Dry season hits you harder the second time around.

We arrived in Panama at the start of the dry season. I remember nonstop hot, sunny days, and trying to go on a run before 7:00am. Then rainy season arrived in April, and that was great.

Now we're well into dry season again, and I'm wondering how in the heck I could have forgotten exactly what it was like.  We're back to those non-stop hot, sunny days -- they just seem to be more intense this time around.

Maybe it was because we were so busy settling in to life here, we didn't really notice. Or maybe we've just gotten so spoiled on rainy season (it does last about eight months, after all). I don't know, but what I do know is that even though this is our second time through the dry season, it feels brand new.

Another thing I had sort of forgotten was the wind. I do remember last March, how it would whip through the Bahia lobby, but I don't remember it being everywhere, all season long.

It's actually kind of nice -- it's not too strong (yet), and it creates a great breeze through our condo and keeps it at a pretty comfortable temperature even though we don't have air conditioning in the main room.

But...  I will be glad when the rainy season rolls around again, and we're gifted with overcast days, thunderstorms, and a green landscape. And probably some bugs.

Back to Boquete: Jazz Fest!

We got to Panama last year just in time to know about Boquete's annual jazz and blues festival, but too late to really get our act together and take the five-hour trip. As you know, we've since been to Boquete twice, but we've been planning on going to this festival ever since we missed it last year.

It also happens to coincide with Valentine's Day (not a Brent favorite) and our third anniversary.

Sheldon lives in Boquete, so even though we had tentative plans and wishes to stay at a hostel that has a tree house, we decided to stay with him instead -- which is, of course, an excellent choice.

With the warm days, we ended up deciding not to go to the festival during the day at all. However, every night there are a few official and unofficial festival activities -- mostly jam sessions at various bars around town -- and they were wonderful.

We met a guy with a little trumpet (called a pocket trumpet, I learned), and we asked what band he was with. He said he wasn't with a band, he just happened to be traveling there at the right time. Then what's with the trumpet, we asked.

"I carry this with me everywhere," he said. A true musician. Indeed, he hopped on stage during the jam sessions a couple of times.

During the day, we opted for hiking and, of course, true to Boquete form, eating. We took a hike to waterfall and on the way we saw the rare and elusive quetzals as well as several glass-winged butterflies, another rare species. It was a beautiful day for a hike, and it was such a treat to see those creatures.

On the third day, we enjoyed one last breakfast with Sheldon at Sugar & Spice, and started the drive back to Coronado.

Verve MoJoe on the way!

83% of adult Americans are coffee drinkers. (I became one of them myself, after meeting Brent and very nearly freezing ourselves into a coma in Chile.) As a nation we consume 146 billion cups per year.

Now, being in a coffee-producing nation, we have access to some really fantastic coffee. Gotta say, though, that I'm still really excited about Verve's latest incarnation: MoJoe, an iced coffee beverage. Coming soon -- it'll have all the same stellar nutrition you can expect from Vemma with premium natural coffee and 80mg of natural caffeine, no artificial sweeteners/colors/flavors, no high fructose corn syrup, and no dairy.

As an official coffee drinker of three years, I can. Not. Wait.