Hello from Bastimentos Panama !

[BigAl]

Al your pictuers are great!!!
What fridges do you have the servel I have is a propane hog and I was looking to up grade next year? I was considering sunfrost electric but the propane is my preference at this point.

tom

They are made by Consul. They are out of Brazil . Cost is $1000 a piece . They are about 12-14 cubic feet each . We have two side by side that give us a lot of storage . They also make freezers .They use about 5 gallons of propane a month and work great .

 

[Doc]

Beautiful sunset Al. Thanks!!!!!!!

Please keep the pics coming!!!!!! Howz come you've never posted one of your wife or the other folks on the Island?

 

[BigAl]

Al your pictuers are great!!!
What fridges do you have the servel I have is a propane hog and I was looking to up grade next year? I was considering sunfrost electric but the propane is my preference at this point.

tom

I know you probably have already done this ,but when was the last time you gave the exhaust stack and pilot a good cleaning ????

 

[BigAl]

Howz come you've never posted one of your wife

Ok ... You asked for it . I hope your heart is strong enough .

 

[fogtender]

Ok ... You asked for it . I hope your heart is strong enough .

No wonder you have a blown out heart for cripes sake...

 

[bczoom]

BigAl,

How do you keep the local varmints from eating your chickens?

 

[BigAl]

BigAl,

How do you keep the local varmints from eating your chickens?

1/4 inch wire mesh on all the enclosures. Even the open area has a wire cover to keep the Harpy's eagles and hawks out .

 

[Doc]

Ok ... You asked for it . I hope your heart is strong enough .

Oh yeah!!!!!!!! Thanks Al, you lucky dawg!!! I hope you'll post more as the opportunity presents itsself.

 

[BigAl]

Kinda quiet around here today . Juan is chopping undergrowth up on the top of the property and the guys are just finishing up the painting outside . I been cutting pieces for the new chicken houses and i'll go hide out in the shop and start building after lunch .
Finally got a breeze blowin so its cooled down a little .
Looking forward to tomorrow and a day off .Should be a great day to just relax . If your close by , doors open

 

[BigAl]

We have 2600 gallons of filtered rain water for our use here at the house . The guys have been going through a bit over the last week washing the house . We have had no rain in a week .I was down about 2000 gallons this morning . The wind picked up and the rain is coming down now . My tanks are just about full again !

I love it when the rain stops in the jungle . It comes alive with the sound of song birds and other animals . I guess everyone is happy!Here's a really bad picture . I am still learning this new camera .

 

[OhioTC18]

I am still learning this new camera .

You failed.
Give that camera back to the wife

 

[tommu56]

Kinda quiet around here today . Juan is chopping undergrowth up on the top of the property and the guys are just finishing up the painting outside . I been cutting pieces for the new chicken houses and i'll go hide out in the shop and start building after lunch .
Finally got a breeze blowin so its cooled down a little .
Looking forward to tomorrow and a day off .Should be a great day to just relax . If your close by , doors open

Its only 2300 miles or so I think I can drive that straight through

tom

 

[BigAl]

Its only 2300 miles or so I think I can drive that straight through

tom

I'll leave a light on ! Stop and pick up a car load of FF knuckleheads so they can help with gas money ! See ya soon .

After my 3rd rum and also being a Honorary "Bugle" Indian chief ,I just declared and passed a new law on my island today. "All women must now go topless" . I love this place

 

[BigAl]

Had a long and interresting talk with my #2 man today about drugs in Panama . He is from a little Indian Village called Santa Catalina on the Caribbean coast side of Panama . The average wage is $2 a day .Now every house has a TV and the locals have "MUCHO" money from the Drug czars to keep quiet .
The Columbians have bought out the whole population there. They bury the drugs there and later transport on up the coast . The local cops are in on it . What a shame . He is afraid to go back to his own birthplace. My #1 is going there on Monday and I hope he is ok . He needs to go settle his mothers estate .

 

[muleman]

Well I hope you can give them a better opportunity with the chickens as a means of making a living. Too many who mess with the drug boys end up dead. Glad you are kicking back a little buddy. No rush to get chickens under cover is worth your health. Enjoy your rum and the sunsets. Bill

 

[BigAl]

Well I hope you can give them a better opportunity with the chickens as a means of making a living. Too many who mess with the drug boys end up dead. Glad you are kicking back a little buddy. No rush to get chickens under cover is worth your health. Enjoy your rum and the sunsets. Bill

Thanks Bill , I have complete Faith in my men .I told them the same thing today. I believe they know right from wrong . Santa Catalina is a 6 hour boat ride from Me,thank God . I have heard the big Drug boat, at 3 AM , only once come into the channel to deliver drugs to the smaller boats that make the trip to Costa Rica .I think my men see that we are trying to improve their lives without being dishonest .The current goverment is busting their butt to stop the drug running .

The Chicken farm is a huge start and everyone(all the locals) are excited . Everyone down here is now a chicken expert !!! LOL

Please stop by if anyone gets a chance .......

 

[BigAl]

Well ,I got my whole Caretakers family here tonight watching TV downstairs . We left them to enjoy the evening in private . I made a batch of popcorn and it was a huge hit . We all have now decided that each Saturday night will be TV night here at the house . I believe it will cost me lots of popcorn .I love this life !

