Jim, Boty & Renee. Boty taking her first jump off the high part of the dock. Really big deal.
Photo by Ramon Fernandez Frances.

Yohany & Patrick swimming off the dock. Photo by Ramon Fernandez Frances.

Boty. Photo by Ramon Fernandez Frances. Happy Labor Day to all of you in the USA.

We had a lovely couple stay with us at the beginning of the month. They have been traveling extensively over the past year, however they chose to spend their first anniversary with us here at Tranquilo Bay. We were of course thrilled at being their selected location so we did what we could to make the stay extra special for them. Here are a few snapshots from a snorkeling session during their stay.

Here are a few photos that we captured before the party began. They are precious boys. We all love them both very much! And we are lucky that their birthdays are close enough together that they can share the party. Thanks again everyone.

Scott decided that he wanted to invite all of his classmates from the Tangerine School on Isla Colon and some of his other friends from Bocas out to Tranquilo Bay for his birthday party. It was a great day. The kids all kayaked, swam, played, ate, beat up the pinata, wrestled for candy - you know all the fun things one does at a birthday party. The parents had some fun too. Here is a quick look at the party and all the children having a great time! Thanks to all that came. It was a great day for all of us.

So, we have all these cool birds that you can see here if you come visit us, and we thought you would want to be able to see them. So we created a separate sub-site of our Tranquilo Bay site that allows you to see the entire bird list. The bird list is by family and includes the following pieces of information: Photo (if we have a good one), Scientific Name, English Common Name and the Spanish Common Name. We will be updating the photos as we acquire new ones. We also have a bird list that you can download that includes the same information. Take a look at the new subsite here. We will continue to add information regarding birding Panama's western Caribbean slope over time. We hope that this sub-site becomes a point of reference for all those interested in birding this special region.

This photo is of a red-lored amazon. We have hundreds of these that travel to and from our property each morning and evening. Their noise is a wonderful wake-up call to the jungle.

Wishing each of you a wonderful weekend full of beautiful views such as this one.

Ramon got this shot of just one of the different "textures" we find here in Bocas.

Ramon got some really incredible shots of this iguana. The texture of the scales on his skin is amazing.

Catching a turtle laying eggs during daylight hours is almost impossible. Ramon caught this female in process. We are extremely fortunate to have these photos. Turtles around the globe this year have run into many challenges such as reality tv shows, oil spills, etc. So when this one returns to her nesting grounds out here on the Zapatilla Cayes unfettered by the other problems it is awesome. It is as it should be.

Ramon and Natalia are spending two months at the Zapatilla Cayes this summer to transition the team who is taking over studying the turtles there. We saw both of them briefly over the weekend. Ramon spent the night with us upon returning from Costa Rica and Natalia came by to pick him up. Ramon picked a selection of his favorite photos from out at the cayes last month and gave them to me to share with you. Enjoy.

Blue gray tanager / tangara azuleja
(Thraupis episcopus)


Photo by Ramon Fernandez Frances

This bird is one of the most common birds in Panama, found in clear areas with bushes, gardens and secondary forest. This is not a reason to lose interest in observation of this bird, as they are very active and noisy birds. Blue gray tanagers are often found in groups of either the same specie or other species. Both sexes have the same color, light bluish head and under parts, with darker blue upper parts.

Es una de las aves más comunes de Panamá, que se puede encontrar en claros arbustivos, jardines y bosques secundarios. No por eso deja de ser un ave que da gusto observar, son muy activas y bulliciosas y con frecuencia se mueven en grupos, de su misma especie o de otras especies de este grupo. Ambos sexos tienen la misma coloración, sus partes dorsales son azules oscuras y la zona ventral y la cabeza de un azul más pálido.

Blue Dacnis / Dacnis azul
Dacnis cayana

Photo by Ramon Fernandez Frances.

Blue Dacnis frequent the sunny canopy areas of the forest, from where they descend to the open areas with a few bushes and trees, near to the forest. Some authors report altitudinal migrations, while other authors report the species as an uncommon specie. We do not know yet if it is resident or migratory at Tranquilo Bay, because it is an elusive and scarce bird.

It feeds on fruits, seeds and insects. You should look in the foliage, like the bananquits to find them. This specie make couples or small family size groups. Some times are observed with other tanager flocks, banaquits and honeycreepers.

Frecuenta los niveles superiores soleados del bosque, de donde desciende a los claros adyacentes con árboles y arbustos dispersos. Algunos autores reportan migraciones altitudinales, mientras que otros autores la reportan como residente poco común, aun no sabemos si esta reside o migra en Tranquilo, pues es un ave esquiva y poco abundante.

Se alimenta de frutos, semillas e insectos, que buscan entre el follaje, como las reinitas. Forman parejas o grupos pequeños de tamaño familiar. En ocasiones acompañan a las bandadas de tangaras, reinitas y otros mieleros.

Photos by Ramon Fernandez Frances.

This post is in our Bird Week series focusing on the Tanagers.

Green honeycreeper / mielero verde
Chlorophanes spiza

Photo by Ramon Fernandez Frances.

Green honeycreepers live in the canopy of dense forest, although they often descend to along the borders, clearings with a few trees and/or bushes and gardens.

They feed on nectar, fruts, seeds and little insects. The make couples and generaly stay close to other species in trees with fruit. Often they travel through the canopy with other tanagers, banaquits and other small birds. Green honeycreepers are residents of the Caribbean slope, from the sea leavel up to 1000m.

Habita en el dosel de los bosques densos, aunque con frecuencia desciende a lo largo de los márgenes, claros con árboles, arbustos esparcidos y jardines.
Se alimentan de néctar, frutos, semillas y pequeños insectos. Forman parejas y por lo general se juntan con aves de otras especies en árboles con frutos. Es frecuente que viajen por el dosel con tangaras, reinitas y otras aves pequeñas. Es una especie residente en la vertiente del Caribe, desde el nivel del mar hasta los 1000 m.

Photo by Ramon Fernandez Frances.

This post is in our Bird Week series focusing on the Tanagers.

Red-legged Honeycreeper / Mielero patirojo
Cyanerpes cyaneus

Male and Female - Photo by Ramon Fernandez Francis

During the mating season the male has a bright turquoise crown, that he loses after the reproductive season. After the mating season, he head has the same blue color as the rest of his body. The internal part of the male's wings are bright yellow.

This species travel through the top of the trees and semi-open areas, at the forest edges, gardens and platations.

Durante la época de reproducción el macho adulto tiene una corona brillante de color turquesa pálido, que al terminar la temporada reproductiva pierde, y tiene un color azul similar al del resto del cuerpo. La parte interna de las alas del macho es de color amarillo brillante.

Viajan a través de las copas de los árboles del bosque y de áreas semiabiertas, en bordes de bosques, jardines y plantaciones.

Male - Photos by Ramon Fernandez Frances


Female - Photo by Ramon Fernandez Frances

This post is in our Bird Week series focusing on the Tanagers.

Shining Honeycreeper / Mielero luciente /
Cyanerpes lucidus

Male - Photo by Ramon Fernandez Frances

Shining Honeycreeper are solitary birds that are sometimes found in couples or family groups, but never in flocks of their own species. They are often observed in the company of mixed flocks of bananaquits or other tanagers. In some locations they hang from skinny branches to reach their food, which allows one to watch their bright yellow legs.

Son solitarios o forman parejas, o grupos familiares, no forman bandadas de su misma especie, pero se le observa con frecuencia en compañía de bandadas mixtas de reinitas u otras tangaras. En ocasiones se cuelgan de ramas finas, para alcanzar su alimento, permitiendo al observador ver sus brillantes patas amarillas.

Male - Photo by Ramon Fernandez Frances


Female - Photo by Ramon Fernandez Frances

This post is in our Bird Week series focusing on the Tanagers.

Right now at Tranquilo Bay we are having the reproductive migration of this curious animal. We have crabs all over the place, which is great, because this specie in some areas of the Caribbean has seen drastically reduced numbers . These crabs are intensively exploited as a food resource in some areas, however, in the areas where the animal it is not exploited as food the destruction of the habitat is the reason for the reduced population.

Photos by Natalia Decastro

Some data about them:

Young individuals are often very colourful, and as they grow older the colours tend to fade, females may be duller than males. This crab reaches sexual maturity in approximately 4 years, it is not uncommon for adult crabs to measure 10-11 cm and weigh up to 500 g.

