Getting to the Church on Time

A Very Good Time

It’s a tribute to the depth of feeling within my marriage that it has survived the incidents where my temporally challenged wife causes us to be late. She grew up in a culture where timeliness was a seriously foreign concept while I’m a product of three decades of military promptness. Yesterday was a perfect example. We’d been looking forward to the wedding of a cousin’s son all year long. She told me the ceremony would be late in the afternoon and I told her I needed to see the invitation to plan the trip. I finally found the invitation hid amidst my son’s birthday gifts which we are delivering today.

The Beautiful Bride and a Very Lucky Groom

My Cousins' Kids

She was blissfully heading out for a late morning beauty salon appointment when I told her the ceremony was at 1pm and was nearly an hour away. She panicked but assured me she would be back by noon so we could leave on time. I don’t know why I continue to believe her in these situations. She also stopped answering her cell phone which is another of her “go to” techniques when running late. She finally pulled in at 1220 and still had to get dressed and apply makeup, usually an hour long exercise in its own right. I was thinking up excuses about why we missed the ceremony when she came back downstairs only twenty minutes later and looked like a vision.

Wife at Hotel Cousin Table

Of course I was too angry to speak at this point and merely mounted the car for what became an epically scorched trip through central Massachusetts. Whenever I’m driving 80 MPH and get passed like I’m standing still, it bothers me. Yesterday I was that guy. I was extremely fortunate law enforcement failed to check on our route yesterday because I literally did twice the speed limit on one stretch. I think this was the first time I ever did 90MPH of route 2; which, if you know the road is not for the faint of heart.

First Dance

We entered the church in time for half of the homily and all the important parts of the ceremony. We’d made the 57 minute trip in 35 minutes. At this point I started talking to my wife again. The wedding was everything we’d hoped it would be, although with global warming, New England churches, like this one, should think about air conditioning. We could barely hear the priest over the fans mightily failing to keep the heat at bay.

Wife Kidnapping the Nearest Baby as Usual

Repeatedly

Okay, She Wasn't the Only One

The reception was three hours after the ceremony so we had some time to kill. The hotel was superbly equipped with a lounge where we established a cousin table for catching up and starting on the day’s beer intake. My cousin/brother reported in with his room location which, per family tradition, was party central. It was here we learned the bride had opted for an open bar for beer and wine only which of course was right in our wheelhouse.

My Cousin and his Fantastic Family

Rare Break from Dance Floor

The reception was very nice with all the requisite traditions observed and a very active dance floor. We had a couple with a baby a little younger than our granddaughter that we kept stealing so they could have some time on the dance floor for themselves. The husband seemed a little embarrassed while the mother, more invested in some free time, dragged him to the floor. As usual I drank way too much beer, cousins, especially this one, seem to affect me that way. It probably is directly relational to how much fun I always have in their presence. My wife was her usual gracious self, tolerating my awkward gyrations on the dance floor. I am to dancing what she is to timeliness which may explain the toleration.

Wife on Dance Floor

Judgmental Granddaughter in L.A.

As with all good times events proceeded much too quickly and my wife was driving us home at a much more sedate pace than the earlier mad dash all too early. I found some evidence of the other events occurring across the country as my sister and brother in law linked up with my daughter and granddaughter for a weeklong visit. My granddaughter looked to be holding court at the restaurant. The Pittsburgh Roommate also blew into Keene for a beer soaked afternoon which I was loath to miss but family weddings trump in terms of priority. Yesterday was one of those times I wished I could be in three places at once. The one place I was limited to wasn’t so bad though, all due to the special people I got to hang out with.

Backing into Friday

A Very Busy Young Lady

Not that I needed any reminders of middle aged restrictions on physical endeavors. I received just that last night when I ill-advisedly decided to play a game with the Wonder Pooch. I was down in the man cave when nature called for both of us. I like to play a game where he gets all tensed up while I repeatedly fake him out and then try launching myself out the door in the hopes of beating him to the stairs. I always fail but we both seem to enjoy it, a lot.

