FBR and Then Some

Connecticut did its very best Sunday (more on that later) to put the kybosh on a fantastic weekend but it failed in the face of the excellence of the people I got to hang out with over the aforementioned time. The fun started Thursday night when my son and his family showed up. They were breaking up the trip to New Jersey for the FBR’s birthday for the BRS and BR3. They spent the night with us before driving down Friday morning. I got to watch the Blue Beetle with my son Thursday night and he was laughing almost continuously as the movie unfolded and the culture clash between Latin and gringo cultures were highlighted, something he grew up engulfed in.

Very Happy Grandparents

Newest Family Photo

We set out about a half hour after they did and Connecticut was fairly meek and we got through fairly unscathed. In a very funny moment, we stopped at the first rest area upon reaching New Jersey and I was walking out of the rest room when a small blonde streak launched towards me. It was BR3 as my son had arrived about five minutes before we did and BR3 spotted me from a distance. The ABFA was in hot pursuit only knowing her three-year-old daughter had launched across the rest area towards the men’s room. We ended up having a brief but very fun shared lunch at the rest area.

Pee Wee and his New Entourage

These Girls Love Cats

First Friday Root Beers

And Pizza

And Couch Time

And More Pizza

We arrived at my daughter’s home to an enthusiastic welcome from the FBR. Her first question was where were her cousins. I assured her that they were only a few minutes behind us. It was supremely cool to see the three of them together again. The old axiom, there is something special about cousins, certainly held true. Wingman and Wingmom were there as well as we all emersed into that special feeling you get when far-flung family reunites. My daughter joined us a little later after a lunch with her mentor from work. I joked with everyone that the grandparents present were relegated to bystander status when the young cousins got together. The FBR had spent the week with her dad cleaning up her room and preparing to have both her cousins bunk with her.

BR3 Stealing Grandpa's Bacon

"Seriously Grandpa, You Won't Miss It"

Jump on Grandpa Time

I Was Overwhelmed

The Family First Friday Facetime call was reduced to a single recipient as Great Aunt was the only one of the normal participants that wasn’t present at my daughter’s home. The granddaughters spent a lot of time hunting down Pee Wee the cat who was a little shell shocked at having the amount of young girls he had to dodge tripled. I joked with my son that there had to be a cat in their future, judging from his daughters’ reaction to the feline. This will be yet another blow to the long suffering Riggins. He has already perfected the “I’m so oppressed and pathetic”  canine look based on the arrivals of the BRS and BR3.

BRS and FBR Together Again

Friday Night Fun

Okay mom! Enough!

Saturday started (very early) with the obligatory hojaldra breakfast supplied by their abuela. Wingmom joked shortly thereafter that my disappearance from granddaughter notice expired as soon as I mistakenly took up a supine position on the living room floor.  In short order both the FBR and BRS were climbing all over me in an attempt to reinstate my former title of “tickle monster”. I was holding my own and had both fairly effectively pinned when I felt a jarring impact on my back. That blonde streak had struck again. BR3 had heard the commotion from upstairs and quickly came down and then launched herself at my unprotected back from the proverbial top rope. I only got kicked in the head twice during the ensuing melee. It was a lot of fun and more than worth the time spent with a bag of frozen kale applied to my slightly swollen left eye. The FBR presented me with a Veterans’ Day card which truly touched my heart.

Train Ride Started Out so Well

Daughter with BRS

Why is the Train Stopping?

Son with BR3

The big event of the birthday weekend was a trip to the Color Factory in NYC. The added juice was a trip into the city for the girls, the first train rides for the BRS and BR3. The grandparents remained in Maplewood to allow the parental units the full experience of child pursuit in the big apple. The train trip turned out to be a huge downer though as their train broke down just outside Secaucus and resulted in an more than hour delay. There is probably a level of hell that involves being trapped on a rapidly overheating train car with four young kids (the FBR’s best buddy had joined the trip). Wingman tried to convey just how hot and pungent the train car got. The FBR was a little frantic they would miss their time at the factory. But after two separate tows from other trains and a change to yet another one they reached Penn Station and subwayed to their destination. You may have already noticed that there are going to be a lot of photos for this post as I try to capture the fun and festivities.

Dad, It's Been So Long

I Know

Train Ride, Not so Much Fun Now

BR3 Sleeping Through the Escape

On To the Subway!

It turned out to be a good thing we hadn’t accompanied them because my Favorite Panamanian was drafted to prepare the meal my daughter had planned since they were delayed a couple hours by their train adventures. The meal was followed by the unveiling of the Harry Potter themed cake my Favorite Panamanian had prepared for the FBR. I wish I could capture the stunned look of absolute joy the FBR experienced when she first saw the cake. I’m so glad my wife saw all her hard work redeemed in that look from her granddaughter.

