Gaming and an IT Breakthrough

It’s been a busy last few days. That is, busy for our usual tempo, what being a tropical paradise and all. I place the blame squarely on the Upstairs Neighbors who have some visiting family which has amped up the activity level in all the right ways. They’ve become an established part of the sunset crew and, as is wont to happen, fallen in love with boogie boarding. Their daughter showed up for the sunset with a half-coconut, filled with a rum drink. That, I just find inspiring. We convened another beach game night in their honor. We exposed them to the fun and frustration of Flip 7. The visiting son in law is a math teacher and saw some real world application within it. The ladies, unfairly, teamed up in what is supposed to be an individual game and won each round. Still, a great way to spend an evening. They’ve been a lot of fun to have around but unfortunately start on their long way home tomorrow. We’ve decided to convene a special pizza night for them since Sunset Pizza is supposed to reopen today and they should not leave Panama without experiencing the best pizza in the country along with the gelato. We’ve missed that so over the past couple weeks.

The Sunset Crew Including Third from the Left Whom I 
Mistakenly Left Out of a Sunset Crew Post

Daughter with her Coconut

Game Night with Cheating Ladies

I’ve become something of a handyman around the condo over the past couple days. No. I haven’t injured myself, which is the first question my Favorite Panamanian or my kids will ask when they hear I’ve been DIYing. I installed a couple rechargeable lights next to the new bed. They will come in handy when the next, inevitable power outage occurs. However, the main object of some sneaky pride on my part was my next completed task. I changed out the Wi-Fi router in the condo. I’ve never done anything like this and while it is remarkably easy, I was supremely nervous since it serves as our contact with the outside world. That became necessary when the condo association upgraded the internet provider and our old router (the original one that came with the condo eight years ago) was struggling at times to handle the data flow. Since you’re reading this, that means I was successful and I’m a little amazed at how much faster the connections now take place. I even updated the passwords in all the devices, including both TVs, all my wife’s devices, and the super streamer. Again, I know this is a simple task but tell that to someone from my generation attempting it without the help of their children (my dedicated IT advisors).

The Las Lajas Pelicans are Migrating North

The New Lights

I bought the new router yesterday when my Favorite Panamanian and I snuck back to David for groceries and a movie. It was a fun day despite the oven like heat always present in my wife’s hometown. We discovered a new lunch place, called Foster’s, located in the same shopping plaza where we signed the documents for our condo those eight years ago. The burger comes in third place for Panama which isn’t bad. My mother-in-law and both of my wife’s sisters joined us for the movie which was a lot of fun. We followed the movie with dinner at nearby Terra’s which was its usual awesome. There was a very funny display in the men’s room, of all places, featuring the three worst wines which plays on the what the word “Vino” means in Spanish. In addition to meaning “wine” is can also mean “is coming”. The three wines were “Vino de Suegra”, meaning the mother-in-law is coming, “Vino la Quenta” which means the bill is coming; and No le Vino, which can mean it’s not coming (with some other more ribald possibilities). We returned to the condo around ten last night just as the Upstairs Neighbors were returning from a day spent with their visitors in the mountains around Boquete.

Lunch at Fosters

Movie Time

Dinner at Terra's

The Funny Wines

The movie we saw was Jason Staham’s (my wife’s boyfriend) latest. A Working Man is an excellent action flick with Statham’s once again playing the everyman blessed with a back story involving elite military skills. The bad guys, once again, fail to take that into account when they kidnap the daughter of a close family friend. The expected carnage follows but this is so well done and Statham is so believable in both his acting and his athleticism that it is a joy to sit through. You almost feel sorry for the bad guys as they make the mistakes leading to their eventual comeuppance and loss of body parts. David Harbour shines in a small role as a former military buddy. This is an excellent follow-up to last year’s Beekeeper and proves Statham is still at the top of his game.