 

[BigAl]

Buenos Dia ,

Ended up going downstairs to listen the the big Fight on TV last night . Everyone was talking in machine gun Spanish . I just try to add a "O" on all English words and fake it .Even the dog was barking in Spanish !

Did not get to bed until 12:30 . Man do the Panamaians love to watch TV .

Trying to coax a group of big parrots closer to the house this morning so I can practice taking pictures .

Caretakers wife, Dira, is washing laundry in the stream on a rock . I can't believe how white she can get stuff .

Its going to be hot ( 90 plus degrees) today and humid !Makes the skin super soft !!!
Its just swim trucks and flip flops as the day's formal wear .

More later ......

 

[muleman]

You are going to corrupt them with your Yankee ways! Next you will have them watching baseball and Nascar.

 

[BigAl]

You are going to corrupt them with your Yankee ways! Next you will have them watching baseball and Nascar.

They Actually they corrupted me . I did not even know there was a fight on . They came over and asked if they could plug in thier little TV into the outside plug . I told them to come inside because the No-see-ems were biting pretty good last night .I had no idea we were going to watch 4 fights !
Anyway I took care of my little problem about being tired a little bit ago .

Now that I am awake I am off to go build the wife a rollin pin for making bread or something ???? Thank God for 2" PVC. It makes a dandy rolling pin material .

 

[muleman]

I am off to go build the wife a rollin pin for making bread or something ????

Tomorrow's pic will be of the lump on your head!

 

[BigAl]

I am off to go build the wife a rollin pin for making bread or something ????

Tomorrow's pic will be of the lump on your head!

Good point ! I decided to make a smaller rolling pin and took another nap ,just to be safe

 

[BigAl]

I have just made another important discovery after 3 rum and Cokes!!! There are 167 varieties of ants in Panama , 166 will bite you !!! Its the little sob ant's that you need to watch out for . They all find a new area on your foot and on a given signal start biting for are they are worth .

Another lessor discovery I made today is never stand on a ant hill ...

The wife thought I was break dancing out back, on the hill when they nailed me ...... . I can only hope they get a little Rum & Coke juice from biting me and end up with one hell of a headache . Serves the little SOB's right !!!

Thank Goodness I have lots of Rum medicine to disinfect the wounds from the inside. It works best if taken internally .

 

[BigAl]

Made the big trip over to the other island with the boys so they could cash their paychecks . Forgot my hat and got the crap burned outta my face .

I hate going into Bocas . Too damn hot and too many tourist .I did run into some old Panamaian friends so it was a worthwhile trip.

My #1 starts his vacation tomorrow . He is going back to his village where he was born . A 8 hour bus ride and then a 3 day walk on a jungle trail to just get there .My #2 will be taking over while he is gone and running the crew .

Wife saw a truckload of flowering plants go by on the other island so one of the guys flagged them down and she was able to buy some new plants for the front area .I have no idea what they are but she is happy and that is all that matters .
I think we have something like 18 different types of fruit trees and God only know how many flowers now .
more later....

 

[muleman]

Feed them ants some diesel then light it off! Make the ring around the outside first then drench them real good. Wait about 3 minutes and throw the match.

 

[BigAl]

Well.... The old boat ,I retired last year has now been sold ! Had a fella come by tonight and wanted it . He is my #1's workers local preacher .
I helped him out and allowed him to make payments . He was pretty happy . I'm a sucker for these people ,but this guy will be sincere and make his payments . He was grinning from ear to ear .

You should have seen them pushing 3000 pounds of boat into the water !!

It was a good day !!!

 

[fogtender]

So why in the world do you want to go to Haiti when you are doing so much good there for the folks...

Not to mention, going back to CA.....

Sounds like you found your place in the world... most people should be that lucky...

 

[BigAl]

So why in the world do you want to go to Haiti when you are doing so much good there for the folks...

Not to mention, going back to CA.....

Sounds like you found your place in the world... most people should be that lucky...

Because I just feel its what I need to do .Haiti needs the help and I have the ability to just maybe help them .Besides ,all this heat down here and in Haiti will do my waist line good !


Panama will always be part of me and I now know my days in the States are numbered .My wife and myself spent last evening working with 2 school children going over reading lessons . Karen really enjoys doing that and it helps us learn Spanish better and the kids pick up some English .It really is a completely different world down here . Its not for everyone and many people would never see the attraction that draws me and my wife so strongly . As they say "Different strokes for different folks"

We hired another man today to temporarily replace my worker who left on vacation . The only way I know where he is at , is the constant whacking of his Machete as he cuts undergrowth up in the back . I will not see him again for the next 4 days before he is done doing that .

Got to go get ready to head back over to the other Island to go pick up the local artist who will start paint underwater and jungle scenes on the walls today . They tell me it will take 2 weeks for him to complete it .

 

[NorthernRedneck]

You're doing a good thing with those kids. Years from now, they will thank you for it. Those smiles remind me of the smiles I get when I get to see the foster children I work with. Just seeing them smile gives me the satisfaction that I'm making a difference in their lives.

 

[loboloco]

BigAl. just a curiosity question. What breed of chickens are you using?