Fired Up

One of the most enduring aspects of my years at Las Lajas are the beach bonfires. Before we owned the condo, we would gather up driftwood and start a fire just above the high tide mark. It was usually the end of a great beach day as we surrounded the fire, drank beer (okay that was mostly me), and laughed into the night. Since at that time we were usually only staying at the beach for a day or two, the fire became a greatly anticipated high point. My well acknowledged pyromaniacal side reveled in these conflagrations. There are too many great memories to recount in detail but I have a favorite. Wingman, only dating my daughter at the time, accompanied us on a family trip which included a few days at Las Lajas as well as a truly great fire. As the group dwindled late into the night, he and I were the last ones at the fire. I was wondering why he seemed a little nervous but I’d had enough beer to dismiss my curiosity as warrantless.

Favorite Panamanian and I at Sunset Last Night

A few weeks later, while Wingman was on tour with his band in Japan, I received a very formal letter in which Wingman asked for my Favorite Daughter’s hand in marriage. He revealed he had wanted to broach that subject while we sat fireside back in Las Lajas but felt the amount of beer that had gone downrange made it feel inappropriate for such a serious discussion. Little did he realize, I do some of my best “discussing” after a few beers. I’ve always kidded him that he waited until he was several thousand miles away from me before he dared to ask the question. He has his story. I have mine. At least the question was asked and we now have the FBR as well as Wingman as part of the family. So. Win.

Favorite Panamanian Fireside

Toasting with her Sister, Tia Loca

So, why all this talk about beach bonfires. Yep. You guessed it. We had a huge fire last night. At the condo the fires are a bit more formal since part of the communal area is massive concrete fire pit. I didn’t have to gather firewood either as my Favorite Panamanian simply asked the condo caretaker to prepare the fire for us. I was a little ticked about that as I thought we’d end up with a small blaze (again, that pyromaniacal side). I was therefore greatly impressed when we showed up for the fire to find huge driftwood logs stacked up. My wife’s sister, mother, nephew and his girlfriend joined us for the fire. Each was equipped with a stick for marshmallow toasting although the size of the fire meant the sticks had to be really long.

Really Good Fire

Tia Loca Living Up to her Name

I also noticed the dry season night sky was offering its usual spectacular star show which required several walks out onto the beach. The smell of burning marshmallows attracted some grandkids from another family staying at the condo complex. I immediately thought how much the FBR, BRS, and BR3 would have enjoyed the moment which made me miss them and their parents even more. We had a great time last night but I sneakily missed those less formal fires around the years ago beach visits. The soul healing does continue though.

Beach This Morning

Walked the Other Way on the Beach This Morning
This is Where a River Flows into the Ocean

Also Great Views of Central Mountain Range

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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

Beach Friday Restorations

First Friday ceremonies returned yesterday after the first interruption I can recall in at least ten years. I don’t have to explain why no one in the family as ready to party. I’ve written before about the evolution of First Friday with the advent of the pandemic. We started a family First Friday FaceTime call that became one of the very few excellent developments attributed to Covid. While my two kids usually bow out after a half hour, my Favorite Panamanian and I always stayed on line with Soxfather and Great Aunt for an hour or more, usually ending with the expiration of battery life. Therein lies the reason for the unprecedented pause in observation of the First Friday of the Week, the permanent absence of Soxfather.

Frist Sunset I've Taken in Since Soxfather News

It turned out I was wrong with that last statement. Soxfather was with us last evening as I sat on the beach while my snowbound family gathered inside around their screens. We talked about Soxfather and the treasure chest of memories he left us with. He loved the First Friday calls and we all realized how much he would have insisted we carry on. The call had to be rough for Great Aunt but she and I stayed on for our usual extra hour after the kids departed. While the pain is still raw I think our conversation helped both of us cherish the Soxfather memories instead of only mourn his departure. I am so proud of my big sister.

Beach Walk This Morning

The big ole world continues to move on without my adequate attention. Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine may turn out to be a huge miscalculation by Putin. If news reports are correct, he sent enough troops for a quick decisive victory but nowhere near enough for sustained combat in such a large country or certainly any sustained urban warfare. The Ukrainians are putting up a lively fight and I think Putin thought the country would welcome a return to the USSR. The Ukrainians have had more than twenty years of western style freedoms and don’t want to return to the days of commissars. The Russians should eventually win but they will need hundreds of thousands of troops to occupy a resentful Ukraine. I’m surprised because Putin has ever been a big talker but only took small, edible bites. I think he has massively miscalculated.

