Fleeting May Day

I find it hard to countenance that we are on the cusp of June. Where the hell did May go?! It seems like last week I was mentioning how quickly the month of May had rolled around and now here we are, ready to launch into June. I guess this is what happens when you fill your time with a little too much fun. You throw in a month filled with granddaughters, family, and friends and this is what happens. The last couple days are a perfect example of what I am trying to understand.

At the Lab n Lager with Keene Friends 1 & 2
as well as the Cantankerous One

On Monday we celebrated the birthday of the Neighborhood Mafioso’s husband, that Friday night stalwart of dancing and karaoke singing from the Legion Hall. Our Friday night crew was there to celebrate as the birthday boy fired up the grill kin his back yard and we held forth on a glorious spring day. We were briefly joined by his granddaughters which was kind of disconcerting. They are now beautiful young ladies while it seems like yesterday they were just kids running around our gatherings. As I hinted above, time is the most flighty and fickle of all elements. We had yet another great time pontificating with these great friends and by the end of the evening had solved most of the world’s problems.

Birthday Celebrations

Birthday Boy

Manning the Grill

With His Granddaughters and Mafioso

We received notice last week that we would have our electricity turned off from 8am to 4pm on Tuesday. My Faber-like reaction, Road Trip! I first had to negotiate my annual physical which I dutifully report to Great Aunt went swimmingly. What I thought was a broken bone in my foot was pronounced, after some vigorous twists and turns, just another one of those age-related aches and pains (lovely). All else was in great shape and for the first time in a long while the doctor didn’t lecture me about eating better, I just might be winning him over. I returned home a little after 10am to find that power had been restored but we were not changing the itinerary and I was off to Keene.

The CRC(r) Also Dropped in

We descended on my hometown and Keene Friend for lunch where we were joined in short order by the Cantankerous Friend. We ate lunch at a restaurant within sight of TJ Maxx which meant we lost my Favorite Panamanian immediately after lunch. My friends and I retired to Keene Friend’s house to watch an old movie until the downtown bars opened (one of the drawbacks to weekday thunder runs). We reach the bewitching hour and deployed to the Lab ‘n Lager to hold court. I sent out a couple messages and was rewarded by the attendance of Keene Friend 2 and, after he departed, none other than the CRC. We did, however, fail in one of our more sacred duties by failing to drunk call the PCR. He probably wouldn't have had time for us anyways with his busy celebrity lifestyle.

This Morning in Front of my Old Church in Keene

It was another fun afternoon catching up with friends and watching my hometown wander by. Some things have definitely changed. A very tall elderly guy with a beard, walked by a few times in a stunning summer dress. One time he looked six months pregnant but apparently delivered before his next time passing by. Yep, Keene has changed a bit. There were no police incursions this time and the Kindergarten Friend was decisively engaged elsewhere so we were denied his company. We made do and had another one of those special times that happens when old friends gather. Time, again, doing its best to reach warp speed. We ended the night, after being rescued from our downtown haunt by the shopped-out Panamanian, back at Keene Friend’s house for pizza and Red Sox. The food was much better than the Sox. We breakfasted this morning at the venerable Lindy’s Diner (good food cheap!) followed by a short walk around downtown with Keene Friend. We sent my daughter a couple photos for the FBR since she had just watched the original Jumanji, shot in that location.

FBR Musicfest Adventures

Atop Wingman

Dancing in Nearby Surf

Always Finds Time to Read

Wingman!!!

FBR Dancing Outside Venue

Her First Ever Flashlight Wave

Loves Her Dad

Daughter and Curbside Freind Dancing to Keep FBR Awake

Tired Mom and FBR Heading Home Way Past Bedtime

The granddaughters and their parental units have been nearly as busy as we have over the past three day weekend. The FBR attended her first ever music fest, where Wingman and his band played. It was in Atlantic City, right on the beach and she got to stay up way past her bedtime, something usually completely unheard of. Meanwhile up in NH the BRS had her first ever Daddy-Daughter date where my son escorted her to a movie. I’m not sure why because, like his own father, my son stated that neither daughter will date until she’s in her thirties. He probably figures he will be as successful as I was in making that same statement.

Daddy Daughter Date!

Daddy Bought her Flowers and She Wore her Mermaid Costume 

Whole Fam out on Memorial Day

Memorial Day Parade in Portsmouth

Sisters!!!

Two movies fell in my A-Z watch, both keepers, Divergent: Insurgent, villainess finally gets her comeuppance and Divergent: Allegiant, thankfully final story in the series.

