Retiring Weekend

This weekend is unfolding kind of how I thought all retirement weekends would, filled with good times with friends and my Favorite Panamanian. With some unseasonably warm weather, there were leaves to be picked up and grills to be prepared for winter retirement. That infusion of fresh autumnal air made keeping awake a challenge until the festivities started. They started with the First Friday Family FaceTime call. It was quick for the son and daughter. The son was trying to keep up with both the BRS and BR3 in Halloween candy fueled careening. My daughter was in northern New York state celebrating yet another 40^th birthday of a fellow Curbside gal. That left the “adults”, my sister and I, to have leisurely conversation while Great Aunt’s dog, Remy, loudly crunched on his weekly bone. Most of the conversation centered on her visit to the vet with her nasty cat who recently added incontinence his repertoire. She was ready to make “the decision” but was talked into settling for some blood work before final decisions. She declined the offered CT scan and other costly procedures (in my opinion the cat was lucky to get the bloodwork).

Wife and I Friday Night

After the call the Favorite Panamanian and I set out for a night of dancing at the local legion post. We had the usual good time there as the place featured the customary octogenarian music group. There was a younger crowd this time, average age only in the 60s. It was very reminiscent of the multitude of Fridays over our military career which usually ended at the Officers Club dancing. We were also celebrating Panamanian Independence Day, not that Friday needed additional motivation but there it was.

Panama Flag Also Flying at Home

Saturday promised to be an epic night. The Neighborhood Mafiosos had set up a group of us to attend a Murder Mystery dinner at the local Hyatt Hotel. We had a group of ten looking forward to the dinner. I’ve only been to one other of these things but it was a lot of fun. That will have to remain a highlight because last night’s event was overcrowded, overpriced, the food was terrible and the actors not that effective. My Favorite Panamanian picked the murderer out in the first five minutes (she’s scary that way). All mystery was eradicated when the suspect started acting weirdly near the end, hiding behind curtains. I feel bad speaking down on the actors’ efforts but it was what it was. We still managed to have a very good time as we were hanging with such good friends.

At The Murder Mystery

After escaping this situation, it was generally agreed that it was way too early to call it a night. We ended up back at the legion post experiencing their karaoke night. This is (and will remain in perpetuity) a spectator sport for me. You are welcome. The place was packed and it was great to submerse oneself into a true “bar environment”. It was an interesting crowd of the usual elderly and then a very young crowd. I saw someone actually had to be carded. The karaoke was interesting ranging from abysmal to almost transcendental. The best part was spending the night with good friends. Despite the dinner debacle, I rate the night as a complete success.

Much Better Time Post Dinner

Four movies fell in my A-Z watch, all keepers: The Gunman, Spicoli as an assassin, okay, he did get to surf somehow, better than I remembered; Hacksaw Ridge, amazing retelling of an even more amazing man; Hall Pass, you have to forgive a lot with the Farelleys but still very funny; and Hands of Stone, epic story of Duran.

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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