Balti-Quaking and Smart SF

Unless you’ve been hiding under a convenient rock (or an inconvenient one for that matter) you’ve heard the news coming out of Baltimore where the “activists” have once again stirred up racial tensions and then stood back trying to wash their hands of the consequences. These are the same people who always caution about “rushing to judgment” but do not feel the need to follow that same stricture. The death of Freddie Gray certainly needs to be addressed and guilt assessed wherever a thoughtful investigation leads.

Idiots on Parade

Baltimore is a city of interesting dichotomy. The inner harbor and the area around the ball parks are an island of touristy tranquility completely surrounded by hardscrabble neighborhoods made famous by The Wire. In other words, a potent powder keg that the traveling activists were only too happy to ignite and then sit back to watch the incited carnage. They were enabled by a city leadership whose lenient initial approach allowed chaos to erupt.

In the Immortal Words of my Wife - "You Go Girl!"

Baltimore, though, has more heart than the activists counted on. You have the most famous mom in America now hunting down her rioting son and beating some very public sense into him. Yesterday some of the community leaders formed a line in front of the police line to protect the police from the protest incited hooligans who have stolen whatever “message” the myopic activists intended. Kudos to those brave citizens for trying to take back their own streets despite the lack of news coverage of that event.

Brave Citizens of Baltimore Yesterday

In family news I’m receiving initial reports of my Cali-Daughter surviving her first earthquake. Apparently it failed to impress, only shaking her computer monitor. The office cat didn’t budge from his window perch but given that cat’s level of sloth it would have had to be something truly cataclysmic.

"Energetic" Office Cat Ignoring Quake

I noticed in the local paper yesterday that a movie I’d been anxiously waiting for, Ex Machina, was showing in Worcester but not in our local theater. This entailed a road trip after dinner as my wife agreed to a second movie since I had unwittingly taken her to a chick flick the night before. Ex Machina was science fiction at its most intelligent. The special effects were impressive simply because they were understated and used to just support the plot instead of being the end all be all of the film.

Go See This

The plot of androids and artificial intelligence is well trod SF territory but this may be the smartest look at it in film history. A young man is selected for a mysterious task at the isolated home of an IT genius/billionaire. Once arriving he’s introduced to Ava whom he must interview to assess the quality of her AI. There’s a lot of subtext as to who is playing who and what the ultimate rationale is for the entire exercise. The decisive resolution says a lot about the arrogance of intelligence and the very “human” need for freedom. Clearly one of the best films I’ve seen this year and well worth the road trip.

Plumbing Age

Yesterday saw high controversy at the homestead. The sink in the master bedroom bathroom has had minute cracks ever since we moved in; it’s one of those sinks molded as part of the entire counter top. As part of getting the house ready for sale we decided to have it replaced. My wife unfortunately left this coordination in my hands, at least that’s my opinion based on her running commentary yesterday. The plumber was supposed to show up before I left for work but I had to call him to remind him and this was his first strike in my wife’s strict score card.

The Countertop That Was Replaced

When he made the estimate he said he could get the new countertop based on what we wanted. My wife had groused to me that we should buy the countertop since we would care about the price. I replied it would be better to let the professional buy it since he would get a discount. So, what’s the first thing he says upon arrival? “You know, it probably makes more sense for you guys to buy the counter top yourselves so it’s what you want.” (cue a look of daggers directed in my general direction) She was getting ready to do this herself but I said I could handle it since it was on the way to work. She grudgingly allowed the plumber and I to leave to make the purchase. She was adamant about not having to pay extra for the travel time for the plumber when he wasn’t actually working (she’s read some horror stories about plumbers taking advantage of this – go figure!).

I was just finished checking out from the Home Depot when I received a frantic call telling me she wanted a different color. Luckily it was too late for this as the plumber was already headed back and I told her it would involve more travel time we’d have to pay for. I escaped to work and an hour later she called to report the plumber still hadn’t returned (it’s a fifteen minute drive). When I told her he should have returned long ago I secretly wished him luck upon his arrival.

