And One for All

We had a Musquetera weekend as the Maine Musquetera and her husband joined us for a very fun three days. My Favorite Panamanian and the other two Musqueteras are sisters of the heart who bonded as young Spanish speaking immigrants in 1985 Virginia. They’ve stayed in touch over the years and whenever they get together, you can count on a couple things. Long, laugh-filled conversations and shopping. They showed up on Friday evening in time for pizza and immediately set about catching up. Her husband and I knew what was in store and set about amusing ourselves while the wives descended into almost breathless conversation.

Musqueteras Together Again

They put together a plan for a full Saturday, involving, you guessed it, shopping. They took off just after breakfast after I reluctantly showed my Favorite Panamanian how to enter her favorite hunting spots into the GPS. My Maine counterpart and I were told to meet them for dinner at a restaurant near the movie theater precisely at 4:30pm. I arrived a whole minute late and then checked their location. They were still more than twenty minutes away. Timeliness is not a native trait for either of these ladies. The restaurant wouldn’t seat us until the entire party was present so we spent some time wandering around a nearby book store (never a bad alternative). They eventually arrived and my wife confessed to being the culprit. Luckily the movie had multiple showings, so we were able to have dinner and then hit a later show.

Our Late Saturday Dinner

Sunday, after church, they set out again. My Favorite Panamanian had been pestering me all weekend to let her drive the new car and I ran out of excuses, so off they went. The guys watched another Red Sox meltdown while the ladies shopped. I received a frantic call from my wife where she admitted she’d left the house without her license and her credit cards. She’d didn’t appreciate my laughter upon hearing this. I’d like to report this saved some money but it just meant a return to the house to pick up the forgotten items and returning to complete the purchases the cashiers were holding for her. Shortly before leaving for Maine the ladies connected via phone with the Virginia Musquetera. I asked them why they weren’t using Facetime and she said she was walking around her house without any clothes on. I immediately perked up and said that was a poor reason to lose seeing her friends’ faces and “promised” not to look. They all laughed while roundly dismissing my opinion. It was good to see my Favorite Panamanian so happy as she always is when she’s in the company of one of the Musqueteras. A good weekend.

The film we saw was F1 – the Movie. I wasn’t planning on seeing this because I am about as far from being a car racing fan as is humanly possible. However, I am married and when my wife heard Brad Pitt was in it, we were seeing the movie. I turned out really liking it. The filmmakers use cutting edge technology to put you right in the insanely fast cars as they careen around various tracks. Pitt was, well, Pitt, which pleased the ladies but also added his cool, laid back personae which was perfect for his part as a much older driver brought in to save a failing F1 racing team. His character had an interesting arc and I always like to see those with pretensions of superiority get hoisted up by their nether regions. This is one of those movies you have to see on the biggest screen available as I’m betting it will lose a lot of its visceral impact on a television. Good flick.

Six movies fell in the A-Z watch, all keepers: Kraven the Hunter (last of the son’s father’s day gifts and new addition to the library), not as good as in the theater, with wonky CGI but great action; Priest – warlike priests against vampires along with Maggie Q; Princess Bride – may be the best love story movie ever made, flawless; Prince of Persia – still trying to figure out why Gyllenhaal needed to speak with a British accent but acceptable action; Project Almanac – of course a high school prodigy would use his time machine to win the hot girl; and Project X – apologetically like this story of a massive party that gets wildly out of control.

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

Luncheon Special

A quick entry today because my Favorite Panamanian is in high cleaning mode with the impending arrival of the Maine Musquetera for a weekend visit. The already pristine house is getting her usual attentions which should leave her exhausted, but my money is still on the fact that both of these good friends will stay up into the wee hours of the morning talking. It’s what they do when they get together. I’m just trying (and mostly failing) to stay out of the line of fire. Today is worth the effort as I know how much my wife enjoys spending time with one of her sisters of the heart.

