Paradise Achieved

I have been rightfully accused of intense hyperbole when it comes to describing how much fun time spent with my family and friends is. That accusation is founded in a basic truth. That being, I am singularly blessed in the family department, spanning multiple generations. Three of those generations came into play over the weekend (four if you count the dog and cats). I am however proud of the fact that the time doesn’t require embellishment, it simply is what it is – more fun than is probably legal in most 3rd world countries. I offer this past weekend as a case in point.

Saturday Deckzilla Dinner

My daughter and the FBR showed up on Friday in the early afternoon for a long planned get together. A few weeks ago, my Favorite Panamanian noticed that the Hanover Theater had a Broadway play, Mrs. Doubtfire, playing Friday night. A few hundred dollars later we had tickets. My wife, totally without scruples, took advantage of my love of live theater. Before the show though, they had time for a shopping trip to the mall. My Favorite Panamanian’s shopping gene has skipped a generation but is in full force with all our granddaughters. An expensive reality, just like last Friday. They returned from their shopping foray and the FBR was proudly displaying her acquisitions when the receipt fell onto the floor. I was able to snatch it up before they could intervene. They both looked a little nervous but whatever they paid was worth it to see how happy both of them were. Notably, the FBR insisted on buying gifts for her two cousins who would be arriving the next day.

FBR Showing off her Bargains

I, Looking at the Receipt

The Hanover Theater was fantastic. I thought I was buying tickets to front row of the balcony (at least that’s what their website was telling me) but we ended up near the back. The view was fine though, and it offered the opportunity for the FBR to dance in the aisle during some of the musical numbers. I loved the movie it was based upon but was a little skeptical it would make a good musical play. I was wrong, it was great. While Robin Williams will always own the role, the lead actor threw himself into the part. He made it his own and the actors playing the kids were particularly good, especially their singing voices. The best part was seeing how much the FBR reveled in the experience. She has been doing some after school drama classes, so this was right up her alley.

Into the Hanover

Very Excited FBR

Love the Hanover

Daughter and FBR

Very Fun Night

FBR Taking a Break from Aisle Dancing

They had arrived from New Jersey bearing the stars of the weekend, their two cats, Walnut and Pistachio. They quickly assumed control of the house as we retrieved all the toys they left here after Christmas. It was so much fun having pets in the house again and reminded me how greatly I missed it (yes, even cats). With our annual 3+ months spent in Panama, and the condo rules there about pets, we are restricted from having anything I find acceptable (no ankle biting dogs).

Pistachio and Walnut Checking Out Deckzilla

Walnut

Pistachio

My son and his bunch arrived around noon time and the FBR, BRS, and BR3 were soon charging around the house, reestablishing the expected level of chaos whenever they are together. Since we had both kids and all granddaughters in residence, we decided a Deckzilla barbecue was in order. We invited Keene Friend, because, let’s face it, he’s family. My Favorite Panamanian had me involved in the preparation phase which, for anyone that’s ever been near her during one of these times, can be frightening (son and daughter nodding as they read this). The granddaughters took a break from raiding my wife’s shoe closet to demand to be taken to a nearby playground. In a moment of weakness (which are endemic when granddaughters are involved), I agreed to take them to. My wife only grimaced in my general direction as I loaded up the car. I was truly impressed with the level of upper body strength, especially the BRS and BR3, demonstrated at the playground. I would have been hard-pressed at their age to attempt what they easily accomplished. We returned triumphant to the house to find Keene Friend and his lady had arrived and the party was in full swing.

At The Playground

With Abuela's Shoes

The Granddaughter Table

Dessert with Abuela

My daughter had driven down to Connecticut to pick up Wingman who had participated in a charity golf tournament there on Friday, so we had the whole gang in one place for the first time since the very fun February week in Panama. We had way too much food but that’s to be expected (see comment above about a certain Panamanian). It was one of those afternoons that I live for as the granddaughters flitted around and the assemblage of a leading number of my favorite people on the planet socialized on Deckzilla. As we sat down to eat, under the influence of a certain number of Coors Lites, I remarked that this time was special. Everybody at the table nodded in agreement or they could have just been coddling me.