He eventually did arrive to some very serious questioning and dismissal of excuses (got that t-shirt myself). I received periodic updates (complaints) for the rest of the time he spent making the repairs. My hyper vigilant wife reported every issue she had with what she assumed were his attempts to jack up the cost. She indignantly reported that he claimed the drain was clogged and offered to clear it for $75. She asked if liquid plumber would do the job which thwarted that dastardly plan. I was genuinely worried by the end of the day if the poor guy would survive intact as she ruthlessly invoked her prerogatives. I know what it’s like to fight an entity well above your weight and class. He did a beautiful job and we paid more than $400 less than originally estimated. Oh, and he cleared the drain, free of charge. She is impressive.

The Office Cat in my Daughter's Lap

We’ve finally received updates from our far flung progeny. My favorite son resolved the issues with the impending house sale and will now close on the sale upon our return from Bermuda. He sounded a little gassed from moving his and the ABFA’s personal effects into storage until that date as they have to be out of their apartment tomorrow. My daughter reports California life proceeds apace with her office cat monitoring all business activities. The Wingman heads to England and Belgium for a week long series of concerts shortly.

The Roothugger Ladies in Texas Last Weekend

Reports are also trickling concerning the latest Roothugger reunion which was conducted while we were in Panama. The Dallas area survived the intrusion of these dedicated partiers relatively intact. I haven't heard from all which may mean they haven't been bailed out of incarceration yet. I was really sorry to miss out on what is usually one of the highlights of the year.

Standard Roothugger Seating Arrangements

We were back on the date night trail last night and took in a serious chick flick masquerading as science fiction – The Age of Adaline. Blake Lively plays the lead as a woman who does not age nor act. It doesn’t help that the movie makers included a totally unnecessary voice over narration that implied viewers weren’t smart enough to figure out what was going on.

Liveley’s usually very good but comes across as wooden and less sympathetic than she should. This is starkly exposed when she shares screen time with either Ellen Burstyn or Harrison Ford. One of my favorite cities, San Francisco, should receive billing as a supporting actor which helped a lot. They could have done a lot more with her time passing through the entirety of the twentieth century but decided to go a simpler plot with a U-turn ending. My wife loved it but I’d classify it as a near miss.

Wonder Pooch Reunion

One of the truly engaging aspects of taking a week off from employment is the first day, usually compounded in pain as a Monday, back behind the desk. I think somehow it was a little earlier in bygone days before the evil of email descended upon the land. I had 576 emails awaiting my loving attention yesterday when I crept behind the keyboard following my tropical escape. While the bulk of them were informational there was a healthy percentage that required action. I wonder why I even bother with the out of office assistant message since that doesn’t seem to thwart some people from sending repeated messages asking for information (I handled those last).

Yesterday coincidentally was also the day the debris from my wife’s basement cleaning project we are donating to a local charity had to be placed curbside for pick up. She felt I needed her expert opinion on performing this complicated task (it was a Monday kind of thing). I managed to keep tempers barely frayed as I mounted my own vehicle to head into work. As I took the first corner I realized my car was filled with a huge load of metal from my own garage cleaning project. The company gets reimbursed for metal it recycles so I always throw metal away there. It made for a very musical ride into work and an appropriate anthem for my reluctant return to employed status.

The Donation Pile

After work we had the much more enviable task of retrieving a certain black lab from his holiday in the pet spa known as my sister’s house. My wife and I were greeted with his usual boisterous, somewhat manic, welcome, lubricated with an unfortunately full bladder. My sister reported no gastro intestinal issues this time as my sister fought the urge to provide the Wonder Pooch with food too rich for his palate which my brother in law was extremely grateful for. There was one series of late night thunder storms which caused Buddy his usual terrors. My sister solved this by bedding down next to his cage which is where my brother in law found her in the morning (it’s how she rolls). I hope Buddy is under no illusion that he can expect similar partnership now that he’s returned to reality.

