Saddle Backed and Bro-Day

I find in somewhat eerie/sublime that I woke up in far western Panama yesterday morning but find myself back at my desk at work this morning after a good night’s sleep. I owe that heretofore improbable scenario to Copa Airlines who are firmly established as my favorite airline ever. We wandered down to the David Airport around 8am to board a flight to Panama City and were able to check our bags all the way to Boston. The flight was on time, comfortable and afforded a fairly leisurely walk through the ever expanding Panama City terminal in search of our Boston Flight.

Plane We Were On Yesterday

They opened a new series of gates and hadn’t bothered to put up signs directing people to that location yet. My wife marveled almost as much as I cringed at the increased duty free shopping opportunities offered at the new gates when we stumbled onto them. The flight to Boston was on a brand new jet colored festively in honor of Panama’s famous Bio-Museum. Each seat had its own personal television screen with an assortment of movies and TV shows to select from. While the equipment on Copa is world class the best thing about flying with them is the service where they still treat you like a welcome customer instead of the herd mentality of most American airlines.

I almost (a very large almost) hated the flight to end but we were back in Boston just after rush hour was petering out which was a good thing since we were going to use I-93 south out of Boston. We discovered our semi-legally parked car in the economy lot had not been ticketed which was a huge relief. I almost killed both of us on I-93 with the very confusing HOV configuration but we survived to rescue Buddy from his nirvana like existence at my sister’s house.

Regular Commuters Must Have Been Laughing at My Confusion

He was in his usual frenzy to greet us and for some reason was soaked in wine, testament to the lethal aptitude of his tail. It was so good to see my sister and brother in law (more on him in a bit). Apparently my nephew was making plans on hiding Buddy (good luck with that) so we couldn’t take him home with us. After a quick stop off for some dinner we returned home to find our home reminding us entirely of Panama – as the heat over the past few days was stifling.

The Birthday Boy

Now as to that brother in law of mine who’s really the closest thing I’ve ever had to a real brother. It’s his birthday today and he characteristically failed to mention that when I saw him last night. He’s one of the best people I’ve met in a life spent wandering the globe and meeting thousands to compare him to. He has a heart of gold and that isn’t said in any way as typical. He loves my sister (which is fairly easy) but he’s been a stalwart friend and advisor to me ever since I met him which is not easy. I cherish every moment we get to spend together and he is deserving of the happiest birthday possible – Happy Birthday Brother!

A File Photo With My Sister