Recon Report and Maine Escape

I was left to my own devices this weekend as my Favorite Panamanian attended a Musquetera birthday reunion in Northern Maine. Naturally that led to a thunder run north to my hometown for me. In my defense, I had a semi-sacred duty to perform. In a little over a month, I will take part in my annual birthday pub crawl and there was an absolute need to assess the ever changing downtown pub scene in Keene. That’s my story at least. The wife doesn’t buy it either but, as I said, she was in Northen Maine, trying, unsuccessfully to assigning me household chores to limit the damage. As the pub crawl has grown in attendance over the past few years due to the enthusiastic support of KHS Class of ’73, it’s important that I make the recon to warn the pub staff of the impending senior citizen onslaught.

Recon Stop 4, Kilkenny's
With Keene Friend and his Lady

I linked up with my crawl coordinator, Keene Friend, at his house where we first confirmed the pre-crawl meal site, 5 Guys (It’s got to be done). We then started at the Owl’s Nest, the former Penuche’s. The owner was the only other person in the place but seemed happy about their assumption, once again, as the prestigious start and initial assembly point for the crawl. We then ambled down to Main Street, ensuring enroute that both my kids were once again advised of the location where I attended kindergarten. We passed through the venerable Lab ‘n Lager, a mainstay of most thunder runs.

Obligatory Kindergarten Pic for my Kids

Our next stop was a new addition, the former Modestman which has re-opened as the Black Cloud Brewery. If a pub needs to be dropped, this will be my first choice. It’s a craft brewery which is the first strike against it, but the service was also poor. They only had one bartender even though it was fairly busy. The line stretched back to the door at times. We got to talk with the bartender who wasn’t a happy camper. She said she had married into the business and her husband was on a business trip to Germany which meant she unhappily had bartender duty. Hopefully more motivated staff will be on hand in November.

Some Funny Bathroom Signs on the Crawl

We moved out the back door to old standby, Kilkenny’s, the designated dive bar of the crawl. I love the atmosphere there and we were greeted by two friendly dogs as we entered, talk about a win! Keene Friend’s lady joined us there during a break from her security guard duties across Main Street. We continued to the Perch where she scored some needed sustenance before returning to securing the next performance of Fraggle Rock (I am not making that up). We eased around the corner to Madame Sherri’s, Keene’s LBGTQ bar which joined the crawl last year and distinguished itself. We spoke with the owner there who also informed us the Platz, a long-delayed beer garden on Court Street, had finally opened (Pub Crawl Stop #8 added!). We had a great time at Madame Sherri’s although I missed the legendary beer towers and the overwhelming sports coverage of the former occupant of that space, Scores.

Kindergarten Friend Joins Us

We achieved a significant win at our next stop, the Pour House, with the arrival of Kindergarten Friend, he of celebrated knowledge of Keene pub scene. The Pour House has expanded since our last foray there. They also had table service for the first time which directly addressed the biggest issue with this stop, getting beers when a big crowd is at the bar. The Pour House is officially relinquishing its title as the final stop for the crawl because of what we learned after leaving there and walking the short distance up Court Street to the former Methodist Church, now re-christened (😊) as the Platz Beer Garden.

The Platz

We were greeted as we entered by a guy we assumed was the owner and he gave us a quick tour. It was a great scene with a long bar and lots of tables, not to mention, free popcorn. They don’t accept cash or tips. The owner proudly stated he pays a living wage to all employees. It was a little weird because it still had the trappings of a church. I think my father’s parents were Methodists which meant this was their former church. The place has a great atmosphere and there were lots of families there, and did I mention, free popcorn!!!! So, the crawl, as of right now, has 8 stops which is ambitious but, nothing ventured, nothing gained. My thanks to the stalwart crew who assisted in this important task.

