We've showed this monkey before, but Audrey got closer.
Monkey business with Audrey. Here I am with a perfect shot but don't recognize it and I turn the camera (which would never work with a video anyway). So, turn your head. It really was fun to watch him catch, peel and eat the banana. A lady came out of her house across the street to warn us that he bites.
Audrey found a gray kitten at the home of Teofilo. Here she is.
She had her 4 days at the beach. We picked her up on Wednesday after teaching and brought her home. We attended an activity at the church and took the guitar and sang a bit. She played the piano for the activity. It was fun to be able to sing harmony.
Thursday we spent in Volcan. We have two or three teaching times with only one student, so Rod and Audrey took a drive to Cerro Punta and also walked through Los Barriles. The weather was good with little rain. In Vocan it isn't too hot. She really has gotten the best of Panama weather. It's been cool enough to sleep and not too much rain.
Audrey's friends. I loved watching her with the children and their delight in each other. I saw again why all the grandkids love Audrey.
Trip to Limones. Audrey's landlady took her to Limones, about half an hour away by bus. Unfortunately, the bus came to a bridge which was washed out. No problem. In good spirits everyone got off and crossed the creek. After a walk in the jungle to get around the bridge, (Audrey said she could hear a monkey very close but didn't see it), they caught another bus. They reached close to Limones and decided they'd try to get a launch back home. No one would take them, so they walked back towards the bridge that was out. Two cars passed them, then a truck with pigs in the back. It stopped and offered a ride. Christina put Audrey in the front, but Audrey chose to change with her. Unfortunately Audrey's camera battery failed, but she said as they went up and down hills she was controlling the pigs with her foot. The truck bed had a cage around it and she could hang on. It was a fun ride, 'aventura'. She has said several times that she thought the stay was better than in a resort. That's what we hoped.
This plant gives us memories of Myles' home and the sensitive plant.
Audrey and Cristina -- the lady in the house where she stayed. Cristina came to tears as Audrey was leaving. Audrey grows on you rapidly.
Avocado with our closet in the background.
Balloon Volleyball at the Sanchez household.
Like we've always known, Audrey knows how to have fun.
Rice Krispie Turkeys with the Sanchez family
This little boy had socks on his hands and had obviously been watching television so he knew how to fall down.
Audrey bought a bowl of what is like our broiled frosting -- quite yummy. You will notice the extent of our Christmas decorations on the door. Thank you Glenda! (This from Rod)
A bowl of molasses ginger fudge (the fudge itself is the bowl) and a half coconut shell filled with coconut mixed with brown sugar (called raspadura). They told me the fudge is made from just beating the cane syrup until it makes this texture. No offense to New York, but I like it better than maple sugar.
She found and caught a gecko in the restaurant on the island of Colon.
This head is our first launch guide. He was WET, and cold, so he hunkered down. He asked us for a deposit of $20 and said he'd meet us at 9:00 the next morning. You guessed it, he didn't. We had to wait until after noon to find another. Live and learn.
Audrey was charmed by the chickens on the front 'lawn' of our 'motel'.
Our rooms were on the top floor over the mini super -- follow path around to the right and up the stairs. Audrey did her workout on our front porch.
Audrey and I visited a shop where they produce organic chocolate. It was up a hill. We didn't have enough money after a 10-15 minute hike, so we went back down and Audrey returned. We thought we needed to be ready by 9:00 at that point, so even she was sweating with the effort. Our German guide (who lives in our Hostel) carried a 6 year old up on his shoulders. Talk about in shape!
Janell is exhibiting the latest in Jungle hiking boots, borrowed from our host. Also note the appropriate beach attire. We went across Bastimento island to a very nice beach (on a muddy trail). There was just one surfer enjoying the water. (Janell now: Both Rod and I are sore today. Audrey is just fine. Her workouts work the muscles better than our ballet, I guess.
Audrey snorkeling -- the water was warm, but it would have been more fun with friends.
Looking forward in the launch. Audrey and Carlos match skin color. He's in the shade and she in the sun.
Here is our guide and his family. They speak pretty good English and Spanish, but among themselves it seems a type of patois - mixed English/English like/ Spanish and unrecognizable words. They took us first to Dolphin Bay. Lito drove the boat in circles and dolphins played in the waves -- 7-8 of them for quite a while. We also saw a flying fish -- it looked like a grandad thrown skipping rock, kissing the waves for over 50 yards. Carlos said he'd seen dolphins much closer, but we enjoyed just seeing them.
Carlos and the wife of our launch driver on the transportation to Red Frog beach (we landed on the land side of the island where there is no surf)
Famous Red Frogs -- launched a resort in their name. A young boy had them and we paid him for a photo. We didn't see any in the wild.
Audrey and Carlos in the surf -- had each had their novios along it would likely have lasted longer.
Lookout point on Red Frog beach (Advertising Red Frogs certainly must help the popularity). Rod asked me if I were taking the photo to show off his purse.
Janell liked this leather portrait in our hostel in Boca del Toro on Bastimento Island (across the bay from Colon Island and the bigger town Boca del Toro
Audrey is posing before the statue in front of our apartment. It is an enlarged copy of some found at the Las Barriles archeological site near Volcan.
The caption on the car was of interest to us. It is our branch president's car. Words don't carry the same punch in other languages, he wasn't apologetic for it. It doesn't mean anything bad to him.
Hope anyone who is still with me will forgive the lengthiness. I did want to preserve it. It's been wonderful to have her here.
The Youngs, the American family in Volcan, invited us all for Christmas dinner on the 24th. It is a very kind thing to do. Lots of work, as she makes wonderful homemade rolls.
After the dinner we went to the church for the baptism of Yiniva, one of our students. This is she and her family before the baptism. She asked for Rod to baptize her. I'm sure the elders were disappointed, but they were cool about it.
It's a bit difficult to juggle languages when the host family only speaks English. The Latino elders get left out. I decided we could play Go Fish (I Spy) as an English learning exercise. It worked nicely, and their daughter, who has Down's Syndrome, enjoyed it as well.
Rod peeled the apples for our first apple pie. We borrowed a rolling pin and got a crust recipe from the net. It wasn't great crust, but we enjoyed it. We knew in advance that the dessert for the day was brownies, ice cream and chocolate sauce. Brother Young requested cherry and apple pies. We made the apple one in an 8x8 glass dish, and the cherry one in a loaf pan. I looked at the store for foil pie pans, but we couldn't find them.
The branch Christmas party Thursday night had a short program by the children. The older ones sang the verse for Angels We Have Heard on High, and the tiny ones the "Glorias". It was fun to direct them. I hadn't expected to attend, but we had a student cancel and it worked.
This was our Christmas present from the President and his wife. It is a "MOLA" or an applique of the mission slogan. I'm hoping Edyn might think it would be fun to help me make it a center for a quilt when we get home.
Some people said they were going to put theirs on a shirt, but I don't think so.
