Pungent Breezes

I find it hard to credit that February has just about fled and my tropical sojourn is officially 2/3 complete. It heartens me to see that Worcester is finally receiving some snow today. It seemed somehow untoward that my beloved New England has been bereft of the white stuff this winter. Of course, it is all too easy for me sitting on the beach to bemoan the lack of snow. Yesterday we escaped from the aforementioned beach to do some exploring. When we turn off the InterAmerican Highway towards Las Lajas there is a fairly large town on the other side of the highway that we had never visited.

Yesterday's Sunset

Yesterday was the day to visit the town, San Felix. It wasn’t very impressive but a nice, typical Panamanian town with lots of taxis, buses, and Indios in colorful dresses. I wanted to continue the reconnaissance by following the main road out of town as it headed into the central mountain range. We met a bunch of buses coming down from the mountains that had destination signs saying they came from Oma. Neither I nor my Favorite Panamanian had ever heard of that town but that became my objective, as long as the road held out. We ran into a couple places where the road had washed out and been hastily repaired. At anther place the road had been partially washed out and this was marked with a bunch of tree stumps stacked around the hole. After fifteen minutes the road had shrunken to the point I was concerned about meeting one of the those fast moving buses on a curve coming down the hill from Oma.

View From Front Door Back Home

My View at the Same Time

Today's Sunset

We declared victory and turned around to head back to Las Lajas. I checked the maps today and there is no Oma, so all those buses remain a mystery. We had a bit of excitement on the beach today when a large dead fish (I think a tuna) washed ashore (okay, Las Lajas isn’t the most exciting place). We only noticed because the ubiquitous buzzards were gathered at the surf line. This explained the sour fish smell that the usually beneficial off shore breezes had been wafting our way. This did nothing to diminish the beauty of the daily sunset ceremony which were joined for by our upstairs neighbors for. Tomorrow we’re returning to David to take our drivers’ tests and hopefully get our Panamanian drivers’ licenses.

Dead Tuna

Buzzards Return After We Walk Away

Jupiter and Venus Last Night

Tonight Getting Closer to Alignment

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RECURRING CHARACTERS:                                     

ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete - my daughter in law; BR3 – Blog Reader #3 – granddaughter #3; BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; CRC - Connecticut Riverboat Captain – another close friend from high school, renowned sailor of the big river; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during him her single days in Brooklyn; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter; First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd Musquetera (musketeer); Namesake Nephew – son of Great Aunt and Soxfather named after me; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member; 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; PCR - Pittsburgh College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; PCR+1 - Pittsburgh College Roommate’s wife; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; Soxfather - my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course

Pitch Clock, Flying Fish and a Dolphin?

We’ve just concluded a very restful weekend. The first of those in a long time. The condo population wasn’t overwhelming which meant a good level of internet service and the super streamer was rocking. I caught a couple Red Sox preseason games played under the new rules which I love. One of my biggest problems with baseball over the past few years is the length of the games. Every single batter would step out and walk around between every pitch and pitchers seem to go through personal therapy between throwing pitches. With the new rules the batter has to be in the box and the pitch clock keeps the pitcher focused. The game moved right along. It ended bizarrely but helpfully when the bad guys loaded the bases in the bottom of the 9^th and the last hitter was called out when he wasn’t ready in the batter’s box in time.  Very cool.

Sunset Time

While I referenced restful above, that doesn’t mean I was vegetating down here. I’ve had a couple interesting experiences with sea life during the last couple of boogie boarding sessions. Yesterday I saw my first ever flying fish. It was skimming along the top of the surf about 20 meters away. This morning involved a little more distance, thankfully. Overnight a local fisherman had set up a net just beyond the surf line. I noticed some action there while I was boogie boarding. When I got back to shore, I used the binos to check it out. It was either a dolphin or a shark circling around one of the buoys. I saw the dorsal fin but couldn’t get a good look at the tail. It was pretty big so I talked myself into declaring it a dolphin. Hence the “thankfully”.

Saturday and Sunday Sunsets

Watching Venus and Jupiter Getting Closer Each Night

One of the best aspects of the past weekend was getting to know one of our condo neighbors. He is the condo administrator but this was the first time we’d had a chance to hang out. We spent most of Sunday afternoon sitting on the beach with them and our upstirs neighbors. We ended up planning a picnic together in a couple weeks and a trip later in March to the San Blas Islands. The other couple lives in Panama City so we’ll travel down there for the trip to the islands.   

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RECURRING CHARACTERS:                                     

ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete - my daughter in law; BR3 – Blog Reader #3 – granddaughter #3; BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; CRC - Connecticut Riverboat Captain – another close friend from high school, renowned sailor of the big river; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during him her single days in Brooklyn; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter; First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd Musquetera (musketeer); Namesake Nephew – son of Great Aunt and Soxfather named after me; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member; 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; PCR - Pittsburgh College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; PCR+1 - Pittsburgh College Roommate’s wife; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; Soxfather - my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course

Photo Bonanza

Just when I thought I was beginning to recover from the separation depression of missing my son, daughter, and their families, they played a dastardly trick on me. Yesterday, during the family First Friday Facetime call, they talked me through how to download the massive number of photos they had shared with me. Opening those photos was opening once again the wounds of missing them terribly but at the same time reliving all the fun we had with them while they were here. So, a very good thing. I’ve shared some of them below, probably too many but they represent only a fraction of what was sent – so you can understand my inundated delight.

