Excellence Incarnate

2 Very Happy Fathers

I will try to begin the tale of a weekend extremely well spent but my poor abilities will certainly fall short of adequately capturing the excellence. It was a weekend where the majority of time was spent in New Hampshire so there’s the first clue as to the source of the quality. My Favorite Panamanian was bound and determined to make the Father’s Day weekend special for me and she exceeded exquisitely. She had asked what I wanted to do and I went with my default position of traveling back to my hometown and hanging with friends while drinking beer.

Wife with Cantankerous and Keene Friends on Saturday

Since she had several TJ Maxx gift cards burning holes in her pocket she was readily agreeable to the trip. Later in the week my Favorite Son came up on the net to ask if we planning on coming to his house on Saturday in preparation for the planned Father’s Day gathering there. I was torn since I’d already gotten my anticipation wired around the road trip to Keene before I pronounced that we could do both. My wife was skeptical but since it was Father’s Day weekend she could deny me nothing.

Reading with Riggins and the BRS

FBR Got her Father a Game for Father's Day

Wingman was Pleased

The trip to Keene was important on several fronts. I haven’t been able to get up there as often as I like due to what I call the “granddaughter effect” and my favorite sports bar, Scores, has closed, having lost its liquor license.  I had been conferring with Keene Friend on the impact the loss of Scores would have on the annual birthday pub crawl because it has always served as the final destination for the crawl. We concluded that additional extensive reconnaissance was needed to vett possible contenders. This led to Keene Friend and I seated in the Cobblestone Pub shortly before noon on Saturday. We were joined in short order by the Cantankerous Friend so we could mine his knowledge oif the local beer scene.

BRS in her New Ride

Waiting for Abuela Power to kick In

Very, Very Happy Abuela

We have a soft spot in our hearts for Cobblestone because they always buy us a round of beer when our group shows up on the crawl. It also offers a fabulous view of the Main Street sidewalk which on a beautiful June day was extremely picturesque, on a number of levels. My wife finished off her abbreviated TJ Maxx depredations and extracted us for lunch at a nearby steakhouse. It would be appropriate to point out that my Father’s Day weekend was off a fabulous start, trip to hometown, hang time with best friends, beer, and steak!!

Grandpa Reading Session Continued

Following our thorough domination of the dead animal flesh my wife and I headed cross state to join up with my son, the ABFA, and the one, the only, BRS. It’s fun to see the bond she’s forming with my wife although I did manage to get several request for grandpa time over the next two days. It was very nice relaxing time as the BRS entertained us while the Red Sox game was on the tube. The BRS loves circulating the neighborhood and so had her abuela outside pushing her around in the pink car she’s acquired.

BRS has her Own Drawer in the Kitchen

My son and I had a great time as couch potatoes as the ladies insisted on spoiling us, who was I to argue. The evening culminated with my son and I watching a horror movie together, something we don’t get to do very often anymore given the usual proximity of our respective spousal units. Both my wife and the ABFA are avowed horror movie opponents. I’m thinking it has something to do with the blood and other assorted gore. Anyway it was a lot of fun to once again share this with my son without the usual wifely condemnations. So, Saturday, pretty cool.

Riggins Forced to Share the ABFA's Parents with the BRS

Sunday, somehow, managed to exceed the entertainment level of Saturday though, even with a steady downpour all day which precluded most outside activity. The BRS still demanded to go outside and at one point grabbed her raincoat and took it over to her other grandfather to indicate she expected to be escorted outside post haste. Since grandfathers are helpless in the face of the BRS she was soon making her way around the neighborhood.

Soxfather!

And Great Aunt!

In addition to the ABFA’s most excellent parents we were also blessed with the Soxfather and Great Aunt for the day. I did say the entertainment level was top notch. It was a great, understated day in which we got to enjoy each other’s company while the BRS held court in her inimitable fashion. The girl certainly has game. The only thing missing was my daughter and her family but they joined us a couple times via FaceTime and the BRS took particular delight whenever she could see the FBR on the screen, and vice versa. So, a very, very good weekend.

Daughter bought me  Book (of All things!)

FBR Finished Gymnastics Season on some Sort of Podium

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                           

BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter, ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete = my daughter in law, formerly known both as MEF – Most Excellent Fiancé & MEG – Most Excellent Girlfriend; Wingman – my son in law; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Soxfather - my brother in law; Great Aunt = my elder sister; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; Pittsburgh College Roommate – high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd musquetera (musketeer); Buddy – AKA the Wonder Pooch – family dog, a black lab – hates squirrels, died in 2017; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog, surrogate grandchild while awaiting arrival of the BRS; PanaGals – female relatives/friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife accumulates wherever we have lived & their spouses; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member, Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Excellent Boss – my former direct boss at work; Deckzilla Dude – senior citizen carpenter/contractor; Voices of Inappropriate Worth - members of public who come to every Worcester public meeting to complain, all are on public assistance along with demeanor issues