Cantankerously Blooming

My elementary school partner in crime has arrived to provide some needed reminders of home now that I have to begin resigning myself to eventually departing paradise. The Cantankerous Friend flew into David yesterday morning after a long trip Tuesday to Panama. He followed our standard itinerary of spending the night at the Riande while awaiting the flight to David. He didn’t wase anytime getting cantankerous upon arriving in Panama. There is a required affidavit the government requires to enter Panama. He had done everything correctly but when he got to immigration the QR code scanned as someone else.

Airport Linkup

The only thing we could guess was that because he completed the online form so early they re-used the same QR code for someone else. Doing something early is not something Panamanians truly understand. As he recounted his adventures with the non-English speaking immigration officer, I could only smile at the imagined scene. They eventually let him in after he produced his vaccine card. We picked him up at the David airport and immediately sought out a place to eat since international travel nowadays means you are really hungry since the airlines now feel completely free of providing sustenance.

Breakfast with Mariano

We tried a new, for us, restaurant because the Cantankerous Friend wanted to sample Panamanian cuisine. He is a lot more adventurous than I am. We had a nice breakfast sitting under a painting of Panamanian icon, Mariano Rivera. I’m sure Soxfather was turning over a bit in his way too early grave. We spent part of the morning trying to confirm if the road back to Las Lajas was open. The local Indians had launched one of their semi-regular protests by closing the road right where we had to turn off the Pan-American Highway. We later learned they were protesting the requirement to get vaccines and wear facemasks in school. It seems idiocy is not confined to my homeland. We got the good news that the road was open and hit the road.

Condo Arrival

Wife Making Dinner and Totally Engrossed in Telenovela

Sunset Last Night

We returned to the condo and I believe the Cantankerous Friend was appropriately impressed that I hadn’t been exaggerating how cool the beach is. We also have the entire complex to ourselves. We got settled in and my Favorite Panamanian created a fantastic late lunch for us. Shortly thereafter we adjourned to the beach to wait out the hour after requirement. The Cantankerous One became acquainted with the intricacies of Las Lajas waves and boogie boarding. Memories kept leaking back for both of us of the childhood times together at Long Sands, York Beach, Maine. Mostly surrounding how much warmer the ocean water was comparatively speaking. We remembered listening to the 1967 Red Sox games on a transistor radio. That was the summer we, along with most of New England, fell in love with the Sox. After boogie boarding and a swim in the very warm water of the pool, we set up in the shade to watch the tide come in and sample a variety of Panamanian beers.

Beach Walk This Morning

We made our way through Cerveza Panama, Soberana, and of course, my personal favorite, Atlas Golden Light. Today we’ll tackle Balboa, Cristal, and, once again, Atlas Golden Light (I am nothing if not consistent). My Favorite Panamanian joined us for the sunset watch and some clouds interfered with a truly spectacular sunset but it was moderately acceptable. The Cantankerous Friend joined me for my typical morning workout today. He had thought my inclusion of boogie boarding as part of the workout wasn’t appropriate. That is, until he had to fight through the surf to get to the launching point, he now understands. We walked down the beach to the river this morning and actually struggled because we were chasing high tide and the usual great packed sand walking routes were under water, forcing us to the foot sucking deep sand further up. It was a good workout though, especially since it gave us the chance to discuss and solve all the Red Sox, Patriots, and Celtics’ issues.  

Beach This Morning

It's so good having my friend here to share Las Lajas with. I’ve written before that there is a special quality to truly old friends as there is no re-acquainting required. We just slipped into our designated roles and I felt a real sense of home hanging out with him. There is also a real sense of relational short hand to communication as we caught up with each other. It was one of the best evenings I’ve had here as I was once again reminded how fortunate I’ve been when they came to issuing lifelong friends.

Screeching Eagle

Prior to his arrival I had an interesting morning on the beach as the local sea eagles had some sort of family disagreement or a really strange mating dance. I was reading on the beach after the morning workout when I was distracted by a loud screeching. I looked up to the nearest palm tree to see one of the eagles making the noise. I assumed it was female, just guessing “her” due to decibels involved (my wife will slap me upside the head when she reads that). She was soon under attack from two other eagles who I assumed were males. They divebombed her and she eventually found a place amongst the palm fronds where they couldn’t get at her. It was a cool little theater for a usually very quiet morning beach.

Outside my New Favorite Theater

We made the drive to David to pick up Cantankerous on Tuesday afternoon. We took in a movie at the theater that has become my favorite cinema in the world. We saw Blacklight which is yet another Liam Neeson action flick where someone makes the blunder of messing with his family. Big mistake. The plot didn’t make a lot of sense other than setting up the pleasing actions scenes which Neeson can still handle despite his advancing age. Speaking of advancing age, I was a little shocked by how old Aidan Quinn looked. He’s younger than me so it was doubly shocking. So, formulaic and silly but worth the watch to see Liam plow his way through the bad guys.

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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