Start on 4

Worcester decided to get a head start on the whole Independence Day celebration by staging their annual fireworks display last night. We linked up with the fountain of all Worcester knowledge, the Neighborhood Mafioso and drove down to Shrewsbury Street with some portable chairs around 6:30pm. The fireworks wouldn’t start until 9:30 but by then the area would be at a traffic standstill. It was still challenging but the Mafiosos brought their handy Handicapped pass and we found a parking spot in a parking lot that promised all cars not patronizing the establishments there would be towed and they had cameras to monitor. The bank we parked in front of had just closed so I thought it would be okay, but I was still a little nervous.

Wife and I at Beer Garden Last Evening

We had no plan other than find a good spot to set up our chairs for the upcoming program. We wandered down to the famous Luigi’s place where both the Mafioso and my Favorite Panamanian get their hair done. As a matter of fact that is where these two ladies first met each other all those years ago. Luigi also has a restaurant a little further down the street and we were encouraged to go there. We arrived to find a full fledged beer garden set up in the parking lot with Coors on tap! I know, sometimes it just pays to be lucky. All the tables were reserved but the Mafioso knows everybody and is something of a celebrity in Luigi’s world so, after a short conversation with the bouncer, we were seated to a table where we set up shop for the rest of the evening. We never did use those chairs I lugged around.

Our Table in Background (red shirt)

The Mafia Gathering

We had a great pizza (okay that was mostly me) and my Favorite Panamanian started her usual census of the number of beers I purchased. I did get to be very friendly with the beer tent guy who would have a fresh Coors Lite poured by the time I got to the counter (amazing what tipping will do). There was a really good DJ playing music which had a whole flock of kids out dancing with their 4^th of July light sticks. When my wife saw how much they were enjoying them we became, in very short order, the proud owner of three light sticks, destined for granddaughter hands this weekend.

It was a very fun evening waiting for the fireworks. The Mafioso seemed to know everybody, one waitress had actually been a tenant in the house they used to own. The fabulous Luigi even stopped by and gifted us an appetizer. The Mafioso’s husband and I waxed eloquently on the sights available, including our waitress who was eminently qualified to wear the yoga pants she sported. Later in the evening, another contingent of the Panamanian Mafia stopped by to join us to add to the fun. We eventually joined in the dancing with the kids just prior to the fireworks which was an excellent display. Getting out of the parking lot afterwards (big relief when we discovered the car still untowed) was a lot tougher than getting in, as the huge crowd was emptying out at the same time on the one road, but everybody was in a good mood. One of the things I love about Worcester is that despite being a fairly big city there is still a solid sense of community. A very good night thanks to my neighbor Worcester expert.

Very Cool Moon Was Out

One movie fell in my A-Z watch, a keeper, out of alphabetical order as a new arrival to the library: Avatar, the Way of Water – really long but so well executed, Jake Sully is kind of a dick as a dad though.

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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

Auspicious Late June

I can’t believe we’re almost out of June. Seems like it just started, but that is the way of summer, at least in New England. The Red Sox are in the midst of yet another swoon and will soon be forced to start double A pitchers if they can’t keep everyone healthy. Other than that, I’m really looking forward to the summer as events start their telescopic approach, beginning this weekend when all three granddaughters will be in residence ahead of a week long stay with us by the FBR. We’ll kick off the summer with a Deckzilla get together. In adulthood I’ve always looked at the summer as a precursor to the my favorite time of year, the fall. This was a natural evolution from school days when the summer was the ultimate goal.

Little Sis a Few Years Ago

More Recently With my Favorite Panamanian and I

More Recently Still with her Guy

If its summer time then that means my youngest sister is celebrating a birthday today. I’m so proud of the woman she’s grown into, finally finding her Prince Charming and establishing a vibrant home and life, complete with canines, the key to any happy life. She’s helping the love of her life through some health challenges but was still upbeat when we talked this morning as I called her to wish her the best. We’re hoping the spousal health situation improves to the point we can all get together this summer. Happy Birthday kiddo!!!

Scores Replacement

Ready to Rock

That precursor also heralds the coming fall with the big event of that season, the Birthday Pub Crawl! Oh yeah, there’s also Thanksgiving and the trip to the Holy Land and Italy but we’re talking priorities here. The annual event back in my hometown may be getting a boost by the opening of a new stop. The Cantankerous One sent an initial report that a new establishment opened today at the site of that iconic pub crawl stop – Scores. Scores was always the ultimate stop of the crawl, conveniently located next to hotels (yes, my wandering Cousin, I’m thinking of you). It’s been sorely missed since it closed a couple years ago so I’ll have to schedule in a reconnaissance to assess this new place, my work is never ending, but important.

BEginning

1st Coat

Second Coat

Back in Service

Some work does end though. I finished the garage stairs painting project yesterday with two coats of gray paint on the heretofore unadorned set of stairs. It led to some complaints from the Favorite Panamanian as I forbid walking on it until it was dry (I’m weird that way). The complaints stemmed from the fact it was raining outside and we all know that means my wife refuses to endanger her hair with something as dangerous as rain. Somehow, she steeled herself for the twenty-foot walk in the rain into the house. Her bravery knows no bounds. The stairs did come out pretty well though.

Two movies fell in my A-Z watch, both keepers, out of alphabetical order, new arrivals to the library: 4K versions, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Connery and Ford – great team; and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, not as much fun but still entertaining, even a nuke doesn’t stop Indy. I'm ready for the final installment now.

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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

Miscalc

It was an interesting weekend to watch the events in Russia, for everyone except the residents of the Kremlin. One of Putin’s most devoted henchmen, Yevgeny Prigozhin, turned on him and started an armed march towards Moscow. The march was more of a publicity stunt than an armed insurrection but I was stunned by how far he got on the road to Moscow. He was able to seize the Russian logistics hub in Rostov and then got within 150 miles of the Russian capital. He also shot down a number of Russian aircraft sent against him while meeting no significant resistance. The stunning part was seeing the news reports of the reception his forces received during the march.

Putin asserts absolute control over the Russian media but we caught a glimpse of fragile that can be when a people have memories of a free press because there was definite discontent with the war in Ukraine and more chilling for Putin, an impression the Russian people were ecstatic that someone was standing up to the dictator. I know the images we saw were carefully broadcast by Prigozhin but it was telling. It’s all very Russian. I put the over/under on Prigozhin’s lifespan at three months. Putin continued miscalculations that began with the invasion of Ukraine continued with placing so much trust in his former hot dog vendor. The only problem being his only exit is to continue to feed young Russians into the Ukrainian meatgrinder hoping to eventually wear the Ukrainians down.

Happier Times for the "Buddies"

In entirely more mundane news, my Favorite Panamanian has latched onto another project for her husband to undertake. The innocent stairs from the garage into the house are the unwitting victims of her latest focus. She decided the stairs, currently unpainted, needed some sprucing up (because, why not?). My dithering campaign failed miserably in the face of her focus and I spent some time at the Home Depot this morning acquiring some gray paint. The stairs are our main entrance to the house as well as where we keep the recycling bins so they needed the spruce up but that also meant I had to clean them before I start applying the paint. That formed the latter part of my day as I taped off the surrounding area as well. Tomorrow the paint will fly, hopefully on target.

Target Area

My Favorite Panamanian and I knocked out a couple movies this week. Kandahar has Gerard Butler running around with lots of explosions going on around him, again.  I hadn’t heard much about this but it’s a pretty taut action flick. Butler plays a CIA contractor in Iran helping take down an Iranian nuclear facility. The Iranians are not pleased and take exception to his efforts, especially after they learn his identity from a newspaper writer and that he’s hanging out in nearby Afghanistan. The bulk of the movie has Butler and his Afghani translator making their away across Taliban controlled Afghanistan with everybody, and I mean everybody, trying to kill them. It’s a very engaging story with some real humanity between the two. Butler does so well in these type roles and he delivers again.

No Hard Feelings is an absolute riot of a raunchy comedy. Jennifer Lawrence can do anything and proves she has incredible comedy timing along with her other, obvious capabilities. She plays a down and out, incredibly immature, but hot, 32-year-old hired by some helicopter parents to “school” their Princeton bound son. You have to suspend a lot of disbelief to buy the concept but Lawrence and the young actor make it work. The success of any comedy depends on the supporting cast and the couple playing Lawrence’s friends are hilarious. It was nice to finally see another R-rated comedy come out since it seems Hollywood has been trying not to offend anyone which is basically impossible and a comedy is guaranteed to offend some overly sensitive group. This was a great watch.

Three movies fell in my A-Z watch, all keepers, out of alphabetical order, some new arrivals to the library: Wrath of Man, Jason Statham in a serious PO’d mood; and, since the final Indiana Jones debuts next week, I’ve started new 4K versions, Raiders of the Lost Ark, first five minutes some of the best cinema ever and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, with Capshaw's incredibly annoying screaming ruining it to a certain extent.

