Happy New Year!

This is our eleventh New Year in Panamá, and as has become our tradition, we will be at church when the New Year Arrives. The Afroantillano (West Indian) community believes strongly that one should let the New Year "catch you in Church" so we always have a bilingual Watchnight Service at Parroquia San Cristóbal. I try to plan things so that we say the post-communion prayer just as the fireworks erupt throughout the city, because no one will be able to hear anything after that! Then, once we have the church all closed-up, we'll head home and enjoy some snacks and drinks and watch a movie, and hope that Chompita will let us sleep in on New Year's Day, as no one in this neighborhood goes to sleep before 5:00 am on New Year's.

Happy New Year to all, and thank you for being a part of Padre Mickey's Dance Party.

2009 Is On Its Way Out

Comic Book Back-page Adverts

The post about X-ray Specs started a conversation about those ads in the back of comic books. I never purchased any comic-book stuff, like Sea Monkeys or the device that helped "throw your voice" or the infamous Ju-jitzu and Dynamic Tension ads.

I was a boy scout and a faithful reader of, and subscriber to, Boy's Life magazine, which also had interesting ads in the back pages. My brother and I were always interested in one ad for a "Remote control ghost! You control its every move! Terrify your friends!" We finally saved up enough money and asked our dad to purchase a money order and mail our order to the address in the advert. We were living on Okinawa at the time and, not being in the military, didn't have an APO address, so it took forever to arrive. In the mean time, we started working on our plan to terrify our friends. There was a large cave in our neighborhood, a cave from which every child in the neighborhood was forbidden, therefore it was the most popular place to be. We just laughed at how our friends would scream running from the cave when our remote control ghost rose from the center of the cave and then chased them out into the daylight!!!!!

One day we came home from school and there was a box on the table, addressed to Masters Michael and James Dresbach. IT WAS FINALLY HERE!!! We could barely contain our selves as we found some scissors and carefully opened the box. Inside we found the following: 1 each white plastic sheet with hole in center; 1 each white balloon with ghost face painted on it; and, Several feet of fishing line. Well, we never got to terrify our friends and we never purchased anything from the back of a magazine again!

Christmas at the Hogar

I have been going to the Hogar, but haven't been posting the many pictures I've taken. Here's photos of the Christmas party I went to last week.
First, some of the girls...




Yes, these are communion wafer bits. The nuns that make the wafers give the Hogar the parts of the wafer dough that was on the outside of the wafer cutter.

Yummy snack.

Whisper game.



The girls made these angels.

Ready to party!

She's just so cute!


Bishop Murray arrives. The party can begin!




Actually, the tree was outside on one of my regular visits and went inside for the party.

I was working on this poster for a while.

It's not quite done, but I had to leave.

Padre Mickey Solves the Airport Security Issue

Give all the security folks at the gate a pair of these!

Plus, in these Dire Economic Times, the price is right!

It's Eric's Birthday, Too!

Yes, it is also the birthday of another member of my Extended Family. It's Eric Jackson's birthday, too! Eric does the Panama News thing here and also spends his time upsetting the Powers That Be, especially when they combine forces with gringo crooks the criminal enterprises of certain estadoünidense.

It's Eric's birthday and all the animals get to wear hats!

It's Matty Boy's Birthday!!

Actual photo from Matty's 123rd birthday


That's right, it's my old pal Matty Boy's Birthday! He's getting on in years, but is younger than I, and, as our friend Travis used to say: "He's younger than Springtime, yet older than today." I have no idea what that means, but I like the way it sounds.

So have a Happy Birfday, Matty Boy! Celebrate in the manner to which you have become accustomed. Well, do better than that; have a Super Groovy Day, Dude!

A Visit To Avenida Central

The Lovely Mona and I went to Avenida Central today. It is a very lively place most of the time, but at this time of year there are lots of stalls selling all kindsa stuff, plus lots of food. It is a Promenade, so one doesn't have to dodge cars, except at those spots where cars cross the avenida. We were down there as I needed some walking shoes and I only like to purchase shoes from Aurora onna counna they are freakin' cheap quite inexpensive, yet of decent quality. I found a good pair of walking shoes for just under $20.00, and the Lovely Mona found some shoes which met her needs, too. I took photos of the Avenida, and tried to take some photos inside the Machetazo, cuz it is Quite A Store, but the guard told me I couldn't take any photos (although he never told me why, even though I asked three times).

Here are photos of Avenida Central As always, click on photo to embiggen

I'm just standing in the middle of the street, shooting to the left and then right.



A fountain


Fruits and veggies


Feng Shui store


Aguacates (avocados)


This is the stuff some people use for New Years; I have no idea how it works.



You KNOW I bought this bag!



Street scenes




Pigeons sitting


An Interesting sign


Hey! Wanna buy a watch?


Great prices!


Bolsas


Interesting façade


Plátano 


Cane juicer. The Lovely Mona purchased two bottles of freshly "squeezed" cane juice.



On the way home the traffic was very slow in Panamá Viejo, the original Panama City established by the Spaniards Way Back When. The traffic wasn't moving very fast at all, and I snapped a couple of shots of the ruins while sitting there.
















This is the Super 99 supermercado near our house. I like the cow on top of the sign. The present President of Panamá, Ricardo Martinelli, owns the Super 99's, the Mega Depots, and some other stuff. I don't shop at any of his stores, not so much as a political statement, but because they don't carry stuff I want.