Floors and Walls, Pedasi Reno

This house has terra cotta tile floors which have never been sealed. It was dirty and had lots of gouges. It was quite a job to clean each tile by hand, some stains were so ingrained you had to use a power brush. However, there was a fine line between getting the dirt out andContinue reading “Floors and Walls, Pedasi Reno”

Living with a port-a-cath

On a personal note. Several years ago I was diagnosed with a genetic condition, Alpha-1-Antitrypsin deficiency, that affects my lungs. My body is missing a protein that prevents destruction of lung tissue. I have remained fairly stable with a slow deterioration. Summer 2024 my respirologist again suggested a therapy to augment, or replace, this protein.Continue reading “Living with a port-a-cath”

Windows and Doors Needed Love, More DIY

Spring of 2024 when this place was brand new to us, but not lived in for 10 years, it needed a whole lot of work. A lot of the ‘big stuff’ has been done: fencing, roof replaced, the wood ceiling has been stripped and stained, and electricity installed. All the woodwork including counters, windows andContinue reading “Windows and Doors Needed Love, More DIY”

Aerial Tree trimming

We have this massive tree in the back yard. Branches had been hanging over the house, filling the gutters with leaves. This tree sheds all year round and it is a lot of leaves. Daryl decided to trim the overhanging branches. The tree has relatively soft wood, if you cut it half way through itContinue reading “Aerial Tree trimming”

A Panamanian house. Almost DIY

Sometimes it is better to buy a ‘fixer upper’ than trying to build from scratch. This lovely little gem was a new build that has been sitting empty for the last 10 years. It came with a good size lot. The location is also perfect, it is on the edge of town but only aContinue reading “A Panamanian house. Almost DIY”

Building a mud house

Pedasi hosted a special event: Junta de Embarra. An embarra is the building of a mud structure. The story goes, years ago a community would get together and build a mud house for newlyweds. It was constructed of clay and straw that was made into mud and plastered against a frame. This was a standardContinue reading “Building a mud house”

And life goes on, November 2023

During the entire four weeks we have been in Panama there have been road closures and protests throughout the country. It has had minimal impact on our day to day living, except we have not taken any road trips off the peninsula. It is still rainy season and this makes beach walks on a cloudyContinue reading “And life goes on, November 2023”

And still there are protests

Hard to believe we have been in Panama for over two weeks. The protests and road blocks started the day after we arrived and continues. For us it means no trips further afield. Why take a chance of getting stuck in a road block when we have everything we need right here in this littleContinue reading “And still there are protests”

Another First

We arrived in Panama City on a Sunday evening, hearing reports there was going to be country wide protests starting the next day. After a quick dinner at the hotel dining room we went to bed. The alarm clock had gone off at 3 AM in Calgary so it had been a very long day.Continue reading “Another First”