2022 – Losses Continue

This year has certainly had its ups but it has countered with some of the worst downers in my life, led by the loss of Soxfather. It has been a year of passings of family and friends, which is a definitive sign that I may be getting old. I’m still not over Soxfather’s untimely departure but we were hit with yet another body blow yesterday when my Favorite Panamanian’s cousin, the Cousin with the Legendary Laugh died in Panama City from complication surrounding cancer. Her mother passed only five months ago and her brother’s wife right after that, so her family has had a lot to deal with (did I say 22 was a tough year).

Cousin (l) with her Husband and my Wife

The Cousin of the Legendary Laugh was clearly my favorite cousin in my wife’s remarkable family. She earned her moniker by having an infectious, loud, almost braying laugh that she struggled her entire life to control, unsuccessfully, thankfully. She and her husband, another favorite of mine, were central characters whenever we returned to Panama, especially if we brought a big group with us. They would always volunteer to drive one of their small buses, so everyone could make a trip to the beach together.

In L.A. for Special Olympics

Coach

In Back of Bus with my Wife Headed to Beach 

Granddaughter in her Lap

The Laugh About to Explode

She was always at the center of festivities and we would figure out ways to sneak beers to each other when our respective spouses thought we both had had enough. Every memory I have of pre-condo days at Las Lajas involve her. She was the light of every party and just too much fun to be around. A lifelong educator she always made time to help with the kids. Kids were central to her life, not only as an educator, she was uniformly adored by her kids and now a bevy of grandkids. She also served many years as a Special Olympics coach, serving on the Panamanian Special Olympics team in that capacity in 2015.

With Grandson in Tow

Visiting us at Our Condo

I'm Going to Miss Her So Much

Yet Another Shot of Family Filled Bus
On the Way to the Beach

Visiting Maine

She was a true delight and one of my biggest regrets in 2022 was not being able to get together with her while I was down there. We had several planned but they each fell through as her husband is also dealing with some serious health issues. She and her husband came to visit us in Worcester in 2016 for a truly memorable trip. Many of the photos I’m sharing here are from that visit. The world is a dimmer now because one of the truly great laughs and certainly one of the nicest purveyors of same will no longer be heard.  Please join me in praying for her and the rest of my Favorite Panamanian’s family as they work through yet another of 2022’s casualties.

Bar Harbor

Visiting Home Town with Keene Friend

The Big Apple

Two Truly Great People

Newport, Rhode Island

Clam Chowder at the Quincy Market
R.I.P. Way Too Soon

I snuck out to the movies yesterday for the first time in almost a month (covid followed by grandkids – cartoon movies don’t count). My son encouraged me to see Nope while still on the big screen and I’m so glad that I did. Jordan Peel is establishing himself as a remarkable filmmaker and this will serve as another notch in his belt. He starts off with the bizarre death of a family patriarch and slowly unveils the source of the tragedy, skillfully and culminating with some real terror. He laces the family left behind with humor and courage as they confront the impossible source of their terror. The movie is beautifully shot in the stark California desert and gets in some great shots at the Hollywood culture and our slavish devotion to it. My only beef was the use of Daniel Kaluuya in the lead role. He’s a really talented actor but he grunts his way through this role, of course Peel had him countered with Keke Palmer as a sister which meant he was bound to be overshadowed by her ebullient personality. Strangely enough it works and you can’t help but root form them in their seemingly impossible fight. Loved the movie.

Two movies fell in my A-Z effort, both keepers, saved by action sequences, Bad Boys (Tea Leoni’s eyes – whooah!) and Bad Boys 2 (Martin Lawrence – most annoying lead ever).

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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