A Loud Thud On The Roof......

As I sit here waking up contemplating where today will take me, my thoughts are broken by a loud thud.  A giant black, ominous vulture just plopped down on our tin roof almost causing the house to shake.  His large rough brittle feet are causing a loud banging sound as he runs to the edge of the roof before flying off.  About four or five of these huge creatures were hanging out on our front fence posts near our trash container.  Right now one is standing on one of the large, white, round, globe lights that sits atop our fence post.  He's looking down and circling around as if he's looking for something down on the ground.  These massive birds weigh between five and six pounds with a wingspan of five feet across.  Our feisty doberman doesn't seem to be chasing these birds off her property, perhaps because of their massive size.

Coragyps atratus brasiliensis in Panama

A bit earlier some neighborhood dogs were causing a raucous off in the distance and their barking disturbed my morning peacefulness.  But soon after a loud bird seemed to mimic their sound and perched himself in a nearby tree.  The barking bird made this horrendous noise that was somewhere between a yippie dog and a squawking bird.  It's always amazing to see the diversity of the birds and other unique animals here in Panamá.  A collection of birds, monkeys, deer, giant rodents, crocodile, lizards, poisonous frogs and so much more share this beautiful country along with us gringos.  And sometimes we're just lucky enough to catch a glimpse of one in our daily lives.

Speaking of birds, yesterday we made a last minute decision to cook a whole chicken instead of turkey for Thanksgiving.  Clyde picked one up at a local meat market but asked them to chop off the head first.  With all the fixin's to go along with it including dessert we'll have a little bit of the U.S. right here in the tropics today.  A friend that lives nearby will join us for dinner and a few others will probably stop by earlier in the day to socialize.  In case you're wondering if Thanksgiving Day is celebrated here in Panamá....no it's not.  Last month we had the opportunity to celebrate with our Canadian friends and tag along on their turkey day.  Some friends in La Chorrera have been gracious enough to send out an open invitation for a Thanksgiving Day celebration at their home on Saturday.  The last email she sent out said there were 80 people expected to partake....yikes!  It's being done as a potluck with all attendees bringing a dish to share, although the hostess is cooking several turkeys.

So as we embark on our second Thanksgiving Day here in Panamá we have much to be thankful for.  We're thankful for good health, good friends and family, a wonderful place to live, and being fortunate enough to be able to retire early and enjoy life.  Here's to wishing you and yours a very happy turkey day as we enjoy yet another one here in Panamá....along the gringo trail.

We are now offering our first year in Panama at our new website!

It is in an easy to read format and if you sign up,

will have a FREE bonus video
"Why we chose Panama"

Check it out!

www.alongthegringotrail.com