This past Saturday we filled up our backpacks with tinfoil-wrapped sandwiches and took off for a hike. We put our old Range Rover into 4-wheel drive as we scaled a narrow and muddy path higher and higher up the side of a mountain, a path marked only by the wear and tear of other 4-wheel drives. My stomach buzzed with… Read more →
Inspiration comes from everywhere, right? Well for me, inspiration strikes hard each and every single time my eyes fall upon a Commune design. Two months before we moved away from Casco Viejo, The American Trade Hotel finally opened. I had the luck and opportunity to cruise through the skeleton of the hotel, sawdust flying, hard hat on, months before it… Read more →
I’m post-pregnancy with my second child, and I am here to tell you that newborn babies are the bomb. Yes, I really just said that. Not only did I use the expression “the bomb” but I also just said that I love having a newborn baby. Between 0-3 months, they are the best. I currently have an (almost) three year… Read more →
This morning, barefoot and in my sweats, I waved Joaquin goodbye as he went off to school. I happened to look down from where I stood and there, right in front of my toes, was the tiniest bird’s nest I’ve ever seen. I gently swooped up the little nest no bigger than a plum, and held it carefully in my… Read more →
Antigua, Guatemala – 12 weeks pregnant Last December we moved from Panama to Guatemala. We moved into a new house, with new things, surrounded by new people and new places to learn about and get to know. In January I began a new job, teaching in a new school, in a new grade. All this newness was exciting and intriguing,… Read more →
I’m just bursting with inspiration these days as a new muse has tickled my fancy. For any of you who follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you may already be familiar with my newest artistic passion: creating faces and images with flowers and plants. Here’s a peek: It was an idea sparked by a friend and creative powerhouse Justina Blakeney who created the hashtag… Read more →
After 3+ months of being away, Juan and I returned to Panama [just the two of us] for 5 days and nights of pure reunion love with dear friends and our old neighborhood. We were finally back in Casco Viejo, and I could not have been happier. We returned primarily for the wedding of two best friends which was taking… Read more →
In my wilder days, back when I was determined to never work for someone else and when I stubbornly laughed in the face of “two weeks off a year”, I was convinced I would never fold and take a desk job. I only wanted to operate on my own schedule, and most of all, travel when and where I wanted… Read more →
Sometimes in life, we make a wrong turn. Other times, we follow a map for 4 hours in the wrong direction. Yesterday afternoon, Juan, Joaquin and I decided to jump in the car and go exploring. I have been dying to get out to the ocean and check out the Pacific beaches of Guatemala. I’ve been working a lot lately… Read more →
I clap along because I know what happiness means to me I move my feet because his mother I’m proud to be I whistle the tune, I bang the drum, I strum the strings of time I snap & hum & spin & twirl with this little boy who’s mine My Joaquin Fox, my One Man Band Each day is… Read more →
I just turned 35 years old. I happen to be a pretty nostalgic gal, so sometimes the transition of a birthday comes with that good ol’ bittersweet feeling. It’s not that I’m sad to get older because actually I love the age I am and I feel like I’m getting to know myself better with each passing year. Rather, it’s… Read more →
I recently came across some archived footage on YouTube of a rogue reporter out of Guatemala; a woman by the name of Connie Updike. By the dates of these videos, she was doing some really raw research back in 2011. From an anthropological perspective, I’d love to learn more about her work and I intend on seeking her out while… Read more →
I wouldn’t call myself superstitious, because that’s bad luck. I don’t walk under ladders because it’s just not smart. If I spill the salt, I throw a dash over my left shoulder for good measure. I would never open an umbrella inside of the house. If I run a yellow light, then I tap the interior ceiling of the car… Read more →
Change is so important; often scary, disorienting, and frustrating, but always necessary. Although I’m one to say that I love change, it is always a challenge for me to embrace it. I like my habits, my rituals and my routines, and with a child, the need to keep things structured has become magnified. I am a reminiscent, sappy-hearted gal and… Read more →
Occasionally, Juan tells me that my posts sound like they’ve been written by a travel agent. Ok, maybe not every time I write a post, but often when I’m writing about our life in Panama he thinks I’m wearing rose colored glasses. He is always supportive and interested in what I write but at times I think he’s trying to… Read more →