Beach This Morning

Buzzards were Dining on this - No Idea What it Was
Escapee from Isla Nubar or Sorna?:)

Birds Too Lazy to Move this Morning

We were held up a couple times on our drive back to the condo by demonstrations. This had nothing to do with Ukraine. The dwellers of the interior of Panama who Panamanians refer to as “Indians” closed the Inter-America Highway to protest something. This happened a couple years ago where we were held up for nearly three hours. They basically march on to the center of the highway and don’t let any traffic through until someone form the government comes to talk with them. I was wondering why a couple trucks passed us going the wrong way on our side of the highway until I got around the bend to see the massive backup. We were only held up a total of 45 minutes at both of the times we were stopped. Neither my wife or I know what they were protesting. Life in Panamá can be weird.

On our way back to the beach this week my wife and I stopped off for a date night movie in David. Uncharted is a big hit but I was surprised by how shallow it turned out to be. It was as if the filmmakers tried to bring to life a love child between National Treasure and some sort of video game. The story made no sense and only served to move the film to the next set of very entertaining stunts. The movie is saved by Spidey as Tom Holland demonstrates real star power and effortlessly carries the film while a very generous Mark Wahlberg lets him do so. They make an interesting set of buddies. What made the National Treasure movies so good was keeping the plot, while wildly impossible, at least credible. That thought goes out early on in this movie but the very engaging cast rescues it and makes this movie at least very watchable, if a bit frustrating if you look beyond the stunts. But, hey, at least it was honest and didn’t try to be anything it wasn’t, a big dumb action flick, so, of course, I liked it.

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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; idayWingmom – 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

Beach Walk Reestablished

To say that time slowed down over the past two weeks would be a vast understatement as I’ve come to terms with a significantly diminished world due to my brother in law’s absence. Even when I was in our Worcester house I didn’t feel home. That probably had something to do with sheets covering all the furniture but more so to the lack of decibels associated with my Favorite Panamanian’s absence from the scene. Late yesterday I finally achieved a modicum of that coming home feeling as we pulled into our condo parking lot. There must be something to that old saying that home is where the heart is because I’ve figured out my home is where a certain pint-sized Latina lady is.

Back Home This Morning

Since I last wrote here in Frail Deeds we journeyed up to David in a propeller driven plane which meant a very exciting approach to the destination airport when the dry season winds started kicking in. It reminded me of the many similar rides I’d had on C-130s before jumping out of same. Before we departed the capitol city we gathered the Panama City based branch of my wife’s family to celebrate a couple birthdays. Our hotel had a conveniently located TGI Fridays attached which served in the past for similar reunions. My wife’s cousin and niece were the honorees and more people than expected showed up which ran us up against Panamanian Covid restrictions limiting the size of parties.

The "Young" Table

And Not So Young

Birthday Brownies!

This meant the young’uns (which I had no hope of qualifying for) had a sperate table. I think they had more fun than my table. I missed out on the opportunity to discuss movies with the birthday niece but she promised to make a trek up to the beach while I’m still here. We’re gearing up for one of the biggest annual celebrations in Panama – Carnaval, which marks the last days before Lent descends. The government has canceled all official gatherings which included fire trucks hosing down the crowds and other associated parades. The Panamanians are still going to gather though and we expect a full condo building for the first time since we arrived.

Beach This Morning

We’ll be doing our part as Tia Loca and other members of the family join us for a few days. My wife has long wanted to have black out curtains for our condo which is liberally blessed with windows, including the entire living room wall. Combined with the tropical sunshine this means watching the television in the afternoon is a real challenge as well as any thoughts of sleeping in if you’re light sensitive. I’ve never minded because I love the views of the beach but we all know who won that argument.

New Living Room Curtains

Our Bedroom

She custom ordered the curtains which arrived during my time in the States. We discovered today as we started to mount them that she had forgotten to account for the curtain rod supports which meant the curtains should have been cut into panels. Undaunted, I was drafted into the panel creation effort as my wife once again proved her resourcefulness as she wielded a mean set of scissors to create the panels. I hesitate to say this within her hearing but she was right about putting the curtains up, they make a big difference. Shhhh

BRS & BR3 - End Product

The ABFA sent this picture of the BRS and BR3 which was typically cool. She then, in an effort to remind us getting these two high energy young ladies to pose for a “nice” picture is a process. The outtakes were even cooler because they brought a real sense of what life is like with these two, something both my wife and I miss despite the much better weather we currently enjoy. You see I got all this way in today’s post without mentioning the ten inches of snow New England is getting dumped on with today.

The Outtakes

Before the curtains project, I got back to my morning workout routine which I sorely missed over the past couple weeks. It would have been tough to find a place to boogie board in New England in February. The best part of the workout was the hour-long beach walk with my Favorite Panamanian. We used the time to talk almost exclusively about Soxfather and my past two weeks trying to adjust to a world without him. I finally felt at home.

