Frolicking in the Playground

Snapshot of a group of young children cavorting inside a playground in Panama City, Panama. Their happiness is contagious. Photo by: ©Omar Upegui R.

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Clowning in the Bathing Tub

“Childhood is measured out by sounds and smells and sights, before the dark hour of reason grows.”—John Betjeman

In the narrow Isthmus of Panama, the rainy season extends from mid April to mid December.  It is expected that you will need an umbrella when you go out, or you’ll return soaking wet.  This doesn’t mean that it rains day and night.  During the mornings the sun is out and it gets pretty warm.  From ten o’clock to midday, some days can be hot, blistering, sizzling, stifling, sweltering, torrid, warm or caliente.  You get my point.  Even though we might be enjoying a rainy season, the sun can sometimes become absolutely excessive.

It was during one of these warm and sticky mornings, when the youngest Twister came home for a brief visit.  She was sweating all over when she crossed the doorway.  My wife came up with the idea of lowering the temperature and raising the child’s spirits by giving her an outdoors bath in a red bathtub.

It was a bright idea, as bright as the sun upstairs.  While Paola was clowning in her liquid throne; making all kinds of noises, faces, and gestures, I dashed to my home office and fetched my Birthday Camera, a.k.a. Canon PowerShot A720 IS.  As Paola performed her act, I took the following shots.  Nothing was artificial or posed.  All pictures are authentic, instantaneously captured by the magic eye of the camera obscura.  Here we go.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

With this last picture, Paola says, “Adiós”.  Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Toy Planes

Snapshot of a toy plane hand made with balsa wood. This plane was crafted after the authentic Air Panama airplanes which fly within the country of Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of a small collection of toy planes on sale during an airshow in Panama City, Panama. A group of children watch from the top. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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The Scooter Boys

Snapshot of two cute little kids playing with scooters at the former Howard Air Force Base during an airplane show. The kid on the left has a lot of class with those Hollywood glasses. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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The Little Blondie

During my photo walk over at MetroMall about a month ago, I had the pleasant opportunity to bump into a playground full of young kids hard at play.  Yesterday I published several pictures in black and white depicting these playful scenes.

Today I will switch to color pictures and the subject is a little blonde girl who looked like an angel.  She had blonde hair, blue eyes, fair skin and floated around the playground like an angel.  She was the center of attention of the site.  I couldn’t take her image off my camera lens.  Yep, there’s no doubt that children are angels sent by God to crush the boredom out of our lives.

Below are several pictures of the little blonde at a playground in Panama City, Panama.  Here we go.

Snapshot of a gorgeous little girl playing at a playground inside the premises of MetroMall in Panama, City, Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of two little girls interacting in playful activities at a mall in Panama City, Panama. The Blondie looked like a character of a Disney movie. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Small kids are so cute. Notice the feet of The Blondie as she plays with other girls in the playground. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of a dream girls busy at play with her peers at a mall in Panama City, Panama. Concentration is the name of the game. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

The Little Blondie performs a balance act on top of a plastic ray in a playground at MetroMall in Panama City, Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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The Playground

Yesterday I penned a blog post about how my wife and The Twisters enjoyed ice cream cones one lazy hot January afternoon.  Their ice cream frenzy was really funny.  It was an experience that we would like to duplicate again and again.  That’s what family values are all about.

After licking their ice cream cones, The Twister wanted to stretch their legs and arms playing near a playground for young kids.  When we got there, the place was saturated with kids seriously involved in what they do best—play.  I sat on a corner of the playground and concentrated on their movements and faces.  Then I started randomly shooting what I thought best captured the innocent play of children.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again.  Children are the best examples of angels here on earth sent by God to make our lives joyful.

Take a look at a playground in Panama City, Panama full of youthful activity.  Here we go.

Snapshot of a group of young children busy at play at a mall in Panama City, Panama. You can see my wife Aura, on the background to the right hand side of the picture. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of a busy playground at MetroMall in Panama City, Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

It's amazing how children interact immediately with other children they have never met before. The bond instantaneous. Notice the faces of satisfaction of the children's parents. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of a nice group of young kids playing in a playground inside a mall in Panama City, Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Yep, these kids are angels sent by the man upstairs to make us feel good. I wonder what these little girls are saying to each other. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Now, the name of the game is sleeping. Nice play. Need to rest. (Smile) Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of one of The Twisters, Karol, playing with the rest of the kids in the playground. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

I was deeply impressed on the concentration of these young kids in their plays. They really take their play very seriously. Their curiosity is amazing. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of small kids playing under the watchful supervision of their parents at a mall in Panama City, Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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And The World Goes Round and Round, Like a Merry-Go-Round

Snapshot of a young kid having fun in a well-lighted Merry-Go-Round at El Dorado Mall. It's like a dream carousel full of magic galloping horses. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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The Little Boy With the Hood

Now that I’m retired, I have more time to look at the world around me.  That’s why I decided to learn the ropes of photography.  A photographer is a person who has developed the skills to look at reality in a different way.  He’s always looking for colors, patterns, textures, and shapes of things, the expression of faces, the twinkle of an eye, the movement of ants, floating clouds, a drop of water, and a zillion other things which make up what we call Creation.

Since we couldn’t have children, I never really understood them.  It was a world totally different to me.  I considered them to be too rowdy, too noisy, too undisciplined, too sloppy, and sometimes just too difficult to be around them.  My grown-up world was more quiet, organized, and mature.  After studying children more, I’ve learned to love them and better understand what they do.  It started with “The Twisters” and spread out to other children as well.  They are nothing less than little angels here on earth.  The intensity and concentration when they play is fascinating.

While visiting a children’s playground in a local mall, I watched The Twisters play and whole bunch of other kids of different ages.  One small boy with a cute hood, captured my attention.  He was the typical little boy doing his thing—playing with his peers.  I concentrated on him, and followed him around with my camera in an effort to capture his play and child’s behavior.  This is what I came up with my Canon PowerShot A720 IS.  Here we go.

Snapshot of a cute little boy with a hood playing in a children's playground in Panama City, Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of the boy in the hood playing with his sister in a children's playground at a local mall. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

While taking this shot the boy in the hood noticed what I was doing and he looked straight at me. I liked that. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of the boy in the hood playing with his friends. The intensity of their play is very interesting to watch. Children take their play very seriously. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

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Put a Smile on Your Face

Snapshot of "The Twisters", Karol and Abdiel" with a broad warm smile on their faces. Nothing beats a smile; it's absolutely contagious. "A smile from a child is packaged sunshine and rainbows." Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Before I close this blog post, I would like to take this opportunity to share with you a cute little poem that depicts the uniqueness power of a smile.  Here it goes.

“A smile is quite a funny thing,
It wrinkles up your face;
And when it’s gone, you cannot find
Its secret hiding place.
But far more wonderful it is
To see what smiles can do.
You smile at one,
He smiles at you,
And so one smile makes two.
He smiles at someone,
Since you smiled,
And then that one smiles back;
And that one smiles until in truth
You fail in keeping track.
And since a smile can do great good
By cheering hearts of care,
Let’s smile and smile, and not forget
That smiles go everywhere!”

Go out and enjoy the rest of this wonderful day with a smile on your face.  Yep, be happy.  Smiles are the kisses of the soul.  Good Day.

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The Wear and Tear of Time

Snapshot of a battered ball abandoned by Abdiel in a corridor of our house. It looks old and dilapidated by the use and abuse of children's play. Photo ©Omar Upegui R..

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