Made it to the Color Factory!

FBR With her Birthday Crown

Ball Room Was a Big Hit

Cousin Conference

Dance Time

BRS Looks Thrilled to be Dancing with Parents

Well, That was Fun!

Bonecrusher had accompanied us to New Jersey and the FBR wielded the family broadsword in epic fashion on the cake, although Harry’s glasses put up some minor resistance. The cake tasted even better than it looked which is truly saying something. We had planned a piñata joust but the late return from the city pushed that into Sunday. After the very tired youngsters went to bed, the equally tired adults sat around the living room and laughed as the day’s events were recounted. The description of conditions on the broken-down train grew in the telling which is only appropriate. A memorable birthday for a very deserving FBR. I particularly enjoyed the time that evening as we all sat around and laughed together.

Pee Wee Offering to Help

The Cake

And Bonecrusher

Cake Maker

FBR Seeing Cake for First Time

Thanking her Abuela

Those very tired girls actually slept in Sunday morning, not getting up until 6:15 am. After breakfast we adjourned to the back yard for the delayed pinata destruction. We brought a Grogu based piñata with us as the FBR is a huge Mandalorian fan. She was a little miffed to learn she had to wear a blindfold since she had grown up so much. She got in a couple good whacks and was followed by the BRS who dealt the death blow as candy and coin showered the back yard and cleverly, yet unsuccessfully, tried to disguise themselves beneath leaves.

Wow!

Birthday Girl and Parents

FBR Ready to Wield Bonecrusher

Wingman and Wingmom

Cousin Assist for Gift Opening

The departure of the New England elements was a little dramatic as BR3 misplaced her “binky” and pitched a genuine fit over making the trip without it. Both she and her sister downed a respectable amount of piñata based candy before getting in the car. This probably wasn’t a great idea. It was borne out later during the trip when both got carsick, which only made Connecticut more lovable to her parents. Now we come to my earlier comment on that benighted state’s efforts to ruin my weekend. We left New Jersey about an hour after my son and the ABFA and that delay turned out to have a critical effect. We heard about BR3 getting sick near Hartford as we journeyed on the Merritt Parkway. All of a sudden, our Waze GPS system instructed us to move over to I-95. While the traffic on the Merritt was heavy, it was moving. We got to I-95 just in time to experience a twenty minute long traffic jam due to a closed left lane (typical Connecticut move). The GPS was telling me to stay on 95 when we got to I-91 but I ignored that as I knew 91 to 84 was the fastest way. It kept telling me to turn around and go back to 95 which I, again, blithely ignored. About twenty miles on I-91, one of those electronic signs advised that I-91 was closed a few miles ahead. Connecticut strikes again, closing down an entire interstate highway. (turns out there was a bad accident which my son had just missed out on).

Early Birthday Card from FBR That she Picked Out

Best Gift - Granddaughter Hugs

I then took the GPS seriously as it told me to get off the highway and we set out across the hinterlands of backwoods Connecticut. I saw parts of that state I’d never even heard of. It was at this point that something truly nefarious happened as Connecticut somehow figured out how to hack into my GPS. Waze was telling me to get back to I-95 after my cross-country adventures and I figured it would bring me up I-395 to Worcester. I got truly nervous when we passed 395 and it was bringing me all the way to Rhode Island. I told my co-pilot, the redoubtable Favorite Panamanian, to turn the GPS off and then back on to re-enter the home destination. As I thought, it immediately told us to turn around and get back to 395. It somehow had decided to have us travel to Great Aunt’s house instead of our home. Connecticut, just when you think you reached an accommodation to allow unfettered travel, this happens. I’ll admit I had been lured into benign disregard and I paid for it. The normal thee and a half hour trip took more than five hours. This is not a fun exercise for those of us without a prostate, but I digress. Despite all this I cannot get a smile of my face as I think about the time I spent with my son, my daughter, Wingman, the ABFA, Wingmom, and, of course, the granddaughter troika, not to mention my Favorite Panamanian. Truly blessed.

Pinata Time

Last Dose of Cousin Cuteness

Are They Gone Yet?
At Least I got a Cool New Box

Three movies fell in my A-Z watch, all keepers: Hardbodies, silly but nostalgic Skin-a-max movie from the 80s; Private Resort, beyond silly partner to Hardbodies, with Johnny Depp, only keeping because on same disk as Hardbodies; and Blue Beetle, new addition to library, so funny watching with my son for seeing the Latina upbringing provided by his mom.

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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