Lieutenancy Redux

For the second day in a row we were hosting old friends yesterday at the beach. We were lieutenants together way back in the day when I first showed up in Panama as a very green lieutenant, fresh out of Ft Benning School for Boys (OCS and the Infantry Basic Course). He was my sponsor and was already married to a Panamanian gal and a year later when I was married to my Favorite Panamanian the gals became friends as well. We never served together again but always had fond memories of the time spent slogging through the jungles of Panama in the early 1980s and singing drunken military ditties on a high-rise balcony. He’s gone on to be a very successful writer, mostly of military science fiction, with over eighteen published novels. He, his wife, and two young relatives came to spend the afternoon with us.

The Two Wives

My Fellow Lieutenant and I

We spent a lot of time conversing on the beach about those shared memories of serving in the 193^rd Infantry Brigade as young lieutenants. It was a great learning experience for infantrymen. Especially officers since we were given a degree of freedom neither of us saw again in our careers. We joked this was probably because our superiors couldn’t or didn’t want to find us as we operated in the jungle.  We trained hard and long, spending weeks at a time living in that very inhospitable environment. It was a great stroll down memory lane while the gals engaged in the usual non-stop dialogue involved with catching up after a couple years apart. Another great afternoon spent with old friends.

Water Heater is Fixed!

Earlier in the day we had the handyman back to fix a couple things. I hadn’t had a hot shower since leaving the USA and his primary mission yesterday was getting the hot water heater functional. He had to jury-rig something to get it to work but that may have been the best shower I’ve had in ages.  The water here is never really cold, cold like we have in New England, but I still don’t enjoy a shower without real hot water. He also fixed the balcony doors which needed some minor adjustments and hung some of my Favorite Panamanian’s increasing stockpile of beach related nick-nacks on the wall.

Sunset Last Night

My Usual Photo Back to the Family to Rub it in

I don’t want everyone to think life in paradise is not without its challenges. On our first day on the beach, I forgot the age-old lesson I learned back when my friend and I were running around the jungles of Panama, everything in Panama bites. I forgot to apply insect repellent for that first day on the beach and I was rewarded with a couple legs that look like I’ve got a case of smallpox. The sand fleas and chiggers seem to have acquired a real taste for gringo blood. We’ve taken to keeping the balcony doors open with the air conditioning off during most of the day as we get a nice breeze. I have to put the balcony sun shades down to ensure we don’t get overheated in the afternoon but it's nice to hear the pounding of the surf so clearly through the open doors as I write this.

Beach This Morning

End of the Beach, River on Left 

I had to do some extra work this morning on my exercise routine for a couple reasons. The first, and most obvious, is that I may have had more than a few Atlas beers yesterday while in the midst of intense reminiscing with my fellow lieutenant. The second was the Patriots’ playoff game last night, or more accurately escribed, massacre. I was so excited to be able to see the game live with the new apparatus my daughter and Wingman gifted me with. I was cursing their name (just kidding) as the Bills just had their way with the Pats. The Bills’ quarterback is something special and he certainly rose to the occasion while the Patriots’ defense just did not show up. So, the extra work this morning. Since my Favorite Panamanian didn’t join me for the walk I extended it to the far end of our beach where a small river flows into the ocean. It was kind of cool, especially since I had the entire place to myself. I discovered where the omnipresent pelicans hang out. There was a small fishing boat offshore that was surrounded by pelicans, both in the water and in the air. I’m not sure their presence was exceptionally welcome.  

Our Condo Seen from the Beach

Balcony Doors Left Open

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                           

BR3 – Blog Reader #3 – granddaughter #3, BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter, ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete = my daughter in law; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Soxfather - my brother in law; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; Pittsburgh College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd musquetera (musketeer); Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; PanaGals – female relatives /friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife accumulates wherever we have lived & their spouses; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member, Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn