Tropical Valentine Bash

Wife and I Yesterday

Yesterday was a very long day which was a very good thing. My wife and her sisters conspired to execute a family reunion/Valentine’s Day party at the youngest sister’s house. My time this year in Panama is limited so this was a fabulous opportunity to see everybody that I might have missed if not for this party.

Pulled Out The Panoramic Feature on the Camera

Nearly seventy five people or there about eventually passed through my sister in law’s back yard as the party percolated from late afternoon until well after midnight. My wife and I showed up around 2pm and I was immediately put in charge of the grill for some unknown reason. I haven’t cooked with charcoal in years and the charcoal in Panama is completely different than what I was trained in early in life. In addition once the charcoal was lit I was expected to keep adding small logs of wood. I eventually figured everything out and had the grill ready when my wife unveiled her planned barbecue meat. I tried to be gentle when I explained that the ten pound hunk of meat would take the better part of twelve hours to cook – I don’t know what she was thinking.

My Personal Purgatory for the Early Part - These Steaks
Consist About 1/4 of the Two Huge Roasts

Wife Surrounded by High School Classmates

I ultimately received permission to cut the roast into a series of steaks which were well received and cooked in less than a turn of the sun. Cutting the steaks and then cooking them over a smoky grill where my talent for having the smoke follow me wherever I turned was not a good way to spend 95 degree heat. I honed this talent in the boy scouts where the wind always found a way to send the smoke in my direction no matter where I moved. I know there are no New Englanders feeling sorry for me with the 95 degree heat remark – yet another blizzard is blowing through the place as I write this. I can only imagine the snow drifts I’ll face Tuesday night.

A Full Complement of the Famous PanaGals

My Motehr in LAw and HEr Sisters

More PanaGals Including the Former Mrs. Cantankerous (center)
and My Beer Dinking PArtner (r)

Host of the Party - Standing

People filtered into the party all afternoon and into the night. A full complement of the fabulous PanaGals was assembled and waxed philosophical about their TJ Maxx depredations of the past few years. The elders took up a lively game of dominoes (a Panamanian obsession) that lasted until the party broke up. I got a chance to hang out with my favorite among my wife’s many cousins – my favorite Panamanian beer drinking buddy who’s blessed with the best (and loudest) laugh in the Western Hemisphere. She was up to the challenge again. My wife led the charge to the dance floor and resembled nothing more than an energizer bunny all night as she charged around insuring everybody was taken care of and enjoying the party. A group of her high school classmates showed up and provided that she hadn’t changed in that respect in the last forty years.

The Domino Game - My Father in Law (r)

Scoring SOme Food With my Wife's Twin Sister

A Valentine’s Day piñata was sacrificed to the celebration although it didn’t go down without a fight. At one point it was beaten into a pulp on the floor and still refused to give up its treasure. My sister in law finally delivered a coup de grace and the candy flowed.

The Twins With the Stubborn Pinata

The Very Active Dance Floor

The music blared all night long and none of the neighbors seem to mind. Its carnivale time in Panama and a certain amount of excess is called for. We had a late night conference with my wife’s nephew who’s also the architect for our hopefully future Panamanian house. Just before midnight I completely ran out of gas and spent some time contemplating the underside of my eyelids in a living room chair while the more stout partiers (Panamanians) continued to churn the celebration in the backyard. I’m more than confident we wrung an amazing amount of fun out of a long, but in reality, all too short a day.

All of My Mother in Law's Brothers and Sisters

The Energizer Bunny Late Last Night