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| Thursday Lunch |
My wife and I are dealing with what
seems to be an incredibly quiet house right now. The absence of the FBR is
being keenly felt on a number of levels as we reluctantly returned her to her
parents over the weekend. My mother in law remains in residence but she cannot
be counted on in the decibel department where the FBR truly excels. We wound up
the week with a shopping extravaganza by the new best buddy shopping pals of
the FBR and her abuela. They are truly kindred spirits when it comes to
shopping which bodes ill for my future financial status.
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| Shopping Queen err Princess |
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| Ruby Slippers |
A case in point; we had a delightful lunch
out on Thursday where the FBR was all over me, loudly proclaiming her grandpa
was one of her favorite people in the world. She was on the point of pitching a
tantrum outside the restaurant when I had to return to work. That is, until her
abuela reminded her they had shopping to do. An immediate change came over the
FBR and she blithely said, “Bye Grandpa!” and set out for the store with her
abuela and bisabuela in hot pursuit. She showed up later that night with a Princess
Rapunzel play dress and her very own ruby slippers. As stated above, I could be
in trouble.
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| Missing the Scamp |
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| Beating the Heat on Deckzilla |
The drive down to New Jersey was uneventful
which is grounds for celebration. The FBR was so engrossed in her IPad during the
trip that we hardly noticed she was with us. She did yeoman work on a hot dog
during the lunch break and I had to pry her away from the IPad to inform her we
had arrived at her home. As soon as she saw her parents though all bets were
off. She could not hug them enough. It was easy to see how much the FBR had
been missed and vice versa. This remained the case even though she went napless
for the day which resulted in a difficult couple of hours approaching bed time.
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| Dancing to La La Land with Mom |
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| IPaddng with Dad |
We got back on the road early the next
day because we had an afternoon cruise scheduled on Webster Lake. At first the
FBR did not want to even acknowledge we were leaving, refusing to say goodbye.
When she eventually realized it was inevitable we got our share of FBR hugs,
which are awesome. Despite admonishments from the car’s GPS system which
thought my chosen route was sub-optimal we made good time getting back from New
Jersey. We stopped in at our old Sunday grocery shopping destination in Sturbridge
to pick up some supplies and were warmly welcomed by some of the people who remembered
us.
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| Wife, Mother in Law and I on the Boat |
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| Part of the Very Fun Crew |
My HR Director owns a fabulous house
on Webster Lake and recently purchased a pontoon boat which led to the
invitation for us to join her Sunday afternoon for a cruise around the lake and
then a barbecue. It remained oppressively hot and humid so cruising the lake
was a marvelous alternative to being cooped up in air conditioning. I’d never
been around Webster Lake which is not well known outside the area but is a magnificent,
spring fed New England lake that has not been overdeveloped although that seems
to be starting judging by the number of McMansions going up. We stopped by the
Indian Ranch venue where George Thorogood and the Destroyers were in full throat.
There was a wide collection of boats moored together listening to the concert
and partying.
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| Indian Ranch Flotilla Ahead |
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| Thorogood Anchoring |
Since yesterday was a school night I
didn’t consume any adult beverages despite the siren call of the music, lake
and camaraderie. We finished the cruise off back at the lakeside home for a
fantastic barbecue dinner overlooking the lake. After the long drive and time
in the sun we were all a little worse for the wear by the time we got home. The
house still seemed preternaturally quiet for a very good, albeit lamentable,
reason.
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| A Great Afternoon |
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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; 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 3rd musquetera
(musketeer); 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; 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
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