The Chaos of Buddy's Welcome Precluded a Better Picture

The visit also provided an all too brief time to catch up with my sister who I proudly congratulated on completing a recent mud run complete with Army like obstacles (she’s really fighting this elder appellation). My nephew also started a new job yesterday as a mechanic where he gets his own bay for the first time. In sadder news the zombie cat the somehow survived long years in my sister’s house after most of its internal organs ceased to function finally gave up the ghost last week. My incomparable brother in law also gifted a couple of Red Sox tickets which had my wife apoplectic since she’s missed out on my last couple forays to Fenway. The Sox made amiable radio companions for the trip home where we listened to a stirring 9^th inning walk off win.

My Sister The Mudder

R.I.P. Zombie Cat

Buddy immediately zonked out when we returned home as he always returns exhausted from his visits with my sister. It may be due to overextending himself since he’s finally had someone vulnerable to his non-stop begging sequences or the energy expended in our welcome. At any rate he slept off his happiness hangover after he was sufficiently assured the neighborhood squirrels hadn’t staged a coup in his absence.

Tropical Envy

I learned a valuable lesson during our return last night from Panama. I should never listen to my tropical wife when it comes to appropriate garb for a New England spring. I let her talk me out of bringing a jacket as she felt this would be inappropriate and unneeded since it was bound to be even warmer when we got back. I do and should have known better, however she is the grand poohbah of all packing related activities for our travels.

We landed back in Boston to a 50 degree temperature which was decidedly better than my last return, in February, but still a little brisk to be sporting only a short sleeve shirt. It made waiting for the bus to the parking garage “interesting”. My wife acknowledged her mistake and pointed out I shouldn’t be taking advice from her on these matters (I didn’t know I had a choice – yes, I was stunned). At least I had my brand new Panama hat to help keep me warm. The bus driver gave that chapeau a grin when I boarded – I think he must see a lot of this on his job.

I also learned to avoid scheduling one of these trips during the school vacation week in Massachusetts. I cringed when we arrived at our gate in the Panamanian airport to see it deluged with a staggering crowed of American high school teenagers and everything that goes with an assembly of such. They were there for some school trip and they turned out to be a remarkably well behaved group putting lie to my initial impression.

View from Our Hotel Room

The brisk welcome home did nothing to dim the pleasure of our last couple days in Panama. We caught a plane down to Panama City on Saturday morning and met up with one of the PanaGals at our hotel. She squired up into Panama City so we could host a family lunch with those members of my wife’s family who have become “capitalinos” – residents of the capital city. Most importantly we wanted to see one of my wife’s aunts who is fighting a very tough battle against a very aggressive form of cancer. We chose a restaurant near her home so she wouldn’t have to travel far.

Panama City

This was the first time in a couple years I’d wandered into the city itself since I can now bypass it with flights to David and once again I was struck by how much has changed. Panama City is truly bursting at the seams with people and development. Even on a Saturday the traffic was horrendous and this despite some amazing improvements to the roads in and around the city as well as a fully functioning subway system that recently opened.

Not the Same Place I Remembered - Amazing Changes in 30 Years

Most telling was a remark from my wife’s cousin as she drove us into the city. The road was choked with cars barely moving despite the six lane highway and she remarked how lucky we were that traffic as moving so well. I couldn’t live in this place which is kind of sad because Panama City will always have a very special place in my heart from my days of running around with a great group of fellow lieutenants in hot pursuit of Panamanian pulchritude. That city is gone forever and the megalopolis which has replaced it, while impressive by any standard, doesn’t have the same charm and is decidedly more difficult to get around in.

Saw a Lot of This

When we eventually did reach the restaurant in the El Dorado section of the city it was more than worth the effort. We were soon surrounded by a bevy of the famous PanaGals as well as the aunt and uncle. As required with my wife’s family laughter was soon rampant. Family members trickled in over the course of the afternoon and we were luckily blessed with a very patient waitress.

My Wife, PanaGals, and Aunt and Uncle Saturday Afternoon

One of the highlights of the day was the arrival of my wife’s niece and nephew to lend a younger bent to the conversations. We were soon comparing notes on upcoming summer movies and the impending new chapter in the Star Wars universe. It was so cool to catch up with the young’uns since they’re usually camped out in the city, far from my usual haunts in Chiriquí (my wife’s home province). We also entered into a conspiracy to get them to visit us up here late this year.