Lunch Crowd Yesterday

Yesterday was my chance to link up with friends with my monthly luncheon back in my hometown that my high school classmates put together. It was once again well attended. I, of course, drove the new car up which made me even happier. Predictably, I didn’t get to drive it back because of the affect of the after lunch party at the Pour House. I truly enjoyed the lunch, sitting at a table with both Keene Friends and a trio of female classmates that I usually don’t; get to talk with. They were a lot of fun, especially after I learned two of them spoke fluent Spanish. Once my Favorite Panamanian heard that, I was directed to change seats with her so she could converse with them in her native tongue.

Our Table with the Keene Friends and the Spanish Speakers

The new car led to the funniest moment of the luncheon. After we ate and were organizing to leave, my Favorite Panamanian took possession of the keys and headed for shopping. This was the first time she drove the new car by herself. I was taking a lot of good-natured ribbing from my classmates about letting her drive the car, predating disaster at every turn. The funny part came when she had to back the car out of the notoriously tight Pub parking lot slots. She had to back up and try three or four times. All within clear view of the lunch goers and this only added to the verbal jousts headed my way which continued as she threaded her way by us, through the large rocks that line the exit. I don’t think I’ll tell her about that.

Attempt at a Pour House Photo

After the lunch the two Keene Friends and I adjourned to the Pour House for the aforementioned After Party. We were joined by other classmates, including one of the wives and, necessarily, the Cantankerous Friend. It was a very fun afternoon as we caught up with each other and continued the jokes. There was almost non-stop laughter. The classmate’s wife, also a KHS graduate, but from another year, marveled at how close the Class of ’73 is. We made the obligatory semi-inebriated call to the PCR who was in his usual high form. Later in the afternoon, my Kindergarten Friend broke free from his pre-vacation chores long enough to join the fun. It was an altogether outstanding afternoon. We consulted on the need for an intensive summer reconnaissance program for the November pub crawl since our usual launching point, Penuche’s Ale House has closed (a moment of respectful silence please)

The Kindergarten Friend Showed Up

We eventually declared victory and decided it was time to walk down Main Street to join my Favorite Panamanian at Margarita’s for dinner. Keene Friend, the Cantankerous One, and one of our female classmates joined us for dinner and regaled my wife with how well the after party had gone. I don’t think she was excessively impressed. A day that, once again, flew by way too quickly. That is bound to happen when you’re in the company of outstanding people, as I certainly was yesterday.

Dinner Crowd, Complete with what my Sister 
Calls my S***-Eating Grin

Two movies fell in the A-Z watch, both keepers: Predators – two Oscar winners stranded on a distant planet with a crew of other killers to take on a pack of predators – very well done; The Predator – just what we needed, the predators genetically enhancing themselves to make themselves more deadly.

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

Crisis Oriented

People, you know who you are, will say I’m experiencing a mid-life crisis with my latest car purchase. You would be incorrect on a couple levels. One, I am way too old for a “mid-Life” crisis, I’ve successfully aged out of that category. Secondly, this wasn’t my idea. I knew it was time to trade in my 14-year-old Camry which had served me so well. She said I “deserved” a sporty car after relegating myself to the rather mundane all my life. I thought it over and realized it would be kind of cool to have a sports car. Of course, a couple days later, she showed me what she thought was a hilarious video of an elderly man struggling to get out of a sports car.

With the New Car

We visited the Toyota dealership about a month ago because their product has always proven superior in our journey through many cars over the years. I thought the only one they made was the Supra. That turns out to be a really tough car to locate. Our local Toyota dealership promised to try and work out a deal with another dealer who had one. That proved unsuccessful as the other dealers wanted three cars in trade for the Supra. I thought I would have to go with another brand and did a search last night for “reliable sports cars”. I was surprised to learn Toyota makes another one called a GR86, at almost half the cost of the Supra. I emailed the salesman I had been working with and they had one sitting on their lobby floor.

