Mood Swinging

Yesterday was a day for the ages but not for of any momentous event or earth shaking sporting result. It was a day filled with the simple pleasure of being with and being able to put my arms around the people I love most in life which goes far beyond any financial reward. I awoke to a full house and came downstairs to find the ABFA already up and hard at work on a computer project for her company.

Cali-Daughter and Gen 2 Curbside Yesterday

The rest of the burgeoning house slowly drifted down over the next few hours for breakfast and human interaction – a highly underrated commodity in today’s world of instant electronics. My favorite son seemed to finally recover from his Friday night although his hair looked like something out of an old Twilight Zone rerun. The first tough interlude of the day occurred when he (still clad in his lounge pants) and the ABFA hit the road back to Portsmouth. I know his sister was touched that these two very busy (an ABFA state of nature) people took time to come down to see her on her return to the right coast.

Good Buddies

The rest of the daylight hours were spent with Cali-Daughter and her Curbside bestie along with her son. Curbside Gen 2 shows every sign of having bred true reflecting the excellence of his parentage and not just because he took a liking to yours truly or that he felt the need to repeatedly high five the ABFA (obviously noting the quality). My daughter has the innate ability to find beloved old movies on cable despite the sheer volume of said offerings. We watched a couple together while entertaining Gen 2 into the afternoon.

Hardest Part of Day - They're Leaving!

He’s a New York City kid and I think he liked this foray into the countryside. Buddy was less successful in his interaction and spent most of the weekend consigned to basement security duties. I think he felt the need to protect the little guy but as usual took the bull in the china shop approach that has proved so ineffective for him in in various past endeavors.

No, This Was Harder

The absolute nadir of the day came when these last vestiges of the memorable weekend had to hit the road in order to get Gen 2 home for bed time. I didn’t want to let my daughter go, for a whole host of reasons. She was the mischievous angel of morale boosts that brightened my days for an all too short weekend and now she was leaving. The hard part is knowing she’s returning to her balmy California haunt and it will be additional months before additional daughter hugs. Watching them drive off into a developing snow squall seemed appropriate – a scene out of a bad tear jerk kind of movie. (they get me every time)

Really, Really Hard

It was a day fraught with these painful separations that could only rescued by the one reunion I’d been looking forward to more than even I realized – my favorite Panamanian. I worked my way through a snow storm that allowed Boston to achieve the snowiest winter ever record as well as dodging the flotsam and jetsam of the annual South Boston St Patty’s day celebration. It was an interesting drive.

View from My Wife's Plane Upon Eventually Landing

I ended up waiting an extra hour as the Panamanian pilots took one look at the heavy snow and decided to circle over Rhode Island for a while. They eventually worked up the courage to attempt a landing and delivered the morale boost I sorely needed. She looked absolutely stunning walking through the more pedestrian fellow passengers. It could have been the roses I was holding upon which she had target lock as soon as the door opened. I swear the woman could be used as an energy source.

The Proverbial Sight for Very Sore Eyes

I don’t think she stopped talking for the next two hours and everything seemed right with the world again; well except for the absence of the other people I’d spent the weekend with. We stopped by a local restaurant for a late dinner after making our way clear of the snow belt and the Irish for the day crowd. Between the non-stop talking and handling ribald texts from her friends back in Panama about the state of our reunion it was exactly what I needed to lift my spirits.

Dinner and Some Sangria

One Very Happy Dude

The driveway from hell greeted her with a lower half encased in sheer ice and she wondered at my lack of concern. I responded that this was nothing compared to some of my other adventures with that loathsome beast. Even though just paltry examples of the snow amounts remain she was impressed. I could already see her planning her escape for next winter, but she’s all mine for a few months, at least.

Front Yard This Morning

Back yard