I’ve said it way too many times to worry about becoming redundant, but there is something special about cousins. This “theory” (fact) was proven again yesterday when I was summoned back to my hometown to celebrate the birthday of one of our eldest cousins. It moderately scares me that I now have cousins in their 80s but thankfully they’re every bit as much fun as they were when they were teenagers and worshipped by us younger ones. The luncheon was held at Tempesta's Restaurant. My Favorite Panamanian declared she had never been there until I reminded her that the birthday pub crawl used to start there when it was called Waxy O'Connors. She still didn’t remember but I put that down to the fact that you can clearly see the TJ Maxx store across the highway, and she probably ignored every other detail back in the day.
Shortly after assembling the cousins
immediately picked up our conversations as if no time had passed since we last
got together. Given the aforementioned advancing onslaught of age a lot of the conversation
revolved around health issues. The youngest member of the group, and only one from
the next generation, was a good sport about the chronicling of all the aches
and pains. Since we no longer do our Thanksgivings together this was a lot of
fun to catch up with the all the comings and goings within the family. I left,
as I always do, thinking we should do this more often.
Cousins!
Since we were so close to my Favorite Panamanian’s
most robust tax-free hunting grounds, she quickly dropped me off at Keene
Friend’s so he could supervise me during her shopping induced absence. After
awaiting the opening time for the Lab ‘n Lager, he and I walked to that establishment.
We decided along the way that it was really, damned cold and rethought any
plans of leaving the heated environs after that. We ran into the Cantankerous Friend
as we were entering. We were later joined by a couple other high school
classmates, including the Kindergarten Friend. This provided for a very fun
afternoon of laughs. The other classmate brought us each a small box of Christmas
cookies she had made. She knew her audience. 
The Birthday Girl (2d from left)
We stayed a lot longer than I had anticipated
but since we were tied to my wife’s shopping experience I shouldn’t have been.
The time for the First Friday Family Facetime Call rolled around and while I
got it started on my iPhone, I could only see a few faces and hear virtually
nothing since the Lab had a healthy First Friday crowd itself. I found that I really
missed having that call despite all the fun I was having with my good friends. I
hope the rest of the family continued with the call after I bowed out. The FBR,
in particular, looked vexed with me when I signed off. The Favorite Panamanian finally
exhausted her hunting inclinations and deigned it was time for dinner. The Kindergarten
Friend had to return home since his furnace was on the blink which left the four
of us to join the wife. We walked across the street to Margarita’s only to find
that again, that once proud location failing miserably. They had a bunch of
open tables but didn’t have the staff to handle the Friday crowd. When I asked
how long a wait, the hostess said she had no idea. 
At the Lab
We abandoned downtown for dinner at Applebee’s
which was a lot of fun. My Favorite Panamanian took in her fellow, well
lubricated tablemates with her usual good grace (she has experience). Some of
us were more well-oiled than others. The Cantankerous Friend made the tactical
error of drinking the more potent IPAs all afternoon at the Lab instead of the watered
down Lite beer the rest of us indulge in. The result was a semi-coherent state
that added a lot of entertainment value. Fortunately the cookie making
classmate was available to insure he got home safely. It was a very, very fun
day that, even though not directly Christmas related, certainly qualifies as
yet another morale boost.
Keene Friend Tried to Sneak out of Picture
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 her single days in Brooklyn; Czech Connection
– Czech couple who’ve become good friends along with their daughter (the Czech
Shadow); 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 (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
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