Wife's Shoe Closet After Granddaughter Invasion

Wingman and I with BRS and BR3 Behind Us

The granddaughters had once again seized control of my Man Cave. They find it incredibly quaint that I still have a land line telephone. I think they look at is as exotic – a phone attached to the wall that doesn’t need a passcode. They launched a series of crank calls to anyone who would reveal their cellphone number to them. Wingman had us playing an updated version of Flip 7 on Deckzilla when the calls began. The ABFA was a particular target because she is so sweet and would answer, despite knowing how it was going to go. She sent us a photo today of her phone call received log, which showed 19 calls from our phone that day. So, you can see how this went. By the end of the day we were receiving calls from Joe’s Pizza who offered free pizzas, but all they delivered was a receipt from Home Depot they found on my desk in the Man Cave. It was funny to see how creative they could be and reminded me (in semi-heartbreaking fashion) of the games my kids played at the same age with Soxfather.

Deckzilla Party

Too Much Fun!

The cats were especially intrigued with the attendant arrival of Riggins with my son’s family. Riggins is now totally blind and Walnut, especially, seemed very put out that Riggins did not react to him at all. It seemed to injure his cat pride. He spent the rest of the weekend trying to get the elusive reaction. Sunday morning breakfast was a full on, chaos riddled, event and a lot of fun. The granddaughters were summoned from the crank calling long enough to take part. The BRS once again demonstrated she has become an expert at making hojaldras as well as consuming them in mass quantities.

Walnut Hanging Out with Riggins

Sadly, the New Jersey bunch had to leave while we were at church on Sunday, but my son and his family decided to stay on a little longer. The BRS and BR3 had heard about the shopping expedition of the previous Friday and demanded equal time with their abuela. They too have inherited that benighted shopping gene. Since both my son and I were in recovery protocol, we descended to the Man Cave while the ABFA accompanied the gals to the mall. It was a great afternoon as we discovered an animated sci fi series on Amazon that had us both intrigued. Secret Level is an adult animated anthology with stories set within the universes of iconic video games. I depended on my son to tell me what games they were talking about.

Sunday Morning Watermelon

The gals inevitably returned and this meant it was time for them to depart, ending one of the best weekends ever. There is no substitute for time spent with family, especially when you are gifted the way I am in that department. Oh yeah, and just to make the weekend even sweeter, the heretofore somnolent Red Sox swept a four-game series against the hated Yankees. I was savoring the weekend already but when the Sox nearly no hit the yanks and then scored three runs to walk them off in the 10^th inning, it was just too sweet. In the lost Red Sox season, at least we’ll have this weekend to look back on.

Window Shades had to be Adjusted All Weekend
So Walnut Could Properly Secure the House

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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; Upstairs Neighbors – American couple and great friends who live in condo above us in Panama; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course

WooSoxing Again and Downside Derming

As I wrote in my last post it was going to be a busy week. Last night was one of the highlights as Great Aunt as well as Keene Friend and his lady joined us for the WooSox game. It was a perfect summer evening, and the game atmosphere was very entertaining as usual. The game itself was less so. If the Red Sox are looking for a solution to their abysmal hitting, the answer is certainly not with their AAA team. Their once promising young talent Kristian Campbell struck out 4 times and supposedly reinforcement rehabbing Romy Gonzalez also struck out 4 times when he didn’t ground into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded. You may interpret this as an indication of how frustrated I am with the parent club who just finished losing two of three to the worst team in baseball. I’m guess the Sox are now vying for that title.

At The Game Last Night

Frustration aside, it was a great evening spent with these outstanding people. It helped soften the blow of the phone call I received earlier in the day. I had my semi-annual skin screen with the dermatologist who was bragging to me about the new sensor she got which could look deeper into the skin. That turned out to be just the start of the bad news. She ended up taking three biopsies, as I left the clinic looking more like the Frankenstein monster than usual. The phone call yesterday had her telling me that the one on my forehead will require Mohs surgery, while the one on my shoulder will be treated with chemotherapy cream (always a delight). The one on my wrist was cancerous so she’ll freeze that when I see her again in December. Going to the game with outstanding people was just what the doctor ordered (just not mine).

