High Water Mark

Excavations continued apace yesterday after work although I’m a little disappointed in the hand soreness and blisters. I thought the whole deal with wearing gloves meant you avoided the damned things, this is not the case. Yet another indication of what a soft civilian I’ve become. I know my hands would be in better shape if I’d been doing this type of thing more regularly. It’s a poignant comment on how long it’s been since my infantry days. The worst part is hitting a hidden rock with a full pick ax swing. That creates the friction for the hands, as well as the spine-tingling shock not to mention the added benefit of rock chips and dirt sprayed into the face. Despite my rapidly failing body I did make some progress and think I’ll reach the end of the trench either tonight or tomorrow. Buddy, at least, is impressed.

Buddy Checking Out My Progress Last Night

I was lucky enough to get a video call in with my far flung female accomplices last night. My wife is rangering her way through the challenges offered by her ailing father. I shouldn’t be surprised at the depth of her love and commitment to her parents but I stand in awe of her, yet again. On a decidedly upbeat note the California girls also checked in with one of those calls where my granddaughter can actually see the screen. I had just come in from my trenching operation and felt the wear and tear immediately lifted. She actually seemed to recognize her former breakfast making companion and bestowed a smile upon me. Of these type things is happiness born.

Dateless date night saw me in a movie theater, of all places, seeing Hell or High Water. This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long while. It is so . . . Texas. West Texas permeates the film.  It should get billing as an additional character because the story of two bank robbing brothers pursued by an aging Texas Ranger plays out on those dusty, oil soaked plains. Anyone who’s visited Texas will see the infinite detail in casting the minor parts and the exterior shots that will bring Texas, with all its warts exposed, into the limelight. Ben Foster and Chris Pine get down and dirty as the brothers on a quest against a bank trying to steal their land and future. There was a convincing rhythm to their interaction that seemed more real than most true brothers. This movie belongs to Jeff Bridges though, out for his last ride as a Texas Ranger. A vestige of pre-political correctness, his dogged pursuit defines an era passing, as do so many other smaller elements in the movie. It’s not a typical cops and robbers flick as the there was a lot more gray area explored in the search for justice. The final, underplayed confrontation between Pine and Bridges crackled. I don’t think anyone would voluntarily visit West Texas and you now don’t have to, go see this movie and you’ll leave with some grit between your teeth. Loved this movie, in case you hadn’t figured that out.

I also finished the penultimate book in CG Cooper’s excellent Corps Justice series with The Zimmer Doctrine. Cooper once again wanders into politics more than gun fights and that mitigates the readability for me. The hero, Cal Stokes, is an emotional wreck after the events of the preceding book and is brought back into the fold to help solve yet another threat to national security engendered by an evil British billionaire. The threat wasn’t as well defined as Cooper likes to keep his reader guessing along with the good guys. While this wasn’t one of my favorite books in the series, too much politics, not enough door busting, Stokes has firmly captured my attention and I’m already into the final book.

Frodrick Farewell

Wingman Reports a Surly Phase During Teething

Yesterday we had to say goodbye to Gene Wilder who starred in so many of the signature comedy films of the 1970s. I still laugh every single time I see his scenes with Marty Feldman in Young Frankenstein even though I could recite the lines myself. This is almost like losing a friend since his greatest success took place just as I was coming of age myself. He was hugely underrated as an actor, as is the case with most comics. He held his own in a couple movies with Richard Pryor, no mean task. He also seemed like a genuinely nice guy who eschewed the “Hollywood” lifestyle to remain really well-grounded in life. So goodbye Willy, thanks for Blazing Saddles, the Producers, and so many other memorable times we spent together. True fans will understand the reference in the title of today’s blog post.

R.I.P.

I continued my backyard excavations last evening after work. I found the second day of digging with a sixty year old body is an entirely different proposition. My supervisor, Buddy the Wonder Pooch, took no prisoners though and insisted I persevere.  He even pitched in for about 17 seconds starting to dig at one end. I made fairly good progress just about doubling the size the trench. The next door neighbor came over to offer moral support and advice (don’t you love it when that happens). I should be to the end of the trench by the end of the week.

Buddy Inspecting My Progress at the End of the Day
I've Got to Reach the Short Stake in the Distance by the End of the Week

I did hear from my Favorite Panamanian who, after reading yesterday’s blog post, was not concerned about the physical toll the project was taking but was extremely interested in how much damage I’d done to the back of her car transporting the bricks. It’s called priorities, folks. I assured her that after considering my history in the area (which is admittedly not good) I had taken extra steps to insure the safety of her vehicle.