I’ve included a couple of other photos which found their way into my possession. The first features Namesake Nephew’s new daughter. She’s every bit as beautiful as reported. Those glowing reports come from Great Aunt who truly relishes her new role as grandmother. I tried to warn her how much fun it would be. The second is from my Favorite Panamanian's week back in David. She hosted a bunch of her high school friends for a baseball game which was roundly enjoyed. Panamanians are dedicated baseball fans and it’s hard to beat getting to hang with high school friends. I’ve done some dedicated investigation into this activity and can confirm it without hesitation

Newest Addition to the Fam

Wife with her Buddies

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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 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

En Fuego Chapter 2

It has turned into one of the best weekends of the year so far. It all started on Friday, as weekends tend to do. The First Friday of the Week was significant as it marked the return of my Favorite Panamanian from her “Mom Week” back in David. While she missed the family Facetime call she returned in time for the Friday sunset which was marginally back up to Las Lajas standards after a grim week. She, of course, took credit for the return of the nightly light show. After the sun was adequately witnessed on its western journey, we amped up for the First Friday pizza in the village. Sunset Pizza is still closed for vacation (damn it) so we were back at Naturlamente, new home of Chow Mein the cat.

Friday Night Pizza

There was a nice addition to our usual crew as the daughter and son-in-law of the Upstairs Neighbors. Those new additions arrived after a truly epic journey across the globe, flying through Cairo, Toronto, and Panama City before arriving in David. While they had to be exhausted, they were still up for a pizza night proving their bona fides as worthy progeny of the Upstairs Neighbors. Chow Mein the cat made her usual appearance and seemed to have re-acquired her taste for pepperoni. She charmed the newly arrived son-in-law out of most of the pepperoni on his pizza.

Chow Mein in Begging Mode

As part of their visit, the Upstairs Neighbor had requested we do another beach bonfire, which we planned for Sunday. There was another huge piece of driftwood embedded in the beach near where our last conflagration took place. On Saturday I noticed that the tide, thanks to a new moon, was at its highest point since we arrived, including reaching our target. Since I knew the incursion of sea water would have a deleterious effect on any planned fire, I recommended we conduct the fire Saturday night before the next high tide.

Pool Time with New Friends

The target is a huge trunk of a palm tree that had been a resident on our stretch of beach for more than a year. For that reason, I expected it to go up as quickly as its neighbor in our earlier blaze. My Upstairs Neighbor and I had gathered a large pile of driftwood over the past week in preparation. We had to ward off a couple Panamanians who got their truck stuck in the sand nearby and saw our wood as the way to get out. They managed without it.

Saturday Sunset Crew

After the sunset ceremony and a brief break for dinner, I was back on the beach prepared to start the fire which I had prepped just before the sunset ceremony. Unfortunately I put the paper I was using to start it (yeah so what, I am no longer in the boy scouts so I had no problem cheating and using paper) in my pocket which was wet from the afternoon boogie boarding session. A quick trip to the social area bathroom provided enough paper towels to get the fire started.

Fire Prepped

It turned out to be a respectable fire which quickly claimed most of our horde of driftwood. I may have been a little energetic in feeding the fire. It’s what I do. I’ve written before about my pyromaniacal side which thankfully finds sufficient outlet in these occasional bonfires. A little while after we started, a group of Panamanians started some fireworks off just down the beach from us. We applauded the show at its conclusion and a little while later one of their group walked up to us.

The Pyro in Action

They are staying at the hotel directly behind the condo and wanted to ask a favor. Another member of their group was planning on proposing to his girlfriend and wanted to do it in front of a beach bonfire. We were more than willing to share the blaze in the interests of love. He had a small crew with him, and they started off down the beach to find more driftwood for the fire. They placed that in the fire and said they would return with the soon to be happy couple. While we waited, the Upstairs Neighbors’ visitors showed my Favorite Panamanian how to pair up her speaker with her phone and we finally had music for the fire (she had noticed we didn’t while I was blissfully unaware). Shortly after the music started, I found myself dancing in the sand with her. It’s what she does.