Thoroughly Biopsied

I was in the midst of assembling the newly acquired glider for Deckzilla when that call came in. In a stunning development that had me reaching for the phone to alert the Associated Press, my Favorite Panamanian actually liked the new swing. Since she was specifically excluded from choosing it, I was certain I was in for a severe case of spousal abuse and repeated “I Told You So”s. None of that happened but she did demonstrate that she had acquired a modicum of assembly expertise and, without the aid of seeing the instructions, proceeded to tell me what I was doing wrong. I’ll take the win.

Parts Awaiting Assembly

The New Glider

Finally, since the end of my A-Z watch, I’ve been grazing through my assembly of old TV shows that have been moldering on the shelves for many years as I focused on movies. For the past couple days, I’ve been switching back and forth between Monty Python’s Flying Circus and Combat! Talk about swerving. I own the complete series of both shows. I fell in love with the Python gang watching their show in college and then the awesome movies. Combat! was the show all of my friends and I watched growing up in the early 1960s. One game we all played, all summer long, was “war” where we chose up teams and spent hours stalking each other through back yards, each claiming to be Sergeant Saunders or Lieutenant Hanley. Probably how I ended up loving the military so much once I got in. All of our parents lived through and/or served in World War 2, so it was must see watching. It hasn’t aged well; you can tell Combat! was shot in California and not Europe. Very cool to see so many iconic actors in small parts and the iconic opening still makes me smile remembering the excitement of a very young version of myself as it came on the screen, so many years ago.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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; Upstairs Neighbors – American couple and great friends who live in condo above us in Panama; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course

Fathering a Glider Demise

I’m gearing up for a very busy week, at least for a retired old fart such as I am. It all started yesterday with Father’s Day. Today I graduated from physical therapy with the shoulder in much better shape than when I started but still a little balky. Tomorrow, in addition to date night, I have my semi-annual dermatology screening (keeping fingers securely crossed that no biopsies are needed). Wednesday is my first WooSox game of the year with accompanying worthies. While Thursday is suspiciously open (I’m sure it’ll get filled), my daughter and the FBR show up on Friday. We’re going to see the Broadway play Mrs. Doubtfire which is playing that night in Worcester. It all culminates with all three granddaughters in residence on Saturday with accompanying barbecue and attending nobility.

Father's Day Feast

Yesterday was kind of a subdued Father’s Day. My Favorite Panamanian, to the point of annoyance, would not let me do anything. That meant she was charging around performing a lot of the daily chores I’m usually devoted to. She’s finally able to achieve a close approximation of my cheesy scrambled eggs and bacon breakfast which culminated with gifts. We journeyed up to New Hampshire later in the day to link up with my son and his family at the ABFA’s parents house which has become our traditional Father’s Day destination. The ABFA’s parents are the perfect hosts and make everybody that walks through their door feel welcome. The BRS and BR3 are approaching that age, already achieved by the FBR, where they start to practice being teenagers. Where our arrival used to be an event, now their parents must encourage them to welcome us.

Son Opening his Gifts Under BRS/BR3 Supervision

Once they’ve overcome their need to be “cool”, they revert to being the usual very fun bunch of energy. The BRS “forced” me to eat one of the ice cream sundaes she created which was a small price to pay for how good it was (additional PT this week, for sure). The ladies prepared a truly excellent feast; the kind where getting up from the table afterwards becomes actual exercise. We retired to the sunroom for some gift giving where I was surprised with a new iWatch. My wife and children have been conspiring over the past few weeks to replace the one that died in Panama earlier this year. So, it’s back to tracking my sleep and exercise daily, something I’d missed (a little). In a major surprise, I was able to activate the watch last night without help from my IT team (children and grandchildren) even when it called for manual pairing with my iPhone.

The Dads 

It was a very fun afternoon spent with some of the finest people in existence. It has been a true joy grandparenting with the ABFA’s parents and yesterday was yet another sterling example of that fundamental truth. Returning home to Worcester was less fun. My son did a map recon on his phone and assured me that I-495 was clear. Twenty minutes later I entered that benighted roadway which more closely resembled a parking lot. I only had eleven miles to traverse on it but that eleven miles took longer than the rest of the trip combined. Still, a very good day.