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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

Culturefied

Those of you out there who claim I don’t have a cultured bone in my body (like the guy writing this), I’ll have you know I spent a couple hours perusing an actual art gallery yesterday. So there. More on that later, my day of hoity toity had to wait for the proper recognition of the First Friday of the Week. In what is rapidly becoming a cherished standard for First Friday, post-pandemic (how cool is saying that and having it be real) was another very fun night at the Auburn American Legion Post with the Neighborhood Mafioso and another couple. My Favorite Panamanian was making noises about going to a more high-class place but I held out for this new favorite and was very glad I did. There is just no substitute for hanging out with good friends. You throw in rock music and a healthy supply of Coors Lite and now we’re talking. It didn’t hurt they we were also amongst the youngest people there, that’s a rare accomplishment these days.

The Very Fun Friday Night Table

Mafiosos on the Dance Floor

I was a little disconcerted that the advertised “band” was only a duet. A key component of validating my choice of the Legion Hall, at least with a certain Panamanian, would be dancing and I was dubious a duo would be up to the task. They were. They played some of the best music we’ve heard there and included a saxophone, my personal favorite in rock music. Yes, Boss Bruce, I’m looking at you. I decided to forego the usual Friday pizza at home because I was “jonesing” for the prime rib I’d noticed on the menu the week before. I was therefore a little crushed when the menu had changed and no prime rib was offered. I made do with steak tips but I was a little surprised when they put the plate in front of me, weirdest steak tips I’d ever seen. I was almost finished with the dinner when we discovered I’d actually been eating my friend’s pork dinner. We made this discovery when he took delivery of my steak tips. He didn’t want those and while I was eating that second entrée, the kitchen staff was scrambling to create another pork dinner for him. Two dinners for the price of one, beats pizza.

Admiring the Impressionists

My Cultural Guides

The Roman Mosaic

Apparently a few First Fridays ago I agreed to escort Great Aunt, Soxfather’s sister-in-law and my Favorite Panamanian to the Worcester art museum (WAM). I had no memory of this promise, that happens a lot on late Fridays, for some reason. I can understand how it happened, I’m usually in a really good mood during that time period. The Rhode Islanders showed up late Saturday morning and we were off to the WAM. The Worcester art museum has a world class collection and while I’ve driven by it literally hundreds of times this is only the second time I’ve visited it. Okay so not scoring many culture points, am I? Great Aunt appeared concerned I wasn’t enjoying it as the ladies were swooning over a special display of impressionists.

Favorite Panamanian

Example of 600 Year old Striking Colors

In actuality I was having a good time. I love history and there was plenty of that on display. The WAM absorbed the Higgins Armor Museum collection years ago and as I was paying for our entry there was a demonstration of pike warfare going on in a nearby courtyard. I’m no art lover but I’m still astounded by paintings that are over 600 years old and still bear the striking colors the original artist bestowed upon them. I always think about what that painting has seen over those six hundred years before ending up hanging from a wall in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was a fun afternoon perusing the vast collection. It included some artifacts from the Roman Empire, my favorite historical epoch, including a full mosaic floor.

Entering Brew City - Open Fridays!!!

I was cultured out and the knee was barking a bit after spending a few hours upright following a night of dancing (even with the knee brace on the right leg) when I suggested a lunch break. We ended up at that old First Friday favorite locale, Brew City. I hadn’t been there in a couple years but was immediately recognized by our waitress which made me feel right at home. I noticed a sign in the door saying Brew City was now open on Friday afternoons for the first time since the pandemic so First Fridays there are once again possible. I would therefore categorize my cultured Saturday a complete success, not so much for the art, but because of the chance to hang with these three ladies.

I’m seeing a lot of Memorial Day messages online and this one really struck me. The attached video was really special. I conducted a couple hundred funerals at Arlington National Cemetery when I was assigned to the Old Guard and the playing of taps always got to me, just as this “new” song based on that classic does:

About six miles from Maastricht, in the Netherlands, lie buried 8,301 American soldiers who died in "Operation Market Garden" in the battles to liberate Holland in the fall and winter of 1944. Every one of the men buried in the cemetery, as well as those in the Canadian and British military cemeteries have been adopted by a Dutch family who minds the grave, decorates it, and keeps alive the memory of the soldier they have adopted. It is even the custom to keep a portrait of "their" American soldier in a place of honor in their home. Annually, on "Liberation Day," memorial services are held for "the men who died to liberate Holland." The day concludes with a concert. The final piece is always "Il Silenzio," a memorial piece commissioned by the Dutch, first played in 1965 on the 20th anniversary of Holland's liberation. It's been the concluding piece of the memorial concert ever since. The year is 2014. The soloist is a 13-year-old Dutch girl, Melissa Venema, backed by André Rieu and his orchestra (the Royal Orchestra of the Netherlands). This beautiful concert piece is based upon the original version of Taps and was composed by Italian composer Nino Rossi.

