Well, That Was Fun

I believe I can offer without fear of contradiction that my Favorite Panamanian and I paid proper respect to the Independence Day holiday weekend. We shoehorned in two different parties separated by over seventy miles and still made it home just as the sun was setting. We started out the day back near our old Central Massachusetts haunts at the annual 4^th of July party hosted by a member of the Latin Mafia. To make the second party we were only scheduled to stay for an hour and a half but as anyone who has ever met my Favorite Panamanian will tell you, time schedules are really not her thing.

Czech Friends by the Pool with my Wife

We set up next to the pool and were joined by our Czech buddies which always makes for a fascinating conversation. The youngsters in the pool were cavorting which provided some needed respite from the sun beating down on us. The shirt didn’t stay wet that long in the sunlight. We eventually moved over to the canopied eating area and relished being away from the sun which was in direct contrast to last year’s version of the same party where you could literally see your breath. Our tight time schedule moved up our lunch time and accidently moved everyone else’s up also.

One of our Spectacular Hosts and My Wife

Accelerated Lunch Time

Our host was planning on eating about an hour hence but my wife inveigled a couple burgers and a hot dog for us ahead of time. We were sitting down to eat when everyone else at the party starting moving to our location, having noticed our consumptive behavior. The hosts were scrambling to launch more burgers onto the grill and the lunch was on. It was great food and the usual spectacular company. We were about forty minutes after the time we were supposed to leave when I used a pry bar and a small amount of explosive to extricate my wife and get on the road to New Hampshire.

Birthday Boy

We were returning to my hometown to celebrate not only the 4^th but also the birthday of Keene Friend 2. He and his wife hosted a small get together in their backyard. Keene Friend 1 was also there and we made the obligatory “drunk phone call” to the Pittsburgh College Roommate but as usual, he was too busy o speak with us. At least, this time, he had a valid excuse as they were hosting their own small gathering, he guesstimated 80 people were in attendance. Such is the life of a minor celebrity in Pittsburgh. There was a ridiculous amount of food at our location and a few beers as well. I loved the time hanging around with old friends and Keene Friend 2’s wife’s family was a fun bunch.

Pittsburgh College Roommate and his Brood Yesterday

We had thought to hang around and check out the fireworks but the days travels and exertions called for a return home as the party broke up. Plus, my designated driver decreed it to be so. I was providing my usual running dialogue for the ride home which isn’t always met with the proper amount of appreciation from the driver. She scoffed at my suggestion we return to other party on our way home and that was probably the right decision but it seemed like a good odea at the time. They’ll probably write that as my epitaph someday.

Second Party

BR3 in a New Outfit

BRS and BR3 Ready for a Swim Day

Hey Sis

FBR Staring Contest

Meanwhile the granddaughters were in their usual state of movement. My daughter and the FBR were at a zoo where the FBR lost a staring contest with some sort of lizard. We got home in time for me to knock off another movie in my A to Z effort. Three have fallen over the past couple days, “10” (Bo Derek still impossibly beautiful), 12 Monkeys, and 12 Strong, so, again, a wide range of effort.  

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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 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