Finished Another 1000-Piecer

On Saturday, the day before I was forbidden to work, my wife informed me that the Deckzilla glider required a coup de grâce. We received this as a housewarming gift from Great Aunt and Soxfather for our house in Charlton, so it had seen more than twenty years of solar radiation which finally caused to to start dissolving in front of our eyes. Last year small pieces of plastic started falling off and we accused the back yard squirrels (villains that they are) of gnawing on it. This year the falling became a cascade as Deckzilla was liberally festooned with small pieces of white plastic. My mission (which I had no option to not accept) was to reduce it to manageable size to fit in city issued rubbish bags (okay that was my idea – she just told me to remove it).

Sad State of Glider

Brute force and ignorance are my strong suits when it comes to chores, so I actually enjoyed this task since it involved destroying something without taking too much care. I made the usual donation of blood which had my Favorite Panamanian just shaking her head at my acknowledged idiocy. I thought the thing was made of plastic, but it turned out to have some underlying metal tubing. I learned that when the circular saw I was using made some interesting noises. It cut through fairly easily but that’s probably where the leg wound came from. I eventually reduced the glider to a pile of refuse and getting into the bag was the hardest part. I made some liberal use of duct tape (which every house should have) to cover the protruding pipes. I was a little nervous the resulting bag wouldn’t meet whatever standards the city rubbish collectors have but it was gone this morning when I returned from my swim, so a win.

Initial Cuts - Discovering the Metal

The Final Debris Field

Just a Flesh Wound!

I ordered a new glider that will be delivered on Wednesday (so Thursday is no longer free since it will require assembly). My Favorite Panamanian was very put out that I did not bring her into the shopping process to approve the new glider. She felt I had not made use of her talents and self-styled status as a world class shopper. I assured her she would love it (which almost guarantees she won’t, at first) but that I couldn’t bring myself to spend the two and half hours online it would have taken her to make a decision. I reminded her it was Father’s Day so she couldn’t get mad, that will have to await its Wednesday arrival.

Got it All in One Bag!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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; Upstairs Neighbors – American couple and great friends who live in condo above us in Panama; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course

Amigos

In danger of being labeled a broken record (an alliteration only someone of my generation will now understand), I am going to once again send genuine thanks to Whomever may be in charge upstairs. The reason for my gratitude, you might ask. That would be the friends I have been blessed with, through no genuine effort on my part. I was wondering when I left the Army (more than 20 years ago now!!!!) how I would adjust to returning to New England. It has been everything and more than I could have hoped for. A large percentage of the blame for that sentiment can be laid at the feet of those friends.

Classmate Luncheon

This past few days provides a sterling example. On Thursday we journeyed once more into the wilds of southwestern New Hampshire to link up with high school classmates for our monthly luncheon. A telling example of just what fine people I graduated with is the fact that my Favorite Panamanian loves these luncheons as much as I do. Most spouses would beg off, believing these are your friends, not mine. They have been so welcoming that I’m sure some are more excited to see her than me (that’s a situation I’ve come to expect in most social situations).

Cantankerous Friend's Table at the Lab

The luncheon was moved up this month so one of the classmates who recently underwent major heart surgery could attend and prove to us he was in full recovery. After lunch we made our way to Keene for an afternoon of shopping (the wife) and socializing (that would be me). Keene Friend 1 and I started out at Penuche’s, but they are digging up Marlboro Street outside which seemed to have added a significant gnat population within the bar. Before the recent renovation, this wouldn’t have been commented on, much less noticed, but there it was. Keene Friend 2 joined us just in time to walk up to Main Street and the Lab ‘n Lager. The Cantankerous Friend eventually arrived after blowing off the luncheon. That was explained by his guest. A lady friend from Arizona who he chose to ride bikes with instead. They were joined in turn by another classmate and her husband which set up a fairly lively crowd. We made the obligatory lubricated call to the PCR but it was so loud in the bar that it was hard to hear. I don’t think he minded when it was cut off short.

