Rally Point

The visit from my buddies back home continues apace with Keene Friend 1 finally feeling well enough to accompany us on a trip to the mountains yesterday. He’s battling a persistent bug that has defied my Favorite Panamanian’s arduous nursing efforts. That included that ghastly green concoction he downed on Thursday. Before we left, the guys got to witness an annual rite of “spring” here which is the trimming of the beach palm trees and harvesting their coconuts. We were all impressed with this little guy who scaled the trees and then settled into the palm fronds to trim with his mini machete and then lower coconuts to the rest of his team.

The Gang Over Boquete

The Palm Tree Guy Up in the Fronds

Then Lowering Coconuts

The Cantankerous Friend and Keene Friend 2 have made the most of their beach days, with both acquiring impressive boogie boarding skills. They now realize you have to work for the rides as pushing through the surf to get to the launching point is a true workout. That probably explains the accompanying nap time photos. We ended Thursday evening out on the beach for one of our signature beach events – a bonfire. This allowed me to express my pyromaniacal side once again.

Sleeping Beauties

Keene Friend 2 in the Pool

Bonfire Prepped

The Upstairs Neighbors and I identified an offending huge stump that washed up a few weeks ago as our next victim. It was made of some really dense wood which a local had driven on to the beach to salvage, leaving only the huge root and a few smaller limbs. My friends joined me to assemble a large pile of driftwood to build the fire with. Our recently arrived Canadian friends from down the beach also joined us and the Upstairs Neighbors for the conflagration. It was pretty evident, early on, that the root ball wasn’t going to burn but we had a lot of fun trying to encourage it. I went down to inspect late yesterday, it was still smoldering, and we had burned a hole through the root. Next week’s fire will hopefully finish it off.

We Have Ignition!

Bonfire Spectator Gallery

Getting my Pyro On

We went with our standard Boquete visit on Friday and were so pleased Keene Friend 1 felt up to joining us. He particularly liked the cooler temperatures. We went from 95 degrees on the coast down to 72 in the mountains. We made the obligatory stop at the museum overlooking the valley in which Boquete rests but the coatimundis didn’t come out to play this time. We cruised through the coffee plantations to see the basalt cliffs and then the waterfall. Along the way Keene Friend 2 engaged with a street vendor to secure some donuts and some banana cake for my Favorite Panamanian.

Visitors Above Boquete

Keene Friend 2 Shopping for Donuts

Keene Friend 1 and Cantankerous at Basalt Cliffs

Waterfall Gang

A Better View

She had not accompanied us, opting for a day of rest after her strenuous health care responsibilities. We lunched at our favorite Boquete eatery and then I exposed my friends to the pervasive joy of gelato. After some souvenir shopping, we hit the road back to Las Lajas. We were about halfway back when I realized, with the daylight savings time change back in the States, I had very little time to make it back in time for the First Friday Family Facetime call. I may have fractured a few traffic laws after that, including passing a couple cars on the dirt road as we neared the condo. Keene Friend 2 may never voluntarily ride with me again.

Boquete Lunch

And Gelato!!!

The Burned Stump Remnants

We were treated to another fabulous Las Lajas sunset, the last with the Upstairs Neighbor’s visiting sister.  This was followed by assembling at Sunset Pizza for the First Friday of the Week pizza extravaganza. The owner, who usually takes care of us, was away on vacation and she was missed. The pizza was its usual fabulous but the service was the worst we’d ever experienced there. We re-discovered that my Favorite Panamanian is not a fan of typical New England humor where you pick on someone who makes a mistake. The Upstairs Neighbor’s sister rescued us by asking her about a Catholic saint. It was a very fun night that culminated with yet another serving of gelato.

Friday Sunset Crew

Sunset Pizza!

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

KHS ’73 is in the House!

One of the highlights of our time in Panama occurred earlier this week with the arrival of Keene Friends 1 and 2 as well as the Cantankerous Friend. This amounts to a serious effort at creating a quorum for the unmatched Class of Keene High 1973. They had the typically arduous day-long travel experience to reach David and Keene Friend 1 is still dealing with the impact of that. We met them at the airport and quickly adjourned to our go to option, El Fogon. My Favorite Panamanian’s family had planned to join us but with Keene Friend 1’s persistent cough we decided not to expose my mother-in-law to the potential cold.

(from the left) Cantankerous, Myself, Keene Friend 1 and 2 at the Airport

It was fun gathered around the table at El Fogon welcoming these longest tenured of my friends. My favorite waiter, Everardo, who usually takes Tuesday off once on duty for our table, obviously informed of the auspicious nature of these guests. After a quick supermarket stop, we made our way through the dark to Las Lajas. I’m not sure what any of them will remember from that drive because they were all exhausted, 20+ hours of travel will do that to you. Upon arrival we quickly adjourned for the rest needed.

Greeting the Weary Travelers

With two in the guest bedroom, Keene Friend 1 slept on a couple mattresses in the living room with all the curtains drawn. When I came out Wednesday morning, he was stirring so I asked him if he was ready for the reveal. He looked quizzical until I pulled the curtains back to reveal Playa Las Lajas in all its morning glory. Keene Friend 2 was also amazed when he emerged from the bedroom. It is a stunning view, when first seen (still stunning for me after almost ten years). The Cantankerous One has been here before so it wasn’t new for him.

