Cousins and Brothers

I find myself in kind of a funk right now. It’s a feeling I’m familiar with because I know the cause all too well. I spent this weekend surrounded by some of the most important people in my life. We have a saying in family, “There’s just something special about cousins!”. That was certainly proved true earlier today. However, the time I spent with these special people is only part of the story because I was also privileged enough to spend time earlier with guys I’ve come to think of as brothers. Primary amongst those would be the Keene Friend. We extended his birthday celebrations over three days which is only appropriate. He would never claim that because of who he is, but those of us lucky enough to call him friend know the truth. So, the funk comes from coming down from the high provided from being with these two groups. It’s a feeling of loss but at the same time a bone deep appreciation that I have them in my life.

The Assembled Cousins Today

The celebrations started Thursday night when the Cantankerous Friend and Keene Friend showed up in Worcester so we could go out to dinner and then take in a WooSox game. My Favorite Panamanian joined us for dinner but didn’t want to test her knee with the walk to the ballpark, so we had a guy’s night out at Polar Park. We had the usual great seats because I don’t think there are bad ones there. It was a fun night as we were able to talk baseball all night while watching hopefully the future for the Red Sox dominate the game. Before we let them depart, Keene Friend had to wield Bonecrusher to cleave the small birthday cake we’d prepared for him. Keene Friend thought this would be the highlight of his birthday celebrations. Little did he realize; it was only the beginning.

Thursday Dinner

At the Ballgame

Post Ballgame Cake

Keene Friend with Bonecrusher

Cake Cleaved

For the past two weeks Keene Friend 2 had been organizing a surprise birthday party for him on Saturday. He coordinated with a friend who owns a campsite at nearby Swanzey Lake. He convinced Keene Friend 1 to accompany him and Cantankerous Friend for an afternoon at the campsite. Little did the birthday boy realize that a healthy contingent of our high school classmates would assemble to celebrate his birthday. I wasn’t there to witness his arrival as I am married to a Panamanian and live about seventy miles from the party site. Due to that first factor, we were late in arriving but Keene Friend later said that he loved the constant stream of new surprises as different guests continued to arrive, including us. It was a very fun afternoon hanging with my classmates but that goes without saying (KHS class of 73 is decidedly special). They fit as many candles as possible onto the cake which generated a heat signature that may have been visible from low flying satellites. So much so that Keene Friend needed three blows to extinguish the conflagration. As is warranted whenever this group gets together, we made the obligatory call to the PCR so he could partake in the comradery.

Swanzey Lake Gathering

Keene Friend was kind enough to allow us to stay overnight at his place since we had another New Hampshire engagement on Sunday. That meant Keene Friend, Cantankerous Freind and I could continue our ruminations on college football at that location. In yet another indicator that my wife’s knee continues to recover, she pronounced herself well enough to drive and, despite this meaning she would miss out on college football as well as our profound thoughts on same, said she would visit her old friend TJ Maxx. She spent her customary hours there and reported no ill effects, although I doubt she would have admitted it if it meant reduced future shopping. While all this was going on, we vectored in the Kindergarten Friend, who’s birthday is today so I could gift him with one of the “Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot” t-shirts I’ve discovered.

Kindergarten Friend with New T-shirt

The Swanzey Lake location for the surprise party brought a wealth of memories for me. My dad used to take me there every April of my youth on the first day of fishing season to catch our limit of brook trout. I’m always surrounded my memories of my parents when I return to the Keene area but this was an indelible one with my dad, of which there ware far too few following my parents’ divorce. I mention this because today’s event in Hancock, New Hampshire involved beloved cousins from my father’s side of the family. I see them hardly at all any more but every time we’re together it’s as if no time at all has passed. There is, unfortunately, all too visible evidence that time has marched on (lots of gray hair) but as soon as I’m around them, my dad is back as well as his amazing brothers and sisters.

Very Fun Cousin Table

The Hancock event involved welcoming one of the older cousins who lives in West Virginia and had returned for his high school’s 60^th year reunion (I did say time was marching on). He’s experiencing some health challenges so the senior cousins decided a meeting of the cousins was required. We gathered at the home where we’ve celebrated many Thanksgivings. It was strange being able to sit outside on the deck after all our previous visits taking place in the much “frostier” weather of late November. As is always the case when this group gathers, the time flew but I count myself richer for having the chance to hang with them. There really is something special about them. I drove home feeling a connection to not only my dad, for the stories they shared, but with the aunts and uncles who I worshipped growing up. Not a bad weekend, celebrating the birthday of my brother from another mother and the amazing cousins.

Three movies fell in the A-Z watch, all keepers: Logan’s Run, one of my absolute favorites from 1970s, fell in love with Jenny Agutter, so much so I named my daughter after the character she played in this; London has Fallen, Gerard Butler as secret service agent who describes himself as a mixture of bourbon and bad choices, what’s not to like; and Lone Survivor, visceral retelling of heroic Seals in Afghanistan.

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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 (whom I miss more than I can ever explain); Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course