Piper Remunerated in Full

View Out My Hotel Window Yesterday Morning

Lots of pictures today now that I’ve returned to the land of consistent internet. I’ve been performing my penitent duties overnight for the series of comical emails and messages to my snow bound friends over the past week while I luxuriated in tropical Panama surrounded by my wife’s fantastic family and, of course and certainly most importantly,  the wife herself.

I awoke yesterday in the Riande Hotel and put socks on for the first time in over a week as I steeled myself for the flight north. It was hard to imagine I would be shoveling snow later in the day after waking up with this view (see picture).  The hotel provided a free shuttle to the nearby airport which is so much easier than our usual procedure of staying tin the city overnight and then fighting our way through city traffic to the airport.  Kudos to Wingman and daughter for discovering the Riande a year ago.

Best Showerhead Ever

I was still thinking about the going away party from the day before and I can finally share some photos from that bittersweet event. Bitter because it marked my departure but oh so sweet because my last hours near David were spent surrounded by some of the nicest people currently drawing breath. They always make me feel like an important part of the family despite my “gringo-ness”. See pictures from that event below.

Four Generations of Gals from Same Family at Going Away Party

The flight north was uneventful although with each flight I’m becoming more and more a fan of Copa Airlines where they still treat passengers like valued customers – just a great way to fly. We landed in Boston where it was snowing of course and the herd of Panamanian based passengers looked in horror at the snowpacalypse that greeted us. I asked the flight attendant if I could stow away for the return flight. The heavily clad baggage people at the door of the plane were smirking at the looks of terror as the passengers passed through the cold of the doorway for the first time.

Sight that Greeted me at Home

Boston is a great place to go through US Customs; easiest and fastest in the land for my money. They’ve installed a new machine where you answer a couple questions, scan your passport and then the machine rises up to take a picture of you which is included on the receipt which speeds your way through the screening agent. Fifteen minutes after the plane door opened I was sitting in my car heading home.

Photo From Same Spot This Morning

Home may be where the heart allegedly is but mine is definitely a few thousand miles south of here, especially after I was confronted with what I suspected when I pulled up to the house. I waded through a five foot snow drift at the bottom of the driveway from hell, which was once again filled to the brim with drifting snow, to reach the house. I entered to find the house sitters had left the front door unlocked for the last four days but everything else seemed intact – benefits of small town rural life. Then I heard some water running somewhere upstairs. My immediate and biggest fear was some burst pipes and I charged up the stairs in less than athletic form (feet still frozen from walk through snow in loafers).

Side Door of House
Photo I Sent the Wife After She Complained About Heat

The water in the master bathroom sink was going full blast. That faucet had been leaking but during my absence it completely failed and the water flowed full bore. I hope it failed yesterday as opposed to the entire week I was gone, can’t wait for that water bill. I donned all my snivel gear to attempt to open the driveway up so I could move the car off the street. Even though the snow fell three days ago it’s been so cold that it was still in snow form versus ice which would have made the effort a lot more troublesome. I was doing okay until I, or I should say the snow blower, found the Sunday newspaper. I had cancelled delivery for the time I was gone but the paper carrier failed to get the message. The paper became firmly wedged in the impellor and the snow blower quit with the entire driveway still covered. I was rooting around in the darkness trying to free up the impellor when a newspaper headline (appropriate that) flashed in my head – “Charlton Man Loses Hand in Freak Snow Blower Accident”. I wheeled the snow blower back up the hill to the garage, turned it off, and then spent twenty minutes prying the wedged mass out while lying on the frigid snow covered floor (was definitely missing Panama at this point). I finally got it working again and resumed my Sisyphus act on the snow mounds only to hit yet another newspaper (this ended up happening four different times). Many of you are probably now wondering why I could let it happen repeatedly. I did try as I used a snow shovel to screen the snow before blowing but the pesky things were expertly hidden – remember this driveway is haunted. Another hour’s work was required this morning to fully open the damned thing.

It was nearly ten o’clock at night before I finally got the car up to the house and I was completely sweat soaked from the snow blowing and newspaper prying. I guess you could say my penance was more than adequate for all my snide tropical comments of the past week. My plan was Zorba’s pizza for dinner but by the time I finished the driveway – they were closed so I ended up with microwave pizza while regaling my wife with my homecoming adventures. She had the temerity to complain about the heat until I sent her a picture of the snow levels. I miss Panama and her.

The Party Bohio

MY Wife in Carnivale Mask Wearing Appropriate T-Shirt
"Never Underestimate the Power of a Panamanian Woman"
True That

PanaGals Were There

Hammock and an Atlas

The Traditional Way to Cook Sancocho

The Vat of Sancocho

The Brief Requirement for Firefighting Skills

Under the Bohio

Savoring the Heat - Knowing It Had to End

Blessed to Hang With These Folks

My Wife Snapped This as I headed to the David Airport Gate
No More Shorts