Yet Another Year

Despite some serious concerns from both families when we first got together, my Favorite Panamanian and I continue to explore married life. Yesterday we celebrated our forty-first wedding anniversary, so I think its going to last. Most credit goes to my Favorite Panamanian whom I dragged away from her beloved Panama and then flitted about the world while she raised two remarkable children. She deserves most of the credit for hanging with me while I try to set the world record for sustained adolescence.

Anniversary Dinner Last Night

Our Dining Partners

The Restaurant

Wife Enjoying the Ambiance

We celebrated yesterday with our upstairs neighbors. We went to a Las Lajas restaurant that we’d heard about, most recently from Wingman. It’s run by a couple of Swiss/Italian hippies and was remarkable. It was a cool place with an open air restaurant overlooking a cattle ranch and came with two resident dogs. Yesterday was canine laced as the beach dogs cruised by for a check in as well. Great Aunt roundly chastised me for not having any more biscuits to feed them.

Moon Over Condo Sunday Night

Beach Dog Visit

We finished off the day at the condo with a cake we shared with the neighbors, who are quickly becoming great friends. Speaking of great friends, I posted a note on Facebook about the anniversary (heartfelt thanks from both my Favorite Panamanian and I for all the nice messages in response) and an Army buddy recognized my best man from the wedding picture. I decided to send him in an email in distant Thailand and was thrilled this morning to discover a response where he caught me up on his life. I’ve got to figure out a way to link up with him again. Thanks again for all the kind thoughts.

Cake Time

Wife is Also a Magician

Beach This Morning

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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