I
find myself safely ensconced back in the Man Cave for the first time since late
March. This followed the epic redeployment plan we executed over the past few
days. The first step was tearing ourselves away from the beach condo. That was
maybe the hardest part of plan execution and not for the faint of heart. We
spent the last couple days cleaning and packing things up. My wife pointedly
reminded me on no less than forty-seven occasions that this was the first time
since we’ve owned the condo that I’ve been available for the seasonal shuttering.
After going through it with her, I counted myself impressed that she had done
this the past four years without me, a lot of work.
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| Last Walk on Beach |
After
having the entire condo complex virtually to ourselves for nearly our entire
stay, it was actually a little crowded on departure day. May 1 is Labor Day in
Panama so this was part of a three-day weekend that brought at least six of our
co-owners into the building. We took one last walk on the beach, snapped a few
pictures, and then made the last ride back to David to my mother in law’s home.
The rainy season is arriving with a vengeance and we drove through four different
deluges on the hour-long drive. It’s almost like a Hollywood special effect where
you’re driving through seriously torrential rain (it is the tropics), then pass through a curtain, to find the road dry and the sun shining.
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| Wife Snapping Some Goodbye Photos |
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| Last Beach Photos |
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| Our Condo View for Last Time in 2021 |
We
arrived in David and hurried down the street to get the requisite Covid testing
required for our flight. We had stopped by earlier that week to insure they would
be open on Saturday. We’re guessing the lady my wife spoke with forgot about
the whole national holiday for 1 May because it was closed up with a sign
saying they would helpfully re-pen on Monday. Since we were flying on Monday,
that was no help at all. Ever resilient, my Favorite Panamanian walked across the
street and spoke with a security guard in front of a hospital. He told him the
hospital lab was around the corner and was doing testing.
 |
| We Stopped by to See a Bedridden Uncle of my Wife |
After
a semi-long wait, we were admitted to the office and understood why it took so long
between customers. It took nearly twenty minutes to fill out the forms. We were
then directed back outside, around the corner, and entered the testing site.
All the previous tests we’ve had were saliva tests or lower nose swabs. Our luck
ran out with this one. The attendant pulled out a very long swab and told us to
brace as he explored the upper reaches of our nasal cavity. It didn’t hurt so
much as tickle like crazy. An hour later we had our results and were good to go
for our flight with negative tests.
 |
| Goodbye Dinner at Gallardo's |
We
took my wife’s family out for a goodbye dinner at my favorite Panamanian steak
house, Gallardo’s. We didn’t want the laughter to end, so we decided to
re-convene on my mother-in- law’s front porch for continued laughter after
dinner. Unfortunately, we arrived at the house to find that her refrigerator had
met its long-awaited death. My wife and her sister headed out refrigerator
shopping while her brother and I moved the old one outside for junking. Since
that didn’t take a long time and the corner store still sold cold beer we commenced
the front porch get-together while awaiting the shoppers return. They eventually
did turn up after successful forays into three different establishments and my Favorite
Panamanian was so gassed, she actually had her first beer since we arrived in Panama.
I gallantly volunteered to finish it for her when she ran out of steam half way
through.
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| My Buddy, Filliberta |
Monday
morning was a little crazy as we prepared for our 8AM arrival time at the
airport. Since I was ready a little earlier than certain spouses, I wandered out
of her sight to avoid additional counseling with the attendant delays. I thought
there was a fungal growth on one of their back yard fruit trees but my wife’s
sister assured me it was actually a very tasty fruit called, guanavana. I
turned down her kind offer to sample what looked like a dinosaur egg. I also
said goodbye to my buddy, my sister-in-law’s cat, Filliberta. She and I have a
good relationship as I’m the only person she lets pat her. I didn’t understand
that until the first time I saw the cat and patted her. This was accompanied by
gasps from my wife’s assembled family who assured me Filliberta did not allow
anyone to pat her. Me and cats, go figure.
