jeff is an engineer from the US, Tricia from England, and they were married in Holland.  Jeff built for Chevron all over the world, and they have lived all over the world in exotic places.  When they retired they decided on Boquete, and Jeff has built several homes in Boquete, unusual because they are truly built to US standards, many would say “overbuilt”, and that certainly applies to the house we are selling in Valle Escondido. 

Before we moved to Panama, Tricia was very patient with our unending stream of email questions.  They are fun people and it was fun to spend an evening with them and get caught up on our various adventures.    Two observations about life in Boquete.  People ask what we do?  Well, Boquete isn’t Panama City, so there is not an abundance of “entertainment” and “night life.”  For me, after spending half a year on cruise ships with nightly entertainment, I don’t need the glitz and glamour of Panama City.  But one of the things expats in Boquete enjoy doing is just getting together.  Many of the folks who end up settling here, like Jeff and Tricia, are “different” from the norm.  A lot of them, like Jeff and Tricia, have lived the expat lifestyle.  Talk with Tricia and one moment you’re in South Africa, and the next your in Indonesia, then back to Britain, and the next in Holland.    The folks who seem to end up here are interesting people who have had interesting careers and lives and who still manage to travel a lot.

I mentioned that our fireplace was working fine, so for desert we sat around the fire on the porch and made “S’mores”!  As you might expect, Tricia, having grown up very properly in Britain had never before encountered a S’more.  Both Jeff and Tricia had memories of roasting marshmallows the last time . . . back when they were 12 in  Scouts.  So we introduced them to the gooey, sickening sweet taste of S’mores.

Since this is the World Wide Web, and since as you can see from clicking the little map on the lower right column, my readers come from all over the world . . . some of you may not be familiar with “S’mores.”

According to Wikipedia, arbitor of all such knowlege, accurately or inaccurately . . .

S’mores are associated with recreational camping. Part of the enjoyment of this simple dessert is the way in which it is made on such camping trips. A marshmallow is skewered on the end of a long stick (or metallic skewer) and held just above the campfire until its outer surface starts to brown. Once heated, the inside of the marshmallow becomes soft. The marshmallow is quickly pinched off its stick with the waiting graham crackers, one of which has a piece of chocolate on it. Ideally, the heat from the roasted marshmallow partially melts the chocolate. However, some people assemble the entire s’more on the stick and cook it all at once to ensure that the chocolate will melt. Peanut butter can be added to the mix for additional flavor, either between a graham cracker and the chocolate piece or between the chocolate piece and the marshmallow. Keeping the graham crackers and chocolate near the campfire can help melt the chocolate.

Garden Time

Having been away on the ZUIDERDAM for 5 months, there is lots of gardening to do around the house, and this is the perfect time to do it.  We’re into the “rainy” season which means that generally mornings are sunny and beautiful.  Around noon the clouds build up, and by mid afternoon there is rain, usually lasting until evening, and often accompanied by thunderstorms.  Well this makes it ideal for gardening!  Work in the morning.  New plantings get immediate watering.  When it starts to rain . . . well, I can’t work in the rain – although everyone else does – so it is a perfect excuse to curl up in the hammock with a good book.

This is the time of the year when you can stick almost anything in the ground and it will grow.  Stick a start from a hibiscus and in three weeks it will look like a dead tree.  In a month you’ll see tiny leaves start to sprout.  By the end of the rainy season . . . usually mid December . . . you’ll have a blooming hibiscus.

I noticed a wild orchid on tree that’s part of the fence line in full bloom.  We have over a thousand wild orchids in Panama.  Some are very spectacular, but others are more subtle and subdued.  The flowers on this one are tiny!

Eventually we want to start a “collection” of orchids, and I have a number wired to trees around the farm.  But that, and my outdoor oven for baking bread and pizza will have to wait a while.

We’re going to start a vegetable and herb garden, so I’ve started clearing out an area.  The dogs thought it looked like great fun, especially Baru.  Now if I can only contain their digging enthusiasm once I get the garden planted!

The New Boquete

When we first moved to Panama, a local on the road between David and Boquete had posted a hand lettered sign along the road saying in Spanish, “Want to see Boquete?  See it fast!” 

Things have changed in Boquete over the past four years, just as they have changed throughout the world.  As the Greek philosopher Heraclitus once observed, “We are living in a world of constant change.”  Most of the changes have been for the better, but some eat away gradually at what character this little 90-year-old town managed to preserve through the years.

