Final Tropical Dispatch

Leaving Panama is going to be tougher this year. While it is never easy to leave the tropical paradise that is our beachfront condo, this year was augmented with a couple of new friendships that made the time even more enjoyable than prior iterations (who thought that was even possible?). I’m stealing a couple moments here on our final day at the beach to chronicle our ultimate day here. Oh yeah, Happy Easter as well. There were no chocolate eggs waiting for me this year as we’re trying to eliminate the acquired foodstuffs within the condo before we shut off the electricity for the next seven months. That includes what to do with the huge bag of chicken nuggets purchased for the granddaughter visit. Problems, Problems.

With Our New Friends Yesterday

The Easter holiday turned to be more than the usual Godsend as well because that meant we could spend all but this final night at the condo versus the usual return to David for a couple days so my Favorite Panamanian could spend time with her mom and family. We reversed that trend by importing said family here for a few days. Tia Loca and her son drove up from Panama City and several more drove down from David for the day yesterday. We “celebrated” our imminent departure by hosting the family and the new friends mentioned above for an air fried, informal banquet in the condo. This was followed by a trip into the village of Las Lajas for pizza and beer at Sunset Pizza, our go to pizza emporium in Panama.

Yesterday's Condo Party

Pizza Time!!

As I looked around the very crowded condo, I realized why this year was different. Our upstairs neighbors and the couple who hosted us in Panama City for the epic island sojourn have become true friends and it’s never easy to know you won’t be seeing friends for a long time. In the same vein of thought there are a bunch of friends and family back home that more than meet that specification. I think the words I’m looking for to describe our departure is “bittersweet”. Bitter to be leaving the friends and the beach but sweet in seeing those friends. Later this week we’ll link up with both of our kids, the FBR, Great Aunt, Keene Friend, and the Cantankerous Friend as we gather for a dinner to honor Soxfather. Sweet indeed.

Favorite Panamanian Heading out to Boogie Board One Last Time

Coming in Hot with Tia Loca

Sisters!

The Crowded Las Lajas Beach I'll Miss Each Morning

Then There's the Sunsets

And Moonrise

Okay, feeling a little better now, even with a thong having just paraded by. We were up very early this morning as Tia Loca left in the pre-dawn hours hoping to beat the holiday traffic back into Panama City. Since then, the washing machine and dryer haven’t stopped as sheets, towels and clothes have gone through there enroute to their mothballed homes in plastic bags until next year. As expected, there is also some serious cleaning going on, my wife is after all involved. Well, I think I’ve used up my Favorite Panamanian’s patience as she continues to work while I’m typing away. I know she considers this a frivolous use of our limited time but I had to report one more time from Panama and relate how different this year feels. The intrinsic value of friends cannot be understated. Next post from the Man Cave!!!

My View as I type this That I'll Miss So Much

But I get to Hang Out With This on Friday!

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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