Wife Modeling Traditional Panamanian Garb on our Beach

Wednesday was a beach day where I introduced Keene Friend 2 and the Cantankerous Friend to the joys of boogie boarding. Las Lajas cooperated with fantastic waves. Keene Friend 2 quickly got the hang of boogie boarding, especially after I told him to put the slippery side of the board on the water side. Keene Friend 1 continued to recover with the stern and very strict nursing of my Favorite Panamanian. We ended the day, as required, with a sunset social hour on the beach with a typical stupendous color showcase. Keene Friend 2 was able to share the experience with his wife back home. I believe she was suitably impressed.

El Fogon Welcome

We were planning a day trip to the mountains today but postponed that until tomorrow to give Keene Friend 1 additional time to recover. The other two guests feigned frustration for having to spend another day on the beach. For lunch we journeyed down the beach to Plinio’s. Keene Friend 1 was feeling better after being administered a green vegetable smoothie by his nurse. He admitted it was probably the worst tasting thing he had ever partaken of, but he proudly pointed out that he had downed the entire concoction. I am humbled by the valor involved in that act.

Boys are in the House!

Wednesday Dinner at Show Pony

Sunset Social Crew

Plinio’s is also the site of where we used to stay over the years when we came to Las Lajas before the condo was built, so a lot of memories (and great dogs). It is also on the verge of achieving designation as a world heritage site as one of the very few places on earth where we have verified testimony that Keene Friend 1 actually danced. It happened in 2008 and he didn’t seem overly impressed that I remembered. It’s so much fun having these lifelong friends on board.

Historical Site where Keene Freind Danced

Lunch at Plinio's

One Very Happy Camper

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

Day of Birth Observing

My geographic bachelorhood was significantly energized by, predictability, the Upstairs Neighbors. After a lively series of FaceTime calls with first my soon to be visiting buddies and then the First Friday Family call we convened on the beach for a typically superb sunset social hour. Since I was without transportation, the Upstairs Neighbors provided a ride to Sunset Pizza for the weekly immersion in what is definitively the best pizza in Panama. The Sunset Pizza owner learned that today was the Upstairs Neighbor’s birthday so he was treated to a special dessert, even before the signature Sunset Pizza gelato.

Birthday Boy with his Sunset Pizza Treat

The gelato marked a special moment. The usual gelato serving guy, a very quiet young Panamanian, knows how much I covet the Oreo flavored gelato. He saw me come in for pizza and as the Oreo flavor was almost gone, he secreted it. The host told me that I had a treat waiting for me and revealed that, unasked, the gelato guy had saved me a serving of the Oreo. This was so cool and I profusely thanked the guy when he sheepishly provided the hidden gelato. So, my Friday reputation finally resulted in a positive outcome.

Friday Sunset Crew

And the Sunset

Pizza Time!

Saturday was the day of the Upstairs Neighbor’s actual birthday and, as luck would have it, also included a scheduled beach event. I wrote last year about Johnny Fiesta’s, a hole in the wall type bar down the beach that hosted a memorable expat gathering last year where my Favorite Panamanian’s church boyfriend was disabused of hopes in that arena. Unfortunately, upon our return this year, we learned Johnny Fiesta’s had closed with manager returning to California.

Singer at Coco Loco

Our Fun Table

Earlier this week we received an invitation to come to Coco Loco which was the new name of the same location, now being managed by a German expat. That invitation announced an expat (and friend) as going to be singing at Coco Loco. We arrived this afternoon to find the bar had been moved to another location within the establishment and the place was much cleaner than pervious experiences. The new bar location allowed the beach breeze to flow through making it much more comfortable. Since we had a birthday boy in our group, I didn’t allow him to buy a single beer. In a major departure from usual circumstances, he made a gallant effort to stay with me beer for beer.

With his Woody

The Coco Loco Crowd

After the third iteration of this, he passed the car keys to his wife. Although I snuck a couple extra beers in, he made valiant attempt to keep up with me. It was a very fun afternoon listening to the music and reconnecting with the gathering group of expats. They mostly came from the other end of the beach where the bar was located and were significantly Canadian. Given that, Americans weren’t highly esteemed but we rangered on. The singer proclaimed there would be a trivia contest later where the winner had to name the movie that the song he sung came from. The Upstairs Neighbors, aware of my movie addiction, immediately enlisted me as their designated ringer. The song came up and I recognized it as coming from Toy Story but in a major surprise, that turned out to be one of the three movies the birthday boy had seen in the last twenty years, so he had the answer and was declared the winner. He won a Woody doll which led to lovely crowd to kid him about being gifted a “woody” for his birthday. You have to be our age to understand just how funny that was.

Our Designated Driver Getting us Home After Coco Loco

So, while the absence of my Favorite Panamanian has dimmed my lights to a certain extent, the Upstairs Neighbors and a bunch of Canadians have done their best to fill the void. I was impressed with Coco Loco and decided while there that it would be a perfect stop in a Las Lajas pub crawl. In a bit of fateful timing, I have veteran pub crawlers arriving on Tuesday and have worked up a tentative itinerary for the first ever Las Lajas pub crawl while they are here. I really shouldn’t be left to my own devices like this.

Today's Sunset

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