The old Boquete bridge spanned the river in the center of town and was a kind of landmark, or eyesore, depending on how you looked at it.  The bridge was single lane, steel beams covered with wooden planks and asphalt on the traffic lane, and uneven wooden planks on pedestrian walks, sometimes with planks missing making it possible to drop through right down into the river.  One night, when the winds were strong and the Indians drinking, one drunken Indian got blown off the bridge into the river and drowned.  So, obviously the old bridge needed help.

The new bridge is very modern and nice . . . but somehow lacks some of the uniqueness of the old yellow bridge.

Gradually a lot of the old wooden buildings are disappearing, replaced by two and three story office buildings and stores that look like any other nondescript building in Panama City. 

Central Park Cafe is still there.  It opened shortly after we arrived and has been so successful the owner has opened another little cafe in Alto Boquete.  It has a “rustic charm” and overlooks the newly painted municipal building/post office and the plaza, now being renovated by the reelected Mayor.  We still like going to Central Park for breakfast, especially on Sunday mornings.  It’s the “total Boquete” experience with a delightful mix of patrons: gringos, Panamanians and Indians.  Prices have gone up: our favorite omelet with everything, ojaldra, orange juice and coffee is now $3.50 instead of $3, but it is worth it!

The Holland America Blog

Holland America got a slow start in the world of blogging . . . It’s first attempt was a blog about the construction of it’s newest ship, launched last summer, the EURODAM.  The first attempt was clunky, obviously a blatant corporate PR piece, with all the human interest of a corporate news release.  Yeah, it was interesting to follow the ship construction, but it lacked any human interest.  But Holland America learned . . . and the new Holland America Blog is actually VERY good!  It combines all the elements that make for a very good blog.  Whether you are a prospective cruiser, a loyal Holland America Mariner (their past guest club), a crew member, or just someone interested in ships, you’ll find it fun and interesting.  Contributors are passengers and crew members . . . check it out www.HollandAmericablog.com

Everybody Likes A Holiday

Everybody likes a holiday . . . including me . . . even if I’m “semi-retired” and living in a country that doesn’t celebrate Memorial Day, I’ll celebrate, thank you very much!

We had a fun weekend! Friday night we had Capt Sarah Terry and Craig Owings over for a fun dinner, and tried out our fireplace so we could make some-mores on a rainy night. Saturday I took care of a few things on my enormous list of “stuff to finish up” and we went to Brad’s for dinner with a bunch of friends from Boquete, and some visitors from the Auzuero Peninsula, Lester and Doralyse Knight who own La Playita Resort in Pedasi.  And yesterday was spent doing a lot of farm “catching up” and planning, and Brad stopped by with Lester and Doralyse so they could see the house.  We met Brad’s houseboy, Richard, when he was working at La Playita and had suggested him to Brad, and Brad and Jackie and Nikki and I all stayed at La Playita . . . so it’s one big happy family!

The Fireplace: It Works!!

Well, something does.  Nothing to do with water works consistently: the tank system, the pressure pump, the reverse osmosis units, nor the two wells . . . all expensive items. Earth is doing fine. Now with the afternoon rains the coffee and plants are doing spectacular. Although the strong (January-March) winds have died down, we still get nice breezes, so wind is doing well. So it’s nice that we’re doing well in the fire category.

You’re never quite sure with fireplaces!  Neighbors in Valle Escondido had some unexpected surprises with fireplaces.  One builder constructed a chimney, but it didn’t have any opening outsidethe house.    Another builder, working with the Styrofoam and chicken wire building material M2, constructed a chimney of M2, put concrete on the outside but neglected to do anything with the inside.  So you had the inside of a chimney made of Styrofoam!    The architect who drew our plans is noted for building ugly fireplaces that are totally out of proportion, so we carefully showed him exactly what we wanted.  As proved to be typical with this guy, he ignored our wishes and drew what he wanted.  So when we were actually building we had to improvise and build a design wewanted.  The architect guaranteed (for what ever that’s worth in Panama . . .  or anywhere for that matter) that he knew how to build fireplaces that would work in Boquete.  And it actually does work!!  

Here’s the view from inside the living room . . . and from outside on the back porch.

And it does throw the heat!  Which is wonderful on a chilly, rainy night in Palmira.    You might not think of a fireplace in the tropics, even at 4,100 feet, but we fell in love with the fireplace at the Panamonte Hotel in Boquete sipping wine one rainy night . . . now we have our own . . . and we can make some-mores!

For Sale in Town

For sale in town . . . Beautiful location, just 1.5 blocks off the main street in beautiful “downtown” Boquete . . .

