Okay. Back from a thoroughly enjoyable
time with my son, his family, and the ABFA’s parents in a very nice beachfront
home in Hampton. The house was right on the ocean and steps away from a beautiful
beach. As usual after prolonged exposure to granddaughters, my Favorite
Panamanian and I are in the process of recovering. Energy levels are as low as
expected after having those levels sucked nearly dry by the BRS and BR3 over the
past few days. Too much fun. This is the third year in a row they’ve rented the
same house but we, missed last year with a Covid episode. It also included the birthday
of my Favorite Son, so that just added to the fun.
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| Just Prior to Leaving Today with my Son and his Kids |
We drove over on Tuesday morning in time
to catch an afternoon on the beach with the gathered worthies. My Favorite Panamanian
had spent most of Monday preparing two meals as well as one of her signature
birthday cakes. I forgot to take a picture of the back of our car after we packed
up for the trip. I was amazed we were only going three days because there wasn’t
much room left in the car. We do not travel light when granddaughters are
involved. The BRS and BR3 immediately set about trying to collect every single
rock on the beach. There were a lot of rocks. The BRS is a bona fide beach fanatic.
It is hard to keep her away from the water or to get her to return to the
house. BR3, on the other hand, has a short-timed fuse when it comes to beach
enjoyment. She has more fun running around the house creating her own special brand
of havoc. There was a rotating duty roster amongst her parents and the ABFA’s parents
about who would escort her back to the house so the rest of the gang could
enjoy the beach.
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| Consulting with BR3 While her Daddy Grills |
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| Beach Time |
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| Wife Grabs Son on Deck of the House |
The best part of the trip for me (other than
the obligatory thong watch) was hanging out back at the house with our hosts.
They’re just the best people to be around. I also got some extended time watching
the Red Sox with my son, a real treat. The Sox obliged by winning two games
against the best team in baseball. Wednesday was my son’s birthday and his
stated wish was to see two movies in the theater (for some unknown reason he’s
a movie nut). While the rest of the crew stayed at the beach, my wife and I
escorted our son to the movies. We saw Oppenheimer at one of those theaters
with vibrating floors cued by the movie soundtrack. As you can imagine with a
movie about nuclear weapons, the floor boards got a workout. The second movie
was the continuation of the Insidious series, the first of which scared the
bejesus out of me. My Favorite Panamanian does not partake of the horror genre
but fortunately there was a Marshalls’ next to the theater. So, a very expensive
movie.
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| Dancing with BR3 in the Morning |
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| The Hojaldra Queens |
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| Son and his Ladies |
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| With the ABFA!! |
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| Abuela Time |
My son had done a fabulous job planning
the day as we raced between theaters to see the two movies with time to get
back to the beach with the maximum amount of time possible. We returned home to
find the granddaughters ready to celebrate their dad’s birthday, most especially
the cake. Bonecrusher accompanied us on the trip and was deployed as part of
the family tradition of cake cleaving. The best gift anyone can receive for a birthday
is the love of family and my son was literarily inundated from us, his own, and
the ABFA’s family. That is only appropriate considering who the birthday boy was.
In a truly heartwarming, yet intensely hilarious, moment the ABFA delivered her
“birthday” card to my son. It was a beautiful, heartfelt card with words that appropriately
summed up her deep feelings for her husband. The only hitch, it was an anniversary
card; which she didn’t notice until she was writing her personal message
within. Way, way too funny.
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| How my Son has to Watch TV Most of the Time |
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| Venturing Out with Abuela and ABFA's Dad |
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| BRS Finds Another Rock |
Thursday was a hazy, overcast day which was
perfect for someone with my dermatological issues. It did, although, cut down
on the thong quotient. Sacrifices must be made. My Favorite Panamanian and I
went on an extended beach walk with the BRS who was an apt student when I tried
to show her how to skip rocks on the water. Anything to keep her from collecting
yet more rocks to carry with us. My Favorite Panamanian also collected a large amount
of rocks to take home with us. I asked her why since our home is liberally
blessed with a multitude of rocks. She said these were more aesthetically pleasing.
Go figure.
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| Birthday Cake Arrives |
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| Best Gift - The Fam |
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| Bonecrusher Deployed |
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| BRS Contemplating Navel |
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| Wife and I on Beach Walk |
Each morning my Favorite Panamanian
gathered her hojaldra acolytes, the BRS and BR3, for breakfast. When we were
packing up to leave today, the BRS plaintively asked who was going to make
their breakfasts with their abuela’s departure. I’ll miss the time around the
table with the ABFA’s parents who are rated amongst the nicest people in the
Western World. I wanted to get on the road before noon today based on my estimation
of traffic on a summer Friday. Luckily we were moving south as the other side
of the highway looked like a parking lot, stuffed with people headed to the
beach. We had our fair share of traffic though but nothing could dim the
feelings of contentment for the time spent with such special people.
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| Wife with BRS, Great Houses along Beach |
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| BR3 Rescues Another Rock |
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| ABFA's Dad Out Swimming with BRS |
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| Lookout for More Rocks |
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| BRS and BR3, Way Too Cute |
Oppenheimer is a great movie. There is no
other way to describe it. I learned a lot about the back story about this
amazing man which also offers insight into the troubled 1950s and the Red
scare. The cast may be the most talented ever assembled. It seemed with every
new character arriving on the screen, a major actor was revealed. Extreme
credit to Cillian Murphy who more than holds his own against the amazing
co-stars as the title character. Nolan, as he is wont to do, has created a
whole world, this one historical, and the viewer is transported back to the
early 1900s and World War 2 and its immediate aftermath. If nothing else, this
film will allow some of the well-earned redemption and accolades for Oppenheimer
who was denied during his life. While some people will criticize the lauding of
the father of the atomic bomb, I’m grateful. My father was scheduled to crew a
very exposed boat in the US Navy preparing to invade Japan in 1945. The bomb
probably saved his life.
Insidious, the Red Door, takes us back
into the “Further” where the red-faced demon dwells. The first movie scared the
hell out of me when the demon would pop up unexpectedly in the middle of conversations.
The same actors and characters return in this sequel; with the young boy now a
college freshman. The demon figures out a way to worm his way back into the
picture (literally) and the scares commence. The first half of the movie does a
great job of building up the tension and scares, but the film stumbles to the finish
line. Great acting from the cast, but the writers failed to deliver here. Still
a good scare, just not the iconic one the first movie was.
Three movies fell in my A-Z watch, all keepers,
Eragon, better than I remembered, dragons and magic!; Eraser, Ahhnuld once again,
one of his best ones; and Escape Plan, Sly and Ahhnuld together at last, acceptable
but not great.
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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 3rd 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