Went from This

To This

My Favorite Panamanian and I went there this morning, and I loved it. My wife insured I could mount the car without issue (remembering the video). The salesman moved a couple cars out of the way and got the car outside so we could take a test drive. That sealed the deal, and we returned to the dealership to fill out the paperwork. As always, that was a bit draining, sitting around waiting. I decided to add a couple features which meant the car would need a few hours of work. We returned late this afternoon to take possession. Having learned my lessons from earlier cars, I insisted the salesman show me what all the buttons did.

With my Benefactor

We went for a joy ride, and I reluctantly allowed my wife to drive for a bit as well. She’ll need to drive for the return trips from Thunder Runs. I texted a picture of the car to the family and received some comical responses. My son opined that I wouldn’t be able to fit in the car (and this without seeing that video), but I assured him that was not the case. My wife informed me that this would be my 70^th birthday present, delivered a few months early. It will also serve as motivation for the next few years for me to stay in shape so I don’t appear in any videos. She also gets an extended drive home tomorrow since we’ll be heading back to Keene from the monthly high school classmate lunch.

Speaking of staying in shape, I had my semi-annual full body check at the dermatologist on Tuesday. This is yet another reason to stay in shape because these visits involve a cute dermatologist running her hands all over my body. It would hurt so much if I saw her gagging. The best news was, for the second visit in a row – no biopsies!!!!! This means no Mohs surgery. So, the silly swim caps that dominated my time in the tropics this year, did their job. I’ll see her again in December. If I get through that and the one in a year with no more cancer, then the visits will be reduced to annual. Very cool.

I had a dateless date night on Tuesday since my Favorite Panamanian doesn’t do horror movies and the only non-kiddie film out this week was 28 Years Later. This may be the best movie of the series about a zombie plague in Great Britain. That’s a significant comment since the first two were both very good. There’s a very talented new cast to carry the story forward, set, obviously, 28 years after the original outbreak. A young boy is trained to deal with the zombies by his father as they leave their protected island. The zombies have also evolved with a very scary “Alpha” leading the way. This has the potential to be a very special film as the focus is not on the horror but on the very human reactions to an almost untenable situation. I’m sure there’s a larger message behind some of the film’s points but this was a very enjoyable watch as a horror movie that didn’t depend on jump scares.  

Four movies fell in the A-Z watch, all keepers and I know they are out of alphabetical order, this is due to reaching the shelves in the library that the granddaughters can reach, just saying: Prince Valiant – love this old movie from my favorite comic strip as a kid, felt so bad for Wagner’s haircut and the ridiculous horned Vikings but still; The Proposal – great rom-com with real chemistry between the leads, love anything Bullock is in; Predator – Arnold at his peak, two future governors facing off against the original alien; Predator 2 – better than you might have heard, with Danny Glover nailing his action role.

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

Reunification Operations

No. The title does not reflect any geo-political event (although there’s plenty of that going on). It refers to reuniting with our beloved next-door neighbors from Charlton. Upon retiring from the Army, our first home was in Charlton and the realtor who sold us the house, and his family lived right next to us. Over the ensuing ten years we formed close bonds with his wife, her mother, and their three awesome kids. We moved to Worcester in 2015 and lost touch with them. She reached out last year to have us over for dinner, but my Favorite Panamanian came down sick forcing to cancel. We were planning our first Deckzilla party of the summer to celebrate the first non-rainy Saturday since our return from Panama and on a whim, I reached out and invited them and the reunion happened.

Together Again!!

We immediately played catch up one where all our respective kids were. I was a little stunned (though I shouldn’t be) that their two oldest kids are now in their twenties and pursuing careers while their youngest, born just before we moved into Charlton, will soon celebrate his 20^th birthday. Tempus fugit, way too fast. It was a true highlight of a very memorable night on Deckzilla to have these old friends share in the fun. They remembered our parties back in Charlton and seamlessly fit in with our party crowd, based on the Worcester Chapter of the Panamanian Mafia.