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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

Lazy Days

I have these kinds of weekends so rarely that I’m sneakily enjoying having absolutely nothing to do. That is, except for spousal mandates, which are an ever present fact of life. It could very well be the last such creature for the entire summer, which I am so good with. The lazy part in no way includes the sacrosanct Friday which must be celebrated since it marks the first one of the week. Our usual running partners eschewed a Friday night out, so my Favorite Panamanian and I were on our own for a night of dancing at the Auburn Legion Hall. We walked in to find it remarkably quiet with no band set up in the usual location. One of the regular patrons recognized us and rushed up to tell us there would be no band. We decided to sit down anyways and our favorite waitress came over to tell us the scheduled band never showed, called, or otherwise let them know they weren’t coming. She promised a beefed-up music vibe from the in-house stereo so we hung around and had a very good time, which is usually the case there.

First Friday Celebrated

I failed to mention, in my last post, an important lesson I learned at our Thursday Deckzilla fiesta. During the social hour I was sampling my household supply of Coors Lite (I know – huge surprise) while swinging on the deck swing. I learned it is not a good idea to swing while drinking beer. The Neighborhood Mafioso informed me of this after she observed me on the deck and then stumbling when coming into the house after only two beers. The effect was dramatic as I felt like I’d just gotten off a merry go round. My Favorite Panamanian had a smirk as this was explained to me but thankfully the effect was fleeting.

FBR in the Lake

Yesterday featured the promised day long rain which was the perfect excuse to do virtually nothing. I knocked out my usual morning workouts but spent the rest of the day and evening firmly ensconced in the Man Cave. Hence the number of movies listed below. Meanwhile, down south the FBR accompanied her mother into the wilderness for a weekend with a Curbside buddy. We received these photos showing the FBR enjoying the lake. While that is no surprise my daughter commented on how much the FBR was enjoying the “cold” water. My daughter takes after her mother in that regard and considers anything above bath water temperature, cold. It's the Panamanian blood. It seems as if some of my New England blood might have skipped a generation. In New Hampshire, the ABFA reported the BRS and BR3 were also cavorting in cold water. No surprise there, especially for the BRS, if its wet, she’s there.

BR3 & BRS Cavorting

FBR and her 2d Gen Curbside Bud

See Abuela - Not That Cold

Loving It

C'mon in the Water's Great!

Three movies fell in my A-Z watch, all keepers, Drive Angry, grindhouse cinema on overdrive, funniest hotel shootout ever; and out of alphabetical order, some new arrivals to the library, 65, Kylo Ren fighting dinosaurs; and Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, funniest move of year so far

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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

Every Day a Weekend

I think it was the Cantankerous Friend who reminded me earlier this year that I didn’t need to wait until the weekend to Thunder Run but, as a retired dude, every day of the week now qualifies as a weekend day. I’ve tried to live up to what we used to call in the Army, a Blinding Flash of the Obvious (I cleaned it up a bit here). That realization came in handy this week. We’ve had so much fun over the past few weeks getting together with the Neighborhood Mafiosos and our other Worcester Friends that we scheduled a Deckzilla dinner for Saturday. New England played its usual tricks by saving the soggy days for that doctrinally labeled weekend day.

Deckzilla Dinner Last Night

Since all six of us qualify for the Everyday is a Weekend Day, my Favorite Panamanian pivoted and rescheduled the dinner for Thursday. She prepared the signature dish of Panama, Arroz con Pollo, and everybody brought something as well. I furnished my ever-sharp wit as my contribution, although my wife also insisted I also help with the setup and cleanup. Deckzilla shined for the gathering, laden with my Favorite Panamanian’s annual excess of flowers surrounding us. It was a truly fun evening with these great friends and we kept the neighbors up with a constant stream of laughter, especially when we engaged in an in depth discussion of flatulence (that never gets old). I’ve’ said it before, there is truly something medicinal about sitting around a table with friends and laughing together. By the time we declared victory and said goodbye, the lights were on for the first time this year on Deckzilla, on one of the longest days of the year. As I said, we had a lot of fun. Great people.

Pre-Meal Social Hour

Earlier in the week I snuck out for a solo movie to see The Flash. I know Ezra Miller, the actor in the title character role in this has had a very rocky personal life for the past couple years but I’ve always liked him in this role. He delivers once again as the DC Universe must have taken notice of the popularity of the multiple Spidermans (Spidermen?) in the multiverse and decided to give it a go as well. They have a rich cinematic history of the various Batmans, Supermans (real and imagined), and other superheroes to delve into. I won’t ruin the very cool (sometimes hilarious) reincarnations that are imagined into being. In this stand-alone film, the Flash decides to use his speed to go back in time to save his mother from the murder his father is imprisoned for. We all know from too many movies that changing history through time travel is never a good idea with way too many ways for Hollywood writers to make it painful. This movie has the best CGI I’ve ever seen and Miller, for whatever his other faults, still portrays a likable, if a bit off kilter, hero. The movie is long but was still a lot of goofy fun. I loved it.

