DRY SEASON HERE WE COME!

This morning Ray reserved our flights for Panama again!  We leave March 16th with hopes of staying in El Valle, maybe a night or two on the beach (Farallon?) and then back to the Marriott that we stayed at last month in PC.  This time we want to have a realtor show us Altos del Maria (you have to know someone or be looking at houses with a realtor to get through the gate), drive around Penonome and Anton.  We also want to have a driver take us into Panama City (Amador Causeway area?) and Old Town.  I would also love to see Albrook Mall!  Okay, I am a girl.  I want to see the furniture stores but mostly the animals that mark the entrances.  I just put my pictures of our Panama trip into a photo album this morning (long story short--my nephew had all of my pictures from one of my media cards on his computer with my card being empty.  I finally got the pictures from him and developed.).  Now to plan for the next trip!  First, Key West the weekend prior for a friend's destination wedding!  First things first!

Here in Virginia was another crisp, fall, sunny day with the temperatures not getting past 55 degrees.  More leaves raked and blown at the lake house, with our one roommate here tidying up the Spanish-style fountain. All tarped for the winter.  Ray blew and raked leaves and played ball with Rosie, the black lab.  I don't know who ended up being more tired outside.

All covered and ready for snow to fall!

Ray, Rosie and leaves.

I had to sit the festivities out for the day.  I cannot exercise for 48 hours (raking exerts the heart apparently and will cause blood vessels to enlarge).  I had a facial procedure done yesterday called "IPL".  (Also known as Ellipse Intense Pulsed Light).  It isn't a laser but an intensely pulsed flash beam lamp that is used on hyper-pigmented skin.  I just want the brown spots gone.  I hope it works well after just one visit.  Basically, the esthetician put an ultrasound gel on my face (think of the gel used for sonograms).  Then she sealed my eyes shut, because the light is very orange and very bright.  Finally, she targeted all of the sun damage with tool in hand.  It felt like getting splattered with bacon grease one splat at a time.  All over the face and neck.  She also used a laser on this blue pigmented spot that I have had dead center of my bottom lip.  Now the blue spot should dissipate over time, and the brown pigments will get an ugly dark brown, even black, coloring to them.   I will look even more dirty (with black dirt-like looking spots) as the days go on.  And gradually, I hope, within two weeks I will have a more even skin tone.  I will have to continue with the Neutrogena SPF 55 for my face when at the beach (or here at the lake) and must always have SPF in my moisturizer.  I have been pretty good about this the past couple of years, so I shouldn't have too much of a problem obeying the rules.

First night.  Only for the blog would I do this!

I did wonder if there is a spa in Panama that offers such treatment.  And what the huge cost difference would be.  But when it comes to my face, I am not so sure I would trust just anyone.  This was an elective procedure just like Lasik surgery for my eyes was, and when the appointment finally approached, I felt nervous and nauseous.  I had made the appointment six months ago to coincide with taking the 2 1/2 days off that patients were only scheduled for next week (Thanksgiving holiday).  I was excited for six months.  Then, I was a bit scared.  Once in Panama, I will check into the salons and spas for  pampered facials and get to know the estheticians a bit.  Word of mouth will be helpful, too.  Dental and medical visits seem easy to obtain and inexpensive so perhaps getting my skin pampered and my hair done will be easy, too.  When in Panama, there will be plenty of time for all of that because I will still care about my roots being colored and my skin being massaged and fluffed :)