Cute, 2 bedroom/2 bath, Panamanian home on prime corner lot.  Ideal home to be “fixed up” to “gringo” style, or ideal for commercial development.

The adjacent little home is also for sale,  and both of these lots together would be a prime piece of Boquete real estate for commercial or residential (multi-family, upscale apartment rentals, mixed use) development.

• Corner lot approximately 5040 sq ft, believed to be zoned commercial, fenced
• Ideal in-town location, 1.5 blocks from Avenida Central
• Ideal for multi-unit development
• Adjacent home is also currently for sale . . . joining both properties together would present ideal opportunity – only other property is very new, very upscale duplex.

• Approximately 1620 sq ft under roof, including porch and carport
• Living Room
• Dining Room
• Kitchen
• Sun Porch
• 2 bedrooms with 2 baths
• Walk in closets
• 2 depositos
• Carport
• Covered front porch/patio
• All one floor
• Very livable now, but ideal to remodel

Asking $225,000

Front porch and front door

Quiet neighborhood 1.5 blocks from main street, Avenida Central

Almost private “road” by side of house allows access to two neighborhing properties

Part of yard

Corner lot with outstanding development potential

Cute neighboring property, also for sale – joining both properties together would offer tremendous potential, and stream frontage

Adjacent property fronts stream – is too small for any future develpment

Neighboring property, very upscale duplex – something similar could be done by joining the two properties that are for sale together

Stream view, behind neighbor’s duplex

Front street view

Front street view

Boquete Coffee

An article in Reuters, “Panama sees less specialty coffee crop, high prices” by Sean Mattson . . .

BOQUETE, Panama, May 19 (Reuters) – Panama’s specialty coffee growers say they harvested fewer high-priced beans this year and struggled to meet contracts with buyers because of bad weather and problems with labor and investments.

Panama produces a tiny amount of coffee compared to its Central American neighbors — about 190,000 60-kg bags a year — but it has a dedicated clientele of specialty buyers who pay top dollar for its gourmet crop, like the prized geisha beans.

Poor flowering and heavy rain and wind during the harvest season, which is coming to a close this month, halved the output of some of the Panama’s best known producers, including Hacienda La Esmeralda, which set an online auction record in 2007 when it sold its coffee for $130 per pound.

“It was a rough year,” said Daniel Peterson, of the family-owned farm high in the forested mountains of western Panama’s Boquete region. Peterson said La Esmeralda produced 150 60-kg bags this year compared with 300 bags last year.

A labor shortage in Panama has pushed up costs for farmers as workers found better-paying jobs in the construction industry or across the border on coffee farms in Costa Rica. Growers with tight budgets invested less in maintenance.

Government estimates show the size of Panama’s small coffee crop will stay flat or decrease slightly in the 2008/09 cycle . . .

Panama’s tight supplies mirror the situation in larger Latin American coffee-producing nations like Colombia and Guatemala where high-end coffees are commanding record prices.

The International Coffee Organization, or ICO, said a shortfall of around 2.5 million bags of Colombian milds pushed prices up in April to their highest monthly average since February 1998.

Prices also rose as weather problems and high labor and fertilizer costs limited the replacement export ability of Central America, the ICO said in a report.

Coffee buyers and analysts said demand for Panama’s gourmet, expensive beans will remain strong despite the economic downturn since most consumers who seek out the country’s crop are connoisseurs like followers of fine wine.

“Once you drive an expensive car and appreciate the fine differences, it’s hard to go back to an old clunker. And it’s the same thing in terms of coffee,” Judy Ganes, a New York-based coffee consultant, said.

Panama has found a niche with these high-end buyers who are still willing to shell out cash for the best lots, but larger coffee chains like Starbucks (SBUX.O) are trying to lower prices and cut costs.

“We’re probably less inclined to go out on a limb for a really expensive coffee right now,” said Doug Welsh, a vice president of Peet’s Coffee & Tea (PEET.O), a California-based specialty coffee buyer and smaller rival of Starbucks. (Editing by Jim Marshall)

Actually we harvested more and better coffee on our finca than we did last year, but that’s because it is taking a while to get our restored coffee farm back to full production. The increasing cost in fertilizer is hurting, and we lost some of our late beans to the heavy rains in January.  We sell our coffee to Sitton, but a  lot of folks on the ZUIDERDAM were anxious to buy my coffee, had it been available, and a few stores at the pier in Colon have asked if I might make it available this coming season.  We shall see.

We’re into the rainy season now, with rain most afternoons . . . which is wonderful for the coffee at this stage.  Coffee is ripening nicely so here’s hoping for a good harvest!

