I‘m officially nominating Wingman for hero status. Last night he made his way through a blinding rainstorm in the wee hours of the morning to pick up his father-in-law from JFK Airport. I, meanwhile, was circling Norfolk, Virginia at 34,000 feet while we waited for backup induced by the aforementioned rain allowed us entry. It was a very long day for both of us. I awoke in my mother in law’s house in David. We finally left the beach the day before because I needed to get a Covid test to re-enter the USA and they simply don’t do those on deserted beaches, at least in Panama. We were forty minutes into our trip to David when I heard one of my wife’s signature gasps which told me she had forgotten something. I have a lot of experience in that situation
I’m usually really unsympathetic and
refuse to turn around for anything short of lifesaving medicine. This however
turned out to be a truly critical item – her makeup kit. I didn’t even argue because
I knew we would not do anything in David without that essential piece of equipment.
The caretaker had wished me well as I told him I was leaving, for the year, and
was suitably surprised to see me re-enter the condo complex. I simply nodded
towards the Favorite Panamanian as she rushed pell-mell upstairs and he nodded
in silent understanding. 
With my Wakeup Buddy This Morning
Heading Home with New Haircut 
No Longer the Long Haired Beach Bum
We eventually reached David after a two hour
trip but in truth I didn’t mind because it gave me another opportunity to bid
farewell to the beach. I know that sounds weird, okay, really weird, but I became
really attached to my now vacant, for rest of 2022, beach chair. In truth it
was more the gentle breeze, astounding views, and occasional bikini, but there
it is. After we arrived in David, I had the nasal cavity plumbed once again and
an hour later received the negative results that allow me to re-enter my
homeland. We stopped by to bid farewell to the PanaGal and hit up the movie theater
one more time (see below). We returned home late to find my brother-in-law and
his wife waiting to see us off. So, one additional Atlas was sacrificed to that
effort. I was touched that they made the effort.
My Beach
My Abandoned Beach Chair
Now, back to the very long day. I took
off from David at 9:30am and was in the Panama City Terminal by 1030am. My flight
to the US didn’t take off until 6:30pm so I had a substantial amount of time to
waste. I spent a lot of that exploring the terminal and realized how much my Favorite
Panamanian would have enjoyed this interlude with the ample shopping
opportunities. I wasn’t that impressed so I spent most of the day with old friend
Travis McGee, knocking off a book and a half. I was lucky enough to get an
upgrade to First Class for the flight, which made all the difference.
Storms Blowing in on Our Last Night
Ready for the Game
We were actually going to land in NYC
thirty minutes early until the captain made the announcement we would spend
some time lingering over the Virginia tidewater. We landed just short of 1am
this morning. By the time I was through customs and the airlines finally
decided to relinquish my baggage it was nearly 2. That meant an arrival back in
the New Jersey home of Wingman and my daughter at 3am. I went to bed right away
because I knew the FBR was aware of my overnight arrival and I had promised her
she could wake me up. She did, right at 7, so not a lot of sleep but more than
worth the sacrifice to hang with my eldest granddaughter.
We spent the morning on the couch so she
could catch me up on her latest Disney fascinations. She’s not usually allowed
so much television but my daughter took pity on my early morning arrival to
provide a more sedate than usual morning. She was held out of school because
she is attending the season opener for the Red Sox today at Yankee Stadium and
she couldn’t be more excited. The family-wide effort to groom a Red Sox fan in
the heart of the evil empire seems to be taking root. Wingman related that when
they were talking about going to the game the FBR asked him to pretend to be Soxfather
because she knew how much he loved the Sox. Heart strings not merely tugged but
full on yanked.
Wingman and FBR Headed to Yankee Stadium
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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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