Two movies fell in my A-Z watch, both keepers, Shazam, Fury of the Gods, new addition to library, better on this second watch, and back to the alphabet with Divergent, teenage angst in a dystopian future.

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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

Flower Breakthrough

Thank you to the friends who reached out and sent messages to my Favorite Panamanian after her procedure, chronicled in my last post. She read all of them and really appreciated the thoughts and well wishes. She needed the support on Wednesday because after the drugs wore off, she had a really tough day. They went in through her right arm which she was recently diagnosed with a rotator cuff injury as well. By late afternoon her entire arm was throbbing in pain and I felt a bit helpless trying to make her comfortable. We eventually put heat patches in three different locations along her arm/shoulder and packed the injection site with ice. She was able to get some rest that night and awoke yesterday feeling much improved. She still can’t do dishes, which she reminds of at least a couple times daily. She was able to drive this morning (to church of course) for the first time and that was a big step. I still have to help her with some simple things because the wrist doesn’t turn without a lot of pain. After a long career of trying to get bras off, I am now trained in putting them on, so there.

Part of my Wife's Flower Horde Purchases Earlier this Week

One of the corollary effects of her inability to use her right wrist is my being drafted to actually transplant a couple of her recently purchased flower horde into pots. With my brute force and ignorance reputation I have heretofore been forbidden from interacting that closely with the delicate flowers. She had no choice now since the flowers had to get planted. I told her to wait inside while I did it because I felt the agony (for her) of watching me perform this delicate task would be too much for her. I tried to be careful and didn’t break a single stem (win!!). She inspected my work afterwards and grudgingly admitted I did a good job. I'm not sure I should crow about this accomplishment because it probably means more work in the future.

BRS Looking Dashingly Feline in an FBR Hand Me Down

One of the advantages of having three granddaughters is the hand-me-down clothes highway. That means whatever the FBR receives and subsequently outgrows (which happens way too fast), ends up in a large bag headed north for the BRS. I am now seeing clothes that started with the FBR, worn by the BRS, end up on BR3. Since these girls receive a lot of clothes for presents, they usually only get to wear certain outfits a couple times before they’re outgrown. It’s still cool to see the migration. It’s also an all too real reminder of how fast they’re all growing up.

Civilians often get confused about Memorial Day. Since they know I’m a veteran they go out of their way to congratulate me on this weekend, which is cool (I have great friends) but also awkward. Ask any Soldier and they know Memorial Day is to remember and celebrate the lives of those who died in service to the country; a club I honor but am reasonably sure I don’t quality for. Veteran’s Day in November is to thank Vets while Armed Forces Day in May is to honor currently swerving Soldiers, Sailors, Air Force, and yes, even the Marines. I was born ten years after the end of World War 2 which had an indelible mark in my upbringing my dad as well as all the parents of my friends had served and the community was still dealing with the awful price that had been paid in the 1940s. That meant Memorial Day was a big deal while I was young and the Memorial Day parade always an annual highlight. The reverence that day was shown by those I looked up to probably started me, as well as Cantankerous Friend, on the path that led us to wearing the uniform ourselves for nearly thirty years. So, I’m glad not to be the focus of this weekend’s celebration but I join with a mostly grateful nation to thank those, including my Uncle Pete (Guadalcanal) and Great-Great Uncle Warren (Gettysburg) who laid their lives down for this greatest of all human experiments, the United States of America.

Two movies fell in my A-Z watch, both keepers, they’re out of order alphabetically because they represent new additions to the library: Operation Fortune, Ruse de Guerre, a very funny action comedy, Guy Ritchie, need I say more; and Antman and the Wasp Quantumania, still likable but not as much fun as predecessors.

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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

Milestone Crushed

Those of you close to us know that my Favorite Panamanian had a pretty serious health scare thirteen years (wow – that long!) ago. A day when her blood pressure spike caused us to head to the emergency room where after a really long wait and multitude of tests they discovered she had two aneurisms in her brain behind her eyes. That is every bit as dangerous as it sounds. Luckily, if that word is even appropriate in this situation, this happened in Worcester where a remarkable doctor was pioneering a new process where they send a micro camera up through the blood stream to check out the aneurisms. They did that and pinpointed both aneurisms. They then, using the same micro fiber line, treated one by packing it and installing a stent in the blood vessel to protect it. The other one was smaller and they decided to monitor it. That means every three years she goes back and they send the cameras in again to check things out.