Standing at the sink in my grandmother’s kitchen in upstate New York, my hands were aching from all the polishing. Red Vine tomatoes sat plump on the window sill. There was the unmistakable sweet, pungent smell of a humid summer evening breeze. Iced tea lemonade in a glass pitcher, idle chatter of family on the screened porch. As usual, I… Read more →
Bocas del Toro is a famous Panama destination. It is internationally known as a stellar surfing location as well as a backpacker’s Central American pit stop. It is made up of a mainland and nine islands, all seeping with a warm, lazy, idyllic Caribbean vibe. Bocas Town, on Isla Colon, is the main drag. It consists of a lot of… Read more →
I had no idea that live auctions could be so fun. I’ve been to a few in my life but I was always either part of the wait staff serving the champagne or I got a free ride and ate & drank to my heart’s content, sure not to lift my hands above my head for ANY reason. Never have… Read more →
Traveling alone can be so enlightening. Traveling alone after you have had a child, is a whole different slice of freedom. A month ago, I decided rather last minute that I would buy a ticket to fly to California alone, for a best friend’s wedding reception. When I pressed the ‘purchase’ button, I knew that my time had come to… Read more →
Just outside of the Casco Viejo limits exists one of the most bustling, eclectic, hot, intriguing, entertaining, and vibrant pedestrian streets I’ve ever been to: Avenida Central. It’s pretty clear to anyone who crosses over Calle 12, headed northwest, that they’ve crossed some kind of invisible, unspoken line. There are less restored buildings and there is more exhaust, more honking,… Read more →
When Joaquin was hardly 24 hours old I remember staring down at his tiny, perfect face and thinking to myself with a wry smile, a touch of fear, and an overwhelming love swelling in my heart “Great. I’m completely screwed.” As I looked at this incredible miracle in my arms, I knew in that moment that I would forevermore be… Read more →
“I’ve lived here for 42 years” she said. “I raised my children here. I’ve seen a lot of changes.” Almost every evening, Joaquin and I take a stroll around the neighborhood at dusk. In doing so, we always see the usual suspects: Dani having his 6pm drink outside of Manolo Caracol, a slew of local kids running rampant, Julio the… Read more →
I recently heard from an old friend that he and his wife quit their jobs in San Francisco, and with their very young daughter, moved to Italy for the next six months while he pursues a wine apprenticeship. My instantaneous reaction was pure glee as all I could do was imagine how much of an exciting roller coaster adventure the… Read more →
I hate saying goodbye. I do. This last goodbye, as I left everyone I love in California, was a toughie. As always, our trip inevitably comes to an end and we have to say goodbye to family, friends, the weather, the amazing meals, and that precious vacation time to just let it all sink it. It seems though that just… Read more →
Summer in California explodes at the seams with fruit and veggies. Farmer’s Markets buzz with local chatter usually accompanied by a live bluegrass band of some kind, and people of all ages come together to make the experience of buying food, a communal one. Call me a cheapskate, but I love to fill myself up on free samples as I… Read more →
Probably the best thing about being on vacation (besides not working and losing all awareness of the calendar) is being on vacation in California. Yes, it’s home and yes, I grew up here, but it’s still definitely vacation and it always hits-the-spot. It’s as if my job is to relax and eat. Literally. All I’ve been doing is visiting with… Read more →
I was born in San Francisco, but I don’t think that’s why I love it so much. San Francisco is an incredibly beautiful city, as most who’ve been there would attest to. But, San Francisco is not just a pretty face. San Francisco is bursting at the seams with beauty on the inside. Between it’s delicious 7×7 miles, San Francisco… Read more →
When I was in my 20’s I wasn’t even sure I wanted to have kids. I didn’t think that marriage was rational or necessary. For many years, I lived out of a bag, I loved being on my own, I traveled as often as I could, I moved a lot, I explored any job that allowed me to make my… Read more →
Moving often and living in new cities and countries involves starting over. Obviously, the starting over includes basic things like an apartment, a job, discovering the local hangouts and markets, transportation, the general day-to-day stuff. But, moving abroad is also largely made up of the people that we meet along the way, the friends we make, and the social circles… Read more →
7am Pick Up – Casco Viejo, Panama Nobody’s Turning Back Now Wave goodbye to El Arco Chato, Joaquin Passing Folks and Blurry Colors Central America, Car Seat Not Always Required Waiting for Take Off Empty Middle Seat : Happy Baby, Happy Parents Layover Snacks I see California Clear Skies and A Clear Coast Bay Bridge View of The City Smell That Air Joaquin?… Read more →