The Crew Inside the Platz

Another Funny Sign
I Think it Dates Back to Methodist Days

One of Those Household Chores
Sealing the Kitchen Counters

I returned home early this morning after breakfasting with Keene Friend. I had to return to accomplish a couple of those household chores I earlier claimed to have avoided. I figured a returning Favorite Panamanian would be more favorably inclined as to my excesses if she was greeted by these developments. We’ll have to see. She and the Virginia Musquetera had traveled to Northern Maine where friends of the Maine Musquetera had rented a large lakeside home to celebrate the 70th birthday of the Maine Musquetera. In the sketchy details I’ve received so far, they acquitted themselves with pride and honored the birthday girl as she so richly deserved. I’m interested in how my Favorite Panamanian will be since I’m sure her conversations with her two sisters (from another mother) continued into the early morning hours of each night she was up there.

The Birthday Girl's Special Shirt

Maine Musquetera with my Wife

And the Virginia Musquetera

The Three Musqueteras Together Again!

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

This Just In

I couldn’t count on my usual leisurely “work week” after the hectic weekend chasing granddaughters around. One, I don’t work anymore and Two we had a lot going on for the first couple days of the week. Two canceled out One and I find myself here on Wednesday finally snatching a breath because my Favorite Panamanian and the Virginia Musquetera are out somewhere, doing something. Yeah, I know, shopping. How, you may ask, did the Virginia Musquetera come to be part of the equation. That is explained in the recounting of the chaotic Monday and Tuesday.

Wife in the New Ride

On Monday we took delivery of the new Grand Highlander to replace the old Highlander. It’s bigger but has a lot of the same controls we liked in the old one. However, technology has taken a major leap forward in the past six years. The best part of the that advance is they finally figured out a way to make it easy enough for even someone from my generation to use if not fully understand. There are cameras on all sides which allow a three-D picture while backing up (our son should be happy about that whenever he parks in our driveway). I was able to program my Favorite Panamanian’s phone into the new car and everything else is wireless. It’s kind of cool. The only issue in the additional eight inches in length which means we’ll probably have to switch sides in the garage between my GR86 and the new behemoth. I know. Huge problem.

The Musqueteras Together Again

We used the new car for its first long ride on Tuesday to drive into Boston to pick up the Virginia Musquetera. She flew into Logan and that drive had to be the absolute easiest to and from Boston I’ve ever undertaken. I know I’m jinxing myself for the future, but we made the trip back in under forty-five minutes. There’s a brand new exit from the Mass Pike onto I-495 that was awesome. Anyone who’s ever had to wend their way through the old labyrinth will understand my elation. The Musqueteras are assembling this weekend up north to celebrate the birthday of the Maine Musquetera. This has been months in the planning and our freezer is fully stocked with a couple meals that will also make the trip.

The ladies are renting a large lakeside home somewhere in Maine and making a weekend of it. I’m thinking there will be very late night conversations going on. When this first came up my Fav Favorite Panamanian said it was mostly gals and I was free to plan my own weekend, which I did in world record time (November Hometown Birthday Pub Crawl Recon!). Later in their planning efforts, some husbands are now attending but I held my ground by saying I couldn’t possibly forego the recon. It’s not as if they would even notice if I was there. The Musqueteras are a world into themselves on the rare occasions all three are together. I’m happy for them and this is the perfect birthday gift for the Maine Musquetera.

The Musquetera joined us for Date Night as we saw the movie Digger. I know this isn’t getting a lot of love at the box office but I enjoyed this. It certainly marks a departure for Tom Cruise as he plays the title character with an abundance of old man makeup. Therefore, there were none of his usual frantic signature sprinting moves. The story revolves around a global catastrophe engineered by Digger’s oil company and the political shenanigans resulting. There’s a major shift in the story after a few scenes which explains the undertone settings employed. Something unexpected in an Iñárritu directed film. The satire is heavy handed but there’s comedy gold infused throughout in the chaos. Cruise is awesome as the unapologetic megalomaniac, this is his best comedic role in years. It’s easy to forget that Ethan Hunt is also a great actor despite all her personal foibles.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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 Optimization

I have become justifiably proud of my retirement weekends which, given that they are indistinguishable (in terms of responsibilities) from any other day of the week. You just got to love retirement, where every day is a Saturday. The only problem with this equation is how much faster those days go by. That being said, sometimes we have to adjust to actual weekends since some of the people we socialize with are still working stiffs. It’s nice to see that neither my Favorite Panamanian nor I haven’t forgotten how to properly celebrate weekends.

