Beach Walk Reestablished

To say that time slowed down over the past two weeks would be a vast understatement as I’ve come to terms with a significantly diminished world due to my brother in law’s absence. Even when I was in our Worcester house I didn’t feel home. That probably had something to do with sheets covering all the furniture but more so to the lack of decibels associated with my Favorite Panamanian’s absence from the scene. Late yesterday I finally achieved a modicum of that coming home feeling as we pulled into our condo parking lot. There must be something to that old saying that home is where the heart is because I’ve figured out my home is where a certain pint-sized Latina lady is.

Back Home This Morning

Since I last wrote here in Frail Deeds we journeyed up to David in a propeller driven plane which meant a very exciting approach to the destination airport when the dry season winds started kicking in. It reminded me of the many similar rides I’d had on C-130s before jumping out of same. Before we departed the capitol city we gathered the Panama City based branch of my wife’s family to celebrate a couple birthdays. Our hotel had a conveniently located TGI Fridays attached which served in the past for similar reunions. My wife’s cousin and niece were the honorees and more people than expected showed up which ran us up against Panamanian Covid restrictions limiting the size of parties.

The "Young" Table

And Not So Young

Birthday Brownies!

This meant the young’uns (which I had no hope of qualifying for) had a sperate table. I think they had more fun than my table. I missed out on the opportunity to discuss movies with the birthday niece but she promised to make a trek up to the beach while I’m still here. We’re gearing up for one of the biggest annual celebrations in Panama – Carnaval, which marks the last days before Lent descends. The government has canceled all official gatherings which included fire trucks hosing down the crowds and other associated parades. The Panamanians are still going to gather though and we expect a full condo building for the first time since we arrived.

Beach This Morning

We’ll be doing our part as Tia Loca and other members of the family join us for a few days. My wife has long wanted to have black out curtains for our condo which is liberally blessed with windows, including the entire living room wall. Combined with the tropical sunshine this means watching the television in the afternoon is a real challenge as well as any thoughts of sleeping in if you’re light sensitive. I’ve never minded because I love the views of the beach but we all know who won that argument.

New Living Room Curtains

Our Bedroom

She custom ordered the curtains which arrived during my time in the States. We discovered today as we started to mount them that she had forgotten to account for the curtain rod supports which meant the curtains should have been cut into panels. Undaunted, I was drafted into the panel creation effort as my wife once again proved her resourcefulness as she wielded a mean set of scissors to create the panels. I hesitate to say this within her hearing but she was right about putting the curtains up, they make a big difference. Shhhh

BRS & BR3 - End Product

The ABFA sent this picture of the BRS and BR3 which was typically cool. She then, in an effort to remind us getting these two high energy young ladies to pose for a “nice” picture is a process. The outtakes were even cooler because they brought a real sense of what life is like with these two, something both my wife and I miss despite the much better weather we currently enjoy. You see I got all this way in today’s post without mentioning the ten inches of snow New England is getting dumped on with today.

The Outtakes

Before the curtains project, I got back to my morning workout routine which I sorely missed over the past couple weeks. It would have been tough to find a place to boogie board in New England in February. The best part of the workout was the hour-long beach walk with my Favorite Panamanian. We used the time to talk almost exclusively about Soxfather and my past two weeks trying to adjust to a world without him. I finally felt at home.

Sorry New England

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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