The Fireworks Show

New Friends Arrive

After a long wait, the soon to be engaged couple finally showed up, along with an entire troop of supporting family members. They threw some more wood on the fire and lit a couple torches, and the proposal took place. The whole group stayed around for a while and broke out some marshmallows to roast. Predictably, my Favorite Panamanian ended up being fast friends with them. They were a fun group and I eventually found myself in conversation with the newly engaged guy. He was a lawyer from David who now lives in Boquete. He turned out to be a Celtics fan and made a pilgrimage to Boston last January where he caught a game. He loved the game but had the usually Panamanian reaction to numbing cold weather. After my wife collected enough phone numbers to insure she could contact her new friends, they departed and we were left by ourselves to watch the fire descend into embers. A great night.

The Overdue Proposal

I had been suspicious of the target log all night as it didn’t seem to be burning along with the other driftwood. My fears were realized this morning when I went out for the morning boogie board session. The overnight high tide had stopped a few feet short of the site of the fire which was still smoldering. The target log had been reduced little bit but stared back at me with an unmistakable air of superiority. It had survived. I figure if it could put up that kind of fight, it deserved to be left alone; until next year, if it has the temerity to survive that long. So, a great weekend, and the best part, it hasn’t ended yet.

This Morning

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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 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

Baby Sat

For those of you Facebookers who are wondering why I haven’t posted sunset pictures for a few days, there’s a good reason. There hasn’t been one! While I’m sure the sun has in fact set below the horizon, it hasn’t been visible from our beach because of clouds. I think it’s a sure sign that the rainy season is imminent but we’ve had these type clouds occasionally since our arrival. I’m sure it has something to do with some sort of atmospheric river or El Nino, something someone a lot smarter than I am would understand. That’s not to say the stalwart sunset crew has not been on station. My Upstairs Neighbors and I gather each day at the appointed hour to monitor the situation and, oh yeah, socialize. (which is the whole point anyways)

Dinner Last Night

Rain Coming in As Seen from Living Room Window

The Upstairs Neighbors have also had the onerous task of baby sitting for me. I’m into my fourth day of geographic bachelorhood as my Favorite Panamanian is spending the week back in David. I was told she wanted to spend the time back in her hometown so she could hang out with her mom. It is somewhat disturbing then, to hear the news reports that she’s spending (the key word) a lot of time shopping with Tia Loca. The Upstairs Neighbors have taken their responsibilities seriously as they took me out to dinner last night at the Las Lajas Beach Resort (always a good time along with best cheeseburgers in Panama). He also joined me for the afternoon boogie boarding session which involved a serious workout. The waves have been humongous, with a lot of attitude, over the past week. That means getting out to the proper launching point is hard work, fighting the current.

Last Few Sunset Crews

Monday Sunset

Tuesday

Luckily, we had the pool to hang out with and rest some tired muscles. His wife snapped this picture of our “recovery” from their condo. That wasn’t the only buddy I had on the beach yesterday as, for the first time this year, a beach dog stopped by to hang out. This used to happen almost daily in past years, which makes me wonder at the fate of those dogs. This poor guy wandered in and after sniffing me out realized I was acceptable. He set up at my feet while I read and we had an ongoing conversation. When I went up for breakfast, he took off. I ran into him at the resort that evening. As my Upstairs Neighbor will tell you (since, unplanned, she walked the distance last week), that is more than 2.5 miles. The dog covered some miles and on only three good legs.

Boogie Board Recovery Operations

My Beach Buddy

While I will sheepishly admit that I sometimes look forward to some alone time away from my Favorite Panamanian, I really miss her. I also have issue with the fact that she has ruined me when it comes to cleanliness. I mean, I actually made the bed this morning! (although I didn’t put the 47 decorative pillows on she normally emplaces – I have to draw the line somewhere) I usually wait to mop the floor until just before she returns. This past weekend, during her cousin get together, someone decorating the floor with some drops of coffee. By Tuesday it was bothering me so much that I went ahead and mopped the whole floor. As stated above, ruined!

