Picturesque Dining and Walled In

I haven’t written for the last couple days because I’ve actually been called away to do all of things – work. I spent Tuesday and Wednesday driving across Massachusetts to visit New Bedford and then Brockton. Now that I’m fully vaccinated, I am allowed by the company to travel and these were the first two places to visit, along with my boss. Those two visits quickly ate up the ten hours I owe each week and actually got into next week’s allocation as well. The visits went well and it was good to get out and about. Both visits included business lunches with the clients at each location.

Son's Drive Home Sunday

In New Bedford we ate right on the harbor at a place called The Black Whale. Those of you worried about me eating at a seafood restaurant (you know who you are), they also served cheeseburgers. It offered great views of the port and brought back some memories. I’ve learned we have some serious family connections to New Bedford, my great-grandfather and great-grandmother on my mother’s side are both buried there and we visited relatives there when I was very young. During those visits I spent some time in the Whaling Museum which was right across the street from The Black Whale, so, memories.

During the Brockton visit we ate at the Easton Country Club at an incongruously named, especially for a country club, the 2 Jerks Grille. The clientele was appropriately stuffy as the surroundings which made the name of the place all that more interesting. The cheeseburger there was one of the best I’ve ever had. We were seated on the terrace overlooking the putting green and I had to bail out after a few minutes to retrieve a hat from the car as I did not want to return home with a suspicious sunburn. My Favorite Panamanian serves as my dermatologist’s greatest weapon.

2 Jerks Grille

I returned home yesterday to find I had a few hours to spend on my list of backyard repair projects. I’ve been jonesing to get out there but something has always come up, like the much more important family visits and the whole being in Panama for a month. The middle terrace on our back yard hill had developed a serious defect after four years. I blame the burrowing shrew (whom I met during my efforts yesterday) who undermined the footing. I thought I just had to remove the sagging part of the wall and relevel the base.

The Initial Incision

I was making good time until I reached the point to re-connect the repaired wall with the other side. I discovered that entire end of the wall had also sunk so I had to continue repairing the wall all the way. At one point the aforementioned shrew showed up and was totally confused by the lack of landmarks to enter his abode since I’d stacked the bricks up. He bounced off them a couple times before I could hit him with a nearby hammer and scurried back into his hole. I watched him descend through his exposed tunnels with my hammer in hand but didn’t want to chance a landslide with an attempted kill shot.

The Repaired Wall
Had to Go All the Way Around the Corner

BR3, Family Vamp

We’re gearing up for a special occasion this weekend. The BR3 turns 1 year old and she gets to meet a lot of her family for the first time ever. Being a pandemic baby, she has yet to meet her aunt, the FBR, Great Aunt, or Soxfather. Since that august adult group is now all vaccinated this will be a truly special party on Saturday. I finally found a picture that shows why we call BR3 the family vampire due to her two eye teeth coming in. The FBR was a little under the weather this week after her Pennsylvania adventure. She recovered quickly, as when I asked Wingman how she was feeling he reported that, “She was running around the backyard like a maniac”. Finally, in additional funny granddaughter news, my Favorite Son sent me the above picture from his drive home on Sunday. The BRS was having a melt down in the back seat because one of her dolls could not be properly secured with a seatbelt. The only resolution ended up having the doll secured with my son, because she could see that from the back seat., My son drove all the way home with the doll placed there which I’m sure raised some questions in the minds of passing drivers. The BRS can be a tough taskmaster.

Recovered FBR

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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 3^rd 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