So here is Tres' take on his session at OLS the other day. We will hopefully have Scott's take on it tomorrow.

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.

There have been many times in my tenure here in Panama that I am thankful that we do not have cable television. With the recent earthquake in Haiti I am reminded of how good a decision it is for us. We can remain informed about what is going on in the world, but we must go looking for it. We choose the outlets and what we do or do not want to read or watch. One can do the same with cable television, but it is more difficult to screen what is presented to you. I am heartbroken by what the people of Haiti are dealing with right now. I am crushed by what Eric is facing throughout his trip to Haiti to find Chrystel. However, I am more able to continue to send positive thoughts, prayers and love since I am not faced with the photos and videos of what life in Haiti is like right now. It works for us. We were without the internet for almost 2 days due to power outages on Isla Colon. As soon as Jay restored the internet I went to my information sources to find the latest news. Unfortunately no miracle yet. Sometimes miracles take time. I will continue to put my efforts towards the possibility of a miracle. My friends and the people of Haiti deserve that from me.

Well, we are working on returning to normal around here. We had a really great large group with us here for almost two weeks. They were early risers. Wanting to get away from here at 6:00 am most mornings. They were offsite all day long. This meant that breakfast and lunch were sent on the road. They maximized every hour of sunlight available to them. This meant that they returned here to Tranquilo Bay at dark most days. We are especially grateful to our community here in Bocas. So many people pitched in to make it happen. Was it a lot of work? Yes. Was it a lot of fun? Yes. Would we do it again? In a heartbeat.

No photos to share at this point. We will do a whole series about the experience at a later date. It was wonderful for all of us – we melded together as a team. And this team worked really well together.

The past two weeks taught me that we are up for just about any challenge. Ask us if we can do it. If we can, we will let you know.

I am familiar with natural disasters yet I am not. Growing up in Houston, Texas and having relatives in Louisiana puts one in the path of a hurricane every now and then. They are scary events. Lives are turned upside down. Yet we move on.

Haiti is a developing country at best. Its infrastructure is limited and the resources it has to draw upon following this earthquake are generally not its own. Haiti and all of its people will rely on the kindness of strangers to help them make it through this round of problems.

I am torn throughout the day in trying to keep going on with my everyday life and trying to figure out what I can do for the people in Haiti. I have settled on a two-step process. For one, as my thoughts turn to the challenges facing the people in Haiti each hour, I stop and send positive thoughts, prayers and love to them. Then I go back to doing what I need to do. I do not want to be indifferent to their plight, but I also cannot be crippled by it.

Second, we are giving a small amount of money to a friend who is personally going to Haiti to try and find his girlfriend, my friend Chrystel. She is in Haiti to help the Haitians look into developing tourism as a market for their development as a nation. She has worked throughout the world on projects such as these. Eric will go to Haiti to find her and I am sure will help the Haitian people in the process.

I think that each of us has to find a way to deal with the troubles we are faced with each day. It is far easier to do so in a calm and rationale manner than to do so from a position of personal chaos. My hope is that each of you has or will do something yourself to send assistance to the people in Haiti. Assistance in the form of cash, positive thoughts, prayers or love - it doesn't matter. Whatever works for you.

While this post has nothing to do with Tranquilo Bay, it makes me stop and wonder how we would deal with a disaster of this magnitude here. And I hope we would be able to step back, take a deep breath, and move forward in a deliberate manner.

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.