The Pipes, The Pipes

Since we’re rushing pell-mell towards Christmas and our almost immediate subsequent deployment to Panama, it’s been tough to find time to write. You are most welcome for the reprieve from my fractured prose. Vacation’s over though. My Favorite Panamanian has directed prep activities including taking lead in decorating the Christmas tree and other inside venues. I was sent outside for what was needed there. Note to self – damn cold out there, more than ready to head south (such a wimp now with tropicalized blood).

Wife Using Son for Warmth at Parade

A fabulous addition to our Christmas traditions was our weekend trip back to New Hampshire to see the Portsmouth Christmas parade with my son and his family. We went a long time ago, before granddaughters, and it has certainly grown in the interim. See comment above about cold weather. My Favorite Panamanian brought the mink coat out of storage because it is the only garment she feels is up to the challenge of keeping her warm in frigid conditions. In a welcome change from the ordinary, our drive up I-495 was blissfully easy, even that benighted section around Lawrence.

The Rotating Pooh Costume

ABFA Inspecting Sofa Cushion Castle

BRS and BR3 with Mrs. Claus

The granddaughters were in high form upon our arrival, just having returned from a visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus with the attendant candy intake. They were switching off wearing a Winnie the Pooh costume all weekend, for unexplained reasons. The ABFA’s more than excellent parents were on hand to share the parade experience. Which it certainly was. My son led the convoy into Portsmouth where we parked in a residential area and walked a half mile to the parade route. Anyone who has spent time in Portsmouth knows how much fun it is to find parking in the center of town.

On the Parade Route

Good Crowd

Moon Rise

There was a steady stream of people making their way to the center, all with obvious Christmas spirit (yes, it is a thing). We set up under an arch on the street the parade would pass down. The BRS and BR3 wiggled to the front while I carved a hole in the ice for my wife to stand in. Once again, everyone seemed to be in a great mood as we waited for the parade. A huge moon was rising over the freshly lighted town Christmas tree up the road from us. It was truly kind of magical, but we all know I’m a sucker for Christmas. The ABFA’s dad and I along with my son had a great time watching the parade pass by from the rear of the crowd, mostly for the reactions of the granddaughters who gleaned a lot more candy from passing parade elements. A lot of the parade consisted of decorated jeeps with my son joking there is probably a shortage of available jeeps in New Hampshire based on what we saw.

Then Came the Bagpipers!

The ABFA was in her usual hero mode keeping on eye of the kids, insuring they stayed far enough back from the constant stream of jeeps. We also saw no less than five Miss New Hampshires. I asked my son about this and we concluded that the word “contestant” was probably in small print, invisible from our distance. The highlight for me, of course, was the police bagpipe band. They were great and were playing one of my favorite songs, The Minstrel Boy. I hasten to add, as I did in my Facebook post, that the true highlight was being there with the family, but that band was up there.

It was a great experience, and it was easy to get caught up in the spirit of the crowd. My wife survived her prolonged exposure to cold weather although she alleged it was a near thing. After the obligatory hojaldra breakfast on Sunday, the granddaughters and ABFA attended church with us. They were really well behaved until the ending announcement that donuts would not be served this week. That brought a couple granddaughter gasps. Both the ABFA and we bought donuts on the drive home. My Favorite Panamanian and I headed home after that since she declared we had a bunch of Christmas prep to accomplish. I didn’t realize that it meant about an hour’s worth of shopping before we left the tax free haven of New Hampshire.

Meanwhile Wingman is Dominating on his Latest
Reunion Tour, Now on the West Coast

Outside the House

Living Room

We finally finished off the inside decorating late last night. I say “we” with a serious qualification since my role was reserved to carrying bins up and down stairs. In my defense it was football Sunday which offered a great excuse since most of the afternoon had been spent shepherding her to shopping, a late lunch, and grocery shopping with her (always 2 to 3 times longer than when I’m alone). The results speak for themselves. The inside/outside door hanging for the front door is gorgeous. She created this herself with ribbons and assorted other craft supplies she found in our Christmas bins. She’s a true artist as I’ve learned to cringe whenever she floats through Pinterest as a new project is the likely result. I cringe because she always asks my opinion which I am wholly unable to provide since I don’t have an artistic bone in my body, I’m truly impressed with what she’s accomplished. You know the old saying, Opposites Attract.

Front Door Hanging

Inside Front Door

Deckzilla Door

Seven movies fell in the A-Z watch, all keepers: Uncharted – don’t know the game it was based on but two credible action stars doing their thing; Uncle Buck – Candy was a national treasure, so good in this John Hughes classic; Under Siege – best Seagal movie, know that’s not a high standard to meet, but best cake opening in cinema history; Under the Skin – fantastic and scary sci fi with Scarlett cutting a swath through the Scottish Highlands, fabulous cinematography; Underworld – you had me at vampires versus werewolves, but add Becks in spandex, Yikes!; Underworld Evolution – they’re still at it and Becks gets out of her spandex for a while and battles both sides of vamp/wolf war; Underworld Rise of the Lycans – no Becks nor spandex since it’s in the middle ages, Rhona Mitra does her chain mail proud though.

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