Commemoration

Dad I'm Really Going to Miss You

I’ve told the story before about proposing to my wife three days after I met her. Sometimes snap decisions work out, seeing that we’ve been married for thirty-four years now. What I didn’t realize until recently was that the spot I proposed has been turned into a national Panamanian shrine. I’m not saying the location was chosen because of my association with it but there must be some seriously good karma stored up there.

The Biodiversity Museum on the Grounds of Old Ft Amador
Proposal Took Place Right About Where Red Box on Left Is

In brief, my future wife and I had just left the Ft Amador Officers Club on our third date in three nights. I was a little anxious because I was trying to figure out the right syntax to propose in my very basic Spanish. Since she didn’t speak English it was the only way to go. We got into the car which was parked on the banks of the Panama Canal on the Pacific side. Needless to say that site has always held a soft spot for me since she did say yes, or more literally, “Si!”.

Myself (r) and 2 Fellow Lieutenants on the Causeway in 1981

I spent many of my Sundays out on the nearby causeway, a manmade road from Ft Amador out to two large islands at the Pacific mouth of the Panama Canal. The causeway, at the time I was a young lieutenant there, was a lot more basic than it is now but every Sunday a group of officers would pack ourselves and whatever girls survived the Saturday night party to head to the causeway for the afternoon. We’d park beside the road which soon became packed with  mixture of American military and young Panamanians just realizing they now had access to this great party spot after the treaty. We’d drink beer, philosophize as only twenty years olds can, and jump into the ocean periodically.

What the Same Spot looks Like Nowadays

A few years ago my daughter was telling me about this fantastic new Biodiversity Museum being built in Panama by famed architect Frank Gehry. I said I would keep an eye out for it but since I usually avoid Panama City as much as possible never really thought about it again. That changed with my recent trip to Panama. As we were dipping out of the clouds to land in Panama City I sought out some of my favorite landmarks, including the causeway and I spotted the “hard to miss” colorful museum, right on the site of my proposal all those years ago. So, like I said, I’d like to think my karmic donation had something to do with it. It certainly wasn’t for our nearby bachelor causeway antics; the less said about, the better.

The Museum with the Nearby Causeway

We were lucky enough to get FaceTime calls with both of the geographically singled children yesterday. My Favorite Son has been abandoned by the ABFA for the weekend as she attends a conference in Nashville. He was left to deal with some gastro-intestinal challenges of the grandpuppy. We caught the California contingent as Wingman was packing to leave for his new tour. It was clear my granddaughter understood what the packing was all about because every time Wingman walked in the room she focused on him like a laser beam. While it was poignant for us I’m sure it was heart rending for him.