This crab is a slow growing species compared to most other crabs, which makes it difficult for it to increase its population. While most crabs may require approximately 20 molts to reach maximum size, Cardisoma requires more than 60 molts.

One claw is usually considerably larger than the other. They feed throughout the day in shaded areas; however, if exposed to direct sunlight for prolonged periods, they prefer to feed at night. They are omnivores, but primarily feed on plant material, collected near the vicinity of its burrow.

The reproductive cycle is closely linked to seasonal weather patterns and lunar phase. Heavy rains in the spring initiate migrations. During this time they gain weight rapidly as foraging intensity is increased for the first few weeks of the migratory period. Males actively court ripe females during this period.

Fertilization is internal, and females carry external egg masses. Eggs are carried for approximately 2 weeks prior to hatching, and must be released into salt water for larvae to survive. The eggs hatch into free swimming larvae.

Rachel, Beth and Jed. Thank you and all of your different teams for choosing Tranquilo Bay and Bocas del Toro for your 2010 Summer catalogs. We appreciate the opportunity and look forward to doing it again. xoxoxo from all of us at TB.



This post is in our Behind the Scenes series for the Athleta Photo Shoot for their Summer 2010 catalogs shot here in Bocas del Toro in January 2010. It was both an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of this process.

Poloroid boards are an important part of a photo shoot we have learned. It helps the team to see which shots they have captured and how the book is coming together.

We gave beth two supersize boards. she filled both of them with photos before they left.

It was fun to watch the boards come together over the two weeks.

This set of photos is not what would have made it to athleta’s boards, but does show how many people and parts of the process are necessary to get to the finished result.

In all my days buying things from catalogs and over the internet I had no idea the effort it took to make it easy for me to confidently buy.





This post is in our Behind the Scenes series for the Athleta Photo Shoot for their Summer 2010 catalogs shot here in Bocas del Toro in January 2010. It was both an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of this process.

Danielle was running along the jungle’s edge. Not an easy thing to do when you are not familiar with it. She was such a good sport. Trying to run without encountering a root of a tree or some other kind of hazzard. Rachel is certain that we can set up some kind of obstacle course similar to one of the new runs they are offering in the USA. Bring it on. We can do it.



This post is in our Behind the Scenes series for the Athleta Photo Shoot for their Summer 2010 catalogs shot here in Bocas del Toro in January 2010. It was both an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of this process.

I am not sure what is going on in this picture. It is definitely precarious. I am certain there was no danger in this situation as Jim took the photo. But what is happening?



This post is in our Behind the Scenes series for the Athleta Photo Shoot for their Summer 2010 catalogs shot here in Bocas del Toro in January 2010. It was both an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of this process.

Filming in the jungle is an experience. The jungle envelops you. It is both dark and cool in the middle of a tropical day. It is definitely more challenging than other locations. But oh the things that you can see in the jungle. One of our naturalist guides went along with the group for the shots. Natalia and Beth were checking out the birds and many of the other natural wonders of the jungle. A little beneift for the day.



This post is in our Behind the Scenes series for the Athleta Photo Shoot for their Summer 2010 catalogs shot here in Bocas del Toro in January 2010. It was both an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of this process.

This was the day that the second set of athletes arrived. They were on the morning flight to Panama City which leaves Panama City at 6:45 am and arrives in Bocas at 7:30 am. After making their way out to Tranquilo Bay and getting everything settled they had a free afternoon. Many of the crew members wanted to get on some waves. So off they went. Some of the crew were beginners and others have been at this for a lifetime. Those with experience were passing on their knowledge to the newbies. It was a great afternoon to give it a try.

Then there were the others who chose to take the afternoon to walk around Bocas Town and snap photos or shop for souvenirs. Each person took the afternoon to enjoy a little time in paradise.

We were glad that everyone had an opportunity to have some fun as this group works hard. It is nice to have a chance to work in paradise, but it is also imperative that you take the time to enjoy it.



This post is in our Behind the Scenes series for the Athleta Photo Shoot for their Summer 2010 catalogs shot here in Bocas del Toro in January 2010. It was both an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of this process.

This post is in our Behind the Scenes series for the Athleta Photo Shoot for their Summer 2010 catalogs shot here in Bocas del Toro in January 2010. It was both an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of this process.

I have seen this set of photos many times as I have prepared all of the documentation for this blog series. Each time I stop and I look at the series and I wonder what made Jim capture it on film. Then I wonder what were they talking about. I could ask Jay. He might remember. I could ask Rachel. I am sure she would remember exactly what it was, However as a person on the outside looking in, it really just looks like it was a good conversation. One that would have been fun to over hear. Don’t you think? Maybe it wasn’t anything. But it looks like it was.



This post is in our Behind the Scenes series for the Athleta Photo Shoot for their Summer 2010 catalogs shot here in Bocas del Toro in January 2010. It was both an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of this process.

Most people on this shoot were taking pictures of everything and everyone on the crew as well as the normal things that tourists snap here in Bocas.



This post is in our Behind the Scenes series for the Athleta Photo Shoot for their Summer 2010 catalogs shot here in Bocas del Toro in January 2010. It was both an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of this process.

Ben was brave enough to make the drive down the hill at La Escapada in the back of the truck. I am betting he will not do it again. He says the basic going down wasn’t near as bad as the backing up to turn and get completely down the hill.



This post is in our Behind the Scenes series for the Athleta Photo Shoot for their Summer 2010 catalogs shot here in Bocas del Toro in January 2010. It was both an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of this process.

Corinne and Jenn with Tres and Boty - all smiles.



This post is in our Behind the Scenes series for the Athleta Photo Shoot for their Summer 2010 catalogs shot here in Bocas del Toro in January 2010. It was both an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of this process.

Again, we wouldn’t have been able to make this happen without a little help from our friends. We visited Hotel Macca Bite, Casa Cayuco Eco-Adventure Lodge, The Villas on Playa Paraiso, Crawl Caye, Cayo Agua and Isla Popa. We also made a day trip out to Bastimentos National Marine Park. All of our surfing was done close to Carenero. Thanks to everyone for helping us make this happen for Athleta and Bocas. We truly appreciate it.





This post is in our Behind the Scenes series for the Athleta Photo Shoot for their Summer 2010 catalogs shot here in Bocas del Toro in January 2010. It was both an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of this process.

We could not have made this photo shoot happen without the assistance and cooperation of many different businesses and people on Isla Colon. We were unable to get photos of each and every location used for the shoot, however a quick look through the book shows the diversity of locations throughout Bocas del Toro that were used for the shots. Bocas del Toro has definitely benefitted from this experience. We appreciate everyone’s help.





Here is a list of the merchants and people on Isla Colon who helped us (if I missed anyone I am truly sorry). I have attempted to include a link where I could.

Barracuda
Bocas Sustainable Tourism Alliance
Bocas Yacht Club & Marina
Drink Stand
Gran Bahia Hotel
Gran Kahuna Hostel
Hostal Heike
Hotel Casa Max
Ixa’s Bicycle World
Kiwi Dave Gillingham
Lili’s Café (Facebook link)
Princess Lauren
Sabor Caribeño
Shave Ice Cart
Starfish Coffee (Facebook link)
Super Gourmet (Facebook link)
Tropix Surf Shop
Ultimate Refugio
Yudy Mendoza

This post is in our Behind the Scenes series for the Athleta Photo Shoot for their Summer 2010 catalogs shot here in Bocas del Toro in January 2010. It was both an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of this process.

Holly Beck and Corinne Gold worked with Agustin Munoz to get some great surf shots. Holly named the spot "OLS" or Our Little Spot. The group went looking for bigger waves, but this location worked best for what was needed. It happens to be where our kids go surfing on a regular basis. A great location for the land shots and for Agustin to get close to the ladies surfing in the water.





This post is in our Behind the Scenes series for the Athleta Photo Shoot for their Summer 2010 catalogs shot here in Bocas del Toro in January 2010. It was both an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of this process.

ACTIVE. This crew was active from before the first light of day to well after the last light of day. Here near the equator in Panama, we have light for about 12 hours each day. the sun begins peaking across the horizon around 6:15 am . the sun begins to set around 6:15 or 6:30 pm each night. our moonrise is sometime after 9:00 pm each night. Travel after dark is limited as it isn’t particularly safe. So we had to make sure the teams made it back to our part of the archipelago before complete nightfall. Transfers between Tranquilo Bay and Macca Bight were fine as we had the entire route marked for safety.