Saturday Lunch with BRS and BR3

Standardization of weekend celebrations begin with a healthy respect in recognizing the First Friday of the Week. For the second week in a row, I was able to mark that auspicious date by gathering with my former co-workers as I attempt to restart their lagging recognitions of Fridays. My departure from the scene seems to have had an impact in that area. Go figure. Anyways, we shifted our celebration away from the nasty Park Avenue traffic to gather in a former garage on Shrewsbury Street. It was a cool bar with the garage doors fully open given the unseasonably hot weather (New England weather paradigm kicking in). Apparently, the gospel of Frist Friday is not kicking in with new employees yet but the stalwart four that did assemble did the day proud.

First Friday Observation

With the weekend kicked off in genuine fashion, Saturday called for a road trip up to New Hampshire. It’s been exactly one year since we traveled to Portugal/Spain/France and met some new friends from my son’s church, which sponsored the trip. We’ve hung out with them several times since then and Sunday was the next one up. When we called my son a couple weeks ago to arrange a crash pad for the weekend, he laughed. He was just about to call us to see if we could babysit for the BRS and BR3 since he and the ABFA were headed for a surprise birthday party in Nashville, TN. While that was a great opportunity, we had already cemented the plans with our friends so we agreed to share babysitting duty with the ABFA’s parents who are also a lot of fun to hang out with.

Rare Calm Moment at the Soccer Gam with Wife and BR3

With the first weekend in a while with good (check that – fantastic) weather, a lot of people were on the road heading north along with us. Our good friend Waze redirected us through an alternate route to avoid my hated nemesis, I-495. Our later arrival meant we had to meet our co-grandparents at the BRS’ Saturday soccer game. A truly fabulous day produced a big crowd, but we quickly linked up with the ABFA’s parents. While the BRS was on the field, I found BR3 working on her upper body strength (freakishly strong granddaughters continue) at a nearby playground. As soon as I received the obligatory granddaughter hug she set off to ambush her abuela, a recurring theme with these two.

Wife was Equipped with a Lighted Headband During Cleaning Exercise

After the game we treated the granddaughters to lunch while the ABFA’s parents got a break, having been on duty since the previous day. After lunch we returned home where the granddaughters set about entertaining us. Somehow, and I’m still trying to figure how this happened, my Favorite Panamanian and the two granddaughters assembled in the girls’ playroom and decided to establish order where it was definitely lacking as a surprise for their parents. The BRS was a more than willing participant while BR3 had to be constantly reminded to contribute. I assisted by assuming couch potato position to watch college football. C’mon, someone’s gotta do it. The girls were great and I was touched that they wanted to do this to help out their parents and since they were the dedicated authors of the disarray in the first place, justice.

BR3 Being Typically Serious

In case you were worried I wasn’t getting the full granddaughter experience, don’t. The FBR went through a phase where she saw me lounging on a couch as a bona fide target. The BRS is going through the same phase and decided I needed more exercise. She and BR3 would sit next to me and claim there was no way I could catch them. I was then required to reach over and grab either their leg or hand which would set off a cacophony of noise as they tried to effect an escape, usually calling upon their sister to aid them. They thought it was a high adventure and provided their grandfather with a bit of a workout. They therefore performed their usual role of energy vampires as they got stronger in direct proportion as I lost same. My Favorite Panamanian perfumed another miracle by distracting them long enough to herd them in for showers. They emerged wearing their new towel caps and were beyond cute, although I also suffered the usual pangs of thinking they are growing up too fast. BR3 set up behind a non-working computer and played at being a working lady. Her work outfit included the towel, headphones, and a pair of goggles. It made sense to her.

