A Very Civil Anniversary

Before anybody starts offering congratulations, my Favorite Panamanian and I (mostly her) do not consider this our official anniversary. That would be March sixth when she walked down the aisle of her church to marry a skinny, very nervous lieutenant. However, before that date with destiny, we were married in a civil ceremony in Panama City after I successfully jumped through all the hoops the Army required for one of their own to marry one of the natives. That happened 42 years ago today. The civil ceremony got us on the family housing list but didn’t extend any other marital privileges as the civil wife required a church service before she considered it official. This was, predictably, our first disagreement but, in a true foresight of my future, she won.

42 Years Ago

A More Recent Shot at the Condo

I know there were one or two of you worried about my back but the tropical sun has worked some miracles and it’s just about back to normal. Because I know it’s going to snow today in New England I will also report that this morning was my first time on the boogie board since I wrenched the back. I knew you were worried. It’s been a fairly quiet spell here after the handy man left on Thursday. As my back improved, my Favorite Panamanian acquired a very pesky cold which has kept her under the weather for the past couple days. I made the mistake of showing her she could watch her Russian novellas dubbed into Spanish (her latest obsession) on YouTube on the new TV in the bedroom. I may never get to watch that TV again. She’s feeling better today.

Favorite Beach Bunny

Beach This Morning

Since she wasn’t up to it I made the weekly First Friday pilgrimage to the local pizza place with the upstairs neighbors by myself. I brought back a Hawaiian pizza for her that she still hasn’t touched (an indication of how bad she felt). I’ve spent the past couple days healing the back and continuing my annual foray through the most excellent Travis McGee books by the incomparable John D MacDonald. This marks the third year in a row I’ve read them all, I just started the sixth, Bright Orange for the Shroud. It’s amazing how well these have held up since they were written in the 1960s through the early 1980s. My daily agenda has also included the nightly viewing of the sunsets with the upstairs neighbors in addition to NFL playoffs. I include the pictures here for the past three sunset because, like I said, I hear it’s going to snow back home today. Oh, one final note. We (mostly me) had the first thong sighting of the year yesterday when a group of young ladies were guesting at the condo complex. Yep, life is good.

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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