Line of Departure

Okay! This will be my last post from the United States of America, hopefully, until April but I still have to accomplish the whole migration south which starts tomorrow. In a repeat of last year’s deployment we’re driving down to New Jersey and flying out of JFK since Copa doesn’t fly out of Boston any more (jerks). We need to fly Copa so we can check our bags all the way through to our final destination, David. If we flew another airline we would be stranded in Panama City since the only domestic flight to David is Copa and we would be limited to one bag each. Packing for a four month stay in less than four bags (I am accompanied by my wife after all), would be literally impossible.

Only Around 6" Today - Beach Here I come!

Since no deployment should occur without last minute situations, I noticed last night that the furnace was seeping some water onto the floor. I called the company that installed it last year and they came out this morning. It turned out to be a very minor problem solved in less than five minutes. The outside conduit to an evacuation pump had frozen over and he showed me how to fix that using some warm water. They came out earlier than expected so I had to get out with the snow blower before today’s storm ended. I saw the truck parked at the bottom of the street and wondered why he wasn’t coming up the plowed street. I was walking down to talk with him and soon had my answer as my feet shot out from under me and I was suddenly looking up to the sky with a very sore butt. The street was glare ice under the snow.

FBR is Happy with Our Travels to NJ

After that minor indignity I returned to the final tasks my Favorite Panamanian has assigned. In a huge surprise, I am in charge of cleaning the Man Cave. I was a little worried about cleaning the new popcorn machine but that turned out to be surprisingly easy. I’m rummaging around to insure all the necessary electronic devices are prepped for the move, not as easy as it sounds for a months long departure. It’s incredible how much of an electronic wagon train we’ve acquired over the past few years, all of which is now critical. We had hoped to drive down to New Jersey today but the storm put a kibosh on that. The snow is tapering of now and I’ll be back out there cleaning the driveway again. The beach is sounding better and better.

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                           

BR3 – Blog Reader #3 – 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 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