This post is in our Behind the Scenes series for the Athleta Photo Shoot for their Summer 2010 catalogs shot here in Bocas del Toro in January 2010. It was both an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of this process.

A photo shoot is not for the faint at heart. It is a new adventure each day based upon a change in scenery or challenges posed by the location or weather. Athleta photo shoots are for athletes. Look at the schedule they had each day. The schedule was different only on the days that the crew arrived or we changed groups of athletes.

4:30 am - Tranquilo Bay staff preparing meals, boats, etc. for the day.
5:00 am - First call for hair and makeup at Macca Bite
5:45 am - Last call for coffee, get to the dock
6:00 am - Boats pull away from Tranquilo Bay
6:15 am - Boats leaving Macca Bite for location, breakfast on the way or whenever you get a chance on site
7:00 am - Shots underway at first location for day. Some days it was one location for the morning, some days it was several in the same general area.
12:00 pm - Lunch time. Working on getting things set for days to come.
1:00 pm - Rest or move on to the next location for the day.
2:00 pm - Shots underway for the afternoon location.
6:45 pm - Packing it up to head back for dinner at Tranquilo Bay
7:30 pm - Dinner at Tranquilo Bay. Internet, phone calls, etc. Update the boards. Next day’s plans.
9:00 pm - Macca Bite crew is home and trying to get to sleep. Tranquilo Bay crew is preparing for the next day.

Much planning and preparation was completed before the crews ever showed up on site. Huge notebooks of shots & clothes, etc. are assembled so that each page of mulitple catalogs as well as many of the different online resources would be properly photographed. Athleta is running as many as three crews a day in order to capture these shots. These crews work hard to make the most of this two week period in order to produce a quality product. It was special to get to be a part of the process.



This post is in our Behind the Scenes series for the Athleta Photo Shoot for their Summer 2010 catalogs shot here in Bocas del Toro in January 2010. It was both an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of this process.

These ladies are also athletes and were up for any adventure thrown at them. Danielle Halverson is a heptathlete. Juliane Rossi practices yoga. Drisana Carey plays volleyball and practices yoga. We were super fortunate to spend some time with these women.



This post is in our Behind the Scenes series for the Athleta Photo Shoot for their Summer 2010 catalogs shot here in Bocas del Toro in January 2010. It was both an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of this process.

Each of these women that came down for this adventure is an athlete of some sort. Jennifer Widerstrom is an American Gladiator. Holly Beck is a pro surfer and a videographer. Annalaina Marks plays water polo. Corinne Gold is a surfer and a great photographer.



This post is in our Behind the Scenes series for the Athleta Photo Shoot for their Summer 2010 catalogs shot here in Bocas del Toro in January 2010. It was both an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of this process.

James was the man for Tranquilo Bay at Macca Bite. He is a dear friend of ours and has been for some time now. He helps us out as a guide over the holiday season each year. Some years he hangs out a bit longer. This year he stuck around to help us with the photo shoot. We are so grateful that he did. He took care of everyone and every thing over at Macca Bite for us. He is awesome. We love him.



This post is in our Behind the Scenes series for the Athleta Photo Shoot for their Summer 2010 catalogs shot here in Bocas del Toro in January 2010. It was both an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of this process.

These ladies were up before the sun working with the athletes in preparation for the morning's shoot. Then they worked with them all day long in and out of the sun until the last light fell. It was great to have them around for a few weeks sharing adventures with them down here in Panama.



This post is in our Behind the Scenes series for the Athleta Photo Shoot for their Summer 2010 catalogs shot here in Bocas del Toro in January 2010. It was both an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of this process.

Rachel was trying to find a surf photographer to help with the water shots for this photo shoot. Jim helped her to find a few people and to look at a variety of websites. They review the work and decided to work with Agustin Munoz. (and here) It was nice to work with him. His shots are amazing.



This post is in our Behind the Scenes series for the Athleta Photo Shoot for their Summer 2010 catalogs shot here in Bocas del Toro in January 2010. It was both an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of this process.

Athleta has been working with Adamski Peek and this group of people for some time now. They come together for different projects around the world. We can see why. They work really well as a team. They are both serious and fun at the same time. And they take great photos.


This post is in our Behind the Scenes series for the Athleta Photo Shoot for their Summer 2010 catalogs shot here in Bocas del Toro in January 2010. It was both an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of this process.

These are all of our new friends from Athleta. Most of our photos of the photo shoot are truly behind the scenes catching people in action, so finding good photos to identify each of the players was a group effort. I drew from photos from everyone on the crew (with their permission of course) to create a "yearbook" of sorts for the group. Rachel is / was our main contact. The rest of the team we met for the first time when they came down for the shoot. We enjoyed working with each of these people.



This post is in our Behind the Scenes series for the Athleta Photo Shoot for their Summer 2010 catalogs shot here in Bocas del Toro in January 2010. It was both an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of this process.

We spent a lot of time on or around boats during this photo shoot. We explored so many parts of the archipelago and to do that we travel by boat. We had many glorious days full of sunshine. We had a few rainy days. It is amazing what a beautiful athlete can do for a plastic bag or a tarp. These girls were troopers. Up in the morning to catch first light meant being ready to leave the dock before the sun was in the sky. Catching the last light each night required some travel at almost dark. We made sure travel was safe, but we all had some really long days.

Traveling by boat between Macca Bite and Tranquilo Bay was a daily task as all of our meals were at Tranquilo Bay. James set up reflectors along the way so that he could see each of his markers no matter the conditions. Athletes, photographers and stylists snap lots and lots of photos.





This post is in our Behind the Scenes series for the Athleta Photo Shoot for their Summer 2010 catalogs shot here in Bocas del Toro in January 2010. It was both an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of this process.

All of the photo shoot was managed from Tranquilo Bay. It was the communication hub among a variety of other things. Our radio was extremely active during the shoot. We had crew staying here. We had all of our meals either onsite or prepared here. We did all of the jungle shots at Tranquilo Bay. Our cabanas made it into a few shots. And no one will ever forget the extremely tall chin up bar.



This post is in our Behind the Scenes series for the Athleta Photo Shoot for their Summer 2010 catalogs shot here in Bocas del Toro in January 2010. It was both an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of this process.

Due to the crew size, we needed to find additional accommodations for part of the group. So, about a five minute boat ride away from Tranquilo Bay is a place called Hotel Macca Bite. We worked out a deal with them for the crew to stay there and eat all meals, etc. at Tranquilo Bay. It was also a great place for some of the photo shoot as you can see here.



This post is in our Behind the Scenes series for the Athleta Photo Shoot for their Summer 2010 catalogs shot here in Bocas del Toro in January 2010. It was both an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of this process.

Tranquilo Bay is located on Isla Bastimentos, Bocas del Toro, Republic of Panama. Most of the province of Bocas del Toro is an archipelago of over 60 islands. So getting around means traveling on boats. Planes land on the main island of Isla Colon. We transfer guests from Isla Colon over to Isla Bastimentos to stay with us here at Tranquilo Bay. All of the gear for the photo shoot was transferred by land. The van landed at La Escapa Eco - Lodge which is owned by our friends Ron and Kyleen. Our boats and staff met the crew which travelled with the gear in the van and moved them over to Isla Bastimentos. Some days it is sunny and super gorgeous. Some days it rains. We are in the middle of the rainforest, so it happens. You just have to be prepared. And we were.




This post is in our Behind the Scenes series for the Athleta Photo Shoot for their Summer 2010 catalogs shot here in Bocas del Toro in January 2010. It was both an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of this process.

Planes, vans, vans, planes, trucks, boats & manpower. Moving a crew of 20+ people and all of their gear around Panama is occasionally challenging. However, it is always interesting and usually a lot of fun. Rachel, Steve, Fernando, and James Beal arrive with all the gear after a long drive from Panama City. Steve Nohara got this great photo of Rachel on the ride from La Escapada to Tranquilo Bay.

DAY ONE: ATHLETA CREW AND PHOTOGRAPHERS ARRIVE
DAY TWO: TALENT AND STYLISTS ARRIVE
DAY THREE: PHOTO SHOOT BEGINS



This post is in our Behind the Scenes series for the Athleta Photo Shoot for their Summer 2010 catalogs shot here in Bocas del Toro in January 2010. It was both an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of this process.