And Our Table

The local radio station also arrived and set up to do a Red Sox promotion in the bar which had the whole place going. Again, something I love about being back in New England, even when the Red Sox are atrocious (which they are this year) New Englanders still support them. For my generation this is nothing new, we grew up with atrocity, but these younger guys are now dealing with it with full aplomb. It was a great afternoon there before we pulled up stakes to move across the street for dinner with my Favorite Panamanian and Keene Friend’s lady friend. A great day.

At The Greek Festival
And Yes, The Mafioso is Once Again Smiling in a Photo
Who Knew that was Even Possible!!!

Back in Worcester on Friday, I was minding my own business in the Man Cave when my Favorite Panamanian returned very late from church. She had stopped off at the Neighborhood Mafioso and those two ladies decided we would attend the Greek Festival Friday afternoon. One of the great things about Worcester is the almost constant march of different ethnic festivals. Those who know me will understand just how excited I was to sample foreign cuisine but the opportunity to hang with friends overcame my culinary reticence. We were joined there by another couple who we hadn’t seen in a long time, which made the afternoon even more fun. We spent most of our time in the huge food tent. They had the US Men’s World Cup match playing on a huge screen, so that was a lot of fun. I sampled some Greek meatballs and chocolate cake so I can now officially be commended for my gastronomic adventurousness.

The Post Sangria Walk

My wife and the Mafioso decided to test the sangria being served. If you have read Frail Deeds in the past you will undoubtedly remember that my Favorite Panamanian has a very checkered history with that concoction. By the end of the game, she was even more talkative than usual (who knew that was even possible!). As we made our way out, the two ladies were offering each other moral and physical support. Another great day spent with another set of friends I am indeed blessed with.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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; Upstairs Neighbors – American couple and great friends who live in condo above us in Panama; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course

FIFA Day

It’s been a day a few years in the making. My Favorite Panamanian has been looking forward to watching her native country’s soccer team in the World Cup ever since she learned they had qualified. When we were down there earlier this year, the entire country was excited with omnipresent banners festooning nearly every business. She has taken over the Man Cave and is loudly and passionately supporting her team as they play their initial game in the tournament, while I’m writing this. I still can’t get into the game with the nearly continuous flopping going on.

Today with her New Shirt

She had hoped to gather a bunch fellow Panamanians over to watch the game together but that couldn’t happen. She had me preparing to move a television out onto Deckzilla and testing out reception earlier this week. When the hoped for congregation fell through she declared the Man Cave would be ceded to her for the night. I surprised her yesterday when a Panama spirit shirt arrived so she could be adequately attired for the game. She has been proudly wearing it around the house all day long.

Mentoring Session

My Favorite Panamanian has also acquired a new acolyte. We’ve noticed the young daughter of our next door neighbors sitting on our side lawn over the past few weeks. She’s about the same age as the FBR. They’re a nice family from Ghana. She had to use our lawn because their lawnmower broke down a few weeks ago and their grass is approaching jungle status. My wife, being incurably social, went over a couple days ago to talk with her. They have since become good friends with my wife offering gardening and sewing lessons as well as long conversations on Deckzilla. As soon as she gets home from school each day, she appears at our back door to engage with her new mentor. I’m not complaining because it keeps my Favorite Panamanian’s focus off of me for a while. Oh, and the opponent in the game she’s watching – Ghana.

Date night on Tuesday had us at the movie theater, of all places. Disclosure Day is Steven Spielberg's latest foray into visiting extraterrestrials. I was a little concerned when it started out kind of slow and confusing, but the Spielberg magic was soon in evidence. The story revolved around two humans who start demonstrating remarkable abilities as the inevitable evil corporation tries to stop them from getting together. This all takes place as the world is on the verge of an Armageddon level military disaster. Emily Blunt is always good, but she elevates for this lead role and steals the entire movie. She’s that good. Early in the movie she’s visited by a cardinal flying into her home and suddenly she can read minds and speak foreign languages. This movie serves as a very nice companion piece to Encounters of the Third Kind. Spielberg expertly knits the different story lines into a fabulous conclusion, offering hope and reflecting his belief in humanity despite copious evidence to the contrary. I loved the movie and will never look at the cardinals at my back yard bird feeder the same way.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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; Upstairs Neighbors – American couple and great friends who live in condo above us in Panama; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course

