Yes, you might have noticed that I have
been reduced to writing on Frail Deeds only late at night or at least after
certain granddaughters’ bedtimes. I am steadfastly required to be at their beck
and call whenever they are awake (and sometimes even more). This morning is a
good example. They awoke before 6am but were observing their official 7am
wakeup release time. Shortly after 6 the top floor of the house was shaking as
it sounded like a rumble was going on in the granddaughter room. I arose to
check out the situation. I opened the door to their room to find the BRS
gyrating with some sort of dance in the middle of the room. She ceased work
when I entered and asked what was going on. The FBR sleepily lifted her head
and said the BRS felt “the need to dance to fully wake her body up”. I told her
the body could wait until 7 and she was quiet until the customary 7am granddaughter
avalanche upon their grandfather.
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| BRS and FBR with their New T-Shirts |
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| Entering the Zoo |
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| In the Bird Enclosure |
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| Granddaughters Donating to the Bird |
We’ve had a busy couple of days starting
yesterday with our annual trip to the Southwick Zoo. This also saw the unveiling
of the specialized t-shirts my Favorite Panamanian created for the granddaughters
this year. They are inscribed with “Grandpa’s and Abuela’s Summer Camp”. We
have a third one awaiting the arrival (tomorrow) of BR3. We finally, after
three tries, got a pleasant day, weatherwise, while visiting the zoo. That meant
most of the animals were more active instead of lounging (usually hidden from
view) in the sweltering heat of our prior visits. This didn’t apply to the
felines though who were their usual lazy selves (they are cats after all).
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| FBR on the Sky Ride |
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| Granddaughters Camel Bound |
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| BRS and I on Sky Ride |
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| Wife and FBR Ahead of us |
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| The Photo She was Taking |
The trip was memorable for a couple
reasons. The BRS finally cracked the 42’’ height barrier which meant she was
now qualified for the zipline ride. While that was nice, it was not the most
newsworthy development. The BRS convinced her abuela to make the ride with her.
You have to understand that my wife avoids anything more accelerated than a
merry-go-round when it comes to amusement park rides. I was riding first with
the FBR and I explained the ride was straight without the twists and turns that
my wife avoids due to a bad neck. Up to the point she got on the ride she was
trying to convince me to take her place. The BRS supplied the needed courage
and her abuela later admitted she enjoyed the ride.
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| FBR and I on Zipline Ride |
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| Wife and BRS Coming in for a Landing |
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| Lunch Time |
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| Dippin Dots |
One of our first stops was a bird encounter
show where a bunch of parrots were brought out to perform. The granddaughters
loved it and the FBR said she was going to start campaigning with her parents
to acquire one as a pet. I think everybody is hoping she fails. Southwick is
expert at extracting any cash you may have mistakenly entered the park with.
The birds were co-conspirators (although for a good cause). The final event was
offering kids a chance to donate to a bird preservation charity by having a
huge parrot take the money from their hand. That was all the FBR had to hear,
assisted by her cousin and abuela I made the commitment although I wish I had
thought to load up with some smaller bills.
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| Goat Feeding |
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| Wife Taking Photos from Behind the Fence |
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Inside the Enclosure, They Are so Ugly (the goats)
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| I was Volunteered to Escort Through the Maze |
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| Cousins Riding the Turtle |
This was followed by a camel ride and a
sky tour of the park. The emus were greeted with a chant of “Liberty, Liberty,
Liberty” in honor of the ABFA. We had a quick lunch overlooking the goat handfeeding
enclosure which had the granddaughters lathering to get there. I ended up
carrying the food we bought from the vending machine because the goats had the system
figured out and were headbutting any youngsters with fists enclosing food. So
that was fun, but the kids loved it. I’m still trying to figure out the
popularity of dippin dots ice cream but the granddaughter generation, if yesterday
is any example, has already fallen under the spell.
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| Such a Fun Day |
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| 3 Lovely Ladies |
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| Train Ride |
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| 4 Monkeys |
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| FBR Feeding Deer |
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| Time to Leave |
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| With Their Newly Acquired Stuffies on the Way to the Car |
I’ve mentioned before that the FBR’s parents
are in Scandinavia to begin celebration of my daughter’s 40th
birthday (you have got to be kidding that I’ll have a child with four decades).
Because of the time differences, we’re using an app called Marco Polo where video
messages are exchanged. It’s kind of cool although I have to contend with the
FBR wanting to fully control her video messages. We compromised by her allowing
me to hold the phone while recording. The FBR gets a little misty eyed when she
sees the BRS talking live with her parents. It’s obvious the FBR misses her parents.
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| FBR in Pool Today |
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| Our Host with the BRS |
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| The "Epic" Cannonball |
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| FBR's "Dive" |
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| One Way to Escape Cold Water |
Today was another pool day as we took
advantage of our standing invitation from a member of the local Latin Mafia.
They are the hosts of our favorite 4th of July party so this was one
of the latest times in the summer we have been there. I was confronted by the
usual challenge presented by New England swimming pools after my “wimping up”
by warm Panamanian pools. To add to the challenge, our hosts had refilled the pool
the day before with some fresh/cold water. The granddaughters immediately commented
on the cold water which I informed them meant their abuela would not be joining
them in the pool. I was offered no such leniency. I was expected to swim. I
learned from my Monday mistake of slowly entering the water and chose to launch
from the diving board and having my gasps hidden underwater.
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| Pool Time |
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| Snack Time |
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| Our Fabulous Hosts |
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| The Shadow Arrives |
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| Karate Lessons |
It was okay after that initial shock but
I was hunting the sunny side of the pool immediately. The granddaughters were
in and out of the pool constantly. I was impressed. We followed the morning
session with a fantastic steak lunch. We had some issues with the granddaughters
who wanted to head back to the pool right after eating. The FBR plaintively informed
me that her mother allowed her to swim immediately after eating. I told her to
look around and point out her mother. I was greeted with the intended reaction.
I had just executed a text book cannonball off the diving board (a granddaughter
request) when we heard the neighboring Czech friends were available. The Czech Shadow
and her mom showed up shortly thereafter. The shadow was garbed for a karate
lesson but when she reunited with the granddaughters, decided there was more fun
to be had hanging with us.
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| BRS Warming Up Between Dips |
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| The Two Latinas |
Her mom made the short trip home to retrieve
her bathing suit and the youngsters were a tight group for the rest of the day.
That included an impromptu karate lesson from the shadow which the FBR repaid
with some of her trademark cartwheels. It was a great afternoon spent with
these friends while the granddaughters flitting in and out of the pool. We
ended the day celebrating our hostess’ recent birthday. I had a running battle
keeping the granddaughters away from the cake until we could sing. It was
getting late in the day and I relearned the lesson from my 41 years of marriage
about how difficult it was to extract my Favorite Panamanian from a location
with another Latina. The 5- and 7-year-old were easier to get into the car than
their abuela but eventually I prevailed.
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| Shadow and FBR Reunite |
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| Of Course the Ladies Started Dancing |
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| Birthday Girl |
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| Lunch |
Two movies fell in my A-Z watch, one a keeper,
The Fifth Element, love this movie, might be Bruce Willis’ best; and The Final
Cut, muddled sci fi drama, definitely Robin Williams’ (whom I love), worst
movie, by far. Guess which one got cut?
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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 3rd 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
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