OUR RETIRED ADVENTURE
qUEREMOS VIVIR AL SOL
KSha
Costa Rica is amazing! Beauty abounds.
Panama is "home" for now. Loving life!
South America is next! Columbia here we come.
Costa Rica is amazing! Beauty abounds.
Panama is "home" for now. Loving life!
South America is next! Columbia here we come.
Well, we made it back to Panama on a 6 AM Delta flight out of Midway via a quick stop in Atlanta. We normally prefer the nonstop flights we have found out of O'hare on Copa airlines; but this time we booked a one-way flight back to Panama as we will be moving to our next destination without a stop in the U.S. Those plans are fluid at the moment and no update is possible as this post is being written--hang in there, like I have to, as Sha has been changing her mind recently. It was good to get back "home" from our crazy short week; but we had a wonderful time! Even after a week at home, I'm still not back to "normal." My goddaughter Melanie and her husband Josh threw another spectacular dinner bash for us and the nephews Ian, Kyle and Michael. The wine and tacos were plentiful and awesome; as was hearing about the new things going on in their lives. We talked and laughed all night! Had such a good time we forgot to take pics until it was time to leave! John and Angie were wonderful hosts that allowed us to catch up with them during our in and out dashes to wedding events as we arrived by them early Friday afternoon. We even got to take a ride during the afternoon on their pontoon boat around Lake Delavan before heading to the rehearsal dinner at Geneva National. Saturday after a late breakfast, John, Sha and me went to the Inn Between (a pub on the lake) to have a soda and relax before prepping for the wedding. Not long after we arrived, we were surprised to see Patti (one of Sha's older sisters) and Lisa (Patti's daughter) waltz into the bar! That was really cool as we have not seen Patti in many years, plus it was her birthday, making it all that more special. Cool to see the sisters catching up! L-R: Patti, Kev, Lisa, John, Sha The wedding at Geneva National was spectacular! Our long-time friends Bob and Cindy's daughter had a great day for an outdoor wedding with Lake Como in the background as they said their vows. It even clouded over a bit for the ceremony so yours truly didn't sweat through his suit jacket. The vows were unique, the dinner was elegant and the live band had the dance floor packed all night long! This group was fantastic! What a fun wedding. A quick Sunday breakfast and goodbyes with John and Angie had us hitting the road to Wind Lake (about 40 miles from Delavan) to spend the afternoon with Randi, Ed and their son Marty. We enjoyed afternoon conversations and an early dinner with our wonderful Georgian friends before making our way to the comfortable Elmwood Park AirBnB and our hosts Bob and Nancy. We had accomplished all of our goals to date at the time of rising on Monday morning; except one. Prescriptions were refilled, toiletry supplies in hand, a couple of new shirts for BB; but Sha's swimsuit replacement list was not completed. So off she went after breakfast to complete the task. I got a call early afternoon that things were not going well and I was happy to hear that she had called Nancy first for additional options for shopping--because that would have been a no-win situation for me. I wished her good luck and back at it she was. Later that afternoon I was thrilled with the fashion show and more pleased that Sha had found some luck and some great suits for our pool! Check that off the list! A BBQ at home with Bob and Nancy, and oldest son Brian's family, on Monday night concluded "shopping day." Next, a Tuesday late morning doctor visit and lunch with Tracey and Peg kicked off our final day with dining out at Maria's restaurant on Tuesday night with Bob and Nancy, wrapping up a fast-paced visit to the States. Upon returning home and unpacking...we needed to rest! Before traveling back to the States for the wedding, we had been in contact with Samantha our niece who lives in North Carolina about their family's visit to Panama. Sam, her husband Adam and their three sons; twins Jack and Parker and Asher told us about their plans to travel around Panama and their itinerary of dates and where they'd be. We were lucky enough to be able to plan a day in Panama City the day before they left for home to get together with them for a morning and afternoon. Their boys are marvelous young men and I enjoyed conversing and spending time with them. We played Shanghai, had some lunch and went swimming as we heard about their adventures fishing, scuba/snorkeling, hiking and the cool tours they did, especially the food tours. They even were lucky enough to see a whale and its new born baby while on a fishing trip! This was a unique opportunity for all of us and we enjoyed it to the fullest! Crossing the Bridge of Americas as you enter Panama City. The Port of Panama is in the background. Not sure, but I might have been singing!?A typical street in Casco Viejo where Sam and family stayed. Casco Viejo street vendor. The Foodmans and the Seibels. L-R: Parker, Kev, Sam, Asher, Adam, Jack and Sha. A quick group photo during Shanghai by the pool! Asher playing it cool while uncle concentrates during Shanghai play. Well, we are trying to get back to normal, but I seem to be having a tough time for some reason; although the hammock and the pool are making it a stress-free problem. The middle of next week we will be welcoming another visitor, this time it will be one Sha's co-workers, Mindy, from her days at Sun Microsystems. That will add one American to our group when we celebrate the fourth of July.
