Czech-ing In

My Favorite Panamanian and I went in a different direction yesterday with one of our Deckzilla get togethers. We kept it small which allowed for a more leisurely, less frenetic experience. We invited our Czech friends over for a traditional Panamanian dinner and they brought their daughter who has acquired the nom de guerre of my “Czech shadow”. She used to follow me around, probably out of morbid curiosity as to what idiotic thing I would do next. She’s a very lively character that reminds me a lot of the FBR. She made me promise to lead the blog with this picture of her last night.

My Czech Shadow

Very Fun Gathering

Actually, she was horrified that she had her eyes closed and tried to get me to delete it. This, of course, only energized my determination to lead with it today. This is a hard lesson Soxfather’s sister has learned on multiple occasions. My shadow even went so far as to take a page out of my Favorite Panamanian’s book of tactics by asking to see the phone so she could then delete it. Not happening. I may take bad pictures but I am perversely proud of them.

Wife Prepping Ropa Vieja

Favorite Panamanian and the Shadow

Table Dancing

It was a very fun evening spent with truly excellent people. They’re getting ready to fly back to the Czech Republic to visit family this week. It was fascinating to talk with them about their growing up behind the Iron Curtain. They also had elementary school drills on how to react to a nuclear bomb. Of course, in their case, it was the dastardly Americans dropping the nukes. We sadly agreed that was a simpler time than the active shooter drills schools must run today against a much more real threat.

The Gang

Dirt Baths

Wingman Effort

A huge flock of sparrows has confiscated my back yard. They’ve entered into unholy alliance with a bunch of chickadees to deny use of my bird feeder to anybody else. When they’re not mosh pitting the bird feeder, they’re taking dirt baths in my project site. Speaking of the project, no progress today (yet). My Favorite Panamanian objected to attending church with me soaked in sweat. I’ll be out there this evening once the shadows hit the hill. Speaking of mosh pits I gleaned this photo of Wingman from his current tour; looks like he’s making so kind of supreme keyboard effort. Finally, I received this series of photos on the great Broadway adventure yesterday of Great Aunt, Soxfather’s sister, and niece along with my daughter and the FBR. The FBR was still bubbling about it when we talked last night.

Daughter and FBR

FBR Wearing Lunch Next to Great Aunt

Two Great Ladies

Outside the Theater

FBR With the Rhode Island Contingent

FBR Always Finagles Great Aunt's iPhone Away from Her

Good Buddies

Three Great Ladies

In Their Seats

Mom Time

And with Great Aunt

Very Happy Young Lady at her First Ever Broadway Show

Two more movies have fallen in my A-Z effort, am losing the second one, just terrible, falling into the what was I thinking category, 1917 (definite keeper) and 10,000 B.C. (yechh).

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

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 3^rd 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