All
good things must come to an end, or at least that’s what passes as common wisdom
states. You don’t have to like it but there it is. In my case this meant an end
to our ten-day sojourn in Northern New Jersey with my Favorite Daughter and her
family. With Wingmom now in residence along with the returned Wingman, our
services were no longer required for the FBR watch. Both my daughter and
Wingman were very appreciative of our efforts but I felt guilty for accepting
their thanks as I felt I should be paying them for the opportunity to hang out
with my eldest granddaughter and them.
 |
| Saying Goodbye to Abuela |
The
departure was fraught with a little drama as the FBR staged a meltdown. I blame
myself because I mentioned to her that we were leaving and her mood changed
almost immediately and she staged the emotional scene shortly thereafter.
Consigned to her room to cogitate on her emotional state, she was eventually
talked back down by my daughter and the departure effort continued. That
included one last shoulder ride around the first floor. This may have to come
to an end in the foreseeable future due to the dual effect of her getting taller
and me older. It was still a lot of fun, even if she had to duck to get through
some doorways.
The
FBR is an ardent user of her mother’s iPad, to the point telling her to log off
becomes a flash point and not for the weak to try to enforce. She promises every
time she is granted permission to use it that this time is different but she’s
always at some critical, unable to disengage point when called upon to get off.
We practiced that some yesterday with the first blushes of success. “Listening”
was a big theme during our visit, hopefully helping her get ready for
kindergarten in a few weeks. I know she’ll be a super hero there.
 |
| iPad in Use, Approach with Caution |
Our
departure usually is grounds for waterworks from our eldest granddaughter but
the arrival of Wingmom and her pets seems to have helped in that area. I also
left a cache of whoopie pies in the freezer. While the FBR was still sad she
was still in the mildly euphoric state of finally having a dog in the house. Harley
is a great little dog that I can already see starting to bond with the desperately
affectionate FBR. While we were slogging through our return, we received these
photos showing the FBR proudly squiring Harley around the neighborhood.
 |
| FBR with her new Buddies |
As
to that slogging, I have to admit, my hated nemesis, Connecticut has lured me
into complacency over the past couple years. I’d made the trip to and from New Jersey
many times without a significant hold up. That winning streak came to a
startling halt yesterday. I was doing my usual herding cats moves trying to get
my Favorite Panamanian to leave. She was engrossed in a long conversation with
Wingmom over the breakfast table while I wall loading the car. I told her the
later we left the worse the traffic would be. I hate being right sometimes.
 |
| FBR and Harley |
The
Garden State Parkway was much slower than usual but I thought I was home free
after getting across the Mario Cuomo Bridge without a big problem. Here’s where
my old enemy asserted itself. We came to a grinding halt as we approached Connecticut
and it took nearly an hour to go twenty miles. When we finally got going again,
Connecticut instituted its old policy of calling for stop and go traffic in 65
MPH zones for no apparent reason. You could almost forgive if there was
construction or an accident causing this but it was just Connecticut being
Connecticut.
 |
| She Said she was Still Leaving Poop Pickup to Wingmom |
We
hadn’t even reached Hartford by the time I should have been pulling into my
driveway. Our faithful GPS and some road signs somewhat gleefully informed us
that there was a huge back up at the Mass Pike as we approached Massachusetts
but I was finally in territory I knew. It’s always frustrating to sit in traffic
when you know the locals know their way around the backup you’re sitting in. I
got off a couple exits early, avoided the back up, and stopped for a very late lunch
at our old stomping grounds at the Sturbridge Cracker Barrel. We then made out
way over back roads, occasionally seeing the parking lot the Mass Pike was
through gaps in the trees.
This
was a marked relief after the first four hours of our usual three hour trip. We
arrived home to find the resident PanaGal had returned from Niagara Fall and
spent some time cleaning the house, unbidden. While I loved our stay with my
daughter’s family it was good to get back into the familiar Man Cave and to
sleep on our own bed last night. Before gong to bed though I binge watched a
couple more episodes of Happy Endings, a show my daughter and Wingman hooked me
on during our stay. I also still missed giving shoulder rides though. A lot.
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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; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course; 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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