The Face That Launched a Thousand Blog Posts

Last night I failed to gauge the full effect age had on my reflexes and most of all my knees. I may have lost a step or nine. I went with a thirty year old plan with a sixty year old body, a course of action fraught with inherent danger. The resulting collision with the door frame, which for some inexplicable reason is pretty sharp (as I discovered), was epic. Luckily my wife was seated next to me to witness my ineptitude which resulted in the obligatory lecture on my foolishness. Buddy waited for me on the stairs wondering why he’d won by such a large margin this time out. I kept waiting for the sting to abate from my back. When my wife noticed my limited range of motion she required I lift the shirt so she could inspect the damage. This resulted in yet another lecture and a complete abandonment of my plan to just rub a little dirt in it and ranger on; wives are weird that way. I’m going to have to modify any future canine game plan when she’s present.

And the Door Frame Wins!

This episode did nothing to dim the pleasure of having a FaceTime call with my granddaughter as she ate dinner in California. She has luckily not inherited my taste buds because she was happily munching on broccoli (yech!) while ordering her mother around the kitchen. She’s reached the point where she fully understands how to make her point which means interesting days ahead for my daughter. Wingman started the final leg of his farewell tour last night in Wisconsin.

Wingman lying Down on the Job in Madison Last Night

Today is of course the First Friday of the Week which will require an application of the brewer’s art to provide the medicinal effect my aching back requires. At least, that’s this week’s excuse. We have a full weekend planned with a family wedding on Saturday and a road trip to Portsmouth on Sunday to celebrate my Favorite Son’s birthday, belatedly. Color me psyched!

I finished off the next book in CG Cooper’s Corps Justice Series with Council of Patriots. This was a direct sequel to the first book and has the hero, Cal Stokes, taking over operations in his security company. He is called upon to shepherd a congressman out to Las Vegas and immediately becomes involved with a Japanese plot to destroy the country. This second book showed a lot more polish than the first and the action is almost non-sop. Cooper shows a real flair for action scenes and creating memorable characters. I’ve already started on the third book in the series. 

Commemoration

Dad I'm Really Going to Miss You

I’ve told the story before about proposing to my wife three days after I met her. Sometimes snap decisions work out, seeing that we’ve been married for thirty-four years now. What I didn’t realize until recently was that the spot I proposed has been turned into a national Panamanian shrine. I’m not saying the location was chosen because of my association with it but there must be some seriously good karma stored up there.

The Biodiversity Museum on the Grounds of Old Ft Amador
Proposal Took Place Right About Where Red Box on Left Is

In brief, my future wife and I had just left the Ft Amador Officers Club on our third date in three nights. I was a little anxious because I was trying to figure out the right syntax to propose in my very basic Spanish. Since she didn’t speak English it was the only way to go. We got into the car which was parked on the banks of the Panama Canal on the Pacific side. Needless to say that site has always held a soft spot for me since she did say yes, or more literally, “Si!”.

Myself (r) and 2 Fellow Lieutenants on the Causeway in 1981

I spent many of my Sundays out on the nearby causeway, a manmade road from Ft Amador out to two large islands at the Pacific mouth of the Panama Canal. The causeway, at the time I was a young lieutenant there, was a lot more basic than it is now but every Sunday a group of officers would pack ourselves and whatever girls survived the Saturday night party to head to the causeway for the afternoon. We’d park beside the road which soon became packed with  mixture of American military and young Panamanians just realizing they now had access to this great party spot after the treaty. We’d drink beer, philosophize as only twenty years olds can, and jump into the ocean periodically.

What the Same Spot looks Like Nowadays

A few years ago my daughter was telling me about this fantastic new Biodiversity Museum being built in Panama by famed architect Frank Gehry. I said I would keep an eye out for it but since I usually avoid Panama City as much as possible never really thought about it again. That changed with my recent trip to Panama. As we were dipping out of the clouds to land in Panama City I sought out some of my favorite landmarks, including the causeway and I spotted the “hard to miss” colorful museum, right on the site of my proposal all those years ago. So, like I said, I’d like to think my karmic donation had something to do with it. It certainly wasn’t for our nearby bachelor causeway antics; the less said about, the better.