Back Home!!!

That happened this morning. While it has become “almost” routine, I hesitate to use that word to describe when they stick wires and a camera in the blood vessels passing through the brain. She handled it like the champ she is and came through with flying colors. She’s upstairs resting her arm from the bruising it took at the camera launch site. She’s also regaling me with stories about how “bien sympatico” (very cute) the new Cuban American doctor was She carefully pointed out in the discharge instructions which stated she can’t do dishes for more than a week while the wrist heals. Because she is who she is, she also cleared with the doctor about Friday night dancing, that’s on, but without any spinning moves (I might just be able to keep up with her). But, all good news, that weight I felt but never admitted to her is lifted.

Cat Faced FBR

To prepare for this procedure my ever the opportunistic wife inveigled me to go flower shopping with her. Actually, I volunteered (you see 41 years of matrimony has taught me some things). At any rate, we spent a “glorious” hour and a half perusing the garden shop aisles where I was constantly warned to be more careful as I tried to fit “our” selections in the rapidly overburdened platform truck. Somehow, we fit it all in the back of the Highlander and spent the last part of the day on Deckzilla while she transferred her plunder in the various and sundry flower pots, some of which I’d never seen before. It was good therapy for her although I was serially biting my tongue to keep from voicing opinions in an area I am not qualified to critique.

Attacking Wingman

As you can see from the attached photos the FBR didn’t let any moss grow upon her return from her busy weekend in New England. As soon as she returned home, she headed out for the Maplewood Mayfest and was in short order decorated in signature fashion with a face painted cat. Its what she does.

Earlier this week we executed a Date Night at the movies and saw Fast X. This almost qualifies as a guilty pleasure now as this film series left reality several pictures ago. Virtually everybody who was ever in a Fast and Furious film is back in some form because in this film series you’re never really, seriously dead. That’s good news for the sequel I guess. Vin Diesel accrued what seems to be his required solo shots to show us his improved “grimace”. The rest of the cast is a hell of a lot more fun, as were the signature action sequences. Jason Mamoa was a clear miss as the lead villain, playing some sort of metro-sexual Brazilian crime lord barely clinging to vestiges of sanity. Despite his very tenuous grasp on reality, he is somehow able to wield global spanning tentacles. It was a mistake to turn him into some sort of clown but I guess they had to tone down his Dothraki in order not to loom too much over Diesel. As usual, you’re ask to forgive the yawning plot holes and clearly impossible stunts because it’s a Fast film and you forgive a lot for all that delightful mayhem.

Two movies fell in my A-Z watch, both keepers, Dirty Grandpa, don’t listen to the critics, funny as hell; and District 9, where Sharlto emerged, awesome special effects.

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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

Rainy Delight

Yep, another one of those weekends. Can there ever be enough of them? There were some adjustments to the All-Star squad that I referenced in my last post. Great Aunt went on the disabled list with a cold while the FBR arose early Saturday morning and pronounced herself completely healed and immediately started campaigning with my daughter to make the trip north. The FBR even laid out her own clothes to pack. She really wanted to spend time with her cousins. I’d like to think it was to see her grandparents and while that might have been a small part of the equation, as soon as I saw her with those cousins, I knew the truth.

There is Something Special About Cousins

Before we get to that heart warming scene though I’ll have to recount our Friday night adventures with the Neighborhood Mafiosos. We tried to recapture the fun of the previous Friday with another First Friday call upon the Auburn VFW post. There were decidedly less people there, although didn’t improve the delivery time of the first round of drinks. We overcame that indignity and settled in for another fun night with the same couple that joined us last week. It was a little disappointing that the band played country music but when they realized no one was dancing, other than a dedicated couple of line dancing middle-aged ladies, they rocked it up a bit and we had a lot of fun dancing. We were half way through the night when I realized, in my hurry to get ready, I put my knee brace on the wrong knee. Strangely there was less pain in the bad knee than early iterations. Go figure.