Beyond Cute

Sunday morning saw the usual riotous breakfast experience, with the requisite hojaldras and corn muffins. We were scheduled to meet our friends at the 11 o’clock mass but my wife wanted to accompany the BRS to her 11 o’clock Spanish lesson because the teacher is a fellow Panamanian. She was thwarted as the teacher was late and we had to leave. As we were pulling away, she muttered about a typical Panamanian being late to her own class. I wisely kept my mouth shut at this point as I don’t believe she was seeking my honest opinion on the subject.

The Outfit

We linked up with our friends after mass and convoyed to Newmarket where we had reservations for lunch at the Riverworks Tavern. I hadn’t been to Newmarket since 2007 when the Cantankerous Friend allowed us to stay at his first post-retirement home which was across the street from the tavern. Newmarket is close to Durham where I, my son, and the ABFA had all gone to college so there were some attendant memories. Newmarket seems to have re-invented itself and could almost be classified as upscale which is a definite departure from my undergraduate days. Lunch was so much fun as we validated the friendship we forged across the ocean a year ago. We relived the memories including discovering the worst Irish Pub in the world, in Lourdes, France.

Great Friends at Sunday Lunch

It was a great afternoon with non-stop conversation and constant laughter. At some point an idea was broached about an upcoming concert in Bethlehem, NH which we committed to attending. I probably should have looked at a map ahead of time, not realizing how far north it is, but I love going to places I’ve never been before and this certainly qualifies. I’ve discovered one of the traps of getting old is being too tied to and being overly comfortable at just staying at home (I put part of that blame on my Man Cave). Having opportunities like this past weekend and the many similar ones associated with my hometown are the best medicine for that affliction and, of course, being parried to who I am is also a boon.

Son and ABFA (r) in Nashville with Friends

We returned after lunch to find the Patriots winning an exciting game as we waited for my son and the ABFA to return from their trip. They arrived to an appropriate welcome from their kids and Riggins. My Favorite Panamanian had prepared the requested meal of “albondigas” (one of my favorite words in Spanish). They recounted their adventures in music city and I got to sit on the couch with my son catching up on just about everything. A great weekend prepping me for future adventures and a really busy October/November. This coming weekend involves the reconnaissance operation for the November pub crawl! Psyched!!!

Albondigas with Some of Best People in the World

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

Obit

I have specifically refrained from writing about the Red Sox this year because, as with any self-respecting baseball fan, I am extremely superstitious. At first, I didn’t say anything because I was mired in depression as they started the year out as disastrously as possible. This led to the early season replacement of the manager, and I thought the year was a write off. That feeling continued into June as they continued to underachieve. They simply couldn’t hit, especially if someone was on base.

My Error in Flags

That all changed in June when they caught fire, sweeping the Yankees in a memorable Fenway series. Young guys filling in for oft injured veterans came through in the clutch and seemed to be having a lot of fun. The pitching was great all year long as well as the defense which improved drastically from prior years. They were comfortably qualified for the playoffs coming into September, then, they reverted to their early season personae. As a completely biased observer, this change seemed to coincide with her return of veteran shortstop Trevor Story. He was hitting, at times, but the juice seemed to be out of the vibe surrounding the team as they limped towards the post season.

They were set to match up with the Yankees, and I was cautiously optimistic as I held out hope they would rediscover their mojo. Alas, it was not to be as the Yankees laid an epic beat down on them. At least we’ll always have 2004!!! 😊 So, it’s over and I can now belabor you with my misconceptions and wild theories about the 2026 Red Sox. The future is looking better with some bona fide stars in the mix coming up from the minors. That includes the heir apparent for Story. They can’t go another year with that anchor in their lineup. Their supposedly best player, Roman Anthony, has to prove he can stay healthy and they can hopefully add an impact bat over the winter.