You are now officially caught up on the adventures of BB and NGG. We appreciate that you read our blog and hope that your blog-worthy adventure has you smiling more than not. Caio mi amigos! Pura Vida!
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Sha is doing some laundry before we pack our bag to head back to the U.S. for our whirlwind return to Chi-town and our Wisconsin wedding. Our weather has been in the upper 80's every day, with feels like temps near 100 degrees due to the high humidity. Most days have been sunny or just partly cloudy--Sha's tan has not diminished, and our rain showers (about 6 to date) occur in late afternoon or during the evenings. Our pool is the best and we're trying to be smart about the sun...with 45 minutes max before the flip over and then out of the sun after another 45. About 2:30 PM the shade starts to cover our pool area and by 3:30 it's an oasis when the wind dies down and you need a quick dip. On the right side of this picture is our pool and two red roofs of our place as viewed from the 24th floor rooftop pool area. Rooftop view looking southwest. Rooftop view looking northeast. A few weeks back was "wedding haircut day" and we ventured over to Nueva Gorgano to see Carlos, Sha's hairstylist. It seems that things were still pretty dry over here at the time, as we were greeted by this roadside event as we arrived at the salon. We both love our walks on the beach during low tides. We are still seeing cool things during our walks. The guys below are looking for oysters that they hammer and chisel out of the rocks when the tide is out; during high tide these rocks are underwater. There are a couple of these rock outcrops along our beach. We caught these two walking naked on the beach! Needlefish that washed ashore. Believing this is some type of heron...one of the many birds hunting at the edge of the incoming waves during low tide. A headless prawn; prey for the predator birds. We see some with only the heads missing and others that have the entire shell cleaned out. We had to use Google to figure out what these guys were...seashell encrusted worms! This little guy posed for us before he scurried away. It's interesting experiencing American holidays only through social media when out of the country. But, in honor of Memorial Day and remembering our fallen service men and women, we had an all-American dinner to celebrate. Sloppy Joes, Sha's homemade potato salad and baked beans. Planning to pack a lot into the 6 days we'll be in the U.S. by seeing my god-daughter, her hubby Josh and the nephews Ian, Michael and Kyle the day after we get in for dinner. We'll then be spending 2 days with our friends John & Angie while in WI for Bob and Cindy's daughter Jenny's big day. Looking forward to seeing the rest of "La Familia" at the wedding as well. Sunday we will be going to see our Georgian friends Randi & Ed (these are the game givers!) at their Wind Lake home while they're visiting their son Marty. Monday is Bob and Nancy day (our wonderful AirBnB hosts); congrats Nancy for finishing the school year and now being able to enjoy the summer! Tuesday, I have a doctor's appointment and then lunch with Tracey and Peg so the girls can catch up...doubt I'll get to talk; ha! Then we'll need to pack up again for an early Wednesday morning flight back to Panama.
We have extended our lease on our house here in Coronado Bay and we will be staying here until the first week in December. Then we have our eyes on South America...I'll keep you updated as those plans materialize. We hope you are enjoying your summer weather where you are! Ciao amigos! Pura Vida! |
Kevin & Sharon SeibelBeginning our next big adventure! Archives
December 2023
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