Frail Deeds Dancing: Home Schooled

Well I’m back in the empty house after a couple days of pure, unadulterated fun during a visit to my home town. I went up expecting to spend just the 4^th in Keene but in a complete break from routine the Keene Friend actually had two consecutive days off and suggested I stay the extra day. My arm didn’t need to be forced too far behind my back to make the decision to stay (Buddy also approved). The extra day allowed me to attend one of the cherished events from my youth – the annual 4^th of July baseball game and fireworks at Alumni Field.

Keene Friend at Waxy's

To lower our profile the Keene Friend and I were moving targets for the entire two days. We started out the 4^th with lunch at Waxy O’Conner’s which was our second choice. This world cup thang must be for real because we couldn’t get a seat at the Elm City Brewery due to a mix of German and French fans cheering on their teams and the French weren’t even retreating. There was another contingent of the same at Waxy’s but it is much larger. After the game ended we pulled up stakes and displaced to the Scores sports bar which offered several thousand different televised sporting events. We watched the Brazil-Columbia game there. I failed to mention that several adult beverages were sacrificed in honor of our new found soccer fandom.

Scores Still Rocks

We ended the night at another high school classmate’s new home where he was celebrating his birthday. This is the aspect I love about returning to my hometown, touching base with old friends. We absolutely destroyed some barbecued dead animal flesh and sat around the table cogitating on the meaning of life. The birthday boy’s girlfriend had two very impressive children who joined us for a while. The daughter is about to head for Argentina for a new job and loves salsa dancing. I’ve got to get her linked up with the salsa queen I’m married to at some point, they will love each other. Caught up in the spirit of the event I did succumb to the siren’s call of a piece of death by chocolate cake. It was not to be denied.

Me and my High School Buddies - Birthday Boy on the Right

The Two Impressive Young People

Keene Friend Trying to Look Appropriately Serious While I Fail

The second homecoming day started with a surprise visit from none other than the elusive Cantankerous Friend. I’d baited him on Facebook and he rose to the occasion. He’s been understandably AWOL recently as he’s helping his parents through some very challenging health predicaments. He stopped in long enough to confirm I was appointed to his staff for planning next year’s high school reunion, cast a few trademarks aspersions, and departed to visit his dad in the ICU. (Note I just learned his dad is out of ICU which is great news!)

Keene Friend and I have a well-chronicled devotion to horror movies that started when Linda Blair first scared the living bejesus out of us back in the 1970s. In the late morning, we went to see Deliver us From Evil which had some eerie similarities to Ms. Blair’s work. It allegedly follows the real life career of a New York City cop who stumbles into work as an exorcist due to a troubling case. The casting was a bit odd as Australian Eric Bana moved in and out of a thick NYC accent for the entire move and funny man Joel McRae played a tough guy cop (bit of a stretch there). Edgar Ramirez was very effective as the oddball priest who performs a pretty scary exorcism for the film’s climatic scenes. I sure as hell hope Hollywood amped up the drama here otherwise I’m jumping in a car and forcibly removing my daughter from NYC. If this stuff was real I don’t want her anywhere near it. I was glad it was still light out when the movie was over, didn’t want anything to do with the night for a while.

Poolside With One of the Valley Street Boys and Keene Friend

Since it was turning into one of those absolutely stunning New England summer days we loaded up a cooler and went to spend the afternoon with yet another friend. He’s a Boston lawyer who travels back to Keene every other weekend to assist his elderly parents (lot of that going around). We grew up just a couple houses apart and it had been a couple years since I last saw him. We spent a fabulous afternoon catching up and enjoying the breeze and sun with a spectacular view of Keene from his parents’ hilltop home.

Great views into the Valley of Keene

After the obligatory stop at Scores for dinner and yet another soccer game (overload?) we made our final stop of the day at Alumni Field. This was a serious trip into nostalgia land for me. The first live baseball game I ever saw was at an early age when my sister and I went to see the annual 4^th of July legion team playing at Alumni Field followed by the city’s fireworks. Anybody who grew up in Keene has spent a least a few of their Independence Days at Alumni. We sat in the stands for the baseball game and while the legion team has been replaced by a summer league team of college all-stars the rest was exactly as I remembered it. There were the grizzled old fans, families, and the tank topped teeny boppers who could care less about the game as they charged around the stands forming transitory alliances as only the blissfully young take pleasure in.

I Was Rocking the Panoramic View on the Camera - View From Our Seats at Alumni

As soon as the game was over the crowd charged the field to set up blankets to watch the fireworks. We were in deep left field when they finally turned the lights out which brought an unexpected delight. Most of the kids during the game were running around the stands with these plastic glowing tubes that were given away to advertise something. As soon as the lights went down the vast field was transformed as hundreds of those blue and red sticks showed up as the kids milled around. It was pretty spectacular, as were the fireworks. It was everything I hoped it would be as an old Soldier really did get a chance to “go home again”.

Fans Take Over the Field for the Fireworks

When the Lights Went Down and the Glow Sticks Emerged

Great Way to End the Visit

My wife spent the 4^th visiting a Virginia winery with one of the other musqueteras as well as a botanical garden. She also attempted to monitor my New Hampshire beer intake from her distant location which was difficult due to my evasive responses to her queries. She had little to worry about as the Keene Friend is her designated agent in Keene to ensure my sane behavior. She went to a huge party yesterday which was the stated reason for the whole trip down there. She looked especially fetching in a new dress which I’m sure she’s owned “for years”. That will be her story and she’ll stick to it. She looked great and I thankfully get her back on Tuesday.