I spoke earlier about superstitiousness and baseball fans. I have a Red Sox flag that I only fly on the days after they win. In a bout of whimsy and an effort to show my support I flew that flag all this week, despite their losses in the final regular season game and the entire Yankees series. I’m now thinking I may be responsible for their losses because of that. Like I said, superstitious. Feel bad for Soxfather who I know was suffering along with us looking in from above.

Get Better

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

Downsizing

It’s been a very busy week on several fronts. The major effort has been downsizing the contents of our basement storage area. I’ve written before about one of the major differences between our lives in the military versus civilian life is the accumulation of junk. In the military we would be moving every couple years which led to the jettison of stuff that we really didn’t need or want. That discipline resulted from the requirement to unpack everything and the sometimes sparse storage areas available. That all went out the window upon becoming a civilian. People have a tendency, at least we do, to expand our possessions to fill whatever space we occupy. Our first ten years, postmilitary, was spent in a very large house with a huge basement storage area. We expanded and it was full when it came to move.

Keene Friend and I, A "Few" Years Ago

Now, in our second and hopefully last house after that first one, we have another large basement. Fortunately, half of that basement is dedicated to my Man Cave (reason I wanted to buy the house). The remaining half is devoted to mechanical systems, storage, and my exercise bike. Since my Favorite Panamanian possesses one of the Western Hemisphere’s premiere collection of Christmas decorations, half of that space is consumed. That left a quarter of the basement available for storing everything else we have “pack ratted” as civilians. We were crowded there but surviving until my Man Cave bathroom was greenlit. That meant we had to shift the massive toy cache the granddaughters maintain in the new bathroom’s location.

Area we Have To Clear

That remaining quarter of the basement had to take the brunt of this shift. Yesterday, one of the queen sized mattresses (had hoped for both) and box spring we donated to a local charity were picked up. This morning I lugged a couple hundred pounds of clothes we are donating out to the curb, 8 bags worth.  This afternoon, I made a trip to the Worcester rubbish collection point where I had made an appointment for a bulk drop off. The bulk consisted of two huge bed sets that dominated that lonely quarter of the basement. That included the first bed my wife and I bought after getting married, so it was older than 40 years and had made all of the household moves we made since then. I felt a little guilty throwing it away, but it was time. I’m glad my Favorite Panamanian wasn’t around when I compacted the old bed into a size that would fit in the car.

The Drop Off Today

Going through today brought back some memories of my early childhood. That was the weekly trip to the “dump”. Each Saturday my dad would load up the family station wagon with the week’s worth of rubbish and then we would travel (still remember the pungent smell in the car during summer months) to the dump. My dad would back the car up to edge of the deep landfill pit and I had a great time throwing things as far as I could into it. Strange, that remains such a profound memory of time I spent with my dad. As I backed up my car today, those memories re-surfaced. It smelled a lot better today. As I throwing the beds away I found some photos had accidently been wedged inside. The PCR’s wife had taken them back in 2008 (I think) for one of my KHS ’73 class reunions. The photo above shows a much younger Keene Friend and I.

Finished Another Puzzle

Earlier this week, on date night, we saw the Heart of the Beast. This is a great movie honoring the unsung heroes of military working dogs. Brad Pitt plays a retired special forces soldier who adopted Odin, with whom he served multiple combat tours. They are both dealing with PTSD as they seek peace in the remote Alaskan wilderness. A plane crash forces them to make a nearly impossible 58 mile trek though that wilderness dealing with grizzly bears and wolves in addition to the stark wilderness. There are only two other actors in the entire movie but it works because Pitt is so authentic and the dog steals every scene (as expected).  It’s one of those movies where you can’t help feeling for the characters as they make their impossible journey. I really loved the ending which didn’t involve a Hollywood cop out. A great movie I recommend heartily.

