Drafty Paradise Followed by Nadir

Every good thing must come to an end, even the very best of times. That doesn’t make it any easier. At least we sent this episode of nirvana off with a memorably lofty event (except for the whole indoor plant destruction). The FBR’s parents, fresh off their return from Scandinavia, arrived Saturday to reclaim parental control ending the two weeks of granddaughter supremacy in our house. They chose to spend the weekend with us which engendered a visit by my son and his family for the past two days. I did say “lofty” didn’t I?

Farewell Time

Before we could get to that reunion though, we had an element of the Washington Chapter of the Panamanian Mafia stopping by for a visit. We hadn’t seen them in a long time, my son and the ABFA’s wedding, as a mater of fact. They were coming up to visit Boston for the holiday weekend. They had their fifteen-year-old daughter along who was just a baby when Wingman and my daughter married. It’s not that we needed another reminder of how old we’re getting but it was great hanging out with them Friday night. I was especially glad for my Favorite Panamanian who relishes opportunities to speak with a bona fide countryman. We spent a delightful interlude on Deckzilla, to include the first use of the lights this summer as the evenings are arriving a little earlier now. I took pity on the daughter as the adults submersed ourselves in reminiscing and suggested she join the FBR in the Man Cave for movies. I received a grateful look as she left Deckzilla. A great evening with old friends.  

Visiting Friends

Deckzilla Time

The FBR was very excited to reunite with her parents on Saturday. To reduce (or at least mitigate) the number of “How long ‘til they get here?” questions, I escorted her to her favorite Worcester playground. She made the obligatory three friends while we were there. When I told her it was time to leave, she employed her usual delay tactic of declaring a need to see the turtles in the park pond. She made a detour in an attempt to join a flock of geese and we were ultimately rewarded by seeing what has to be the biggest snapping turtle within the city limits. It was huge! She also got to feed it when a semi-sketchy guy gave her some peanuts.

One Last Playground Trip

Trying to Join

She was encamped in her usual spot in the Man Cave when her mother surprised her late that afternoon. It was immediately evident how much they had missed each other. Some serial hugging with both my daughter and Wingman followed. Since my Favorite Panamanian was still reeling a little from the energy expended over the past two weeks as well as the Panamanian Mafia gathering, we opted to go out for dinner. We went to Val’s which is where we hosted a baby shower for my daughter when she was expecting the FBR. There was a jazz ensemble playing right next to our table which added to a very nice evening as the two new arrivals fought off jet lag from their European adventures.

FBR With her Mom

3 Generations of Beauty

Dunner at Val's

Sunday marked the highlight of the weekend as we expected not only my son and his family but Great Aunt, Keene Friend, and the Cantankerous Friend. Since my son was coming down to hang out with his sister, he decided it would be a perfect opportunity for the family fantasy football draft. We decided to resurrect this league since the grandkids are at an age which allows at least the beginnings of the free time the commissioner, my son, needed. We had a lot of fun with this in 2014, the last time we attempted it. The granddaughters were huge fans, not because they know anything about football but because it meant they were reunited. They made the most of it.

Draft

We held the draft out on Deckzilla which accommodated the large group as well as the ever circulating granddaughters. We have a couple of Soxfather’s nieces/nephews joining us in the league and they were the only ones drafting remotely. Some people were taking this a lot more seriously than some of the others. I pulled a real “boomer” moment when I thought I was being fully prepared and printed out a list of the highest rated players. After the Cantankerous Friend reminded me that I needed my computer to make the draft, I opened to the screen to see the list I had printed out readily available, updated as picks were made. It’s not as if printer ink is that expensive or anything.

BR3 is Unimpressed

Post Draft Dinner

The more serious players were a little disconcerted when the draft went as fast as it did. We amateurs were pushing the pace. I’m not saying we didn’t put as much thought in as was needed but you can make your own assessment. I thought it was cool that the highest rated available players would magically appear on the screen instead of having to consult my now obsolete printed leaf of papers. While all this activity was going on, my Favorite Panamanian was preparing a veritable feast which went down as soon as the draft concluded.

First Root Beer Floats Ever for the Granddaughters

Monday Morning Cuddles

Before all this occurred, we had the unfortunate plant incident referenced above. Since Riggins was joining the festivities, we had to replace the living room carpet. His claws have a tendency to lift threads out of it so my Favorite Panamanian directs its removal and replacement by its predecessor. I thought I was doing an excellent job storing the rolled-up carpet in the dining room. I was turning to return to the living room when Keene Friend frantically told me to look to my right. Instead of doing the smart thing and doing just thought, I sent him a quizzical look. That look was interrupted by a large crash as one my Favorite Panamanian’s beloved indoor plants was smashing to the floor. Yikes. Keene Friend said he had hoped it would fall towards hm but that wasn’t to be as I entered my wife’s doghouse rather firmly. She is starting to talk to me again as I write this, a full day later.

Cinnamon Roll Crew

The best part of the entire day followed the draft as we gathered for the meal. I looked around the table and realized, once again, how fortunate I am blessed in life to have all these people close to me. I consider everyone there family, even if we don’t share any blood. There’s a time to bask in assembled excellence and this gathering was a perfect example of that. It didn’t hurt to have all three granddaughters flitting around. The only problem is that these gatherings don’t happen often enough.

The Pack Out

Last Departure

Miss Them So Much

Now, as to that titular nadir (other than the smashed plant), that happened this morning, after the obligatory hojaldra breakfast, the pack-out. The two cars in the driveway were cars fully loaded with all the regalia young children require. The FBR’s load was exceptionally larger than her arrival since she’d spent the last two weeks shopping with her abuela. For some reason I was getting all misty eyed despite the prospect of sleeping in for the first time in a while. I’ll miss having the 7am kamikaze attack.

Five movies (two since they left) fell in my A-Z watch, all keepers except one: The Forgotten, wouldn’t have made cut except for the cool getting yanked into the air effect; For Love of the Game, Costner and baseball and a perfect game against the Yankees, what’s not to like; Forrest Gump, still great after all those viewings; Fortress, used to love this movie but hasn’t aged well, cutting it; No Hard Feelings, new addition to the library, Jennifer Lawrence can do anything, so funny.

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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