Wife Misplaced her Favorite Hat Which Can be Measured in Acres
Sent her this Photo to Prove I found it

Finally, I am ready to return home, as much as I love this beach life. My high school classmates have started up a monthly luncheon which I could not attend. I also would love to sleep without air conditioning (although I will miss the sound of the breaking waves). There is also some great news from back home that will require some celebration. (am a personal fan of all types of celebrations) Also, the Red Sox may have a finally created a winning team. They open the season today. The Upstairs Neighbor will join me for that. This baby-sitting gig is probably more than they signed up for.

Yesterday's Sunset Was a Little Better

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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 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

Serenity Settling in

In full recovery mode after a weekend filled with more than the usual ration of fun and entertainment. That is all due to my Favorite Panamanian’s incredible family. This was her annual “Cousins Weekend” where she summons as many of her female cousins along with her sisters to spend the weekend at the condo. As you might imagine, the decibel levels within the condo were elevated for the entire three days with six Panamanian ladies in residence. (remember, the loudest one gets to talk in any conversation) I tried to keep a low profile so my wife could fully enjoy the time with her cousins. Long ago, the wife of one of my cousins, after seeing my and her kids playing together, stated the simple truth, “There’s something special about cousins.” That reality was fully explored this weekend.

Wife with Last Two Cousins Before they Left This Morning

As Saturday rolled around, the ladies took up residence in the condo pool while Tia Loca resumed her role as my Boogie Board Buddy. She managed to quell her usual requirement to excavate for clams. Following the very fun sunset ceremony we gathered for a game night under the stars and lights on the beach. This is another of the traditions of the Cousins Weekend. I lay a grateful blame on Wingman for this, who has installed the worthiness and absolute fun it can be to put down cell phones long enough to enjoy various table games with friends and family.

Saturday Pool Time

Heading to the Pool

We ran the usual gamut of Left, Right, Center wherein I continued to extend my lifelong losing streak. Tia Loca won, finally, and celebrated with a lively dance on the condo lawn until her joy overtook her ability to control certain bodily functions, which had the entire table laughing along with her. We then played both Flip 7 and Uno Flip well into the night. This was another late night for the Upstairs Neighbors who joined us for the fun. Combined with Friday night’s beach bonfire and game night, he stayed up much later than usual. That can happen when you’re having that much fun.

Saturday Sunset Crew

Game Night

Upstairs Neighbor Frozen in Flip 7

Sunday was a little more sedate as the David element of the ladies prepared to depart, leaving just two Panama City based cousins in residence. We bid the David bunch off with lunch at the Las Lajas Beach Resort where our meal was overseen by a large iguana. The ladies ordered sangria which had me worried given the troubled history of my wife and her guests with that concoction. In a first we were able to end the meal without serious incident (and zero arrests) after they finished their sangria.

Ruh Roh, Sangria Comes Out

Lunch at Beach Resort

Sunday Sunset

Time management will never be a strength of my Favorite Panamanian and it was evident it was a family trait. On Saturday they lost track of time in the pool (easily done) and by the time they realized lunch prep needed to start the sun was headed west. My wife recognized the passage of time when I came out for my afternoon boogie board session, which by mutual agreement with her and my dermatologist, cannot start before 4pm. So, we had lunch at six and then ran outside to form up for the Saturday sunset. I was very pleased to see my wife so happy all weekend. That’s what being around family will do to you, especially when you’re blessed with the quality her family presents.

Son and his Gals

Back in the good ole US of A my Favorite Son’s wrist had recovered enough from surgery to escort the BRS and BR3 out for some fun this weekend as well. The BRS is sporting a new haircut, featuring bangs for the first time and she looks fabulous. I think I’m almost ready to leave the beach because the Facetime calls just aren’t doing it for me anymore. I need some granddaughter hugs as well as some time with their parents. April 17 is bearing down on us, the day we return. Meanwhile my Favorite Panamanian just left to spend the rest of this week with her mother. That’s where the titular serenity comes in.  When she was bemoaning having to leave me alone, I pointed out to the beach and assured her I would stay out of trouble. I reminded her one of the reasons we bought this place was to give her more time with her mother; something I always regret not being able to accomplish for myself.

BR3

BRS with her Bangs

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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 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