Deckzilla Time

The crowd gathered shortly after four in the afternoon as Deckzilla slid into the welcome afternoon shade. Everyone showed up with delicacies which combined with my wife’s usual culinary offerings created a truly eclectic but delicious dinner table. This marked a return to Deckzilla parties that we mostly missed out on last year when my wife’s knee was a problem. That got fixed and we were back in operation. Our current next door neighbor (from Syria) was introduced to some potent mojitos conjured up by another of our friends from India. The results were predictably comical, although I’m not sure his wife was extremely happy with his transformation. After dinner my Favorite Panamanian’s forays into YouTube party game videos was once again revealed. She had us play a couple games involving those ubiquitous red cups.

One involved tossing the cups over a stair from a line with each contestant starting from the opposing end of the line. This was extremely taxing and a challenge for balance for someone who might have downed a few Coors Lites by that point (not pointing fingers at all). The next game had the red cups on a table as we walked around listening to the director’s commands. It was a variation on musical chairs with one less cup than contestants. It led to some hilarious moments. I had to rule at one point that a contestant who ended up with most of a cup would stay in the game while the person who only grabbed a piece of it was eliminated. Our reunited neighbor won this game. We ended the games with our old reliable, Left-Right-Center, where my nearing a record level of futility continued. I lost as I always have when playing this game, but it was the usual hysterically funny process. The Neighborhood Mafioso walked away as the winner for the first time in nearly twenty years of playing the game; so maybe there’s hope for me yet.

Game Time

Since Panamanians were involved, you had to know that dancing would break out at some point. Deckzilla provided a perfect venue as my Favorite Panamanian once again returned to her first love – dancing. I was once more hanging on for the ride as the group danced into the night. At one point Panamanian folk music started playing and my wife led the ladies in the folkloric dance moves. It was so good seeing her back in her “happy place”. The party continued until well after ten and petered out when we started to worry about keeping the neighbors awake. I’ve written before about how blessed I am in life with the group of friends we have here in the Worcester area. Another chapter in that saga was written last night and I find myself basking in the afterglow today, remembering those great friends and reuniting with the lost neighbors.

Let the Dancing Start

Bring on the Dancing Girls!

Three movies fell in the A-Z watch, all keepers and new additions to the library due to my son’s Father’s Day generosity: Gladiator II – amazing sequel that kept the story rolling along with better CGI, sharks in the Colosseum!; Venom The Last Dance – the usual combination of hilarity and carnage; Red One – loved this Christmas movie with the Rock type cast as a Christmas elf, better on second time seeing.

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

Home Field Advantage

It’s been a fun week so far and that means it has flown by. The highlight was the Tuesday night WooSox baseball game. I’ve been anxious to get to a game but since my Favorite Panamanian wanted to attend, I had to be sure the weather was acceptable (above 70 and no rain). That wasn’t possible so far this spring with our Jekyll/Hyde weather. As we ventured into June, I figured it was safe to make the attempt. During various thunder runs both Keene Friend and the Cantankerous Friend indicated they would join me whenever I arrived at a date. Great Aunt, firmly converted to baseball fandom due to her long association with Soxfather, also wanted to come.

Fun Group

I waited until the extended forecast indicated Tuesday would be the best bet this week. The crucial error I made was believing an extended forecast about New England weather. It rained almost all day Tuesday and although it promised to break by game time, I wasn’t convinced. My Keene buddies showed up right on time, but Great Aunt had to beg off. She claims a house cleaning service showed up later than scheduled and she couldn’t make it. I believed her. The Cantankerous Friend opined that she saw the impending rain and decided she didn’t want to chance it. The remaining four arrived at Polar Park and found our seats. I’d brought a towel to dry off the seats from the day long rain. I’d hoped our seats would be under the overhang, protected from rain. I’d kind of promised my Favorite Panamanian that would be the case. I was wrong. The seats were good but three rows into the open sky. I kept my fingers crossed but, again, this is New England. At the start of the second inning, the rain started falling. My wife, who reacts to any rain, despite being from one of the rainiest countries on earth, the way any self-respecting cat would. She charged back onto the concourse, those eyes shooting daggers and recriminations my way.   

