The apricots are ripening.
The sunflowers are blooming.
There are days when the smoke from all 155 fires burning
fill our valley.
There are days when our air quality was worse than New Delhi.
There are days that are sunny and clear.
These are days for late evening walks and early morning gardening.
These are all good days to be in the Okanagan.
We made it across the sea from Koh Sami to the mainland with out any
high sea drama, for which we were grateful for.
A smooth journey thru the middle of Thailand was interesting with the
amount of palm trees we saw and the palm oil it produces.
Today we spent the day visiting the various beachs.
With beach names like
Paging, Karon, Kata, Kata Noi, Nai Harn, Rawai, Kamala and Surin,
we saw them all today.
Gorgeous beachs lined with small and large restaurants, nestled between small villages.
The beaches were filled with colourful umbrellas, some with only a few people on them, some crowded.
The road has many sharp curves and steep drops
to the next beach down following a winding coastal road.
Tomorrow we are going on a full day boat tour swimming and
snorkelling to Koh Hong Krabi.
We are looking forward to seeing the eastern shoreline and swimming in the
clear azure warm waters.
Back to writing in my journal and doing a bit of crafting after
a weeks absence.
It is really rewarding to write down my thoughts
that are just mine alone.
Sitting at the pool in the early morning is a lovely
way to start my day.
Writing in my journal makes the day or week that has just
gone by more seem to relavent.
I bought a new wooden bowl in El Valle to compliment
the one I bought last year. It is wonderful for holding my
crochet bracelets and necklaces.
It quickly became my favorite bowl.
The bowl that I bought last year.
This mornings walk was so interesting
as there were a lot of young Panamanian families here.
They spend their weekends swimming in the ocean
as well as hanging under the shade in their
Palapyas.
It always amazes me to see how fearless
their young children are
in these ocean waves.
They learn to swim very early here.
Looking very fit and tanned indeed!
We arrived back in Seattle last night.
This morning seems to be typical
west coast fall day.
Foggy.
Leaving the glorious sunshine, arriving back with the change in tempeture
is always an interesting change.
We will be happy to spend the evening with
Claire
and of course, Jeremy and Julie.
"The next time a sunrise steals your breath or a meadow leaves you speechless,
remain that way.
Say nothing and listen as heaven whispers,
‘Do you like it?
I did it just for you.' "
Max Lucado
A drive to this little fishing village is always interesting.
Puente Chame is a spit of land 24 km off the
PanAmerican highway.
They have a beautiful modern resort there,
complete with outdoor wifi cafe.
Kite and wind surfing at Nitro City,
miles of beaches and colourful little
Panamanian homes.
However, not one gas station!
Here are a few of the religious icons seen in the 3 churches
found along the way.
Punta Chame has a very unique geography. It is basically finger shaped and actually has ocean on both sides of the white sand-lined projection.
Because of the layout of the land, it is an exceptional area for shrimping and windsports, specifically wind sailing and kite surfing.
There are about 35 km of white sand beaches that make up the finger, and it would take approximately 8 hours to walk from the base of the finger around the point to the other end of the finger shaped projection.
Dagmar