Goats, Deer, and Aquatics

I have a few minutes to spare which I’ve come to realize are preciously few when riding herd on a pair of young granddaughters. I wouldn’t miss this time for anything but parenting is a job for the young, or at least younger than I am. I figure I have at least another week in me which is a fortunate since that’s how long the FBR will be with us. Wednesday saw a return to the Southwick Zoo with both the FBR and BRS. The FBR, with her impressive reading ability, figured out how to note the time the GPS was saying to arrive at our destination. We were thereafter advised every time we were a minute closer.

The Zoo Crew

The zoo, while small, has a lot to offer and it was educative to see what a difference a year makes with the FBR. She rushed to each new enclosure to read the display’s signs for the rest of us. With her newly acquired height, which still boggles my mind, she met the height standards for the zipline ride. That became one of our first stops. My Favorite Panamanian has bad neck which she draws like a well-oiled pistol whenever an amusement park ride comes into question. That’s fine because I still really enjoy them. We were elevated over the lion cage and then released for an approximately 5 second zip over the zoo.

Ready for their Zoo Day

The BRS has decidedly less in the way of height but she met the minimum standards for the skyfari gondola ride. That was a lot of fun as my Favorite Panamanian and the FBR were in the car ahead of us as we coasted through the tree tops and got great views of nearly the entire zoo.  The big event of the visit though was the goat feeding. There’s an enclosure where the kids go in and are swamped by a herd of goats checking each hand for anything to eat. I bought some food, fighting off a couple of the larger goats who’d figured out the vending machine was the source of what every fellow goat was begging for. After fighting my way free of those guys, I made my granddaughters very popular with the rest of the herd.

Goats!

My Favorite Panamanian waited outside the enclosure and virtually hosed down the granddaughters with hand cleanser when we emerged. She left me to my own devices, 40 years of marriage, what can I tell you. Lunch was hot dogs and potato chips consumed in a veritable swarm of yellow jackets who had the picnic area staked out. By mid-afternoon, after another post-lunch soiree with the goats, I checked the map and after seeing the giraffes and the hyenas (or at least their distended stomachs as they slept in the tall grass) I pronounced that we had seen every exhibit. We walked back towards the exit through the deer enclosure.

What Happens When BRS Gets Your Phone During Zipline Ride

Loading Up

Coming in for the Landing

This offered another chance for feeding the animals but the goats had made off with all my loose change. I noticed there was a lot of corn lying on the ground which the deer were too shy to approach and eat (goats would have knocked us on our ass to get at it). I was looking around for a crow bar to pry the granddaughters away from the deer after a while but it was incredibly cute. I thought we were on the verge of escaping when we ran into a couple of huge parrots. After watching some other people with them, the granddaughters figured out how to get them (the parrots) to speak and dance, too funny.

Failed Group Shot

On the Train

With Abuela Too

BRS and I Flying Over Zebras

Abuela and FBR in Car Ahead

Grandpa Hoping not to Drop Phone into Alligator Pit

Once again, I thought we were free but these are their abuela’s granddaughters and the zoo helpfully put the exit through the gift shop. I was suddenly surrounded by three very determined shoppers. I think I got off lucky with only two t-shirts and two bags of colored rocks. Five minutes after we loaded the car up for the trip home I glanced back and both were sound asleep. I think they put their maximum effort forth throughout the day. It reminded me of their parents at similar age, as constantly traveling Army brats, they always fell asleep as soon as the car was moving more than five minutes. My Favorite Panamanian joined them a few minutes later for a very quiet ride home.

Deer Feeding

BRS Giving Grandpa Proper Hat Wearing Lessons

Too Much Fun with this Pair

And Their Abuela Of Course

Best Efforts Put Forth

We returned home refreshed (at least they were) in the late afternoon and the granddaughters were soon out on Deckzilla painting rocks with their abuela for some sort of addition to the vast garden complex. I was charged with emptying the pool since it had been five days. With the drought I didn’t want to just dump it out so I spent the next hour hauling the water to the parched lawn bucket by bucket. I counted this as my workout for the day, in addition to the miles spent trying to keep up with hard charging granddaughters at Southwick. When rock painting concluded both granddaughters came over with small buckets to help out. Heart burst again.

Did I Mention Ice Cream was Involved in our Return

Rock Painting With Abuela

The Bucket Brigade

We concluded the day by constructing a “The Floor is Lava” obstacle course in the Man Cave. The Favorite Panamanian decreed that the (or as she termed it “Her””) living room was not appropriate for this activity. I think it had something to do with the repeated cases of needed superglue repairs in my history. At any rate, we had a lot of fun in the Cave, although they were much better at the course than their grandfather. Go figure.

Floor is Lava in the Man Cave

Abuela Scouring the Day's Dirt Off Before Bedtime

Today saw us on the road once again, heading south to Great Aunt’s house for a day at the pool. Both granddaughters treasure time spent with Great Aunt and had never been to her pool before. The only times they had been at her house was around Thanksgiving which is definitely outside the parameters of a New England pool. They were bouncing up and down when we arrived and were greeted by Remy, Great Aunt’s enthusiastic, if not brilliant, lab. Five minutes after arrival we were back at the pool. The granddaughters requested a bug removal effort before they would deign to enter which Great Aunt was only too happy to accomplish.

In the Pool with Great Aunt

Remy Very Concerned

The pool was a lot colder than I expected, lots of rain earlier this week. Panama has ruined me for New England outside pools. Neither granddaughters were so encumbered and stayed in much longer than their grandpa. Great Aunt was in the entire time with them. Their stay in the pool was broken up into about seven different sessions as they got in and out. Remy was so funny. He seemed very concerned that the kids were in danger and almost jumped into the pool which Great Aunt says was unusual. Great Aunt had made a tactical error by equipping the pool with squirt guns. Her attempts at keeping her hair dry fell to an ensuing combined barrage from the BRS and FBR.

They Were in They Were Out

Great Aunt Enjoying her Grand Nieces

I ran out for happy meals for the granddaughters which were taken care of on the deck. Both granddaughters became familiar with the danger of carrying their food low when a Labrador Retriever was present. Remy spent some quiet time in the house because of his transgressions. It required almost a wrestling match to get him into the house since he realized what a fertile hunting ground the granddaughters represented. I was so reminded of Buddy the Wonder Pooch and how much he would have preyed on their inattention.

Three Very Happy Ladies

Both granddaughters eventually declared they were finished with swimming for the afternoon and we started packing up for home. The kids were excited because Great Aunt was going to follow us home to spend a couple nights with us. As we were walking out, I pointed out the huge pine tree in the front yard to the BRS. I explained her dad, just a couple years older than she is now, had planted the tree as just a sprig. It’s pretty clear a few years have passed since the planting. I was treated to anther silent drive home since both granddaughters fell asleep again. We got home to learn that Great Aunt had wrenched her back getting out of the shower and couldn’t re-join us. In her words, she explained and I immediately understood, “Getting old sucks!”.

That Sprig has Grown a Bit

Two movies fell in my A-Z effort, seen over three nights (granddaughter effect), both keepers, As Good as it Gets (Nicholson is a national treasure – “the best thing you have going for you is your willingness to humiliate yourself”) and Assassins (Stallone actually acting – who knew).

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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); Namesake Nephew – son of Great Aunt and Soxfather named after me; 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