Walls, Beers, and Granddaughters

My Son and I Wall Building

Yesterday was every bit as full as I anticipated, hoped, and planned for. My wife and I drove up to New Hampshire Friday evening to spend the night with my Favorite Son, the ABFA, and of course, the BRS. They had the massive boulder terrace removed from their front yard and I was going to help my son building a retaining wall similar to the many I’ve created both here at my current home and in Charlton. We needed an early start since some really nasty weather was promised for later in the day.

Abuela Time

My Favorite Panamanian was therefore offered the opportunity to go into full abuela mode with the BRS while I digging in the front yard. She seems to have established a really strong bond with the BRS who lights up every time she hears my wife’s distinctive voice. My son had a pallet of wall blocks delivered earlier in the week and after my first trip carrying them down to the job site I went rummaging in his garage. I emerged with the ABFA’s little red wagon which was put to work as the primary conveyor of blocks, my back thanked the ABFA profusely.

I truly enjoyed the time working with my son. It harkened back to many other times we had worked together, including my first ever retaining wall back in Charlton. With life swirling around, compounded by the arrival of the BRS, there haven’t been a lot of chances to just hang out and talk. The contractor who removed the boulders did us a huge favor by leveling a lot of the job site and the digging there was much easier than my usual wrist jarring excavations of rocks.

Site Supervisor

Riggins appointed himself as our supervisor. He assumed our work meant the prohibition on digging in the front yard was lifted. He spent most of the time digging up rocks or when that proved to be too much work simply lifting the ones we had placed to hold the landscape fabric in place. My son would order him back into the house after some of his most egregious faux pas but Riggins would signal his promise to behave by staging a lie down strike and refusing to be parted from our company. The wall is going to look great and my son commented that he’ll think of us building it together whenever he pulls into the driveway and sees it.

We got better than half of the critical bottom row installed before the rain started to fall forcing all of us back inside. I should have been a lot more tired than I was, a true barometer of the medicinal properties of time spent with my son. We got cleaned up and I finally got to pry the BRS away from her abuela for a few moments. We also had a video chat with the FBR. That was extremely funny because the BRS seemed really animated and chirped happily whenever she saw her cousin on the screen. The FBR seemed pleased at the reaction as well. I think it’s not going to be too long before these two young ladies are as thick as thieves.

End of Day Progress

We ended our day in New Hampshire with a very soggy barbecue. My son braved the torrential downpour to sear some dead animal flesh and a few of their excellent friends joined us for a very nice dinner. I was reminded of so many similar times during my wife and my journey through Army life at the same age my son and the ABFA are now. I’m glad they have such great friends in close proximity. I could sense the ease and friendship present.

I Got a Couple Moments with the BRS

Our day was nowhere near its end though. After dinner we loaded up the car and set out for Rhode Island. Great Aunt is undergoing her second knee replacement operation this coming Friday and she decreed a gathering of the clan at McShawn’s Irish pub. After a two hour slog through the torrents we arrived to find Soxfather also using a cane to amble about. He injured his knee pushing a newly acquired bedroom set upstairs. I told them their house reminded me of the 4077^th MASH unit. I guess I could be more sympathetic.

FBR Motoring Around New Jersey

She was at a Birthday Party Yesterday

And Sticking her Hand in the Birthday Cake!

Soxfather’s excellent family joined us at McShawn’s for a very long night of adult beverages and camaraderie. I had my usual argument with Soxfather’s sister about the photos I take of her for the blog. I took several last night but decided she was correct in her critique. We learned that she had never done shots before. I, of course, sought to remedy that failure but her husband campaigned strenuously against it since she was his ride home. We established a couple dates where she will rectify this shortcoming in the upcoming summer.

My Wife and Soxfather's Sister

My Namesake Nephew showed up campaigning to buy a fishing boat. I told him about the fishing in Panama but he says he won’t be flying any time soon after seeing so many recent airlines accidents. I guess I could try and begin to tell you how much fun these evenings with my sister and Soxfather’s family are but I would fail in doing them justice. Last night was no exception. My wife, who inexplicably arose at 5am to watch the ridiculousness that was the royal wedding, was the designated driver for the return to Worcester. I remember parts of the trip as we pulled into the house well after midnight. As I stated at the beginning of this post, a very long day but a day spent extraordinarily well, all due to the people my wife and I got to spend it with.

The Lads