Granite State Grounding

I paid for the fun I eventually endured yesterday by spending a significant time wandering the traffic wasteland of Connecticut. The recently arrived Panamanians had NYC reservations and we volunteered to take them to New Haven to catch a metro-north train into Grand Central Station. We were thoroughly immersed in the always diverting traffic quagmire when I innocently asked my wife if she remembered to bring the Keene Friend’s birthday presents. The only answer I received was a gasp and wail. So the Keene Friend will get his birthday gifts later this week.

Wife and Birthday Boy at Twinkle Town Yesterday

I also learned the drive from New Haven to Keene is not fun but it is beautiful once you get north of Springfield. We could see the first tinges of fall starting to manifest in the trees; seems a bit early for that, especially given all the recent heat. We had Buddy in the back of the car who liked his extended time in the cage because he knew Keene Friend was waiting for him at the end of the trip. Keene Friend had his customary bone and bowl of water waiting for Buddy when he opened the door to greet us.

Keene Friend at our First Position at Elm City Brewery

After abject apologies for the missing presents we headed out to play a round of miniature golf which my wife acquired a taste for during her recent Maine trip. It’s always been one of Keene Friend’s forte which he demonstrated aptly over the next hour or so thoroughly drubbing us both, but always in a self-depreciating manner. It was kind of nostalgic because I worked for the original owner of Twinkle Town, the miniature golf course, when I was in college. His son now operates it and looks just like his dad did back in the day. I asked about his dad to learn he’s still around and recently turned 94.

Cantankerous Freind Joined us in our Fifth Seating Position

Somehow (and I’m still trying to figure out how this happened) Keene Friend and I ended up in a pub after the game while my wife sneaked away to some shopping. Keene Friend and I tried to negotiate our way through the completely unfamiliar environment we found ourselves in. Luckily our favorite (and the best) bartendress in Keene was ably support our shock at the Elm City Brewery. We planned on hitting a few more pubs but a very entertaining college football game was showing and I did mention the bartendress, didn’t I? We kept the Pittsburgh College Roommate apprised of our progress.

Late Dinner at Margarita's

After the game ended with us still at the bar (in our fifth different seating location after several tactical upgrades as the crowd shifted) I asked the bartendress to turn the game to the Red Sox game since we heard David Ortiz had hit his 499^th home run earlier. A few minutes later we were lucky enough to capture the moment we hit his historic 500^th. The Cantankerous Friend wandered in to join the festivities which gave us the opportunity to discuss fantasy football and question the actions of our commissioner, the favorite son.

Ortiz Watches his 500th Depart the Realm

We hoped to have some other members of our high school class join us but forgot the all-important phone numbers needed to advertise our location. My wife had the cell phone connection to my Facebook account which TJ Maxx firmly asserted control over so were cut off from that. We suffered through this deprivation about as well as could be expected. Well into the evening my wife rescued us from further depletion of our brain cell population and squired us for dinner at Margarita’s.

Buddy in Serious Beg Mode

A return to Keene Friend’s home involved the long overdue birthday cake with Buddy flitting around the edges trying to steal anything that fell to the floor. Animals have an innate sense about sources of food and Buddy rightfully assumed, given our condition at the time, the floor was a target rich environment. Keene Friend 2 showed up to enjoy the birthday cake with us. A great way to end what had been an overly fun day and a fitting tribute to Keene Friend, a constant pool of excellence.

Wife Attacking Keene Friend with his Cake

He Didn't Wear it