TRW's Photographic Journal Below are links to pictures of TropicRiverWoods, Panamá in its various stages of botanical evolution.
Paul Visits Panamá The first voyage taken in August of 2002, was to get a feel for the Country and determine if it would be right for our vision for the future of our lives and for our mandate to the Earth. Paul and Brad Find The Finca Once we visited Finca 4 with its' owner/keeper, Filiberto Reid, we knew we had found a special place in this world and that we wanted to protect and, more importantly, husband, a portion of this magnificent land ourselves! Planting At TropicRiverWoods Begins The first planting mission commenced in February of 2003 but, alas, because Brad (our photographer), could not go on this early trip and Paul was totally engaged in both closing on the finca in Panamá City and planting the initial shipment of fresh rainforest tree seeds, there unfortunately, is no photographic record. Now available for your review, however, are photos "just published" of the intrepid duo's busy June work sessions at TRW! In addition, we are proud to announce that a new permanent partnership has been forged with a visionary "indefatigable threesome": Paul, Brad and Filiberto! View our latest photos, and catch some of the excitement that comes from a concept becoming reality! Filiberto becomes the defacto Manager of TropicRiverWoods Filiberto continues to make sound suggestions and now announced that the company he has worked for for over 37 years has informed him that he could now retire (read that as they could hire 4 people at his salary to replace him). Filiberto could not be happier and his company's loss has become our gain. The Horticultural Successes Multiply March, 2004's trip revealed much progress in TRW's reforestation planting goals. Filiberto's ingenuity has "paid off" nicely! Seedlings are now growth in small horticultural bags off-site, in shade, then are planted ONLY when Filiberto feels that they are sufficiently developed to take the sun, heat, and sometimes voraciously hungry ants! Our Seedlings Are Becoming Trees June, 2004's "solo' trip by Paul, had two main goals: finalisation of the long quest to obtain the title to the land and to inspect the progress of our future forest. By trips end, the acquisition of the title was closer at hand after meetings with key government officials, and the need for human intervention to assist the lack of rain was discovered and addressed. The Pathways Take Shape November, 2004's trip by Paul and Brad showed continuing progress on the Finca from the addition of framing and river rock stairways and pathways, to the continuing growth of all the trees along with new additions to create the canopy of TropicRiverWoods. Our Seedlings Are Becoming Taller Than Us! March, 2005's trip by Paul and Brad was an inspiring event to see what a difference of only four months has made to the look of the Arboretum. Over 1/4 mile of walkways and staircases have now been dug out of the earth and we can now begin to see the canopy that will one day soon protect the understory plants. The Walkways are another indication of permanence Paul's solo trip in June, 2005 showed how the arboretum is taking on a certain permanence that was envisioned by Paul many years ago, but is even more of an inspiration now. Now that the walkways have been laid out (so far) they are in the process of being laid in cement. Visit this, and the continued canopy growth that continues to grow daily. The first tiki style Indian hut is built by Ngobe Indians which Paul got to see during his March 2006 trip to the finca. Handrails are being added to the cement walkways and the canopy is really flourishing and becoming layered which Paul and Brad enjoyed during their June, 2006 visit to TropicRiverWoods. A Day trip to David (on the Pacific Coast) for a plant finding expedition led to an adventure beyond our best expectations! Another Tropical Bird makes TRW its' home March, 2007's trip saw continued growth and new inhabitants to TropicRiverWoods. Paul, Brad and Filiberto spoke about a permanent entrance with gate and pillared fence as well as Filiberto offering to sell more land adjacent to the gardens. The Entrance to TropicRiverWoods takes on a professional appearance Paul's solo visit in early June, 2007 saw even more changes, but this time it includes the entrance to the gardens. The Entrance to TropicRiverWoods from start to finish An overview of the building of the entrance. The Entrance is about complete Paul and Brad's visit over Thanksgiving weekend, 2007, saw the vision of the garden becoming even more of a reality. The Pine Barrens are taking shape The growth of all of the plants during our June, 2008's visit to the gardens just continues to amaze us. Our Bridge over the Green Creek As the trees continue to grow, we can now cross the property on a real bridge instead of a fallen log during our visit in January, 2009. The first visit of 2010 saw much more growth, and need, for the trees and plants at TropicRiverWoods. It was nice, however, to travel across the newly completed Rio Changuinola bridge!
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