42 and Counting

As we deal with the inevitable let down of the empty condo as opposed to the saturated past week with the kids and grandkids in residence, today is kind of a special day. Forty-two years ago, in the central church of David, Panama a fairly nervous lieutenant watched a radiant young Panamanian lady walk down the central aisle on the arm of her dad. And nothing was ever the same again. Thankfully. My Favorite Panamanian has a serious problem each year when I post photos from our wedding because she absolutely hates the hairdo she had that day. It's been 42 years and she still seethes at what a hairdresser did. That’s how serious it is. I had more important things to worry about that day, like how none of my family was there with me. It took me a few years to live that down (Great Aunt is still a little pissed).

Best Sunset Buddy

42 Years Ago
I'm Going to be In So Much Trouble for Posting this Picture

More Recently

I had my Army family there, my fellow lieutenants, who were true brothers. You’d have to serve in an infantry company to understand the bond between infantry platoon leaders. Thrust into leadership roles, leading thirty to forty troops, including very experienced NCOs and trying not to make the mistakes all second lieutenants always make is a bonding experience. I was singularly blessed with my Army family in Panama in the early 80s. We were operating in what was probably the most challenging and realistic training environment in the entire Army at that time. While we worked very hard, we partied even harder, so much so, that I swore for years that meeting my eventual wife (and proposing three days later – best snap decision ever) saved my life. We all cut a fairly active swath through the abundant Panamanian pulchritude, to the point a couple years after we were married, I had to be careful when I took my wife dancing at the officer’s club. One former “lady friend”, grabbed my posterior as I was escorting my wife to the dance floor. That is called living dangerously.

Through the Years

As I look back on the ensuing 42 years, I am immediately I impressed with my Favorite Panamanian. She left a life and family in Panama, speaking no English, and took on what is rightfully called the toughest job in the Army, that of an Army wife. It speaks volumes to her courage and strength of character that she not only survived, but excelled. By the time I was a battalion commander, I would introduce myself as her husband because she was (and is) something of a force of nature. She raised our two kids by herself for long stretches of time as I was sent by the Army to run around strange places with well-armed friends. The greatest testament to her quality are those two “kids”, now thriving adults.

Speaking of those two kids and the aftermath of their recent residency. My Favorite Panamanian, with some spousal assistance, has returned both our and the upstairs neighbors’ condos to their regular pristine condition. The lone exception are the glass walls on our balcony. The balcony served as the sun block application station for the three granddaughters where their parents liberally smeared them with lotion before they descended on the beach/pool. That, of course, resulted in some of the lotion ending up on the glass walls, especially since BR3 seized control and declared the balcony was “her domain” during the week. She was undoubtably the biggest donor of the glass lotion. We’re reluctant to remove it. I guess it helps dealing with their absence to have this reminder.

Beloved Smears

Sunday Sunset

We were back in David yesterday and took in a movie around all the shopping. Dune 2 is that rare example of a sequel being better than the original (think Empire Strikes Back level). Dune is a really dense story with so many concurrent themes and plots intertwined. After earlier versions I thought it would be impossible to adequately translate this beloved story to the screen. I was wrong. The director brings home the Atreides comeback story with style, fantastic acting, and landmark cinematography. Chalamet continues to impress as one of, if not the best, young actor around as the central figure of Paul Muad ‘Dib. My favorite characters from the books were the Fremen and they are finally portrayed with all their lethality. While this sets up the inevitable third film , it could also serve as a fitting conclusion. The best movie I’ve seen in a very long time.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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