With the Young'uns

After three hours in the restaurant we declared victory and decided to head back to our hotel. The assembled family did not want the reunion to end so they all returned to the hotel with us (once again through the traffic morass), even the aunt and uncle. We spent the next four hours hanging out in the courtyard next to the pool and conversation never waned.

At one point I donned a bathing suit and jumped into the pool because I wasn’t returning to the US without being able to claim I swam outside at least once to my long suffering fellow New Englanders. It finally got so dark that we could barely see each other and we had to say goodbye.

Proof

Saturday was a good microcosm of what I love about visiting Panama. It isn’t the tropical heat and breathtaking beauty of the country, it’s the people. Most especially it’s my wife family who gladly donated an entire Saturday just to sit around and catch up with and enjoy the company of each other; that’s something fairly special and something I think has been lost to a certain degree up north.

Saying Goodbye to the Group After a Long Day of Laughter

Fugitive Buyer and a Large German Bier

Yesterday was chock full of adventure since we finally signed the paperwork for the purchase of our beachfront condo. There is always a lot of running around when you try to get anything done in Panama and yesterday was a great case in point. We had to wait for the signed sales agreement before we could go to the bank to complete the loan process.

Wife and I Last Night at El Fogon

We showed up at the bank but the loan officer was out of the building doing something so we arranged to come back an hour later. We then dove into the traffic in central David which is always a lot of death defying fun as traffic laws are more cautionary notes than actually observed. After a couple errands where my wife’s psyche was seriously traumatized as she observed me starting to “blend” in with my fellow drivers we returned to the bank.

The Anniversary Couple

Since the lawyers had held up the paperwork until Thursday and we couldn’t come to the bank until Friday the loan will now go for approval on Monday. This means we have to come back to Panama for a couple days at the end of May to sign the final contract, it never ends. Once we had that business taken care of we turned our attention to the sale of our land.

The handshake agreement we made Thursday night had to be formalized but the prospective buyer wasn’t answering emails or phone calls all afternoon. My wife was becoming increasingly frazzled by the lack of contact. She didn’t react well to my feelings of equanimity, she’s funny that way. I suggested she contact the “fixer” who put us together with the buyer to remind him that we’re leaving David today and his commission was in danger. Fifteen minutes later the buyer was back on the net and agreed to our terms. My wife’s sister in law had a lawyer cousin who drew up the contract which we signed last night.

Tackling My Valentine's Day Gift

After a day fraught with traffic and bureaucrats I was ready for my usual Friday rituals. My wife had purchased a fancy, and very large, German “bier” for me as a Valentine’s Day gift but had forgotten to give it to me. It had been awaiting its fate ever since in my mother in law’s fridge. The beer was more than good and brought back memories of its many predecessors in late 1970s Frankfurt, especially the Alte Brucke, my favorite pub. The Germans just know beer and this excellent example of their prowess had to be consumed before the Panamanian heat robbed it of cool temperature. I was up to the task but my wife immediately took note of the superior potency of the alcohol content, claiming I transitioned rather quickly into philosophic mode. A text to my children was treated in similar manner by those haughty youths.

Brother in Law and his Savior Wife

After completing my task I transitioned back to my normal water-like beer as we travelled back to El Fogon to celebrate my wife’s parents’ sixty-fourth wedding anniversary. I spent a lot of time talking with my father in law who related some fascinating stories about Panama in World War 2. He had a German friend who was interned by the Americans and actually met Charles Lindberg once when he flew into the area; pretty cool stuff.

My wife claimed I agreed to go dancing with her last night at some earlier point in the week. While I found her assertion dubious in the extreme I love going to her favorite haunt – Joron Zepeda which is where we ended the night. The ladies were a little upset with the music playing but we still had a very good time. The strangest thing occurred when we left well before midnight (a true first). We were all a little gassed from a truly full week of life changing events. We’re packing up now to head for the airport and flight down to Panama City. The hotel we’re staying at has terrible WiFi so this will be my last blog from Panama; again, a very good week.