View from the Seats

In a major surprise, the Cantankerous Friend came to the rescue. There were a lot of open seats, and he led us to some four rows behind our original seats, safely under the overhang. We were then able to enjoy the rest of the game, despite the omnipresent mist. My Favorite Panamanian spent most of the game watching videos on her phone but emerged from that to catch the final couple innings. It was a very fun night, despite the weather, as I got to hang with my good friends, enjoying our shared Sox fandom.

The New Accent Wall 

Earlier in the day on Tuesday, my Favorite Panamanian’s first floor bathroom remake was completed when the wallpaper guy showed up to, well, wallpaper. I know here are people reading this who question hiring someone to perform this fairly simple task. This job required precision and patience. I am blessed with neither of these traits. I consider it money well spent and it came out looking great; as usual, my wife’s style sense is redeemed.

Finally, I had a very funny moment in my closet yesterday. Wow, that statement probably generated a lot of speculation. I was changing clothes in our closet when I looked to the side and nearly jumped out of my skin. My Favorite Panamanian has been changing out the winter clothes for the summer counterparts which left a couple shelves empty. Somehow, one of the granddaughter’s dolls was reclining on the empty shelf looking at me with very dead eyes. I may watch too many horror movies.

Scary Doll Checking me Out

Four movies fell in the A-Z watch, all keepers: Poltergeist – still scary, with great cast and Spielberg touch; Poseidon – nice remake of the original using CGI to make it scarier; Powder – one of my favorite movies of all time, great story about human possibility, superb acting and awesome musical score; Power Rangers – thought I was going to kick this but the young cast recaptured me and I enjoyed the watch.

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

Dad Day Reciting

I undertook a novel way to celebrate the Father’s Day weekend. I attended not one but two dance recitals. As I have written before about how much I “loved” these things, you can be rightly stunned. Yes, this makes three of these “experiences” I have undergone since our return from Panama. You can correctly surmise that the only factor that could influence me enough to subject myself to this pain would be the “granddaughter effect”. The BRS participated on Saturday while BR3 danced on Sunday. I’m still convinced the dance school organizer who put this on Father’s Day weekend belongs in the third level of hell, but, hey, my Favorite Panamanian loved it. She thought all the groups were great. Her operative phrase was “they’re so cute”. The cuteness was lost on me but I seriously loved watching the granddaughters in action.

All Four Grandparents with the Dancing Queens

So, in total, three hours spent over the weekend, of which, seven minutes involved granddaughter participation. Yes, I’m grumpy about it. I’m old enough to qualify for that character defect. Other than those benighted presentations, it was a magical weekend, thanks to the ladies who endeavored tirelessly to insure the rest of the Father Day’s weekend was special for the three dads involved. My son, the ABFA’s dad, and myself were treated royally by the ladies. My Favorite Panamanian and I drove up on Saturday morning, through the seemingly requisite Saturday rain storm. It has rained every Saturday since we returned from Panama.

BRS After the Dance

Superstar

We arrived at my son’s house to find both he and the ABFA charging around shepherding the kids to swim lessons and then getting the BRS prepped for her recital. The ABFA drove us over while my son departed earlier to check the BRS in for her dances. The ABFA’s parents joined us just in time to sit down for the start of the dancing. Even the grumpy old man that I’ve become will admit there were some cute moments. The ABFA had secured fantastic seats in the second row from the stage that provided great views. Eventually the BRS appeared with her group for her first dance. She was awesome and, yes, I am biased, but I thought she was clearly the best dancer in her group. This impression was confirmed when she took the stage for her second dance. She has a secret advantage over her peers, she has her abuela’s dancing genes.

After the Dance

Proud Mom and Dad

We returned to my son’s home after the recital and the wives did not allow any of the guys to assist with chores. This predictably led my son and I to park ourselves on the couch to watch SportsCenter and compare notes on the Red Sox. Rumor has it we might have nodded off at certain points during our cogitations.  The ABFA’s dad performed his usual role of chasing the granddaughters around the yard. He eventually tired and my Favorite Panamanian paid the price as she attempted her afternoon rosary. I woke up long enough to see both granddaughters jumping on her. I don’t think she minded the interruption.

Son and I "Watching" SportsCenter

BR3 Remains a Moving Target

BRS Getting So Tall, She Can Reach the Hidden Candy

Wife Doing her Rosary

We all trooped back to the cars to rendezvous at the local favorite restaurant for a very fun Saturday dinner. The recital had continued after ours and the BRS spotted several dancers, still in costume, entering. I was lucky enough to be seated next to BR3 and across the table from the BRS. It made for a very entertaining dining experience. That dinner was one of the true highlights of the weekend. There is just something extremely special sitting around a table with family, even when you have to dodge the occasional granddaughter elbow. We returned home in time to get the youngest into bed while the rest of us settled down to watch the Red Sox versus the hated Yankees. When the Sox won on Friday, we figured they were in for some serious pain on Saturday from a better Yankee team. We were enjoyably stunned when the Sox steadily pulled ahead and hung on to beat the Yanks. A very nice Father’s Day weekend gift. We even stayed awake for the entire game.

Saturday Dinner

Sunday morning was a repeat of Saturday with both girls scheduled for swimming lessons followed by a frantic prep for BR3’s dance recital. This was preceded by a fantastic Father’s Day breakfast prepared by my Favorite Panamanian. She made fried dough for me, something that brought back memories of my mom. We were a little concerned as we headed for BR3’s recital because she’s liberally blessed with personality and last year’s recital saw her more interested with interacting with her friends than performing any dance moves. She proved she had acquired some discipline over the ensuing year which surprised the entire family. When her group finally (and blessedly) appeared, she was great. She forgot to smile but was obviously paying close attention to what she was supposed to be doing. I loved it.

BR3 Dance

Grand Finale - Teachers Shouldn't be in Front of kids

Following the recital we returned to the house where the guys set up to watch the Sox game while the ladies prepared a superb Father’s Day dinner. The Sox, once again, stunned us by winning again, sweeping the series from the Yankees. Totally unforeseen and something I’m sure to bring up with the Panamanian guy in the Seis Amigos. More on the Sox later.  All three ladies contributed to the meal, and these were some of the best steaks I’ve had in a long time. Father’s Days gifts were distributed and my son, once again, was way, way, too generous. As we drove home, I found my mind wandering constantly back to how blessed the three dads were this weekend by the ladies we are fortunate enough to be associated with.

After the Dance

I have a couple updates I need to weigh in on. While we were driving back, my phone started pinging as both my son and Great Aunt passed on the news that the Sox had unexpectedly treaded their best hitter, Raphael Devers, away. I was not as surprised as he had evolved into a primadona after signing his immense contract. He pitched a fit in the spring when he was moved off third base, even though he was a terrible defender. He then petulantly refused to play first base. I noted several times over the weekend that he didn’t seem as engaged as his teammates. I know over the past few weeks I cringed when he got to bat in critical spots as he only seemed to thrive when the pressure wasn’t on him. They’re not as talented a team after the trade but I think they’ll be a better team. On the upside, I’m going to WooSox game tomorrow and may see some of the trade return there.

The other update, which I am honor bound by Great Aunt to reveal, involves my latest doctor’s appointment. The doctor was really happy with my test results. Her usual practice in in geriatrics and she said she loved having someone who wasn’t falling apart (despite my own opinions on the subject). She sent me for my annual PSA test which is a big deal this year. Today marks five years since I was diagnosed with prostate cancer and if the PSA test was clear, I’m considered to have beaten it. Late this afternoon I received the test results. My PSA levels remain undetectable. Talk about the best possible Father’s Day gift.

Two movies fell in the A-Z watch, both keepers: Point of No Return – excellent action take on Pygmalion, Bridget Fonda was so good; The Polar Express – weird watching this in June, but I love Christmas enough that I was still tearing up, CGI has improved so much since this was groundbreaking.

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