The Museum with the Nearby Causeway

We were lucky enough to get FaceTime calls with both of the geographically singled children yesterday. My Favorite Son has been abandoned by the ABFA for the weekend as she attends a conference in Nashville. He was left to deal with some gastro-intestinal challenges of the grandpuppy. We caught the California contingent as Wingman was packing to leave for his new tour. It was clear my granddaughter understood what the packing was all about because every time Wingman walked in the room she focused on him like a laser beam. While it was poignant for us I’m sure it was heart rending for him. 

Trekking Catchup

Boy, Do I Miss Having These Two Around!

What with all the very proper recognition of the Favorite Son’s birthday yesterday there were some other items that needed notation. The continued proximity of the Neighborhood Mafioso continues to be a dangerous combination when paired with my wife. They are both dedicated shoppers and whenever they get together that becomes problematic for at least two bank accounts. A case in point would be a couple nights ago when the Mafioso showed up for some evening tea with my wife.

Must Get to Cat

Thinking only tactically and not strategically, I used this as an excuse to beat feet down to the man cave to allow them full feminine expression. I was bathing in the sound waves of the surround sound when I was summarily summoned back upstairs. It seems that in the intervening period they were discussing the need for a new living room carpet. That discussion led to a phone call to Target.com. I was not asked, opinion wise, what I thought as if I would be brave enough to venture one. So we have this new carpet enroute, scheduled to show up tomorrow. A wise military leader once said – only fight battles you can win.

Maybe I can Entice Him Closer

On a sad note Wingman leaves his California abode once again for the first phase of the international portion of his band’s farewell tour. I know this departure will be even tougher on him because of the past few weeks he spent with his daughter. Parents will remember that precious time when the baby starts evolving into a real person. That’s going on with the First Blog Reader right now and she’s boasting personality in large measure, seemingly something new each day. Wingman knows he’s going to be missing out as this daily transformation continues unabated without him. I’m pretty sure my daughter is going to miss him as well.

I'll Miss You Too Dad

He should venture out to see Star Trek Beyond to salve his wounded spirits. My wife and I took it in last night and it is special. I was fortunate to see Gene Roddenberry make a presentation live when I was in college. He laid out his vision of the Star Trek universe and I think this is one of the few films that honors that vision. This is a film about the possibility of human endeavor. While it is anti-military in tone – I loved it. Any real Soldier would love to see the military become obsolete. 

This was a return to some of the best features of the original series. While there was almost non-stop, amped up action this is a character driven movie. The large cast is each given a chance to shine as the plot has the survivors of yet another Enterprise disaster strewn about a planet. Faced with impossible odds the crew figures it out, of course, in time to save the universe. The scarily deadly female assassin from Kingsman, Sofia Boutella, has legs this time out and plays a stranded ally, while stealing every scene she’s in. In addition to the action the goofy humor the original Star Trek was so good at is liberally sprinkled throughout. You finally have a sense of comradery and they let the Kirk character grow up as well. This is definitely the best of the new series. Go see it as soon as possible.

I polished off two books over the past few days. They came as a package deal from Amazon. I wrote earlier about finding a new author in L.T. Ryan with the Jack Noble character. In the second book, A Deadly Distance, Jack spends most of the book getting his ass kicked which definitely puts him a peg below Reacher status but I still found the book entertaining. Jack is now a member of a secret government agency tasked with running down the nation’s deadliest enemies. They stumble onto a child kidnapping ring which turns out to be lot more dangerous than initially thought. I’m going to continue with the Noble series but I hope Ryan figures out a way to give poor Noble a break. The poor guy gets hammered at every turn and has his romantic aspirations similarly pummeled. I’ll be back for #3 though.

The second book was Back to War, by C.G. Cooper, which was highly entertaining. It’s the first book in yet another series called the Corps Justice Series. The plot has a highly decorated ex-Marine whose fiancé is brutally murdered in front of his eyes. He just happened to inherit a highly specialized security firm which is a perfect weapon to hunt down his attackers. Cooper shows a real understanding of military culture and I reminded a number of times of the W.E.B. Griffin’s awesome Men at War series. This was a first novel for Cooper so the writing was a little choppy but I enjoyed it immensely and rushed through to get to the conclusion. I’m already on to the second book in the series.