After having some of the smoothest rides up and down our street for the last couple weeks, the city finally got around the replacing that which they removed a couple weeks ago. I know people, especially those in Vermont, who are used to living on dirt streets but there is the attendant dust any time a vehicle passes down where the street used to be which is problematic; especially if you live with a cleanliness addict like my Favorite Panamanian. As stated above though, the rides have been very smooth as compared to when we had a paved street; probably why they felt the need to replace it.
FBR Waiting for her Bus This Morning
I’m
like a small child when it comes to construction vehicles. I’ve been that way since
my earliest days when my Grandpa Pat would take me out to see “Yooks” which is
what, for some unremembered reason, is what I called large construction vehicles.
Of course, technology has vastly improved over the past sixty years and I’ve
had a front row seat to some of it as the street re-appears. They were using a
cool machine to lay down the first layer. A truck, laden with asphalt, backed up
and dumped its load into the machine as it slowly made its way down the street.
A fully formed street came out the other side. Two passes and we had a completely
new street. They still use the huge heavy rollers to pack it down which had the
entire house shaking which led to some interesting moments during a couple
business zoom calls I had yesterday. Today they’ve got another cool machine
that recreates the curb. I think it’s called progress.
Which Finally Showed
The Street Creation Machine at Work 
End of Day Result
The
Maplewood School department is finally showing some signs of life as the FBR
was picked up by the bus this morning for the first time. Every other day her
parents had to drive her to school when the bus failed to show. Her best friend
was waiting at the first stop after she was picked up which she apparently announced
to the entire bus upon approach. My daughter seemed to finally be getting a
break as she tried to balance the new school experience and her work. 
Today we're getting Curbs!
Finally,
today is Kindergarten Friend’s birthday which we kind of celebrated a couple weekends
ago during my most recent thunder run to Keene. He represents one of the best
aspects of my return to New England after my Army career. It’s testament to how
good a friend he is that we picked up our friendship as if only a couple weeks
instead of several decades had passed since we last talked. I still remember
both of us getting in trouble during kindergarten and 1st grade when
we would go home together to one our homes while the other set of parents
frantically tried to locate their missing child. I’ve been blessed with some of
the best friends possible and I count Kindergarten Friend high on that list.
Happy Birthday buddy, the next few beers are on me.
Birthday Boy and I Celebrating a Little Early
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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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