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

Storming Heights

As I sit here typing Sunday night, the rain continues to beat against the nearby window. For once the New England weathermen seems to have gotten it right. They’ve been wringing their collective hands all week leading up to Friday about a serious Nor’easter scheduled to hit us from Friday through Monday. I’ve developed a healthy disdain whenever they wax this eloquently about how serious a storm is, a symptom of what afflicts all TV news coverage, the more serious we make it sound, the more people will watch. This storm however met their dire predictions, starting to dump significant rain Friday night and embellishing it with some serious winds on Saturday.

I Love it When the Front Hall Looks Like This
It Means we have Family in Residence

Why am I talking about a large meteorological events, you might rightly ask. The answer lies in my two kids and the bone-deep pride I have in them. They both drove through the teeth of the storm to be with us this weekend. Tomorrow is my daughter’s birthday and to celebrate she and the FBR were attending an Olivia Rodrigo concert in Hartford. They correctly surmised that Worcester is much closer to Hartford than New Jersey and decided to spend the weekend with us. This provided us with the opportunity to celebrate the aforementioned birthday as well, so we summoned my son and his brood for a Saturday celebration before the birthday girl left for the concert.

Fabulous Birthday Dinner

Granddaughters Escorting the Birthday Cake

My daughter planned on leaving New Jersey around noontime but the FBR insisted they depart later because her 5^th grade class was conducting a scavenger hunt which she was loath to miss. They rolled into town late Friday night, having braved the storm’s fury. They also brought the renowned feline pair, Walnut and Pistachio. They quickly set about claiming the house as their own. My son drove down Saturday morning as the storm moved into his environs. BR3 proudly reported she had scored a goal that morning in her soccer game and then got very wet as the storm arrived. Riggins also accompanied them which had the cats in a bit of a snit until they re-learned that, being blind, he wasn’t much of a threat. We had to protect Riggins from Walnut rather than vice versa.

Candles Extinguished

Birthday Girl and FBR

My Favorite Panamanian had been planning a special birthday dinner for my daughter for Saturday afternoon. Keene Friend, as an honorary member of the family, joined us. Great Aunt wanted to, but the storm was especially nasty in Rhode Island so she had to beg off. We still had a great meal, accompanied by smoke alarms as my wife tried a new steak recipe that called for a lot of smoke (that was her story at least). The steaks were amazing, redeeming all the noise emitted in their creation. My wife had also spent her usual late nights creating a special cake for our daughter. She made it appropriately cat themed and I contributed by ordering some cat figures (matching my daughter’s two) from Amazon. It was very cool that the black cat figurine featured a tongue sticking out, just like Pistachio. Bonecrusher emerged from its Man Cave slumber to properly cleave the cake for my daughter, ably assisted by the FBR.

The Cake

Bonecrusher Get to Cleaving

FBR Offering Some Pointers

Opening Presents

They then set off through the rain and wind for Hartford while the rest of us holed up for the night. My wife, the ABFA, and BR3 engaged in a lively game of Uno with BR3 singing though most of the game. We then set up in the Man Cave for some movies. My son and I stayed up late to watch a horror movie neither of our wives would ever agree to see with us. My daughter and the FBR had what they described as a magical night in Hartford. The FBR, a huge fan of Rodrigo, went so far as to declare it the best night of her life. At least until it came time to drive back to Worcester, though the inundations, getting home around midnight.

Walnut is Not Impressed

Dressed up for Concert

Glitter was Involved

We were all up early this morning as my son and his bunch had to leave by 830am to get back home in time for the BRS’ first Spanish lesson. My Favorite Panamanian was very pleased to see how excited the BRS was for the class. Early this evening the BRS called her abuela to report on the class and the fact that the teacher is a Panamanian! After their departure my daughter tried to grab some rest, at least as much as the cats would allow. They left a little after noon and are safely back in New Jersey. I’m a little tired as expected whenever granddaughters are involved but it was a truly great weekend despite the storm and it added yet another chapter in the pride I feel for my two kids for making the effort to reach our house despite the harsh weather.

FBR Showing her Cousins Videos of Concert

BRS Assisting her Abuela with Hojaldras this Morning

BR3 Looking Maniacal

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