I find myself in kind of a funk right
now. It’s a feeling I’m familiar with because I know the cause all too well. I
spent this weekend surrounded by some of the most important people in my life. We
have a saying in family, “There’s just something special about cousins!”. That was
certainly proved true earlier today. However, the time I spent with these
special people is only part of the story because I was also privileged enough
to spend time earlier with guys I’ve come to think of as brothers. Primary amongst
those would be the Keene Friend. We extended his birthday celebrations over
three days which is only appropriate. He would never claim that because of who
he is, but those of us lucky enough to call him friend know the truth. So, the
funk comes from coming down from the high provided from being with these two
groups. It’s a feeling of loss but at the same time a bone deep appreciation
that I have them in my life.
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| The Assembled Cousins Today |
The celebrations started Thursday night
when the Cantankerous Friend and Keene Friend showed up in Worcester so we
could go out to dinner and then take in a WooSox game. My Favorite Panamanian
joined us for dinner but didn’t want to test her knee with the walk to the
ballpark, so we had a guy’s night out at Polar Park. We had the usual great
seats because I don’t think there are bad ones there. It was a fun night as we
were able to talk baseball all night while watching hopefully the future for the
Red Sox dominate the game. Before we let them depart, Keene
Friend had to wield Bonecrusher to cleave the small birthday
cake we’d prepared for him. Keene Friend thought this would be the highlight of
his birthday celebrations. Little did he realize; it was only the beginning.
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| Thursday Dinner |
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| At the Ballgame |
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| Post Ballgame Cake |
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| Keene Friend with Bonecrusher |
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| Cake Cleaved |
For the past two weeks Keene Friend 2
had been organizing a surprise birthday party for him on Saturday. He coordinated
with a friend who owns a campsite at nearby Swanzey Lake. He convinced Keene
Friend 1 to accompany him and Cantankerous Friend for an afternoon at the campsite.
Little did the birthday boy realize that a healthy contingent of our high
school classmates would assemble to celebrate his birthday. I wasn’t there to
witness his arrival as I am married to a Panamanian and live about seventy
miles from the party site. Due to that first factor, we were late in arriving
but Keene Friend later said that he loved the constant stream of new surprises
as different guests continued to arrive, including us. It was a very fun
afternoon hanging with my classmates but that goes without saying (KHS class of
73 is decidedly special). They fit as many candles as possible onto the cake which
generated a heat signature that may have been visible from low flying satellites.
So much so that Keene Friend needed three blows to extinguish the
conflagration. As is warranted whenever this group gets together, we made the obligatory
call to the PCR so he could partake in the comradery.
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| Swanzey Lake Gathering |
Keene Friend was kind enough to allow us
to stay overnight at his place since we had another New Hampshire engagement on
Sunday. That meant Keene Friend, Cantankerous Freind and I could continue our ruminations
on college football at that location. In yet another indicator that my wife’s
knee continues to recover, she pronounced herself well enough to drive and,
despite this meaning she would miss out on college football as well as our profound
thoughts on same, said she would visit her old friend TJ Maxx. She spent her
customary hours there and reported no ill effects, although I doubt she would
have admitted it if it meant reduced future shopping. While all this was going
on, we vectored in the Kindergarten Friend, who’s birthday is today so I could
gift him with one of the “Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot” t-shirts I’ve discovered.
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| Kindergarten Friend with New T-shirt |
The Swanzey Lake location for the surprise
party brought a wealth of memories for me. My dad used to take me there every
April of my youth on the first day of fishing season to catch our limit of
brook trout. I’m always surrounded my memories of my parents when I return to the
Keene area but this was an indelible one with my dad, of which there ware far
too few following my parents’ divorce. I mention this because today’s event in
Hancock, New Hampshire involved beloved cousins from my father’s side of the family.
I see them hardly at all any more but every time we’re together it’s as if no
time at all has passed. There is, unfortunately, all too visible evidence that time
has marched on (lots of gray hair) but as soon as I’m around them, my dad is
back as well as his amazing brothers and sisters.
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| Very Fun Cousin Table |
The Hancock event involved welcoming one
of the older cousins who lives in West Virginia and had returned for his high
school’s 60
th year reunion (I did say time was marching on). He’s experiencing
some health challenges so the senior cousins decided a meeting of the cousins
was required. We gathered at the home where we’ve celebrated many Thanksgivings.
It was strange being able to sit outside on the deck after all our previous
visits taking place in the much “frostier” weather of late November. As is
always the case when this group gathers, the time flew but I count myself
richer for having the chance to hang with them. There really is something
special about them. I drove home feeling a connection to not only my dad, for
the stories they shared, but with the aunts and uncles who I worshipped growing
up. Not a bad weekend, celebrating the birthday of my brother from another mother
and the amazing cousins.
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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; Seis Amigos
- two couples from our condo complex and my wife and I; Soxfather – my brother-in-law (whom I miss more than I can ever
explain); Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course
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