Such a Fun Time

We had a very interesting First Friday yesterday. Once the Family Facetime call was over I went down to the beach and linked up with our upstairs neighbors for the nightly sunset ceremony. My Favorite Panamanian was back in the village of Las Lajas doing a stations of the cross thing that turned out to be a mile long hike. She returned just after the sun disappeared and we called her down to the beach with us to catch the secondary light show that always follows the sunset. While we were enjoying that we were joined by another couple from one of the downstairs condos. He’s the condo association administrator and a great guy. We commenced to talking (okay that was mostly my wife). Our upstairs neighbors left shortly thereafter for dinner and the conversation switched from English to Spanish. It was a great evening as the incomparable Las Lajas starfield bloomed above us on the beach. I knew we had been out there a long time (I had run out of beer, I know!) when I glanced at the time and realized it was nearly 11pm. We had a very late dinner but consider the First Friday once again properly served.

Last Night's Sunset

On Thursday, while back in David, dropping off our last two house guests, we hit up the local cinema to see Antman and the Wasp, Quantomania.  I loved the first two Antman movies which tapped into Paul Ruud’s immense charisma and comic timing. This one suffers a bit by focusing too much on his daughter Cassie, who’s kind of annoying. The movie is rescued by old stalwarts Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer although Evangeline Lilly is criminally underused. Jonathan Majors steals virtually every scene he is in as a truly powerful villain. There are a couple very funny cameos as the entire group is sucked down into the sub-universe where Pfeiffer’s character was rescued from in the last movie. Soon they are immersed in a civil war that, being a Marvel movie, has reality-wide implications. While not as much fun as the earlier two movies this still delivers. Good movie.

Now to all those photos, in no particular order:

Daughter and FBR Sunset Walk

BRS and ABFA

ABFA and her Girls

Son and his Girls Traveling to Panama

Air Travel with Toddlers, So Much Fun

BR3 Holding Court Upon Arrival in David

Son and ABFA at Show Pony

Son and BRS at Our Place

BRS and BR3 Ready to Join Grandpa on the Beach

Mommy Sendoff

Grandpa on Lifeguard Duty

Tia Loca Attacking my Son During Nature Walk

Tia Loca with her Two Newest Fans

Sunset Time

That Time when Tia Loca Let BR3 Get Wet in Pajamas

View form their Show Pony Room

Son at Show Pony Bar

BRS with her Pinata and Great Grandma

BR3 Taking it all in With her Aunt

Son's Fam

ABFA and BRS

BR3

Tia Loca with her Nieces

Son with his Favorite Panamanian Uncle

BR3 Invades the Master Bedroom

Another Sunset Ceremony

David Airport Heading Home

BR3 Making her Selections

Again, Toddler Travel

New Jersey Bunch on their Way to Panama

FBR in Travel Mode

Off the Plane in David

All 3 Granddaughters on the Beach

BR3 Loves Getting Wet

Best Buds

BR3 Enjoying the Surf

Wave Watching

Our Condo in Background

Too Much Fun

Wave Jumping

Grandpa Trying to Keep Up

Birthday Party

Daughter with my Wife's Twin Sister

Then her Uncle

And her Abuela

Wingman with Son and Sergio

BRS, Birthday Girl

Daughter's Fam

Show Pony Hotel Room

Three Floor Party Room

Show Pony Roof

Two Goofballs

Drip Castle Construction

FBR Beach Cartwheels

FBR and BRS 

Granddaughters on Condo Balcony

Tia Loca Throwing Dice in Right, Left, Center Game

Wingman and Son Preventing her From Cheating

BRS and FB Talking with Gecko

Grandpa with his Troops

Granddaughters are All Dog People, Of Course!

Wingman and Daughter

Fire too Hot to Approach

Eventually S'mores Were Achieved

Bonfire Cheap Seats

Son and Uncle in Fire Discussion

FBR with Great-Grandmother

FBR Once Again Soaring Above Condo Pool

BRS Getting into Act

Thanks to Mom

Granddaughter Backwards Plunge

Pizza Place Dog with Three Fans

Happy but Tired Grandparents

FBR and BR3

Trying to Hide Out

FBR with Pool Hair

Condo Dinner

Happy Abuela

BRS with Aunt

Sisters in Law

Once Again into the Surf

Daughter and Wingman

Son and ABFA

BR3 Spots her Parents

Large Percentage of My Favorite People in the World

FBR Sunsetting with Parents

Sunset Ceremony

Posing

FBR Trying Boogie Boarding

She Got it!

Reaction After Falling Off

On the Way for Pizza, FBR Tuckered Out

FBR and Abuela

Grandparents With FBR

Last Night Pizza 

Daughter and Wingman

Goodbyes are Tough

Two Beautiful Ladies

FBR Reading to us at David Airport

Miss Them All So Much

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RECURRING CHARACTERS:                                     

ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete - my daughter in law; BR3 – Blog Reader #3 – granddaughter #3; BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; CRC - Connecticut Riverboat Captain – another close friend from high school, renowned sailor of the big river; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during him her single days in Brooklyn; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter; First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd Musquetera (musketeer); Namesake Nephew – son of Great Aunt and Soxfather named after me; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member; 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; PCR - Pittsburgh College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; PCR+1 - Pittsburgh College Roommate’s wife; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; Soxfather - my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course