Inside the Joron

Indeed - A Very Good Week

Big and I Mean Big News and Some Baseball

My Wife Pointing Out Our Future Second Home

Well I can finally disclose some fairly important news about our future home. This is the first in several huge news reveals that my wife, amongst others, has expressly forbidden me from revealing until we are on firmer ground. She’s superstitious to a fault and felt divulging information on this blog could lead to obstacles. Yesterday we finally completed the whole reason we came to Panama for a second time this year and accomplished what was needed so I could share the news (something I’ve been chomping at the bit to do).

Brisas Las Lajas

Yesterday we signed a sales agreement for a beachfront condominium that will shortly be under construction on my favorite beach in the world – Las Lajas! We had been planning on building a house up in the mountains but there were a series of roadblocks thrown up by the local banks, mostly based on bad behavior by other foreigners. I’m a firm believer that things happen for a reason and I think these delays were thrown up so we could arrive at the point that this project would fall into our laps.

Signing

We were enjoying our usual fantastic time at Las Lajas back in February when I noticed the billboard announcing the project – called “Brisas Playa Las Lajas” (Las Lajas Beach Breezes). I remarked at the time that it would be so cool to have one of those but we were still planning on building the house. My wife was working on the house after I left and kept running into the roadblocks I mentioned above. On a semi-lark she stopped by the offices of the project and was enthralled.

Overhead View of Plan

When she called me to discuss it, something just clicked in my mind and I’ve been excited about it ever since. This makes so much sense. Las Lajas is my favorite place in Panama and with the improvements to the Inter-American Highway will be only 45 minutes from my wife’s family in David. It also solves the problem of security during the months we won’t be in Panama since the place comes with security. I won’t have to arrange pool cleaning or the other various and sundry tasks of home ownership.

As you can see from the attached pictures we’ll have a pool between the building and the beach. Our apartment is on the third floor on the far left as you look from the beach. It’s a two bedroom place so we’ll assume as many of our friends and family as possible will come to visit and enjoy the majesty that is Las Lajas Beach. Construction starts in June and should be finished in late 2016.

Yesterday was signing day to realize this dream and you’ll forgive me if I feel a little giddy with setting this all in motion. In my twilight years (I’m told they are imminent) I’ll be falling to sleep with the sound of surf breaking, at least during New England winters.

The Condo Plan

View from Rear

The issue then is what to do with the piece of Panamanian mountain land we own. I should have played the lottery yesterday because a buyer showed up through one of my wife’s family’s many connections. We had a late afternoon meeting at a downtown David hotel with a “fixer” who put the deal together with a young guy who wants to build in the area. We’re getting almost twice what we paid for the place a few years ago. We have to get a power of attorney done today so my wife’s brother can complete the sale for us since we’re heading back north tomorrow. We’ll park the money down here and use it to furnish the condo when it’s done and buy a car. It would be a gross understatement that yesterday was a good day.

At The Game with Laughing Cousin

We topped the day off by going to see my first ever professional Panamanian baseball game. Panamanians love baseball even more than Americans and the game was a true event. I always feel a little out of place in a crowd of Panamanians because I’m usually so much bigger and am obviously seriously gringo. After a few innings it was obvious to all I was also a huge baseball fan and that seemed to grant me absolution for the gringoness.

Great Game

We were joined by the cousin of legendary laugh and her husband who kept buying beer until we had a truly impressive stack. There was so much atmosphere and everybody was totally into the game on the field – something American crowds don’t do as well. There was a band playing for most of the game trying to rally the locals and the crowd noise was relentless all night long. The level of play was very good; I’d place it between AA and AAA in talent level.

The police on site were all garbed in starched jungle fatigues, the same uniform I wore in the same place oh so many years ago. There was the usual collection of Panamanian beauty assembled as well which Panama has always had much more than their fair share of. There was a constant parade of pulchritude walking by in what seemed to be the uniform of the day which was a low cut blouse accompanied by push up brassieres even in the startlingly young.

Late in the Game and The Crowd Stayed

The game itself was a taut affair for seven innings, a scoreless pitcher’s duel. In the fourth the visiting team took exception to an umpire’s call and one of the coaches actually attacked the umpire, punching him before the aforementioned jungle fatigues arrived to escort him from the premises. The local teams’ pitching melted down in the late innings but 90 percent of the crowd stayed and cheered lustily to the last pitch. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed a baseball game as much as I did last night’s.