Make reservations. Make more reservations. Purchase stuff. All the same as what we do on a regular basis, but multiplied due to the number of people involved. And with a crew of 20+ that is working, there are special needs to be met. Tables, dietary requirements, first light, last light, getting people and gear from one place to another. Logistics in the tropics - not easy, but it can be done.

Accommodating a group of 20+ people who are working is a bit different than taking care of people who are on vacation. Most of our guests when they arrive have about 30 pounds worth of luggage and are moving at a slower pace because they are on vacation. This group had much to accomplish in a relatively short period of time. We did everything we could to make it as easy on them as possible. We had a service meet them at the gate when they arrived in Panama City to help them through Customs and Immigration. We had our transportation provider move them and their stuff throughout the city. We made all the airline and hotel reservations. We rented a van to bring all of the heavy equipment, etc. to Bocas. This group was traveling with far more than the domestic airplanes could handle as cargo. We transferred the people and stuff from airports and the mainland to get out to the archipelago. Then we made sure they had a nice place to stay and some delicious meals to sustain them. And this was before any work began on the photo shoot.



This post is in our Behind the Scenes series for the Athleta Photo Shoot for their Summer 2010 catalogs shot here in Bocas del Toro in January 2010. It was both an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of this process.

Karma is not fate, for humans act with free will creating their own destiny. If we sow goodness, we will reap goodness; if we sow evil, we will reap evil. Karma refers to the totality of our actions and their concomitant reactions in this and previous lives, all of which determines our future. The conquest of karma lies in intelligent action and dispassionate response.

So my theory is that when my friend Cindy told me about a company called Athleta and I decided to buy some of their clothes for life down here in Panama I must have set something in motion.

When I got an email for a photo shoot here in Bocas del Toro, I didn’t see the whole picture at first. I answered it just as I do any other email for prospective guests. Then I realized we could make it work for this large group by setting things up with another hotel nearby. Fortunately, Athleta found that what we could offer to them was a great match.

I haven’t spoken to my friend Cindy about this photo shoot. I think she is going to be happily surprised to see what she set into motion.

Thanks Cindy and thanks Athleta. We really appreciate the opportunity. And we look forward to doing it again.



This post is in our Behind the Scenes series for the Athleta Photo Shoot for their Summer 2010 catalogs shot here in Bocas del Toro in January 2010. It was both an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of this process.

Here are just some of the photos Jim took on the little boy's first trip to Punta Valiente. It was Martin's first trip as well. They all enjoyed the body whomping as the kids call body surfing. The swell wasn't much to ride that day but everyone had fun. The kids made some new friends and everyone had a great experience.

January 2010 was one of the busiest months ever here at Tranquilo Bay. We had a large group that liked to get up with the sun and return at dark. We had many different couples coming to see what the Panamanian jungle had to offer. We had a few families onsite to see our beaches. We had an individual traveler who has become a pen pal to Tres and Scott since she left. It was a great month.

The months in the fourth quarter are usually a bit slower pace. The archipelago slows down until the USA Thanksgiving holidays begin. Things pick up a bit at that time. Come the December holidays things are going full pace yet again.



October 2009

We watch the orthoptera as they make their way out of the trees.



November 2009

Local children in school enjoy it when our visitors stop off at their classroom to learn a bit with them.



December 2009

Watching nature continue on its yearly course - the same as it ever was. December is a good month for most activities. The surf picks up again.

Friends, family, wildlife. We experience them all during the third quarter each year. Surfing is up during the summer months. Fishing starts again in September. All of the adventure activities are available throughout these months.



July 2009

Many of the beautiful natural attractions that can be found here in Bocas.



August 2009

Family adventures before the children return to school for the Fall.



September 2009

Quiet days with very few people on the islands. Hatching turtles.

Our second quarter usually includes a lot of fishing. This quarter was no exception. We caught a large number of fish. We saw sea turtles. And we did all the regular fun stuff.



April 2009

Life in paradise - just an example of what awaits.



May 2009

Fishing, turtles, all kinds of good stuff.



June 2009

Not many photos as we were closed for the first three weeks for our annual trips to the USA.

January 2009

All the usual things: beach combing, birding, hiking, kayaking, snorkeling, swimming. Surfing is typically good in January, but we didn't have any surfers this January.



February 2009

We had a celebration of the natural life around us. These are all of the photos from the blog posts that month.



March 2009

Spring Break for many different groups. These photos are also a combination of the blog posts for March.

We have a good friend, Martin, who comes to stay with us each year. He is from South Texas, but he spends about 2 months each year in Bocas. During his Bocas time he comes out to stay with us at least once. This year he came out for a few days in December and then again in February. One of the annual highlights of his stays are the jam sessions. This year, Tres wrote a new song for the group. I didn't have my camera for each of the sessions, so these are an example from one of the short morning sessions. The last few nights of his stay, all of the kids, Jim and Martin were in on the session. Tres was on the drums. Scott was on the harmonica. Boty was playing guitar with Martin's help and Jim was also on guitar. There were other sessions when Boty was playing the harmonica (really well, actually). It was a lot of fun. So whenever you visit, take one of the guitars down and play a while.

So yesterday, Jim and Jay loaded up the boat with Scott and Tres, Stefanie and Patrick, some friends and a few surfboards and headed into town. We had a family to pick up in town later in the afternoon so they had enough time to get in a few hours with the boys at OLS. Stefanie, Patrick and Gina all went to town while the boys surfed. Boty and I enjoyed a few hours here at TB on our own. The boys had a marvelous surf session. It is so cool to see how they are growing stronger and picking up new skills. You can tell by the looks on their faces how much fun they are having. See for yourself!




Tres learning his style.



Brandon showing the little kids how to do it.



Scott on one of the many waves he rode standing tall.



Apparently having the tongue out of your mouth makes it easier.



Brandon again. Jim has learned a few new tricks in surf photography. I think I may need to buy him a helmet.



Almost up. Tres was standing up and then attempting to jump and do tricks just like he does on his surfing game on the iPod.



Scott taking a breather in between sets.



Pure determination.



No - they didn't have any fun.

I can't believe we are already 10 days into 2010. As most of you know the holidays are a busy time here in Panama. So we gear up for it, enjoy it as it goes along and then relish the memories. This year we have been blessed with a second wave of super business. As such, ten days have passed without a post. We have taken many photos of the good times in the month of December, here are just a few. Happy New Year, a bit belated. May 2010 bring you peace, prosperity, and the chance to come visit us in Panama.

Ramon took the opportunity to capture life on the Zapatilla Cayes when he and Natalia were stationed there. This month we will showcase a group of his photos. We have many birds and beautiful sites from out at the islands in the Bastimentos Marine National Park. So few people have the opportunity to spend the night there so these photos are very special. Enjoy.

Here are some of the children of Punta Valiente who are not quite old enough to be in school leaning against a cayuco.

One of the little islands off of the Zapatilla Cayes. Always picturesque.

One of the scenes Susan found while walking around Bocas Town.

More of the color on the streets of Bocas Town.

Here are three of the members of the lab team on their way to the dock to find some mischief.

The way that these leaves curl and unfold is just amazing.

Jay drew Jan and Susan a map for their kayaking adventures. They thought it was so great that they took a picture of it in case it got ruined in the water on their adventures.

This plant has one of the greatest defense mechanisms I have seen. These are the kinds of thorns that you just do not want to touch. Ouch!

One of the many beautiful plants around our grounds. Susan got a great shot of this one.

It is so interesting to see Bocas Town through the eyes of our guests. They capture some of the most unique photos.

Another beautiful poison dart frog. The colors of nature are so amazing.

A view into one of the classrooms at one of the villages in Punta Valiente. For a former principal, this was a great treat.

Happy young lady.

Another beautiful child from Punta Valiente. This was a great adventure for our guests. Such a gorgeous place - beautiful people and beautiful views.

What a precious child. It took her a few photos to warm up to the camera, but then she gave Jan some fabulous smiles.

Here is one of the children from the Ngobe Bugle Comarca on Punta Valiente. What a precious young man.

This guy was apparently off for the day. His bike is great!

These are some of the hammocks to be found in Bocas Town on Isla Colon from the street vendors. I love the bright colors.

It is very hard to capture the brilliant red of these frogs - nature has to work with you by giving you good lighting, etc. Today it worked really well with Jan.

Here is a shot of one of the thorns on the pixbae palm up close. Not something you want to touch you - however very cool that nature gave this plant this kind of a defense mechanism.