Another Friday Night in Auburn

My Favorite Panamanian was up early on Saturday morning as we learned the FBR had convinced her mother to make the trip. Since we are on the direct route from my daughter’s home to my son’s, she was going to stop here and we’d drive up to New Hampshire together. Meanwhile, my wife was hard at work at her three-day project, involving three separate Amazon purchases and a lot of dedicated labor, that was BR3’s birthday cake. My Favorite Panamanian and BR3 sat down at the computer last week and BR3 selected the cake she wanted (this has become a granddaughter tradition with their abuela). That work continued up to the point my daughter and the FBR pulled in. The FBR actually helped her abuela finish the cake decorations.

Wife and Daughter

With my Son

Party Time

We then piled into our car and set out in a driving rain storm. It figures that it hadn’t rained in weeks and here we were gong to a three years old’s birthday party forced inside. Yeah, I know we needed the rain, but, still. I re-learned how much I hate driving in the rain, mostly because of the driving habits of the other drivers. I know it was raining hard, but there is absolutely no reason to drive 30 MPH in the left lane of I-495, for thirty minutes!!!! Despite the frustration we arrived to find my son’s house already bubbling with excitement. Okay, that was mostly the thriving population of very young kids present. The BRS was over the top excited about hosting her older cousin and I saw very little of the FBR after they linked up. Most of those sitings were a blur as she and the BRS charged around the house.

Son and ABFA, Our Intrepid Hosts

Birthday Girl and her Best Buddy

Rarely Apart All Day

BRS and FBR

There was a very nice crowd which included the ABFA’s parents and her closest cousin’s family. One of the nicest surprises was my son’s first college roommate and his family. We hadn’t seen him since my son’s wedding where he was the best man. He has a beautiful family of his own now but we jokingly remembered together the college parties at our Charlton home that he attended that usually left bodies strewn around the house the morning after. It’s nice to see he and my son’s children now becoming friends. One of the cutest moments (and based on the kids involved, that’s a huge statement for yesterday) was the arrival of BR3’s best friend from her pre-school class. They were attached at the hip for the rest of the day, beyond cute actually.

Rarely Apart

As Were These Two

Charging Around the House

Pinata Time

We brought the pinata which was liberally filled with candy by my son and I while we sampled his Coors Lite supply. The ABFA made a tactical mistake when she left her candy horde in front of me after the pinata was filled. Beer and sweets, I cannot resist. The pinata demolition was moved into the garage where the biggest concern was keeping the kids out of the swing zone when it wasn’t their turn. This was followed by the birthday cake which beautifully redeemed my wife’s very hard work all week – it was epic. BR3 is a huge fan of the Cocomelon childrens’ programming (which I have been subjected to on various visits) and that was the kind of cake my wife delivered. The pictures do not do it justice. BR3 does not like being the center of attention and coved her eyes when we sang her birthday song, yet again, cuteness on overdrive.

That Cake

With Its Creator

And Recipient

With the Kids

The Parents

And The Grandparents

BR3 Embarrassed by the Attention of Happy Birthday Song

Making the First Cut

After the various guests left, I enjoyed watching the three granddaughters together. They all changed into their matching Christmas pajamas. The FBR assumed the senior cousin role and there were heart warming scenes in abundance including the FBR reading to her cousins and all three of them watching pre-bedtime fairy stores on the television. In a major surprise, all three of them went to sleep without issue (they were exhausted) although BR3 sang for nearly an hour. That offered some great entertainment to her parents and grandparents who watched on the baby monitor.

I Got Some Time with the Birthday Girl

The Christmas Pajamas

The Big Bad Wolf Appears on the Screen

Present Time

FBR Reading to her Cousin

Daring Duo

We topped off a very fun day with a movie in my son’s state of the art home theater. The ABFA stayed up and watched the entire movie with us, a true first (in her defense – a very good movie). The morning started early (there were three granddaughters in residence) with their abuela demonstrating for my son and I actually how easy it was to make thin hojaldras. We bowed to her obvious expertise.  The drive back was so much easier without all the rain and somnambulant motorists. We left right after breakfast as my daughter and the FBR had to continue on their way home to New Jersey. I just heard that they have safely arrived back home. Yep, another one of those weekends. I think I like retired life.

Riggins Behaved Like a Hero All Weekend

These Ladies!!!!

One movie fell in my A-Z watch, a certified keeper, The Dirty Dozen, classic action, Lee Marvin rules; Jim Brown still didn’t make it to the bridge, although I keep hoping. Poignant that after watching this movie I walked upstairs to learn Jim Brown died. What a great athlete. Yes, I know, I’m out of order alphabetically again, it seems I’ve run into some more of the subtle rearranging the granddaughters have accomplished in my movie library during their visits.

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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