If you’d like to see more about our coffee production click on COFFEE at the top right of the page or here.

Before you strip for TSA

Before you decide to strip naked for TSA, and before I get off my “TSA is the modern equivalent of ‘the emperor has no clothes’”, here are several different views of TSA and its effectiveness, hassle quotient, and, if you will “security theater” . . . one serious and two humous, if not offensive . . .

First a serious look . . .

Now a “rap” version . . . like all rap it is R-rated . . .

And now . . . well, what can I say?

Questioning TSA will probably put me on a “no fly list” . . . but that’s life in a democracy.

News Commentary

Tempest in the Pool

PARIS (AFP) – World swimming’s ruling body FINA on Tuesday refused to give approval to 10 swimsuits, including some of those made from polyurethane and which were used, controversially, to set new world records.

The use of swimsuits in recent years has caused huge controversy in the sport because some experts, including some top swimmers, believe their use gives an unfair advantage in the pool.

OK, swim nude. It was good enough for the Greeks and the old YMCA days that we all love to sing about!

Lady with Style

WASHINGTON – The Federal Election Commission has dismissed a complaint over the $150,000-plus designer wardrobe the Republican Party bought to outfit vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, the good-government group that filed the complaint, argued that candidates aren’t supposed to use donor money for personal expenses such as clothes. The FEC ruled Tuesday that the ban doesn’t apply to party money, however.

The Alaska governor was Sen. John McCain’s pick for vice president. The purchases from such high-end stores as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus drew criticism for Palin, the self-described hockey mom.

The Republican National Committee told the commission that party money rather than candidate campaign money was used for the purchases

Listen, when you can “see Russia” from your front porch you need to dress well. BTW, I hope all the cruise guests on ships stopping at Juneau, Alaska are enjoying the view of Russia from Governor Palin’s mansion. And while you’re at it, remember, once you’ve seen Russia from Alaska, according to the RNC [Republican National Committee] you have enough foreign policy experience to be a heartbeat away from being “leader of the free world” . . . and since the Republicans seem to be desperately seeking a new leader . . . go for it!

Here Comes Another Round of Spam

HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) — A senior World Bank official announced Monday that Zimbabwe will get a $22 million grant to help the country’s battered economy.

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has requested financial help from governments and international institutions.

Toga Gayewea McIntosh, the World Bank’s executive director for the region that includes Zimbabwe, made the announcement in Harare after meeting with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Finance Minister Tendai Biti. McIntosh did not give a specific date for Zimbabwe to get the money, but said it would be in the next “few weeks.”

Please . . . I am already holding so many millions of dollars from Africans who have emailed me for help!

Accidental Millionaires

(CNN) — An international manhunt was under way Thursday for a New Zealand couple who fled after a bank mistakenly paid them NZ$10 million (US$6 million) when they applied for a loan of just NZ$10,000.

New Zealand authorities said they had sought help from Interpol in locating the couple who disappeared May 7, two days after an employee error at Westpac bank paid them 1,000 times the amount they asked for.

The accidental millionaires, who have not been identified by authorities but are believed to come from the resort of Rotorua, were thought to have left the country, police said.

“At this time I am not prepared to disclose the amount of money involved, name the individuals or business involved, or discuss which country the individuals may be in right now,” said Detective Senior Sergeant David Harvey of the New Zealand police.

Yes, but can they pay the interest? Maybe they want to come to Panama to invest. It’s been said that the way to become a millionaire investing in Panama is to arrive in the country with two million.

Sexy Early TSA Scan?

LONDON (Reuters) – A sexually suggestive Venus figurine with oversized breasts and thighs dates back at least 35,000 years and shows ancient humans had sex on their minds, researchers said Wednesday.

The 60-millimetre-long figurine may be the oldest piece of its kind yet discovered and suggests Palaeolithic art was far more complex than many had thought . . .

Radiocarbon dating indicates the figure excavated from an archaeological dig in southern Germany, near the Danube valley, was at least 35,000 years old, the researchers said.

“The discovery predates the well-known Venuses from the Gravettian culture by at least 5,000 years and radically changes our views of the context and meaning of the earliest Palaeolithic art . . . .Before this discovery … female imagery was entirely unknown.” . . .

“The feature of the newly discovered figure that will undoubtedly command most attention is its explicitly, almost aggressively, sexual nature, focused on the sexual characteristics of the female form” . . . [according to researchers].

Maybe it was just an early TSA image created to protect “The Homeland” purloined by a TSA employee who couldn’t resist taking something home . . . “Why must everything be made sexual?”