A great shot from the dock one sunny afternoon.

This shell is so pretty - Jan got a great image with this one.

One of nature's wonders.

We affectionately call this flowering plant a candy corn. Appropriate for this time of year - even in the tropics!

This beautiful picture captures a tree with some very long needle like spines. It has a nice potato like fruit that comes off of it, but beware of those spines. I know first hand.

Tres was telling Miss Jan to watch out that he was going to get her... there were quite a few games played between these kids and that former principal.

Boty was obviously seriously studying something. Jan captured her expression so beautifully.

This is after fetching for what was probably hours every single tiny coconut that could be found. All three of the yellow lab tea starters needed to take a break.

Scott is delicately checking out the walking stick insect. He wants to learn more about it, but he doesn't want to hurt it.

We are going to do a new series for November. Postcards from Tranquilo Bay - highlighting some of the shots that our guests have captured during their stay. This month I highlighted the work of two of our guests who are artists in their own right. One of the things they wanted to do on their vacation was capture some beautiful photographs - and they did.



Susan and Scott checking out a walking stick insect. Susan found this one and brought it to the main building for all of the children to see.

Jim and Tres found this two pumpkins in Bocas Town last week. We couldn't get over how lucky we were to find them. We are quite certain that we have the only two jack-o-lanterns in Bocas right now. The kids had a blast carving these up yesterday and can't keep themselves away from looking at them once lit. Great fun. Hope you all are having a great Halloween.

Here are a couple of pages I put together to capture a once in a lifetime experience of some of our guests in August. This family was at the Zapatilla Cayes and it was about time to return to Tranquilo Bay. Ramon was working the beach doing his rounds looking for nesting females, but really it was quite early. He happened upon a nesting female. He told Jim and the guests to come see her and to come see what they do when they study the females to tag them, gather scientific information, etc. During this nesting season, Ramon and Natalia happened upon a female nesting during daylight hours twice. It is very unusual. If you calculated the odds of a family from New Jersey getting the chance to see this while on vacation here in Panama - the odds would be very very low. However, luck was on their side and they experienced something that so few people in the world have a chance to experience. Here are the photos.

Here are a couple of posters that I made for Jim to take to a trade show a year or so ago. I realized that I never posted them here as I was working on the blog recently. Email me if you want a copy of them to print out. Have a great weekend!

The guys really got into some fish while Gary was here. The Tarpon and Jack Crevalle were thick. Here are some more shots of the Tarpon they hung out with during Gary's stay.

Vince did some serious fishing while he was here. There were several Tarpon and Jack Crevalle. Here he is with one of his Jack Crevalle.

This one is Jim's. He and Jon were not having any fun at all. They both look like they were wishing for their old jobs back in the States - don't you think? It is a tough life, but someone has to do it.

Jon helped Vince get his bait on the hook and the rod in the water. Vince did all the fancy fighting and then Jon helped him get him to the boat. Nice fish.

So, Gary wanted to see some fly fishing in action while he was here. Jim of course told him no problem. So, Jim takes his brother Greg's new fly rod out with them to fish that day. Jim gets on the rod to work it so that Gary can get some photos of the process. Next thing you know the rod explodes. Everyone on the boat can't imagine what has just happened. Jim is just sick as his brother hasn't even used his rod yet. And Gary captured it all on film.

Smooth as silk - the water that is. Getting ready for another fine day of fishing.

We were fortunate to host Gary Kramer and his fishing buddy Vince Bruccolieri in April 2009. They came to do some fishing; however the ended up doing some catching :-)

Gary kindly shared the photos he took during their stay with us. I am going to present them to you over the month. Here is a bit more information about Gary that I collected from his website.

Gary Kramer is a full-time outdoor writer and photographer based in Willows, California. He is a Contributing Photographer for Sports Afield and is the Senior Correspondent for the Bird Hunting Report. One of the most prolific writer/photographers in the country, his images and words are regularly published in Ducks Unlimited, Petersen's Hunting, American Hunter, Shooting Sportsman, WildBird, other magazines and, numerous books, calendars and corporate advertizing. Since 2002, Gary has been a featured photographer in Cabela's Conservation Calendar and has won numerous awards including "The Best of the Best" top honor in the Outdoor Writers Association of America photo contest.

Gary has traveled the globe for more than two decades in search of new and interesting hunting, fishing and photographic opportunities. These travels have taken him to the sands of the Sahara in Egypt and Chad, the alpine tundra of Sweden, the Pampas of Argentina and Uruguay, the moors of Scotland and the swamps of Zambia and Botswana. Gary has hunted, fished and photographed in 30 foreign countries as well as Hawaii, Alaska and the continental US.

Gary earned Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in wildlife management from Humboldt State University and for 26 years was a biologist and refuge manager with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. From 1989 to 1999, he was the manager of the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex where he directed the management of six wildlife refuges, largely devoted to providing wintering habitat for waterfowl. Gary retired from the Service to pursue his writing and photo career full time.

Gary and Vince's trip was arranged for them by Detail Company Adventures. Gary told Cody Greany who arranged the trip for him that Tranquilo Bay is one of his favorite places in all of his travels. This means a lot to us coming from someone who is as well traveled as Gary.

Enjoy his photos. We are.

Well at age three, we figured it was finally time for Boty to get a haircut. She was ready for it. She didn't put up a fuss or cause any sort of problem. She loved it. It was probably because her Aunt Missy did the cutting, but nevertheless it was painless.

The Bocas Garden Club had a session in Old Bank with two guys who have a really neat project with both STRI and USAID. The project is putting in an anaerobic sludge blanket waste management system for a large number of the houses on Old Bank. We took the kids as a field trip to learn more about it. It is a very interesting project.



A completed system.



A system under construction.

Jim, Tres, David and the puppies took a boat trip to Jon and Mary's place on the mainland. Here are a few photos from Tres' adventures on site.

The canal to Changuinola has been closed since the storm last November. The water taxis no longer take this route as it is full of trees, etc. Jim, Jay and David decided to go that direction last month to see what it was like these days. Beautiful.

Always on an adventure. Jim told the girls that they were going on a kayak ride over to the island to look for dinosaurs. As they returned from the island to the dock, he told Tres and Scott that if either one of them could catch onto the boat that he would give them a popsicle.






Look at him work trying to lose Tres after he had already won a popsicle.



Scott's turn to be captain. Who knew that a single kayak could hold four kids and support two hangers on?

Looking for the green eel that lives in the coral by the dock.



Walking into the shade



Enjoying her vacation



Smiling for the camera

Jay took Patrick out for a swim while the big kids were having a go at it. Patrick really enjoys the water. He will be surfing with the big kids before we know it.

Off for a big surf down off the point
 


They call this pearl diving



Made the drop
 


Get off my wave school boy
 


You burned me dude
 


Out of the way



I swear dude it was over head
 


Watch out, I told you not to burn me



THE GLIDE



My second stand up, no one bothered to take a picture the first time
 


Hanging with the Dads
 


We're both going for it
 


It's called a "Hang 20"
 


It's so easy dude
 


Come on, Nuri's got some cookies

Here are a few of the photos that Marilyn and Greg got the day that we went to the beach. It was a great day off for all of us. Neither Jim or I took any pictures so we are grateful for the ones that Marilyn and Greg snapped of the day. It was Marilyn's idea to take a photo of the Kimball family since it was Jim's birthday. We would have just gone on playing in the water. Thanks guys.

This is Marilyn's third trip down in as many years. She came the first time right after Boty was born. She has been talking that entire time about taking a trip with both Victoria and Greg. This year it came to fruition. It was neat to see Marilyn in action with all the kids. Here she was down on the dock with Boty.

This is our niece, Victoria. Her trip to Tranquilo Bay was the impetus for her to get a passport. She hasn't ridden on a plane since she was about 18 months old. Now, many years later, she managed to make it on three flights in one day to make it out to see us. We had a great time with her here. She came with her Dad and her Grandmother. They took some amazing photos during their stay.

Supply List can be found here.

This is a photo that Marilyn Kimball took on her last trip here. It captures our beautiful sunrises so well. I prepared this page for myself to take with me while we were gone. A gentle reminder of home. And what a wonderful home it is.

Beaux and Mary Kathryn are getting married right now! Congratulations guys!

Okay, not one of the best caught photos of a Tarpon, but it was a big one. You can read Jason's own words about it by clicking on the photo.

