Unwanted Close Encounter

One of the activities from which I derive more than a little bit of joy is my twice daily boogie boarding sessions. I know that as a sixty-eight-year-old man (man, it doesn’t get easier seeing that in print) I should have more serious or sedentary, dare I say respectable, aims in my twilight years, but I’ve never been accused of being overly mature. This is all in the way of introduction to what happened yesterday during the afternoon session. I’ve gotten used to boogie boarding with the Las Lajas sting rays. They show up mostly for the afternoon and I can see them gliding effortlessly and elegantly through the waves as those approach me. I have a personal rule that if I see more than two at a time, I head for shore.

First Friday Sunset

They seem harmless but there’s the whole sting part of the sting ray to consider. I didn’t want to be in the middle of a decent slide down a wave only to cause one of them to think I was a predator worthy of a swipe. I have brushed up against them numerous times as they aren’t overly aggressive. It feels like having a thick piece of rubbery paper slide along your leg or arm. Not welcome, certainly (again the sting part) but it’s never been a problem. I had just seen my second one yesterday and was thinking of heading to shore when something much larger hit my upper thigh. It felt like someone had kicked me really hard.

One of my Swim Buddies

This all happened as I was making my way back out to the launch point and the water was swirling with sand between waves, so I couldn’t see what hit me. I immediately yelled, “What the F--- was that?!”. Of course, there was no one within a half mile to hear me and adrenaline was certainly flooding my system at this point. I didn’t wait around for a definitive answer to my shouted query and caught the next inbound wave. One of the things that always enters my mind when I see sting rays is that they are a preferred food source for sharks. I’ve never seen a shark at our beach (no reef) but I have the unfortunate habit of catching bits and pieces of Shark Week on TV each year where I learned that culinary fact about sharks.

Sunset Prep

In reflecting on the situation, I definitely don’t think it was a shark. There are also some pretty large fish swarming along our coast, hence the omnipresent small fishing boats. I’m guessing one of those larger fish was chasing a smaller fish and because of the murky water, ran into my leg. At least that’s what I’m telling myself. I thought it would be important for me to get right back out there this morning. I’m a victim of the Army drilling in the credo of never taking counsel of fears. I was more nervous than I thought I would be and, of course, immediately noticed some sting rays zooming around. I violated my rule about heading in after seeing two or more but the rays and I got along fine.

Beach This Morning

With this afternoon’s departure of the Panamanian couple of the Seis Amigos, my Favorite Panamanian and I will be the sole inhabitants of the condo complex with the upstairs neighbors touring Peru. That is strange for a dry season weekend but I’m guessing most of our other neighbors are recovering from Carnivale last week. We made the most of the First Friday of the Week yesterday. The Panamanian couple and their sister joined us to send the sun west into the Pacific and then we journeyed together down the beach for dinner at the Las Lajas beach resort. That was an easy sell for me based the quality of their cheeseburgers. Maybe we’ll do the usual Friday pizza tonight. Decisions, decisions, life can get tough that way.

Friday Sunset

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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; Seis Amigos - two couples from our condo complex and my wife and I; Soxfather - my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course