 |
| The Guanavana Tree |
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| The Offered Guanavana |
The
flight back was fairly uneventful. We had a six-hour layover in Panama City for
our flight to New York but the airport was liberally “blessed” with shopping opportunities
so the time flew for at least one of us. As we were boarding our flight, I was
informed that I had been upgraded to first class but my wife hadn’t. I wasn’t
stupid enough to take advantage of that opportunity so I made the young man who
they’d sold my former seat to the best offer he’d had in a while as I traded my
first class seat for the one next to my Favorite Panamanian.
 |
| The Long Wait in Panama City |
We
breezed through customs and immigration and then ran afoul of the Copa Airlines
baggage handlers. Our bags, despite having prominent “priority” tags on them
were literally the last bags off the baggage claim belt. It was nearing 1AM when
we wandered outside to link up with the patiently waiting Wingman. We immediately
noticed that it was not nearly as warm in New York as it had been in Panama but
it was raining every bit as hard as in the tropics. It’s funny that my wife passed
the entire month in Panama in the rainy season, successfully dodging the almost
daily storms only to get wet for the first time here. Go figure.
 |
| Wife Cuddling with FBR and New Toys |
As
with every time I wander through New York I was impressed with the sheer size
of the place. I always think of Boston as a major city but it is not in the
same league as the Big Apple. I first noticed it in the airport where
everything was twice the size of Boston’s airport. Wingman then spent nearly an
hour at highway speeds, driving us to his home and we were still in the city. Massive.
It just makes the 2004 Red Sox kicking the Yankees’ ass in historic fashion all
the more enjoyable (but I digress). We
finally hit the sack around 2AM but faced a 6:30AM awakening at the hands of the
FBR. We could hear her arguing with her mother through the door that since she
was awake, we should be too. I couldn’t argue with her logic and we spent a fun
morning with her. She especially excited about the gifts sent by Tia Loca. She
sternly warned me to refer to Tia Loca by her correct name and not Tia Loca.
That’s what a stuffed toy will do for you with a six-year-old.
 |
| Home At Last! |
We
left for home around 11AM and made good time back to Massachusetts. We stopped
by our old stomping grounds and had lunch at the Sturbridge Cracker Barrell,
the first time we’d been out to eat in the USA since the pandemic began well
over a year ago. We pulled into home just before 3PM and found the home in
great shape. All the plants had survived my wife’s absence under the care of
Kene Friend and the apparently non-stop parties he hosted at the house during
our time away. The party allegation was made by Keene Friend’s cousin, the
Pittsburgh College Roommate, and I think his claims may be specious. Just
guessing here.
It
was good to get back into our home and start up some of our routines after more
than a month away. I kept finding my mind getting pulled back to Las Lajas
though. This morning, while preparing my breakfast, I opened a kitchen cabinet
looking for a bowl and found myself searching for the plastic bowls we keep in
the condo. On the upside, while our picturesque view is decidedly decreased, I
was reminded again of how crystal clear the HD TV signal is here compared to the
beach. I saw my first Red Sox game of the year last night; they could be a lot
of fun to watch. Unfortunately all of their games won’t be against Detroit, but
for a night at least, they looked formidable.
 |
| Nest of my New Allies |
This
morning brought some surprises. My arch nemesis, the backyard squirrels, have
taken my prolonged absence as license to take control of Deckzilla. They impertinently failed to disperse when I stepped out
to remind them about the whole food chain thing this morning. I then became aware
of a new ally in my long standing war with the rodents. A pair of robins have
established a nest on top of Deckzilla and take serious umbrage when the squirrels
started to climb up near the nest. They dive bombed the pests and chased them all
the way back into the woods, pecking away. It warmed my heart, home again. Wow,
this was a long post, but it has been five days in almost constant motion, so
there.
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RECURRING CHARACTERS
BR3 – granddaughter #3, 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; Kindergarten
Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; 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; 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; Curbside
Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in
Brooklyn
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