PictoBrowser is a free web application that displays Flickr images on websites and blogs. It creates one of the best slideshows I have found on the internet. I have a page on the website that includes some of the photos we have out on Flickr.

Last weekend, some of Jim's fraternity brothers came down to do a bit of fishing. One of the guys also went to high school with Jay and law school with me. Small world. Anyway, back to the fishing. The first day they did some Tarpon fishing. They had a great day. On Saturday, they decided they were going to check out some of the other things we can do here in Bocas, so they went off to the Zapatilla Cayes to do a bit of Bonefishing, snorkeling and beach combing. After they had tried all of those things, they decided to go ahead and go offshore to catch some fish.

As soon as they got to the bank, they noticed the Bonita jumping. So they threw a line out of the boat and caught one right away. Jim was getting ready to rig it to use it alive to catch a bigger fish. Glenn was on the rod and Mike was close by. Mind you this is a trout rod as all they were after was bait. Next thing they know, there is a Tuna jumping. Right after the Tuna was a Wahoo. The Wahoo took a bite out of the Bonita. One half gone. Jim told them to go ahead and leave the line in the water as the Wahoo wold come back for the other half. Sure enough, he did. He was caught. However, Wahoo have super sharp teeth. This rod was not set up to catch a Wahoo. It didn't have enough line on the reel, there wasn't a wire leader, etc. etc. Jim, Glenn and Mike all worked to put the fish in the right position around the boat so that they had a chance of landing this one. Once the fish got to the boat, Glenn had the gaff to get it. Glenn had never used a gaff at this point. He got it on the fish and they got him in the boat. Jim says that the fish was more difficult to handle and bigger than Tres. So that means it was at least 50 pounds. This one they brought home. We ate it for dinner. It was extremely tasty.

Jim has looked up the world record for a wahoo on twelve pound test - 57 pounds. It is awfully close to this fish. Of course, we had multiple people touch the rod, so no world record here, but it was a world record fish for sure!

We have done a fair amount of fishing this month. Various species, authors, guests, and friends and family. It has been a lot of fun.

These are the shots of our guests that jumped out at me for the month of April. There were way to many to choose from, but I went with these as a great representation of the fun our guests had during the month of April.

Here are a few of the shots that jumped out at me when I was going through the photos for April. Ramon and Natalia have been catching some amazing photos of us and of all of our guests. Jim and I also took a few of these photos. You have much better odds when you have so many photographers. Whatever it is, skill, luck, good equipment, or excellent subjects I am thrilled to have so many wonderful photos from which to choose.

We had an amazing trip to the Zapatilla Cayes a few weeks ago with several groups of guests. This week we will showcase some of these photos. Enjoy

She is the only girl around here, which means that she is the princess. Of course many little girls are princesses, whether or not they are the only girls around or not. Look at her special necklace. Miss Linda from the Chocolate Farm bought it for her. She loves it. We must wear it all the time. As everyone knows that princesses need jewelry.

Here are some more photos of the kids checking out the iguana from earlier this month. They loved it.

Well, I am not going to tell you. But here are a couple of the photos from fishing while that crew was here.



Okay, it is Larry Csonka. And here are some shots of the fish that his friends and family caught as well.



This is Dennis' Tarpon. He caught the first one of the trip.



This is Audrey's Tarpon. Hers was the second one for the trip, but the first one on day two.



And here is Kristin with her Tarpon. Nice size don't you think? Not too bad for a few days fishing.

Do you know anyone in this photo? There are of course the usual suspects: those of us who live and work here at Tranquilo Bay. Then there are four guests. These four guests came down to go fishing and had a wonderful time. Each one of them caught a Tarpon. They also caught several other species of fish. Do you recognize the gentleman in the center? The one with the kids? What about his lovely partner next to the kids? For those of you who are NFL fans - you should remember this former Miami Dolphin. For those of you who are fishermen, you might recognize him from his television show called NAPA's North to Alaska. What I can tell you is this - this gentleman, his partner and their friends from Alaska were great fun and super people. I am glad the suggested we get a group photo. We do not do this often enough.

Nuri is our wonderful cook. She and her younger brother work together to make all the delicious food we have here at Tranquilo Bay. She is a remarkable person. We are so fortunate to have her here.

Ramon and Natalia were out watching the night monkeys about a week ago. Here are a few of the photos that Ramon caught. Several nights later I was out with the puppies and I heard the monkeys moving about. They are difficult to actually see unless you take some time to find them. When I was putting the photos together I was reminded how fast life moves sometimes and that we need to slow down so that it doesn't pass us by. Actually getting to be in the presence of these monkeys is a treat. One that you don't get if you don't take the time. Have a great weekend.



[ Supplies: Ali Edwards from the kit: Bloom and Grow at Songbird Avenue. All proceeds from this kit go to benefit Autism Speaks. Orange paper by JEdwards - Everyday Challenge from Designer Digitals. Papertag from Scrapgirls. ]

Just one of the things our yellow lab team gets to do on a regular basis. Play in the field amongst all the trees and wildlife. Tough Life!

Bimini is the queen of our yellow labrador team here at Tranquilo Bay. She will be fourteen years old in September. So technically she isn’t a puppy anymore, but she is definitely a puppy at heart.

Luna is one tranquilo dog. Natalia got down on her level to snap this photo. Priceless!

The tail end of a puppy training session. They are doing so much better after a few weeks with Miss Gina! Yea.

Here is a grasshopper type insect that Ramon encountered at the Chocolate Farm. His coloration is very interesting.

Another photo of the precious green frog we find at the chocolate farm.

This is the same frog our guest was capturing on his camera in the last post. These frogs and all of their different characteristics never cease to amaze me.

One of our recent guests getting a photo of a red frog. The frog itself is cut off here, but you can see it in his camera display. Pretty cool.

This moth was caught in action.

Here is a lovely orchid that Ramon snapped a photo of not too long ago. Such a wonderful specimen.

Ramon caught this photo of several of our guests leaving the Zapatilla Cayes a few weeks ago. It was a beautiful day. Everyone had a lovely time.

Who would ever want to leave here? This is a photo Ramon captured of the Zapatilla Cayes. It is our favorite beach. As part of the Bastimentos National Marine Park it is only inhabited by park rangers, turtle scientists and a few overnight coconut farmers. Since they are part of the park, they will never be developed whatsoever - which is wonderful.

There may be many different ways to describe a leaf that is much taller than I am, but at least one of those ways is dramatic.

I am thankful that we have so many different varieties of hibiscus on the property. Several times a week I am presented with one by one of the children. “Mommy, this one is for you”. What isn’t there to be thankful for?

This pink leaf reminds me of a journey with its curving lines and paths that have yet to be taken.

This ginger is one of the indigenous varieties. I like the orange yellow color of it. It seems peaceful to me.

These heliconias are in bloom right now. They are so beautiful.

Every time I walk into this area of the jungle I am immediately comforted. It is like I get a big hug. The temperature drops a few degrees. All the green is calming. This area of the jungle can do wonders for a screaming baby. I don’t know what it is about it that works for the babies, but for me it is just awe inspiring.

This tree is a treasure. It is beautiful in its own right, but when it is full of Montezuma Oropendola it is even more amazing. Then you couple the tree, the birds and the view. Wow!

This leaf and its lines of growth and life seem perfect to me. No apparent imperfections which is difficult to pull off in the jungle given all the leaf cutter ants.

Being privileged to coexist with this interesting bird is nice. Seeing one perched in a tree - that is a moment of serenity. You know that if you are really lucky you will get to see it perform one of its unique dances along with the appropriate verbal score.

This is a moment we have wanted to capture on film for some time. Ramon was watching in the open field for the birds to come back by on their nightly return to the roost. Capturing so many of them on film was one thing. Actually getting to see their color was amazing.

This is one of the birds nibbling at a Hagua nut in the tree right in front of the main building. They eat the nuts. The indigenous people use the ink inside for dye. Tres decided to put one of the nuts into a cup of water to see what would happen - he of course punctured the nut so that the ink inside could come out. That clear ink did make the water almost black after a period of time. I wonder if it has the same properties on the birds. Who knows - maybe they are using it to make themselves more attractive in some way.

Ramon has taken to calling Bimini “Viejecita” which means little old woman in Spanish. It is charming and she loves it. Bims sleeps a lot these days, but at almost 14 she is entitled to do just about whatever she wants.

