We are making up for the loss of parties imposed by 2020. This past weekend to celebrate Independence Day there were two different parties to attend. The first was nearly a half hour away close to where we used to live. The other was virtually across the street. It should not surprise anyone that both parties were connected to the Latin Mafia. I’m going to need the next couple days to completely recover from a bit of over indulging, especially in the neighborhood party, but sometimes, when you’re having too much fun surrounded by some really great people caution is left at the curb.
The
Saturday party was singular in that it marked the first time I’ve ever attended
a party in July to celebrate Independence Day and being able to see my breath.
It felt mildly frigid even though it s only in the 50s, the cold persistent
rain will do that to you. To our hosts credit, they had a great set up and a hearty
stack of food and beverages to ply us with. My Favorite Panamanian, as cold-averse
a person as you will ever meet, rangered her way through the event but I could
tell she was suffering. The nice Czech couple from our party last week was
there along with their daughter, my Czech shadow. 
The Cold Saturday Party
FBR's Namesake
Her
attachment to me has waned over the past week and her mother attributed that to
the boy who was running around the yard with my now former shadow. We all
huddled up together under a gazebo enjoying the company as well as the food. We
were joined by a beautiful yellow lab who had the exact same name as the FBR,
it was a bit disconcerting to have the FBR’s name constantly shouted as the lab
did what labs do, constantly seek to get more food. Our host’s granddaughter
and grandson had invited a bunch of their friends over to continue the party
later in the day. My wife was aghast when a group of them showed up and immediately
jumped in the pool. I told her she should know by now that we grow them up tough
here in New England.(I thought they were crazy too)
With my Former Shadow
Starting Point 
Filled, FInally
Sunday,
pre-second party, was spent laboring to get more of the front yard dirt pile
reduced and carried up the hill. It had been raining for three days straight
which made that impossible until it finally cleared yesterday. I thought I was finished
and then did some packing down and found I had even more to carry up. I
finished just before party time and think I’m at the 95% level after another
round of packing down which means I can finish it today. This was not a lot of
fun.
What's Left of Pile
My Lower Level Group
I
don’t know if it was because of the day long exertions or the company but I was
more than ready to party when we walked across the street to the Neighborhood
Mafioso’s home for that second party. Alright, I know it was the people. I set
up shop on the lower level where our host was holding forth at the grill. It
felt so great to have the opportunity to hang out once again with some truly
great people. Even Deckzilla Dude was there and we learned a lot of his past
history growing up in Worcester with our hosts. He opined that he was always blamed
for everything while our host got off Scot free. Based on this historical
record, we decided to blame Deckzilla Dude for everything for the rest of the
night. The hosts’ daughter had a picture from her parents’ early days and three
out of the four people in the that picture were there so they recreated the photos,
which was too funny (a bit more gray hair in evidence).
Wife with the More Sedate Upper Level
The Old Picture
It
was a great evening of comradery with a large percentage of the Panamanian Mafia
present. I conspired with my host to come up with a system where my Favorite Panamanian
couldn’t conduct her usual census on the amount of beer I was drinking. In retrospect
that might have been a mistake, but I was having way too much fun at the time
to worry it. I have not laughed as hard and this much in way too long a time;
just fantastic friends.
Same Guys (except for guy on right) a Few Years Later
Upper Level Ladies
Inevitably,
since Panamanians were involved, some dancing broke out which caused my wife to
migrate down from the upper terrace where the more sensible people had been
hanging out. I know I’ve said this many times before, especially in 2021, but
it was one of those nights I did not want to end. But, again, that’s how 2021
is going for me. It’s also a comment on the importance of good friends and
times like these that were denied us during the pandemic. We eventually had to come
home and watched some fireworks bloom over Worcester from our bedroom window. A
great Independence Day weekend thanks to some truly superior people we were
blessed to hang out with.
Host with Deckzilla Dude
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The Beautiful Ladies of the Panamanian Mafia
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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