Down at the dock

We were blessed to have a family return this year for a second time with their children for Spring Break. Our children and their children get along really well and have the best of times. The guests tell us they plan on coming each year to visit so it will be great fun to watch how the friendship between the kids continues to grow over the years. This is just an example of the fun times we had down at the dock. Only three of the six children are in this shot but they were all around playing and having a blast.

Making friends

Hasta Luego Tex

Well, it was a rough week. Tex took ill late last week. We took him to the vet in David on Monday. He seemed to be improving so much so that the vet allowed him to come home on Wednesday. When he arrived in Bocas he began having complications. It wasn't possible to turn around and go back to David as it was too late in the day and the vet assured us his electrolytes were just off. So we began nursing him as we were instructed. It was too late. By 5:00 pm on Thursday he was gone.

We miss him. He was a good friend.

Farewell to Bimini

Bimini has left her earthly home here at Tranquilo Bay. It was time. She spent over fourteen years on this big ball. She had a good life. But, we will miss her. Buenos suenos con los angelitos, Bimini.

Three stooges

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

Tired dogs

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.

Boat trip to Jon & Mary's

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.

Tex @ the dock

Rough

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

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

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

Puppy training

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

Dirty dogs

Well, let’s just say that this Tranquilo Bay teacher is spending most of her time gettin’ dirty…either with two rowdy boys or with two rowdy pups! In addition to working with the boys, I have taken on training Tranquilo Bay’s 7-month-old Labrador pups, Tex and Fula. Almost every afternoon, I a don my “let’s get dirty” uniform and off I go with two lively pups and a chacara full of training treats.

To burn off some energy first we head to the trail so the pups can run, jump, swim in the creek, spar, and roll in the mud. All actions repeatedly enjoyed in random order. I do have to give the pups credit for never running off. If they have rambled too far ahead and can no longer see me, they pause until I catch up or turn back to see where I am. For this, they receive one of many treats. After our hike, we romp around the TB grounds to burn off even more energy. This is where the pups are practicing the “Leave It!” command for when they are tempted to munch on their favorite fruit, pifa, a type of palm fruit. If they eat too much of these goodies, the digestive results are not pretty!

When my 3-year-old Lab is in the mood to tolerate the pups, she tags along for some treats as well. Luna has been very helpful in teaching the pups “Down”. When Tex and Fula saw me giving Luna treats for lying down, Tex picked up on this quickly and went down for a treat too. Fula reluctantly obeys the command for “Down” and with all her hyper energy she cannot hold it down for too long.

The pups will be heading to David to be spayed and neutered sometime in the near future, so I have been training them to walk on the leash. Tex, the more calm of the two, heels very well and Fula is following along much better than expected. So, at this point the pups are practicing to follow the commands: Come, Sit, Down, Off, Leave It, Stay, Heel, This Way, Wait, and Kennel Up.

Tex and Fula are super smart, playful and sweet. Both should have their good doggie manners in place soon so that our guests can enjoy them too! They are special additions to our Tranquilo Bay Yellow Labrador team.

Cherish Bimini

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.

La Luna = The Moon

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.

Tex and Fula

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.