Paying for the Fun

I haven’t been on Frail Deeds for a while (you are most welcome) for a combination of reasons ranging from having to much fun to being too busy with myriad tasks to another drive to David to engage in my old battle with Panamanian governmental bureaucracy.  So, as the title suggests, there’s been a good deal of really good times that had to be paid for with handling the mundane details modern life sometimes requires, even down here in paradise.

Martyr's Day Lunch in Boquete

As to the fun part, that kicked off on Saturday when virtually all of my Favorite Panamanian’s family showed up for a get together at the beach. Non-stop laughter was the order of the day. Unfortunately, this was also a three-day weekend for Panamanians which meant the condo complex and the beach in general was packed. Monday was a holiday called he Day of the Martyrs which commemorates some Panamanian protesters killed by the US military during protests over the canal zone back in the 60s so not exactly a cherished time to be an American here. We established ourselves under our bohio on the beach and had a great time. My brother-in-law, his wife and my wife’s twin sister returned to David Saturday night but left us with Tia Loca, her son, my mother-in-law, and a friend of Tia Loca. That meant a very entertaining Saturday night.

Got an Early Start on Morning Workout Because of Inbound Guests
Turns out the Dawns are Just as Impressive as Sunsets

Morning Beach Walks Still Awe Inspiring

Sunday saw their departure as they returned to Panama City to resume employment after the holiday season. I attempted to watch the end of the wretched Patriots’ season but the three-day weekend meant lots of teenagers in the condo complex and the attendant loss of internet strength due to the saturation of their devices. My Favorite Panamanian was briefing me on the requirement of our trip back to David the following day. We had to get our car registered which entailed the aforementioned dive back into the Panamanian government’s arcane rules and regulations.

Crazy Saturday Lunch

We drove back Monday during the height of the celebration. The celebration was muted because, due to the solemnity of the holiday, alcohol sales are forbidden nationwide. As we left the beach there was a heavy police presence at the entry road to the beach where they were stopping beach goers and confiscating their beer. I took that as a sign they were serious. We drove through a wet season level rainstorm on the way back which had he benefit of washing all the accumulated dust from the past week driving on our access road. We arrived in David and declared a family holiday was in order so we loaded up two cars and headed into the mountains to Boquete.

Saturday Beach Time

Tia Loca is on the Scene

We went to our favorite restaurant, Dona Giselle, otherwise known as the pink restaurant. Again, no alcohol could be served, but that didn’t diminish the good times. I was a little taken aback when they informed me that they were out of ribeye (Cantankerous Friend will laugh when he reads that). We followed that up with a stop by the Italian gelato shoppe, one of my Favorite Panamanian’s most desired locations. We downed a veritable boatload of gelato as we watched Boquete stroll by. When it was time to leave my wife inveigled to score a half gallon of gelato to take back with us. I did say she liked the stuff, didn’t I? An added benefit to being in David was cable TV and I was able to watch the college football championship game with Spanish speaking announcers. That game was over about ten minutes it started.

Sunsets Aren't Bad Either

So, that was all the fun part (except of the beer confiscation activates). Tuesday portended to be chock full of “fun”. Heretofore the car registration in Panama had been her bailiwick. I handle all the US stuff and she did likewise for Panamanian requirements. I thought this was an equitable allocation of responsibilities. As she is wont to do, my Favorite Panamanian disabused me of this notion. If she was going to suffer, she wanted company. We had the car serviced and then started the registration process. The first step was obtaining a copy of our insurance policy which meant a drive into the center of David on a weekday, an activity not for the faint of heart. We added to the traffic gymnastics by stopping by my wife’s favorite famer’s market type fruit stand, luckily, I had a good book to read.

My End of the Dona Giselle Table

Then we pulled up to a garage on a side street in David where they took a computer connected camera out to take a picture of the car. This was used to create yet another document needed for registration. We then drove up into the mountains again to the town of Dolega because the car registration place there is less crowded than the big city one in David. I settled into the car with that good book figuring she would be in line for at least an hour. She returned ten minutes later and said we were all set, I was appropriately shocked. Of course, a curve ball was included, the registration stickers were out of stock and we’ll have to return at the end of the month. Since we were in Dolega, we stopped by to visit my wife’s aunt although I said we had to keep the conversation short because of the laundry list of other things my wife had planned for us. In another true shockwave to my system, she lived up to the agreement and we were only there for fifteen minutes.

Heading Out to Boogie Board with my Nephew

We descended out of the mountains to the Toyota dealership to see about repairing the car’s electronic key which my Favorite Panamanian had accidently damaged (that was her story as least).  We learned it would be nearly $800 to replace the key but the guy suggested we try a place down the street that repaired this type keys. I was a little dubious when we pulled up to the shopfront but inside of five minutes the young guy came out, looked at the key, and said no problem. While were waiting our turn my wife engaged in what I learned is a staple of Panamanian commerce – social interaction. She had a long conversation with the owner’s wife while we waited. They carried on like long lost friends even though they had just met. It cost us ten dollars to repair the key. The same thing happened at our next stop where we signed up for a three month phone plan. My sister-in-law lent us an extra phone she had and we went to this store to get it activated. We spent nearly an hour there and would have been out of there in half the time except for the seemingly requisite conversational aspect of the transaction. By the time we left, the lady behind the counter had our life stories and we hers. It was kind of cool but then again I was accompanying one of the world’s greatest conversationalists. I marvel at her ability to connect with people. I had that good book to read while all this connecting was underway although I was called upon to confirm certain aspects as our life’s story unfolded.

That ended our assigned tasks of the day. While all this was going on we squeezed in a trip to the big box store for supplies and on our way back to Las Lajas, stopped by the grocery store for even more. It was a very full car on the road back and felt more like steering a boat than a Rav4. We made two trips upstairs via the elevator when that crashed for a little bit. That meant the two cases of water and a couple late grocery bags had to be lugged up a couple flights of stairs. My wife determined this was obviously an American requirement and not Panamanian. A busy bit good day.  

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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; CRC - Connecticut Riverboat Captain – another close friend from high school, renowned sailor of the big river; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during him 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; PCR - Pittsburgh College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; PCR+1 - Pittsburgh College Roommate’s wife; 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