Two movies fell in my A-Z watch, both keepers (Duh), Dredd, infinitely superior to Stallone version, little bit in love with Olivia Thirlby now; and (new addition to library) John Wick 4, how do they keep constant violence so fresh?, great ending?.

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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

Woosoxing and Graduation Day

What had been an overly mundane week was turned on its head yesterday with the arrival of Keene Friend and the Cantankerous Friend. During one of my earlier thunder runs up to Keene we decided we needed to see a Worcester Red Sox game together again this year. Last year we went too early and nearly froze our nether regions off. No such issue last night on a beautiful but not hot summer night. I had to sandwich their visit around two doctor’s appointments (more on that later). This counts as my Favorite Panamanian’s first WooSox game because last year we had both the FBR and BRS with us and that meant she did not see much of the game we attended with them.

At the Game Last Night

The two Keene stalwarts showed up in the late afternoon and we wended our way through rush hour Worcester to reach the stadium. Having been to a couple games, I chose seats a little higher this time and that made a big difference. We were closer to the concessions and the view of the game was better. The game included a late rally where the WooSox won in the last inning and fended off a late rally. The kicker was fireworks display after the game which I thought would be a modest affair but turned out to be very impressive. My Favorite Panamanian spent most of the game cyber shopping although she claimed to watch the whole game. The three guys snickered at this assertion but no one dared contradict her. I do offer some photographic evidence of my assertion though.

View from our Seats

Cyber Shopping Evidence

It was a great time spent with my oldest friends watching a Red Sox win. As opposed to Fenway, my knees were not ready to lock up either as the seats are modern and not made for 1917 sized humans (Yes Fenway, I talking about you!). Since both friends were spending the night, we adjourned to the Man Cave upon return and I plugged in the new John Wick film. We lasted until about midnight before declaring victory half way through the film,. We’ll have to reconvene to see the rest together. It was a great night hanging with two of my oldest friends. We had a lively breakfast this morning before I headed out for the second of the two medical appointments I had this week.

Post Game Fireworks

This is where we get to the graduation day assertion in the title. This morning’s session was with the prostate doc and my latest test results continue to show an undetectable PSA count. That means they’re sending me back to the primary care doc for routine monitoring of the PSA counts. This prostate battle was not without setbacks but I seem to have beaten it after three years. I cauterize the good feelings with knowledge of others dear to me who are not so lucky. I went two for two with the medical establishment this week as yesterday I had my semi-annual screening with the skin docs. They couldn’t find anything they wanted to biopsy for the first time in a couple years! All that covering up while down in the tropics seems to be working.

FBR Was Squired Around Town by Curbside Aunt and Cousin

Obligatory Book Store Stop

Curbside Aunts Rock!

Three movies fell in my A-Z watch, two keepers and one, not so much, Draft Day, Costner at his everyman likability best, great chemistry with Garner; Dragon Wars, D-War, what was I thinking when I bought this, awful; and Dreamcatcher, much better Stephen King than you’ve heard, love this movie.

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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

Benson Walk Father’s Day

We stole a march on Father’s Day by journeying up to New Hampshire yesterday with Great Aunt to celebrate the holiday with my son’s family at the ABFA’s parents’ home that also involved a rain-soaked walk down memory lane at the site of a favorite childhood haunt. Before I get to that recollection I have to chronicle yet another well spent celebration of the First Friday of the Week with our serial partners in crime, the Neighborhood Mafiosos and our other Worcester friends. Our favorite dancing location, up until a few years ago, when it closed, was Maxwell Silverman’s which always featured a semi-age-appropriate crowd for us. The owner opened a place in Worcester’s Union Station called Maxwell’s Luciano’s. We’ve had mixed luck there over the years there with dancing usually preempted by some major event in the adjacent, impressive rotunda.

Father's Day Dinner Crowd Yesterday

There was a funny moment as I was wrapping up the family Facetime call, when my Favorite Panamanian charged downstairs and said we were already late picking up the Mafiosos. I was confused (I know, a natural state for me) as she had told me we were picking them up at 6 but that turned out to be the time our reservations were for. High adventure ensued as a panic driven rapid clothes change and charge down the street took place. We ended up only eight minutes late and the other couple had arrived on time to secure the table. We thought we had another dud after the tasty meal as the place was decidedly on the dead side. We had a fairly loud discussion at the table about that which I think the Matre’d overheard. We had paid our checks and were preparing the walk out when the music volume turned up and the dance floor was illuminated. We stayed on and had another one of those fantastic Friday nights of dancing with these great friends. One of my former employees and his wife was in the crowd and I’m sure a little shocked to see his former boss’ gyrations. I hope it didn’t cost him too much sleep afterwards.