A glance up at the sky through the trees filled with bromeliads at the Zapatilla Cayes on a recent visit.

The infamous sloth during the kayak paddle through Bahia Honda. He was so close you really almost could touch him.

On the same kayak paddle through Bahia Honda, we ran into a sloth. Here is Ramon’s photograph of our guest catching a photo of the sloth.

Memories of a recent kayak paddle through Bahia Honda.

This ginger is one of the originals to the archipelago. We have it on site, but this picture happens to be at the Chocolate Farm.

This one is both beautiful and exotic. We are currently trying to learn its name.

The farm has been full of things to photograph recently. Here is a snail who of course lives on island time.

Dendrobates auratus: Three green frogs photographed in one visit to the Chocolate Farm. As you can see this frog varies in color. Amazing.

This is one of the photos Natalia got at the chocolate farm recently.

A few photos from a tour at the chocolate farm.







For the record: Ramon’s name is Ramon Fernandez Frances. I spelled it wrong in this post and in the last post. I can’t easily go back and change the photos, but I will change it next time.

Here are a few photos Ramon and Natalia took last Sunday at the Zapatilla Cayes.

I have been working on updating the website a little at a time since the first of the year. I noticed that the About Us page was a bit dated. Here is what has been on the page for about a year and a half now:



Here is what I have prepared to put on the site later this week:



Some things have changed and some have stayed the same. The same goes for everything around here. Our surroundings and the things that we love to share with our guests remain the same. We have added some different guides and our wonderful teacher. Jay and Stefanie had another child - Patrick. Scott, Tres and Boty continue to grow, learn and change. You can see hints of Tex and Fula in one of the pictures of Jim with the kids. It is hard to capture all that we are in one set of photos. I think that this one has done a pretty good job of it. We are all working towards keeping Tranquilo Bay the same - a little piece of paradise.

So, Christmas in Bocas del Toro, Panama is obviously warm. The day started early as the kids were up before the sun. We managed to keep things calm and under control until 7:00 am. At that point we let Tres and Boty go wake up Scott. From there, we made sure all of the adults had coffee so that we could function.

The kids had already determined that Santa left a mess when he came into the house overnight. There were leaves all over the floor. Tres has decided that next year we need to put a sign on the front door asking him to wipe his feet before he comes into the house. They were pretty sure given the mess that he had left a few things for them on the other side of the library door. What I am sure felt like forever to them as we collected ourselves and our coffee finally gave way as they opened the door and went into the library. Big excitement!



They unwrapped gifts from family, friends and Santa Clause for some time. The staff came in one by one to give Christmas Greetings. Our guests all woke up over time - much later than we did and made it to the lodge building for breakfast. Jim and James and all the guests headed out to the Zapatillas for the day. They had a great hike on the island and a bit of beachcombing time. The rest of us hung around here doing our daily thing and enjoying watching the kids play with all of their new toys. It was a great day.



We had another family arrive yesterday afternoon. We all enjoyed a delicious meal and great conversation. Today everyone is off at the Chocolate Farm. The boys are back in school. Boty is playing with her new toys and taking a walk with her new boots. Life is good.

So our deal with the children is that on Sundays, we have a picnic at the dock. We try to do it each week so that we all get a bit of time together enjoying our beautiful location and remembering how fortunate we are to live in paradise. Here are a few shots from yesterday’s picnic. It was priceless as the MasterCard commercials say.









Not a bad life at all. We hope you all are enjoying the holidays together. We are ;-), but we do wish you were here!

Our children and our guests were singing “It’s raining, It’s pouring...” as we have had a bought of rain over the past two weeks. The rain came in the week before Thanksgiving and didn’t leave until Thanksgiving Day. We are used to rain (we live in the rainforest) so that in and of itself is no big deal. However, we have had a lot of wind with this storm and it has done more damage than normal. Both the Bocas del Toro Province and our neighboring province of Chirqui have been hit hard. We were very fortunate in that we had limited damage.

The storm knocked out communications to our archipelago. We do not know what caused it; but no one on the islands could make a phone call or use the internet. Planes didn’t really fly to and from Bocas from Saturday through Tuesday morning. One or two flights got in and out during that time however it was really inconsistent. Communications came back up on Monday night.

Ironically, other than some fallen branches and a few small trees, we are absolutely unaffected by the storm here at Tranquilo Bay. Our radios which bring us the internet from the main island are working just fine. Our water and power are working just fine. We proceed with business as usual.

We are in the rainforest. It rains here a lot. The rain keeps the plants lush which is a good thing. We catch rainwater for our water supply. Generally it doesn’t rain for several days in a row all day long. We are dealing with Mother Nature here - we do not get to set her schedule. As much as we wish we could. Apparently this storm was one we get every thirty years or so. The Panamanian Government has declared a state of emergency in both our province and the neighboring province. We are getting news that the roads have been repaired to the extent to allow the small trucks which bring us supplies can make it on the roads.

This storm and the resulting flooding on the mainland were hard on our neighbors on the mainland. The Panamanian government, the Columbian government and the US government have all come together to provide support to these poor people. The Red Cross is here on the mainland helping the people who are now homeless. All in all the numbers are good, there are many who have lost their homes, but very few who have lost their lives.

We are doing what we can to help our neighbors and to make sure that our guests have a wonderful experience in our beautiful archipelago.

Here are some photos from one of the excursions our guests took when Mother Nature lightened up a bit. We are so appreciative of the change in the weather.



Kayaking over to Crawl Caye. Three boys and a bird - could be interesting.



Thanksgiving Dinner. James is a chick magnet.



Blue Morpho - catching one of these on a leaf is almost impossible.



Hiking at the chocolate farm. The kids found the creeks very appealing.



Zapatilla Cayes - sunshine! Yea!



Two boys and some sand. Great fun.

As we prepare for the Thanksgiving Holidays of 2008 I thought it would be fun to review some of the excursions we went on last year at this time. We had several families here for the week of Thanksgiving so all of these excursions allowed children of all ages to participate. Here are a few photos from a trip to the Chocolate Farm.

What a wonderful sight to end the daylight hours! How often do you get to see something like this? I imagine it has to be a limited number of times on one’s life.

We were getting ready for dinner last night when Jim realized the light was great to take some good photos of the moon. When he started taking the shots Luna, our Teacher’s dog, was up on the porch as well. So he got a photo of Luna con la luna. Luna with the moon.

We went to the beach last week with the grandparents. It was a great day. We played in the water and along the shore. Tres and Scott were walking along the beach with Tres’ Grandma Anita. Scott saw a little baby turtle along the beach. That turtle had been injured by a crab. Nature. However we thought that maybe if the turtle was allowed to recuperate a bit he might be okay. So Jim rescued the turtle from the crab. We were going to take the turtle to Ramon and Natalia who study the turtles with WSC.

Ramon and Natalia came to see us at the beach when we were there. Jim and the boys had attempted to take the turtle to them at the same time they showed up. My dad and I told them about the baby turtle. They asked us where the turtle was found. They had been looking for a nest in that area that they had expected to hatch. After checking several locations, Natalia found the nest and all the egg shells left behind by the turtles. Jim and the kids came back as she was digging the nest out to count the shells to see how many turtles hatched.

Super cool to watch them go through the process to determine how many made it and if there were any eggs that didn’t hatch. The Hawksbill female lays about 140 eggs per nest. In this nest there were 137 eggs. Of that about four didn’t hatch. We also found this little guy. He didn’t make it out when the rest of his brothers and sisters made it out. The boys found one turtle that nature kept from making it, but because of that turtle we found a nest and rescued this turtle. Just one of the wonderful experiences we encounter here on a daily basis.



We got some video of this little guy making his way out to sea as well. I will post it in the near future.

Jim and Jay are out fishing today with some guests. Here are a few photos from one of their fishing trips last Spring. I was thinking about these guests over the weekend as they are all University of Texas Alumni and with the Longhorns playing football as well as they are these days I was thinking about the other people I know who would be so proud of them!

It was a glorious day to be on the water. Today’s weather mimics the weather from these photographs. We had a bit of rain overnight which is necessary to keep the vegetation in all of its splendor. The fishing group left early under clear skies. The day has been clear and warm all day. We have not seen a cloud in the sky throughout the entire day. Jay likes to call these days - Chamber of Commerce days. As if we called up the chamber of commerce and ordered one just for this set of guests. And we will do the same for you.

