Return to Panama

​©Annette Bartlett-Golden, Boquete House. 
​Oil on Board, 24 x 18 inches. 
My mom's house in Boquete, Panama.

Return to Panama
By Annette Bartlett-Golden
 
Last week I met my sister, Angelique, in Panama. We were there to sell my mom’s house in the small mountain town of Boquete where my parents retired a dozen years ago. Blue-green mountains of volcanic origins, now worn and rounded, ring the small valley where Boquete is situated with the Caldera River rushing through it. On the main street, a little way up from the town, my mom’s picturesque two-story yellow house sits with a view of almost daily rainbows and the mountains.  

​There I am standing in front of my mom's house and a view of the rainbow and mountains seen from the side of the house.

​Since I first visited my parents there, Boquete, and the surrounding areas, have been a source of inspiration for me. My dozen or so paintings of mountains, rivers, and my parents’ house evolved into the Panama Series. These paintings are both records of that region and my visits there, becoming more dear to me with the passage of time for the memories they hold. That is especially the case now, as we begin the process of selling my mom’s house.

Although my parents no longer live in the town of Boquete, I still have a deep connection to Panama. It’s my mother’s birthplace and home to most of my aunts, uncles and cousins. So for me, Panama has always meant family. Angelique and I were very happy to see many relatives during our short visit. And this time, I returned home to North Carolina with my young cousin, Ana, who is here visiting for a few weeks! You’ll hear more about that next time.

Me with my sister, Angelique, in the back garden of my mom's house, in Boquete, Panama.