Steve and I left home on Oct.11, 2013 to head out again to Orlando (for work) and Daytona ( to see my dad) and then to Panama to await the birth of our grandaughter, Soleil Naomi Wilt. The princess took her sweet time as she was 9 days late, but appeared on the scene at 20″ and 8lbs 12 oz. We are watching big brother, Carson, while mom and dad have a couple days at the hospital to rest up for real life.
Lots of first impressions of Panama, but I know it’s not a complete picture yet as we are in the outskirts of town (Panama City) and not yet to the Wilt home-base in Santa Catalina, some 6 hours away in the jungle.
That comes after we spend 10 days in a missionary compound where it is busy and we have been sequestered (my meaning=holed up) in two bedrooms. Our bedroom is about 8′ x 12′ with 4 bunk beds lining the walls with just enuff space to walk down the middle. Mind you, that and a bathroom is it! We make our meals in the communal kitchen and retreat to the bedroom. The bunks do not allow for sitting without hitting ones head. It feels like you’re getting in a drawer to go to sleep. But it’s clean and free and it is what it is.
Now I guess my only complaint is there is NO HOT WATER. We clean with a lot of bleach but that shower can be awfully shocking. KC and Jono’s bedroom is next door with a double bed and one bunk set. We visit by sitting all around the double bed. Oh, they do have 3 folding chairs — the luxury suite.
It rains a whole bunch here in Panama, it’s a Jungle out there! But it’s not scattered showers, it’s a bucket thrown at you. The country is very green, but they are rather trashy; no litter laws. I guess they figure that something will grow over the mess eventually. The canal that bisects the country is a couple blocks away and the ships are huge! They are enlarging the canal to allow for even bigger ships. Lots of little tug boats scurrying around working 24/7.
But first impression: if you stare at it long enough, it will Rust, Mold, or become Overgrown.
You know what’s great about going to Disney World without your children?
Humidity – that invisible wall of air that hits you as soon as you de-plane in Orlando in October.
We were so warmly welcomed in Janet’s home and happyt to spend a few days with she and my dad and celebrate his 85th birthday with he, Janet, Aunt Marilyn and lots of cronies.
Well, I can swallow my pride and admit that if I wanted to do ALL of Epcot and Disney Studios, I would have to rent a wheelchair. And I got a new perspective of both at a different level. Steve quite relished his part in this, as Speedy Gonzalez ( He still builds up steam and rides shopping carts in parking lots). We never laughed so much, and what fun both parks were (and there was always room for a wheelchair in every program).
We escaped the Pfizer work at the American Heart Convention and are ready to play! On our own, we have reservations at “Shades of Green’; a military resort on the disney properties. There are 5 military resorts worldwide and we have been fortunate tostay at 3 of them: Disney, Garmish, and HaleKoa(the other two are seoul and virginia beach). 
The latest Shuttle launch was a success and clearly visible from alot of Florida. I asked around and was told the best viewing spot would be on the top of the parking structure at Universal Studios. Two boat rides, 4 moving sidewalks, 2 escalators and one set of steps later, I joined about 15 others on the vacant roof of the garage. We all saw an amazing sight as the rocket headed skyward ,precisely on time , and with its precious human cargo disappearing in the clouds.