Day 8 of Rummaging Photos & New Jersey Deployment

Hello from New Jersey, where we have been summoned to assist with the FBR watch while my daughter and Wingman attend a wedding in Nashville. The drive down yesterday was picturesque for a while as the autumnal colors were emerging as we journeyed through northern Connecticut and Massachusetts. They faded quickly as we made our way south but other than a hold up crossing the Hudson River, we made good time. I went with Wingman to pick up the FBR from school (tremendous hugging ensued) and get her back in time for the Family Facetime call. Great Aunt was missing in action (shopping in Maine) so the only other attendee was my Favorite Son and his energetic brood.

Hello Hugs from the FBR

Colors on Drive Down

Movie night was canceled due to some veracity issues with a certain six-year-old, ‘nuff said. That turned out to be a good thing though as we headed out to the back yard where I was once again cast in the role of the dangerous monster. We were having so much fun the FBR’s two good friends from a couple houses down heard the noise and dragged their parents over for an impromptu get together. I and my Favorite Panamanian remained in monster roles while everybody saw the sun down on a beautiful fall evening.

FBR Walking her Abuela Through the Amazon Christmas Catalog

Two Happy Ladies

Monster Role

This morning I was charged with delivering the wedding guests to LaGuardia. That entailed a trip through the heart of Manhattan on the way to the airport. Now that Rudy Giuliani is long gone (in oh so many ways) the squeegee guys are back. Once I dropped them off, we plotted a route back using more highways. It turned out to be the same time though as there was some serious traffic to negotiate. Passing through Harlem there was a huge backup trying to merge onto I-95. When I got to the head of the line, I found there were two homeless guys standing in the middle of the road making traffic go around them. Where were New York’s finest leapt to mind.

Let’s plunge into today’s continuation the memory rummaging with photos mined from the basement storage bins:

FAVORITE PANAMANIAN AND PARTIES

Wife and I 1993

Ft Benning, GA 1984

Folklorico Dancing Demonstration, Carlisle, PA 2001

Annandale, VA Mid-80s

Panamanian Mafia Party, Our Quarters, Ft McNair
Washington, DC Late 80s

New Years Eve Party, Ft McNair, 1989

FAVORITE SON

Dancing with His Mom, 2004

Fairfax, VA early 2000s

Grandma's House, Keene, NH late 80s

High School Prom Shot, 2002

Making Sure Tia Peg Doesn't Shake Presents, Early 90s

Christmas Dinner Crew, mom's House 1995

Cammied Up Ninja, Ft McNair, Late 80s

FAVORITE DAUGHTER

College Graduation, Brookline, MA 2005

Early 2000s

Walking Between my Mom and Me, Keene, NH Mid-80s

Sporting New Haircut, Late 1988

Famous Hands Gesture, With Mom and Great Aunt, 1986

First Trip to USA - 1983

Early 2000s

SON AND DAUGHTER TOGETHER

With Namesake Nephew 1996

Mililani, Hawaii Home 1994

Ft Leavenworth, KS with Soxfather, 1992

York Beach, Maine Vacation Late 80s

Cranston, RI Home Early 90s

Gettysburg, PA 1987

FAMILY

Keene Friends 1 & 2, Cantankerous Friend, Christmas 1995

Behind Mom's House, Keene, NH 1995

After Finishing First (only) Marathon, Schroon Lake, NY Early 2000s

Cousin's Hot Tub After Marathon

ANCIENT HISTORY

Mom, Early 50s, Rutland, VT

Great Aunt, 1960s, with Velvet
Famous Cat for Peeing on Stove Burners
& Returning After "Running Away" to a Farm

Behind our Ft McNair Home, 1988
First President Bush Used to Come There to Jog

Frat Buddy Jeff, UNH, 1975

Great Aunt and Soxfather

MISCELLANEOUS

Ft McNair New Years' Eve Party 1988

The Three Musqueteras 1993

At Son's Track Meet Fairfax, VA Early 2000s

Wife, Son & Daughter, Ocean City, MD Early 2000s

Christmas, Charlton, MA Home Late 2000s

Two movies fell in my A-Z effort, both keepers, The Black Hole (70s Sci Fi yarn with childhood object of desire Yvette Mimieux), and Blade (vampire superhero – seemed a bit stilted after not seeing in a long while)

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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; Connecticut Riverboat Captain – another close friend from high school, renowned sailor of the big river; 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