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| The Gang Fascinated by the Ice |
Yesterday was an epic trip up to my hometown,
Keene, New Hampshire, with my wife’s Panamanian posse. They wanted to do some
sightseeing before the inevitable shopping (tax free) so they committed to an
early start. I was conveying these
intentions to our Keene host, my friend.
I told him they wanted to be up there around 10 am but if my experience
with them was any indicator – look for us in the early afternoon.
We already packed and ready to leave our
house at 11am (right again!) when my wife’s sister noticed we were leaving
Buddy the Wonder Pooch to spend the day in his cage. She declared this simply would not do. I told her there was no room for him and the entire
group comfortably since we couldn’t use the rear seats with Buddy on
board. She said they would make this
sacrifice for Buddy (he’s apparently been doing that worming his way into the
heart thing he does so well). I‘m not sure the rest if the gang was as
enthusiastic about Buddy’s company but my wife’s sister is almost a force of
nature.
The trip up was the usual talk filled adventure
with the loudest one earning the right to talk first. My wife was overcome with laughter (fun to
watch) as her sister observed after waking up from a quick nap that her well-endowed
cousin’s chest made for a comfortable pillow to sleep on.
It was unseasonably warm yesterday so we couldn’t
take the gang out onto the ice at Robin Hood Park where I skated as a kid. They were still impressed and took dozens of
photos. They were especially intrigued
by a couple kids sledding down a nearby hill.
This was heavy nostalgia because I slid down the same hill almost a half
century ago. My wife decided she would remain
in the car during this winter foray – snow holds no charm for her any more (if
it ever did).
I gave a quick tour of the city (it’s really
not that big). The most exciting portion
was pointing out the spots where the movie Jumanji was shot. This especially got the attention of the
youngest member of the gang. They
quickly tired of the tour and ejected my friend and I at the Elm City Brewery
(our haunt of choice) so they could engage in what they do best – SHOPPING!!!!
To our intense pleasure, our favorite bar
tender was on duty. My friend had shown
me a recent front page article which had her picture featured. We complimented
her on her notoriety and she kept the beer flowing all afternoon which I
thought was an extremely good exchange.
I really enjoy these afternoon with my Keene friend as we pontificate on
life and generally catch up without distraction (well, except the bartender).
I never expected to spend the entire
afternoon there but by the time we made contact with the Panamanian shopping
expedition it was well into the third quarter of a football game that started almost
three hours after we first took our seats (you do the math). My friend and I laughed out loud when we got
the predicted answer from my wife that they were in the check-out line. Thirty minutes later (TJ Maxx has very long check-out
lines) we reunited and headed over to Margaritas for dinner.
We had a lot of fun and I carefully installed
my Keene friend next to me to perform his duties of being my filter. He performed admirably and we completed the
dinner without a single patron being assessed inappropriately (well
almost). A couple of really cute kids
got out to chase the lights from a disco ball on the floor which led my wife to
ask the waitress if dancing was allowed.
My Keene friend was checking for quick exits when he was rescued by her
negative answer.
We left the restaurant and the gals wandered
up Main Street to check out the town and take some Jumanji related
pictures. My wife made a bee line for a kitchen
supply store that she adores, apparently the shopping bug was not quite sated
for the day. My Keene friend and I
stayed outside for the beginning of this excursion and noticed a stand up photo
of a really ugly guy in the store’s front window. While we were discussing the challenges this
guy must face we noticed the sales clerk manning the register inside the store
was said ugly dude. We had to get the story
behind this and we ended up talking with him for a while. He was a really nice kid and the photo was a
gag gift for the owner of the store who turned the tables by putting it up in
the front window. You just got to love
small towns.
After assessing that we had done enough
damage for one day we returned to my friend’s
house to watch a re-run of Keene’s victory in the Pumpkin Wars. Loading the car for the return trip was a bit
of a challenge as Buddy was literally encased in TJ Maxx bags. He didn’t seem to mind. My wife, on the other hand, had to drive (you
did read the part about my extended stay at the Brewery, right?) and the trip
seemed agonizingly slow due to some pretty thick fog. We made it home and I checked the news to
find out Peyton had choked once again in the playoffs – not a bad day, at all.
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| Gang Pose |
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| Keene Friend Gets into the Act |
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| My Wife Telling me Who is #1 in Her Heart When I ask Why She Stayed in the Car |
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| At The Elm City Brewery! |
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| At Margarita's Surrounded by Filters |
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| The Rest of the Gang At Margarita's |
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| Margarita's Disco Kids |
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| My Wife's Sister Dominating Main St Keene |
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| Jumanji Spot |
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| The Ugly Dude Photo - My Friend Inside Talking with the Subject |
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