Building on my success of survival while directly exposed to shopping with my Favorite Panamanian, I decided to chance it again. Not only that, I exposed Keene Friend to the phenomena. This was all involved in my not so clever attempt to execute yet another thunder run back to my hometown so I could hang with Keene Friend before he leaves town in pursuit of acts of legerdemain with that Pittsburgh worthy, the PCR. He’ll be coming back just before the wife and I head out on our Irish/Scottish adventures, so time was a factor based on his Sunday departure. Anyways. It worked out, as I encouraged my Favorite Panamanian in her search for appropriate footwear for our trip. We’d had good luck at a sneaker place in Keene, plus it was tax free so there‘s that.
My wife, despite coming from one of the rainiest
countries on the face of the earth, was freaking out when the travel agent said
we could count on it raining a lot during our trip. She decreed that appropriate
footwear needed to be acquired. We took care of me, as chronicled in yesterday’s
post, at LL Bean. Keene Friend and I watched as a young salesman stepped up to
meet the challenge offered by my Favorite Panamanian. I was impressed as they
went round and round as they found some shoes that felt great but were not the
right color. He eventually retreated into the back room and emerged saying he
had found the pair of shoes he was convinced she would like. Keene Friend and I
shared a look with each at this bold statement. Turned out he was right and we
had a sale. 
Dinner at Margarita's
As we waited in the checkout line I noticed
a pair of Parrish shoes. Parrish shoes were the fictional shoe company of the
Jumanji movie (filmed in Keene) so I was surprised to say the least. In a coincidental
incident I had just finished watching the three Jumanji movies the night before
in my A-Z watch. Keene Friend explained that the shoe store, Ted's Shoe &
Sport, had bought the rights to the name and started producing shoes with the
logo from the first movie. I always knew my hometown had the capacity for coolness.
It was at this point that my Favorite Panamanian dismissed us from her service
so she could pursue additional tax-free shopping. Keene Friend then firmly bent
my arm behind my back and forced me across the street to the Lab ‘N Lager
(editor’s note – I may be over stating the coercion involved).
Rare Action Shot of My Wife Shopping
The Lab was fairly lively for a late
Thursday afternoon with a large group in the back room. A drunk from the next table
made some sort of comment to me just after we sat down to which I nodded in
good humor and then asked Keene Friend what he’d said. It was garbled for him
also so we continued in our discussion to solve all the world’s problems (not
that anyone will listen to us, excepting, of course, the aforementioned drunk).
It was a fun afternoon hanging with one of my oldest friends. The Kindergarten
Friend couldn’t join us as he was rocketing around town completing a honey do
list and the Cantankerous Friend is riding his bike through the Pyrenees in the
Basque region of Spain. That meant Keene Friend and I had to amuse ourselves
which turned out to be great as it had been a while since it had been just the
two of us pontificating. 
Jumanji Inspired Shoes
Eventually we eased across the road to
Margartia’s and tried to convince the Favorite Panamanian to join us for
dinner. She reluctantly agreed to leave TJ Maxx and made her way downtown. It
was an absolutely beautiful day so we sat outside and watched Keene walk by as
we waited for her arrival. As stated by a fellow classmate who commented on
Facebook, a great Thirsty Thursday. While the Keene Friend will try to bring
civilization to the benighted Pittsburgh sports scene over the next few days, I
will be decisively engaged. We have two social events tomorrow and then will
travel up to Hudson, NH to celebrate Father’s Day with my son and the ABFA’s
folks. Life is good, especially when liberally blessed with superb people to spend
time with.
Keene Friend and I at the Lab
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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 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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