Photo of Condo Progress - Photo Taken From Water Line

Things continue to descend for her dad and I can tell how profoundly sad she is to see him in his current state. She called late in the evening as I was nursing some sore muscles while watching a movie in the man cave. I changed the channel to the Red Sox game and turned the IPad around so we could watch the game together. I think it made both of us feel a little less lonely. Old married couples are weird that way.

Excavating Times

Showing off her Rock and Roll Genes

Each time my wife abandons me for an extended time in Panama I look around for things to keep me busy and off the streets at night (like that’s still a possibility!). I didn’t have far to look this time because I’ve been haunted by the hillside behind our new house ever since we moved in. It’s a barren slope with only some sickly weeds festooned about. I look at each time I sit down for a meal and it bugs the hell out of me.

The Hillside

My wife’s absence allowed me the opportunity to embark on my landscaping efforts without supervision which means I could get started without the fear of sleeping on the couch for extended periods. First though I had to recover the Wonder Pooch from his sojourn with the kennel where he spent the last few days. He apparently handled his incarceration well and had charmed the ladies there. He was positively fragrant when I first saw him, something decidedly out of character. Baths evidently come with the hotel stay. Instead of the reluctance he showed when I dropped him off, his main concern as I led him out was trying to scarf up some of the treats laid out for sale on a nearby counter.

Reunited - Wonder Pooch Selfies - Not Easy 

He was to play a critical role as my sole supervisor for the backyard project. The first step in the project is to create a flat walkway behind the deck and then shore up the cut into the hill with a retaining wall. Deckzilla consumed all of the flat ground in the backyard during his growth phase. I first had to acquire the supplies needed. When I told my daughter about my planned efforts she, channeling her absent mother, cautioned me to be careful because “I’m not as young as I used to be”. I was more than well aware of that development but her comment only served to spur me on further (kind of dumb that way – male pride, you know).

The Initial Supply Load

I was thinking back to her comments when I finished loading the back of the car with the initial load of supplies. If I was this tired just loading the car maybe I was biting off more than, well you know. Buddy did not want to hear any cautionary tales though and sent me to work immediately and I actually enjoyed the work.

First Day's Effort - New Best Friend at End of Trench 

My photos from Panama yesterday and the walk down memory lane caused a few old airborne buddies to message me so per chance I was harking back to the halcyon days of youth. I do know that was the last time I used a pick axe but I’m once again an ardent fan of that implement. I don’t know why God in his infinite wisdom decided to “bless” New England soil with so many rocks and we shouldn’t question his plan but c’mon. I had a few less than saintly thoughts as I cut into the hillside.

Notice the Rocks

I know it doesn’t look like much in the photos but that was some hard work. Those airborne buddies will tell you constructing a fighting position in rocky soil is a stone cold bitch, so I’m a little proud of myself. I am extremely grateful for the presence of liberal quantities of Motrin available in the house. I hope to finish the pathway cut after work this week and start erecting the retaining wall this coming weekend. Invest in ibuprofen futures.

My Supervisor On Duty

I did hear from none other than the Cantankerous Friend yesterday who was calling to inquire as to the mortality of Great Aunt. A nefarious rumor was started by the forces of evil reporting her demise. I assured him that she had yet to shuffle off the mortal coil and had just texted me to inquire on Buddy’s viability for his first non-Great Aunt assisted vacation. She and I had a good laugh about the rumors later.

To escape the empty house I snuck down to the movies to see Mechanic: Resurrection. This is a sequel to a movie where Jason Statham played a Louisiana assassin for hire. In the sequel he’s transformed into an international man of mystery globetrotting around to arrange deaths for the villain holding his girlfriend hostage. Statham is in full Transporter mode and his stunts are worth the price of admission. Jessica Alba plays the love interest with absolutely no chemistry with Staham. I don’t know how someone as hot as Alba can come across as almost asexual on the screen. This is Staham back in his action personae which means bring a lot of body bags as the bad guy had a seemingly endless, target rich stream of cannon fodder to be mowed down. Tommy Lee Jones was criminally underused. I liked this for the action, exotic locales, and the occasional Alba bikini shot but I think it’s safe to say it will be assiduously ignored come Oscar time.

During my recent travels I finished off the latest CG Cooper Corps Justice book, with Papal Justice. Cooper has Cal Stokes and his merry band of special operators back in the field hooking and jabbing with the bad guys, this time out radical Muslim terrorists planning a devastating attack on the American southwest. Even the Pope himself gets involved as well as some gun toting monks. I really enjoyed the action and found it hard to put down as the plot neared the final confrontation.

Finally, here’s your daily ration of pictured perfection from California: