Sunday - a day of rest?

This morning, as I set off from Gamboa (where I usually spent my weekends with my friends the Leighs and my cat Luna who lives there) I saw a carpintero (woodpecker) that woke me up to the world of birds and I noted more birds on the drive in - lots of vultures - both black headed and turkey and then on my way out to eat after church a tree full of Tropical Comerants on the causeway. I have a reservation to stay in Canopy Lodge in El Valle for three days after Christmas and will see many beautiful and some exciting birds there.

Frequently I end up next to someone who speaks English very little when we have an English service as we did today. Today he was a mid adolescent and after sharing the hymnbook for every song he was singing by the end of the service! I distributed the minutes of the past meeting of the vestry - reminding them also of our next meeting - next Saturday.I am the secretary - the meetings are mostly in Spanish but I write most of the minutes in English and then the church secretary translates them for me. I tried to turn the responsibility to creating the agenda back to the Senior Warden but he answered that it was my job as secretary. (this is my third year as secretary - not all years in a row - and the last meeting was the first time that I made up the agenda, at his request) so we shall see.

I had a nice lunch looking out over the Bay of Panama but in an airconditioned room which I find is nicer and nicer as I grow older. I take La Prensa - one of the newspapers and read it while eating and relaxing. Then I drove back to Gamboa to be greeted by the four (possble soon to be 5 - another adult Buddah) and three dogs - two almost 5 months old and very different looking. They wanted food, they wanted in, some wanted out, with the dogs we try to keep them from eating cat food and vice versa, although that isn't much of a problem. That took a bit and included some cleaning up as the big puppies are messy eaters and drinkers.

Tia Sue