First of all, I want to calm any anxiety you have gleaned from the title, thinking I may be abandoning my practice of celebrating the first Friday of every week. Nothing could be further from the truth, as I will explain. The title refers to the last Friday I’ll experience in Panama this year. If that is in fact the case, then I and my more than superb friends are doing it in style. The Seis Amigos were reunited on Friday as the Panamanian Couple of that redoubtable group made a special trip to the condo ahead of our departure next week. They joined me for a boogie boarding session Friday morning to kick off what has been, so far, a remarkable weekend. They had some business to conduct in David later on Friday so they missed out on the First Friday of the Week gathering (our last this year) at Sunset Pizza in Las Lajas.
Our
Upstairs Neighbors, as is their wont, more than made up for the missing members
of the “Seis”. Our favorite Panamanian cat, Chow Mein, spent the entire meal
with us, scrounging everything from popcorn to pepperoni. She’s grown a lot
during our stay and engaged in a lively pursuit of a gecko that had the temerity
to invade her hunting area. The gecko beat a hasty retreat when Chow Mein
demonstrated her improved ability to climb. The owner of Sunset came over to
bid us a fond farewell since she knew this was our last Friday in Panama. 
Saturday Dinner with the Seis Amigos
Friday Sunset with my Favorite Panamanian 
The Upstairs Neighbors
 |
| Back to my Wife and I |
Friday Night at Sunset Pizza With Upstairs Neighbors 
Chow Mein After the Gecko
The
big event of the day was a picnic lunch hosted by the Panamanian Couple on the
beach. They were slow cooking an impressive hunk of beef amongst other
delicacies as my Favorite Panamanian and the Upstairs Neighbors also donated
some favorite dishes. The Upstairs Neighbors, fresh from a visit to Peru, prepared
a blender full of Pisco Sours, which they learned to make on their visit. It
was a big hit amongst the group. Since my beer was flowing above its usual pace
(a predictable outcome when surrounded by good friends) I took it easy on the amount
of Sours consumed. I think, this morning, a couple of our group regretted not
taking my course of action. 
Saturday Morning Boogie Boarding Group
Saturday Beach Picnic 
Pisco Sour Prep 
Upstairs Neighbor Prepping the Sours
It
was a great afternoon with these best friends in Panama. The Upstairs Neighbors
had to leave early, after inflicting their Pisco Sour damage, for a promised
dinner down the beach with friends. The remaining four of us continued on the
beach for the rest of the day, through yet another spectacular sunset. The weather
had been bad for most of the week, but it has certainly rallied for our last
weekend in Panama. The humidity had been hanging above the 90 level for the past
two weeks but yesterday it reverted back to dry season levels which was certainly
welcome. The afternoon also marked my last Atlas beer of the year. Atlas is my
chosen brand of beer during our stay but I bought some Coors Lite earlier in the
week to pave the way for my return to the States. Yet another sign of our impending
departure. 
Pisco Sours Delivered
Two of the Seis 
Female Half of the Seis 
The Guys
We
moved further out onto the beach to observe another Las Lajas spectacular sunset.
I felt a little nostalgic, realizing this was my last Saturday sunset as our days
in Panama are whittled down. I’ve been luckier than I deserve in the friends I’ve
acquired over the years both here in Panama and back home. That’s an aspect of
earthly wealth that cannot be underappreciated. I realize I’m blessed to be
rich in this area, here and at home, which means so much more than anything
financial. I’m not saying I’m averse to an economic variety of wealth, but good
friends are something more tangible and immediately enjoyable that anything fiscal.
Making a Heart (I Think/Hope)
Saturday Sunset Crew 
Final Saturday Sunset
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 3rd 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
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