Generational Day

The Streets of Portrerillos

Yesterday was a free day as we waited for Panamanian lawyers to get their act together. We took advantage of that freedom by taking my wife’s parents back to the area they grew up in. It’s a small town called Portrerillos, set a little bit off the beaten track in the shadow of Central America’s largest mountain, the Volcano Baru. The climate is very temperate as opposed to the coastal plain with almost no humidity. The mountains of Panama are also the only place you’ll see Panamanian houses constructed of wood as the temperatures keep the wood eating insects of lower elevations at bay.

In The Back Yard Near the Smoke House

It was so fun to watch how animated they both became when we pulled into town, especially my father in law who is usually fairly taciturn. He started excitingly pointed out where he played basketball nearly eighty years ago and where he used to hang out with friends. He proudly pointed out an aging building where he first asked my wife’s mother to dance. My wife sagely pointed out that this is what I’m going to be like (some say I’m already worse) whenever I visit my hometown of Keene.

Where my Father in Law First Danced with my Mother in Law

My Wife Inspected the Gardens, Of Course

We stopped at a series of relatives and old friends to give them the opportunity to visit. The first cousin we stopped at had an interesting back yard full of orange and banana trees. She was drying some orange peels and said this was the best thing to start a fire with, which they do regularly to smoke meat. Speaking of meat I wandered back to a cement pen and met the family pig. He was sleeping until I approached. I’m thinking he sensed how much bacon I eat. He gave me a start when he abruptly woke up and signaled his indignation of my intrusion.

The Resentful Porker

I also met another old friend from my days as an infantry lieutenant in the jungles of Panama – the ever present ants. We had a saying back then, that every living thing in Panama bites, even the trees (see black palm). I remember sacking out one night in the jungle dead tired from a long movement (night and jungle move before night vision devices improved meant serious pain) and awoke to find I’d laid down in a path cut by army ants.  I awoke because they got tired of climbing over my legs and started biting to remove the obstacle. Yesterday I found another of their trails around the perimeter of the cousin’s house. I scrupulously stayed away, not a memory I treasure.

My Old Friends the Army Ants of Panama

The coolest stop of the day was as we were slowly making our ways along the narrow “roads” when my father in law ordered a stop. He’d spied a childhood friend sitting out on his front porch and proceeded to join him for an hour long visit. It was refreshing to see a friendship of more than eighty years renewed and it was obvious they both felt the recharging effect of old friends. They were joined by another older couple, including a woman of 92 who still works daily in her own extensive vegetable garden. We were not allowed to leave any of our stops without a gift of fruit or vegetable.

My Father in Law and His Childhood Friend

This must be the healthiest place in Panama because nearly everyone I met was in their late eighties or early nineties. They were mourning my mother in law’s godmother who recently passed away in Portrerillos at the age of 104. Not to be out done our last stop was at my father in law’s godmother who’s well into her nineties but still spry.

Me With Some of our Haul for the Day

On our way back to David we stopped at a roadside café for a late lunch and discovered it was operated by yet another cousin which led to another round of reunioning talk. My wife had her father remove some strange fruit from a tree in the courtyard which she then unsuccessfully tried to get me to eat. We were back by early afternoon and my father in law was still on his emotional high from revisiting his youthful haunts.

In the late afternoon we had a great reunion of our own on the front porch when my favorite amongst my wife’s many cousins stopped by for a visit. She is the owner of a signature laugh that should be registered as a national treasure. Her husband joined us shortly with two of their grandchildren which meant we had four generations of the family gathered. This meant almost non-stop talk and laughter. The cousin revealed she’s headed to Los Angeles this summer as a coach for the Panamanian Special Olympics team.

Dinner at El Fogon

The night ended at El Fogon, a neighborhood steak house, that has become a favorite destination during my trips to David. We were joined by my wife’s sister and brother along with his wife. It was a fitting end to a day spent with my wife’s glorious family which more than redeemed the main reason I want to spend at least half of my retired life in Panama. While the climate is great the company of my wife’s family is the real treasure.