Friday Night Fun

We drove up to Hudson, NH on Saturday and arrived before my son’s family. The ABFA’s parents live a short distance from where Benson’s Wild Animal Farm had been. Benson’s was a treasured family day trip every summer when I was growing up. I have clear memories of the animals and children’s attractions, along with the picnic grounds near a lake. Benson’s closed in 1987 and ever since I met the ABFA’s parents, learning of the proximity of the former site I wanted to visit. This offered a perfect opportunity and the ABFA’s most excellent dad guided Great Aunt and I over to what is now a city park. The rain started to pick up as soon as we pulled in so Great Aunt and the ABFA’s dad stayed in the car while I ventured off in search of memories.

The "Large" Benson's Farm Lake

Foundations

The Old Zoo Area

It took me a few minutes to get oriented as the park had the audacity change over the past fifty years. I found the lake and was able to navigate via the many walking paths over to the zoo area. There wasn’t much left. One of the things I was surprised at (but I shouldn’t have been) was how much smaller everything seemed. I guess I was a bit smaller the last time I trod these grounds. The lake was much smaller and the zoo area, what was left of it, much more so. I found a couple foundations and one preserved site, the Old Lady’s Shoe. There were a couple overlooks into former animal enclosures but the rest of the area was unrecognizable.  Still, a lot of fun traipsing through an area that held so many childhood memories.

The Old Lady's Shoe

Seems So Much Smaller Now

Old Wishing Pond

The Overlooks

The Former Center of the Park

Stone Lions from Benson's Now Adorn a Nearby Front Yard

We returned home to find my son’s family arrived and the fun really started. The BRS and BR3 were not going to let being cooped up inside during the rain impact, in any way, their activity levels. They, along with Riggins, made for a very busy afternoon. The BRS has invented her own language and when she was giving me my welcoming hug launched into a series of nonsensical syllables and laughed, hard, when I attempted to repeat them back to her. She felt like she was on to something with my reaction. By the end of the afternoon had all the adults training in her “language”. We were sitting around the table on the sun porch (decidedly sunless) with the BRS perched on an ottoman, saying “everybody” followed by one of her “words”. She would laugh uncontrollably when the adults tried to repeat her words back to her. It was too funny. As is wont to happen in such situations, once ignited, it was hard to quench the act. Eventually her dad had to put a limit on her lessons as she wasn’t letting any other conversations go on.

Riggins and my Son

BRS and her Dad

Goomba and her Abuela

Grandpa Became a Climbing Tower

Son and ABFA

BRS Linguistic Lessons

Grandpa, You're Not Paying Attention

The ladies created a truly special dinner featuring a healthy quotient of dead animal flesh (they knew their audience). As always, at these gatherings, it was so much fun sitting around the table talking with these special humans. BR3 proved the provenance of her heredity by abandoning her chicken nuggets for some steak. We reconvened in the sunless porch after dinner for additional BRS linguistic exercises. BR3, not wanting to be left out of the entertainment, starting the climbing an extensive cat perch next to her dad. The lady shows no fear. The ABFA recounted a very funny story from BR3’s pre-school class. At home her parents call BR3 “Goomba” as an affectionate nickname. When asked at school what her name was, she tartly replied with her first name and then added “Goomba” as her given name. Too funny.

BR3 Climbing

Lessons Continue

Dad, I Made it!

Two Silly Ladies

My Favorite Panamanian was charged with driving home through the rain since, if I haven’t mentioned it, a respectable amount of Coors Lite was associated with the day’s festivities. I was awakened this morning with my Favorite Panamanian feeding me breakfast in bed. She’s also forbidden me from doing any manual labor today as she waits on me. A pretty good deal. On the way back from church we stopped off at the Neighborhood Mafioso’s home to wish them a happy Father’s Day and she presented me with a bag full of homemade whoopie pies. The day just keeps getting better. Happy Father’s Day to all the great dads out there, especially my Favorite Son, Wingman, and, of course, upstairs, the best of us all, Soxfather.

Two movies fell in my A-Z watch, both keepers, Transylvania time, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, much better than remembered, poor Keanu; and Dracula Untold, Turks versus the vampires, who you got?

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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