Weekend Culturale

As many of you no doubt realize, I am an ardent advocate for celebrating the First Friday of the Week, no matter when it falls. Another indication of what a fine country Panama is that they also have a saying about celebrating Fridays. Whenever I am engaged in my celebratory activities my Favorite Panamanian says I am enjoying yet another, “Viernes Culturale”, which literally means a “Cultural Friday”. That now that’s classy. I offer this cogent bit of information to report on another Viernes Cuturale that I was able to extend throughout the weekend, due to some truly outstanding friends and family.

The Friday Ladies on Deckzilla
The Mafioso With a Rare Almost Smile in a Photo

It all started on Friday when my Favorite Panamanian conspired with the Worcester Chapter of the Panamanian Mafia to have a get together. The stated reason was to make a Pesada de Nance. This is a traditional Panamanian dessert made by cooking the nance pulp with sugar and cornstarch. It has a custard-like consistency. Nance is a small yellow fruit native to Panama. I heard about this a month ago and figured I would not be involved and could count on some Man Cave time while the ladies indulged in nationalistic culinary pursuits. I was so wrong. By the time Friday rolled around, it had evolved into a full gathering, including the menfolk.

The Nance Fruit

The Pesada They Created

That meant my wife inflicted one of her weeklong house cleaning extravaganzas that I was inevitably sucked into. The attendance roster had expanded to include some Peruvians and the Czech Friends. Since the Czech Shadow is now a working gal, she could not attend. While we waited for the oppressive daytime humidity to wane, we entertained ourselves inside while the ladies went to work on the arcane nance recipe. The Neighborhood Mafioso was at my side so there was a significant amount of laughing going on. Eventually we all moved out onto Deckzilla for the remainder of our time in a semi-perfect early summer evening in the shade. We broke out the Left-Right-Center dice game where I kept my lifelong losing streak intact. It was a great evening with good friends, and I’m told the pesada de nance was excellent (it’s not as if I would ever try it).

Panamanians at Work

And Offering Their Opinion of the Photographer

Waiting out the Humidity

Deckzilla Time

Left-Right-Center Aftermath

I’ve written before about the great friends we met our trip last year to Portugal, Spain and France. We got together with them a couple times last year during trips to visit my son since they live in his area. My Favorite Panamanian (social director that she is) arranged a get together for last Saturday. I thought this would be my golden ticket to miss out on the granddaughters’ annual dance recital. We made our plans with the friends for an afternoon and dinner in Portsmouth and then I called my son about sleeping accommodation at his place. He said I was coming up anyways because that was the day of the dance recital. I excitedly explained that he had never told us about the date and thought I was home free.

Granddaughters Dance Recital

BR3 Third from R, BRS Second from R

Let me explain; I love watching the granddaughters dance but the past couple of years the recitals, outside of their performance, have been akin to the Bataan Death March. I would rather have root canal work done. To see the 2 minutes the granddaughters are on stage meant sitting through several dozen others, carefully packed into three hours of agony. You get the point. For some reason, the ladies love it, thinking all the acts are “cute”. Me, not so much. My hopes were dashed when my son (efforting a way to get himself out of trouble with the ABFA for not telling us about it) figured out there was a way for us to do both. God save me from raising offspring way too intelligent for my own good.

BR3

BRS 

The dance academy must have heard the grumbling from past year’s crowds because they seriously streamlined the event this year. With the exception of an overlong celebration of themselves, the show moved right along. We had to leave just before the end but had seen the BRS and BR3 dazzle on stage. This is the first year that BR3 seemed actually engaged in the performance while the BRS was her usual star in the making. Our early departure allowed us to beat the traffic and get to Portsmouth quickly. We parked in the huge city garage my son oversaw the construction of a few years ago. I was amazed at how much development had occurred since that time.