Sorry New England

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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

Nostalgic Reunion

I learned an important lesson yesterday and I’m willing to pass it on. You should never try to fly out of Newark International Airport on a federal holiday. It is not for the weak of spirit. After my flight into Newark I thought I was sneakily falling in love with the convenience compared to JFK and, God forbid, Boston’s Logan International. That love affair came to a screeching halt yesterday after the New Jersey bunch dropped me off. The check in was deceptively easy and I was directed to the security check in and was horrified when I saw a veritable sea of people walking along seemingly endless series of switchbacks. I was briefly encouraged when the security guy told me my security check in was in a different place. That encouragement died a quick death when I found the correct area and it was even worse. I spent the next hour walking back and froth through this huge hall as the line snaked towards our goal of x-ray machines and shoe removal. While the lines were long, they moved, offered some great people watching opportunities, and I was impressed when I finally reached the machines and saw how well organized they were. If they didn’t have to contend with the innate stupidity of some people it would have gone much faster. My flight’s departure was delayed over an hour as they had trouble loading the bags. This gave me the opportunity to get better acquainted with the overweight teenage boy with no concept of personal space in the next seat over. He eventually figured out to keep his fat rolls on his side of the hand rest through some vigorous use of eminent domain.

Wife and I With Canal and Bridge of Americas Behind Us

The pilots did a great job once they got us into the air and we landed only twenty minutes after scheduled time. Since I didn’t have to wait for luggage, I sped through immigration and charged outside where I spotted Tia Loca’s car at the appointed meeting place. It was at this point that I was accosted by a beautiful Panamanian woman who charged into me from the side. My Favorite Panamanian had waited with the crowd of taxi drivers to effectively ambush me while I was walking towards where I thought she was. This was a great surprise and really needed after a couple weeks of heartache and six hours with the aforementioned teenager. The world kind of clicked into place. As I engulfed her in my arms, I realized how much I had missed her steadfast support over the time we were apart.

One of the Cool Panama City Skyscrapers

Favorite Panamanian in front of Canal

Bridge of the Americas

Tia Loca and her son dropped us at our hotel in Panama City and we took off to find some food since I hadn’t eaten since New Jersey (the two cookies the airline offered didn’t count). We found everything closed (Monday night) and settled for a late-night Chinese mini-mart for a meal of snacks which I was completely fine with. Mostly because of the company I was now keeping.

Wife with her Cousin

Near the Spot I Proposed

After a hotel breakfast this morning we were picked up my wife’s cousin who volunteered to chauffeur us around the city. We consider her one of the bravest people in existence as she endured a thirty minute marriage to the Cantankerous Friend during the bus ride to the hotel during my son's wedding reception. The marriage didn't last after the lights came on. Our first stop was the US Embassy where we learned we needed to make an appointment via email before anyone would see us. Since I was in a very good mood (finally) after spousal link up operations, I didn’t remind my wife I had told her this a couple weeks ago.  Our next stop was in the heart of the Panama City in the Punta Pacifica area which sports some of the city’s soaring skyscrapers. The drive through the city reminded me why I try to avoid spending any amount of time in the city because of the choking traffic but it also brought back a lot of fond memories of my last single days over forty years ago, most of which I cannot write about (it’s a statute of limitations thing).

At Lunch, Ancon Hill in the Distant Background

View of Panama City from Restaurant

The Causeway Nowadays

That Lieutenants' Spot

Looking Back to Causeway from the City

I loved living in Panamá City a young man, for a variety of unspecified reasons. I’m a huge fan of nostalgia and today’s trek through the city brought plenty of that. Since it was our driver’s birthday we treated her to lunch after our final errand. We stopped by the edge on the Panama Canal in what used to be Fort Amador for some picturesque views of the canal. It was also the spot where I proposed to my Favorite Panamanian, so, nostalgia on steroids. We’ve been back to causeway numerous times over the years but this was the first time in a very long time that we went during the day. The restaurant we ate at offered stunning views across the bay to  the city and I realized it sat on the location of the former Ft Amador Officer’s Club beach. More than forty years ago, just a short distance up the causeway, a group of hungover lieutenants gathered on each Sunday to test the “Hair of the Dog” theory. Since I wasn’t driving the traffic morass didn’t bother me as much and I kind of wallowed in the memories of that long ago times when single lieutenants strode the earth and had way, way too much fun. After the heart-rending times of the past couple weeks saying goodbye to Soxfather, it was almost therapeutic to remember those days, especially since the flashing eyes those days resulted in were still seated next to me. Maybe, just maybe, it’s okay to smile again.

New Jersey Bunch Out for Adventure After Dropping me Off

FBR Lurking Under a Bridge

Frozen Waterfall

FBR & Wingman

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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