One of the neat things that we really like about many of our excursions is the way that our guests have an opportunity to interact with some of the local children. It is a great experience for the children and a wonderful experience for our guests. We find that the native children LOVE to have their picture taken. We take photos of them each time we encounter them on an excursion. They like to see the photo on the camera’s display as soon as it is taken. They also love to get copies of their photos that we print out and return to them on one of our trips to their village. Here are photos of children from two different villages on Punta Valiente. We generally visit at least these two villages on our excursions to Punta Valiente which include both hiking and a trip to beach.





Have a great weekend!

Enrique found this baby sloth on the jungle floor one day when he was doing some work around the property. He knows how much we like to photograph the wildlife which surrounds us so he brought it over to the main building on a stick so that we could see it and photograph it. This is closest that any of us had ever been to a baby sloth. We were very careful not to touch it - not because the sloth is dangerous, but because we didn’t want to get our smell on it. We do not know if another’s smell on the sloth would cause its mother to shun it or not, but we didn’t want to take any chances. After we took a few photos of this little guy, Enrique took him back to where he found him so that he could be reunited with his mother.

As you can tell in this first picture, Boty isn’t quite sure what to make of him. You can’t see it in this picture, however, Tres and Scott were both fascinated by the baby sloth. I think they thought they were almost on one of Diego’s adventures where they were helping the baby sloth return to his mother. Very few children have the opportunity to actually “participate” in one of those special adventures.

Coastal Conservation Corporation is responsible for protecting the turtles on several of the beaches here in Bocas del Toro. Our friends Ramon and Natalia have been caring for the turtles on these beaches for the last five years. We see them whenever we go out to the Zapatilla Cayes. They also come over to use our communications on occassion. They graciously provided us with a few of the photos they have taken over the term of their tenure here in Bocas. They have been blessed with some beautiful encounters over the years as you can see in these photos.






Two of our guests were at the Zapatillas with Jay on Tuesday. Natalia took them along with her as she did her final check on a turtle nest. There was one baby turtle who hadn’t dug himself out. They helped him out of the nest and watched as he made his way to the sea. Over 100 turtles hatched and made it to sea as Natalia and Ramon kept watch. Thank you!



I am going to update the Zapatilla Cay website and put all of their photos on the site. I will post on here when I have it completed.

We have updated all of the photo galleries with photos from the past year. Here are a few of my favorite new ones:






We are unable to include all of the photos we have taken or that our guests have provided to us. Each one of these has a story - they all bring a smile to our faces when we see them. We hope that they do the same for you. We also hope that they help you get a feel for what it is like to spend some time with us here in paradies.

We have broken down some of the larger categories into sub categories so that you can see an example of the diversity that we have down here in plant and animal life. This link takes you to all of the plants which you can use as a jumping ground to get to different plant types. This link takes you to the animals for all of the different types of animals we encounter on our excursions. This link takes you the entire group of photo galleries. Spend some time checking them all out.

We were fortunate to learn about a litter of puppies in Panama City through our friends Frank and Joyce. Jim and the kids checked them out on our return from the USA in June. They were too young to bring back to Bocas at that time, but we told the man who had the dogs that we were interested in getting a couple of them - one girl and one boy.
Jay went back to the USA to visit his mom and upon his return Stefanie and Scott met him in Panama City to take care of some business. The puppies were ready to come back to Bocas so they brought them back with them last Wednesday. Here are a few pictures of our newest family members: Tex, the boy, and Fula, the girl.

Gina, the boy’s teacher, is holding the two pups for their first night in their new home.



Jim and the kids with the pups. Fula is on the landing and Tex is biting on the leaf with Jim and Tres. Boty is taking it all in.

We have added a new set of photo galleries to the website. These are organized by month. We will rotate the photos in these galleries after the finish of each month. This way you can get a feel for what goes on around here each month. Enjoy ;-)

Okay, so James isn't family, but he sure seems like he is. He has been a friend of our since the boys got down here in 1999. He spends one half of his year in the USA or traveling and the other half of the year or so he spends here in Panama and traveling throughout Latin America. When he is in the country during high season he comes out to Tranquilo Bay to help us out. He is an excellent guide and a great friend.

Dionicio is one of our newer employees. He works on the grounds around Tranquilo Bay.

Mario has been with us for over four years now. He is from Salt Creek. He works on the grounds and helps out with the excursions from time to time.

This is July. He has been working with us for over four years. He works out on the grounds, goes with guests on nearby excursions.

Enrique has been with us for about 2 years. He and July are brothers. Enrique captains the boat for us and he also just completed WFR training.

Lucy has been with us since last November. She is also from Valle de Anton. She works in a variety of roles here at Tranquilo Bay.

This is Leydi. She is from Penenome in Valle de Anton here in Panama. She works in variety of capacities here at Tranquilo Bay. She has been with us for over a year and a half.

Yohany has been with us for several years now. She works in a variety of capacities. She is working her way into other roles as she learns more and has more experience.

Leo is from Columbia. He has been here at Tranquilo Bay for over two years now. He works in the kitchen with his sister Nuri as well as out and about around the grounds here.

Nuri runs the kitchen. She makes all of the delicious food which we eat here on a daily basis. She and her brother Leo work well together.

Brandon and Rob came to visit to take our pictures for the INC Magazine article. It was interesting to say the least. We learned a lot and had a great time with them. Thanks to Brandon Jim has a new camera. We started using on our trip to the States. It takes great photos.

The resident eel poking his head out of the coral he calls home. This coral head is on the side of the dock so we check it out each time we are down there to see if Mr. Eel is out and about.

It is so hard to get a good photo of these big birds in flight where you can actually make out the bird rather than just a dark spot in the sky. Here are a few good shots.

This moth is just beautiful. The false eyes on the wings are vibrant. Just another one of the inhabitants here in the jungle.

Jim grabbed a photo of Mel and Rosemary before they left. We learned so much from them during their stay. They are an inspiration to all of us - we want to be doing what they are doing when we have the same amount of experience in life. They are probably off on their next big adventure as I post this. What a life!

Jay is working with his boots as he is about to go on a hike up the hill at Punta Valiente. The next photo is the local boy who served as a guide for the group on this particular trip. We try to engage a different guide each time so that we learn something new and the entire village benefits from our visits.

Here is a photo Jim grabbed of Mel while he was kayaking near the Changuinola River towards the end of their trip. We had a wonderful time this day as we do every day.

Mel and Rosemary were here with us for a week. They travel all around the world so we were honored that they spent one of their weeks here. They are still holding hands snorkeling after all these years!

Here are some of Jim's insect shots from this Spring. We have plenty more.

This little girl insisted on wearing our guest's hat and sunglasses. And well - she looks pretty good.

Kayaking along the rivermouths - you will encounter a variety of things. Here are a few examples.

Here is one of the red frogs from on our trail. A graduate student from Michigan is studying our frogs and a variety of their characteristics here at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. She says they are prolific - she grabbed a group of males and females and has put them to stud service. She will return our frogs to us and the offspring will be studied for some time.

For those of you who have met Jim you know that he has a thing for taking pictures of bugs, insects and all things in the jungle and the sea. Here are a few of his recent photos.

Corin as I described in the last post - was really into snakes. He and his family went fishing with Jim one day when another group was going to Punta Valiente. Corin was really bummed because he wanted to go over to the mainland where he could be looking for some serious snakes. Jay knew how important the snake hunting was to Corin and being a snake enthusiast himself, he brought back an eyelash viper for Corin to see. The snake was treated cautiously and carefully. He was removed from his mayonnaise jar home only for a few photos and then he was returned several days later to Punta Valiente with the next group.

Boys will definitely be boys. It doesn't matter if they are growing up in the concrete jungles of New York City or the jungles of Panama. There is something about snakes that interests them. Corin was here with his dad and one of his sisters on his Spring Break. He had studied up on all the different snakes we have here in Bocas del Toro and in Panama. He brought a snake grabbing device with him so that if he encountered any snakes he could catch one. Well he was constantly on the look out and he found this boa and brought it back for us to put in our aquarium for a few months. We have since fed this guy a few times and let him go back into the wild.

Here are a couple of pictures of the green and black Dendrobates we see on the mainland at Green Acres Farm which is the home of Cerutti and Family Chocolate.



David has the frog on his finger to give you an idea of its size.



Here is a close up of the little guy in his natural environment.