Cigar Bar

We linked up with our friends at Dwyer’s Pub, close to the garage. Portsmouth is a great town, with all the entertainment district within easy walking distance. It is a completely different place from when I went to college nearby, in a very good way. I agreed to the get together with the stipulation that I didn’t have to take part in the inevitable shopping. It was agreed that the ladies would shop while the guys amused themselves in the local pub scene. We started out in The Slow Burn Lounge, a cigar bar, which is a first for me. I know it must seem astounding that at my advanced age and lifelong, dedicated investigation of the pub scene, that I can achieve a first. One of the other guys was a member and while I’ve never smoked, I enjoyed the atmosphere and the conversation. It also had the nicest pub bathroom I’ve ever seen, including a table lamp and couch, but I digress.

Very Fun Table at The Library

After my friend finished his cigar, we wandered around central Portsmouth for a while until we landed at a bar much more in my wheelhouse, the Rusty Hammer. We caught the end to the Red Sox game there (a rare win) and eventually the ladies joined us.  We then had a short walk down the street to The Library Restaurant. We had eaten there before and what’s not to like, an upscale restaurant with overstocked bookshelves lining the place. We enjoyed the conversation and laughter as we got to know our friends better. Meeting them was one of the true highlights of that European tour. In what turned out to be a theme for the day I ran into another strange restroom there. There was an antique barber’s chair dominating the room. They would have been better off spending the money on an additional urinal but that’s just an opinion (from the guy dancing in line waiting his turn).

Abuela with her Star  Hojaldra Student

This evening was a lesson I learned early in life and it’s nice to see it validated as I move into a more auspicious accumulation of years. That being that time sitting around a table with friends is always a serious win for the soul. I owe a lot to my social director, the Favorite Panamanian, for putting this together. We ended up back at my son’s home around 10pm, thoroughly gassed, but in a very good way. We ran into one of the couples the next day in church and enjoyed spending some more time with them after mass.

Abuela Showing the BRS and BR3 the FBR's Latest Play

The highlight of any weekend involving granddaughters will be the time we get to spend with them and their parents which we accomplished on Sunday. They were their usual busy selves. The BRS cemented her reputation as an expert maker of hojaldras, when her abuela was late in arising. That abuela was very proud of her best pupil. Their next-door neighbor was having a high school graduation party which the granddaughters excitedly attended. My son, after an allergy inducing lawn mowing session, settled down with my expert assistance (honed endlessly in the Man Cave) for electronic entertainment. My wife (his mother) thought we were entirely too sedentary. We both agreed she was in error as we flipped between World Cup games and other offerings. I fell victim to my granddaughters’ latest pranks. They noticed me working at removing what I thought was a huge hunk of bubble gum from the bottom of my shoe. They gasped and admitted that I had sprung what they called their “glue trap”. They had set it out to catch anyone evil trying to enter their house (they may be watching too much TV). Their parents were not impressed with their ingenuity.

Son and I in Vegetative State

While Granddaughters Enjoy Graduation Pool Party

My son put me onto a new cable series which is hilarious. Widow’s Bay is a horror comedy which, I guess, is a thing. It was so much fun watching it with my son as we share similar senses of humor and we were both bursting out is laughter repeatedly to the consternation of my nearby Favorite Panamanian. She thinks the horror genre is akin to devil worship. The show is about an isolated island in Maine that is seriously haunted despite an unbelieving mayor who is the butt of so many jokes and hauntings. If you get a chance, check this out, I am binge watching it at home now so I can compare notes with my son this coming weekend.

In the much more mundane department, now that I’ve concluded the A-Z watch, I’ve turned my attention to the stack of jigsaw puzzles that have built up during that effort. On Wednesday I started the first 1000-piece puzzle in a while and by Friday had knocked it off, rediscovering how much time consumption it provides. It’s not that I have a lot of that to donate, but with the horrific Red Sox season it’s nice to have something to do other than burn with resentment of what they have become, a punchless shadow of what they used to be. Oh well, at least this is what I was used to growing up, it’ll be good to build up some more callouses on the soul. At least the Tartan Army that descended on Boston to support Scotland in the World Cup has provided some distraction. They are so fun to watch.

The Puzzle

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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; Upstairs Neighbors – American couple and great friends who live in condo above us in Panama; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course