The Cantankerous One has left the building, as well as the entire country of Panama. My Favorite Panamanian received a steady diet of stateside prayers from people who know the Cantankerous Friend when they heard he was visiting. They were not needed. He was on his absolute best behavior while here and was a superb guest. My wife turned him into a culinary testing ground since he was willing to try anything she could arrange to put in front of him. This is, of course, a huge departure from similar efforts with me, many years ago. On his last day on the beach, she was feeding him coconut water straight from the source.
In the last couple days he finally
conquered the boogie board which had been giving him a run for his money. It is
difficult to pick it up when confronted with the renewed Las Lajas surf. He
leaves the country with a newly acquired respect for the strength of the waves
here. After our adventuring over the past few days, we spent our last day together
here on the beach which permitted boogie boarding right up to the sunset. I had
read recently about sharks loving to feed as soon as the sun set so we took the
less valorous course of action to retire to the beach to watch the sunset while
drinking Atlas.
Cantankerous with a Last Sunset Atlas
On my Other Side 
Pouring the Coconut Water
We had an early morning departure because
we had to obtain a day-before travel to the US Covid test in David before
heading to the airport. That part of the plan went well and Cantankerous
actually made a new friend of an American ex-pat also standing in line to get a
test. We got him to the airport in plenty of time and he was off to Panama City
for another overnight stay in the Riande. His flight yesterday back to the States
went as planned but United Airlines pulled a fast one with his connecting
flight. As I write this, he is still trapped at the Newark Airport as United
first delayed and then cancelled his flight to Manchester. They claim it was
due to rain but if they had gotten their crew in place on time that would not
have been a problem. Using this loophole, they didn’t provide a hotel or any
meals. 
He Drank it!
Heading Out for his Last Boogie Boarding Session
It’s too bad the trip had to end this way for him because we had a lot of fun spending a week on the beach together for the first time since the 1970s. My wife is still bubbling about all the different food she was able to share with him and I miss my boogie boarding partner. The walk down the beach this morning was solitary for the first time in a long time. Plinio’s pack of dogs showed up to liven things up and keep me from brooding.
That Last Sunset
This also marks the start of my last week in Panama with my next Thursday return scheduled. In light of that, my mother-in-law joined us for our return to the beach and Tia Loca caught a bus from Panama City that required a 4:30am wakeup this morning to pick her up where the bus dropped her off on the Pan-American Highway. This will certainly liven things up over the weekend. I think she wants to get her last shots in at me before I’m out of range.
Godzilla Made an Appearance!
They are renting a condo in Boquete (that
name again) for three months while trying to find a place of their own. They
had looked at a couple other beaches that featured high rise condos and lots of
residents. They were staying down the beach at the same resort we had where we
learned of the building project that eventually became our home here. They just
set out down the beach in their car and had to turn around in front of our condo
building since the road ends here. They took a chance and asked the resident
caretaker to look around which is where we found them. We invited them up to
see our condo and talk to them about living here. They were Arizona residents
transplanted from, of all places, Massachusetts. There is a condo in the building
up for sale so we’re hoping my long standing status as the only gringo in the building
will change. 
Different Crew Last Night
Haircut Time for the BRS! 
Handled it Like a Champ 
Impossibly, Even Cuter Afterwards
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, Somewhere in New Jersey
the FBR is in Mid-Season Form
RECURRING CHARACTERS:
ABFA – Amazing Best Family
Athlete - my daughter
in law; BR3 – Blog Reader #3 – granddaughter
#3; BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel -
second granddaughter; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue
about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; Curbside Girls – close friends of my
daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions
once my wife got involved in planning; Favorite
Panamanian - the wife (of course); FBR
- First Blog Reader - first granddaughter; First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since
high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited
with after many years; Maine and
Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my
wife is the 3rd musquetera (musketeer); Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia
member; 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; Pittsburgh
College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in
Pittsburgh; Riggins - also known as
the Grandpuppy, son's dog; Soxfather
- my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my
son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s
mom, of course
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