Reunification Operations

No. The title does not reflect any geo-political event (although there’s plenty of that going on). It refers to reuniting with our beloved next-door neighbors from Charlton. Upon retiring from the Army, our first home was in Charlton and the realtor who sold us the house, and his family lived right next to us. Over the ensuing ten years we formed close bonds with his wife, her mother, and their three awesome kids. We moved to Worcester in 2015 and lost touch with them. She reached out last year to have us over for dinner, but my Favorite Panamanian came down sick forcing to cancel. We were planning our first Deckzilla party of the summer to celebrate the first non-rainy Saturday since our return from Panama and on a whim, I reached out and invited them and the reunion happened.

Together Again!!

We immediately played catch up one where all our respective kids were. I was a little stunned (though I shouldn’t be) that their two oldest kids are now in their twenties and pursuing careers while their youngest, born just before we moved into Charlton, will soon celebrate his 20^th birthday. Tempus fugit, way too fast. It was a true highlight of a very memorable night on Deckzilla to have these old friends share in the fun. They remembered our parties back in Charlton and seamlessly fit in with our party crowd, based on the Worcester Chapter of the Panamanian Mafia.

Deckzilla Time

The crowd gathered shortly after four in the afternoon as Deckzilla slid into the welcome afternoon shade. Everyone showed up with delicacies which combined with my wife’s usual culinary offerings created a truly eclectic but delicious dinner table. This marked a return to Deckzilla parties that we mostly missed out on last year when my wife’s knee was a problem. That got fixed and we were back in operation. Our current next door neighbor (from Syria) was introduced to some potent mojitos conjured up by another of our friends from India. The results were predictably comical, although I’m not sure his wife was extremely happy with his transformation. After dinner my Favorite Panamanian’s forays into YouTube party game videos was once again revealed. She had us play a couple games involving those ubiquitous red cups.

One involved tossing the cups over a stair from a line with each contestant starting from the opposing end of the line. This was extremely taxing and a challenge for balance for someone who might have downed a few Coors Lites by that point (not pointing fingers at all). The next game had the red cups on a table as we walked around listening to the director’s commands. It was a variation on musical chairs with one less cup than contestants. It led to some hilarious moments. I had to rule at one point that a contestant who ended up with most of a cup would stay in the game while the person who only grabbed a piece of it was eliminated. Our reunited neighbor won this game. We ended the games with our old reliable, Left-Right-Center, where my nearing a record level of futility continued. I lost as I always have when playing this game, but it was the usual hysterically funny process. The Neighborhood Mafioso walked away as the winner for the first time in nearly twenty years of playing the game; so maybe there’s hope for me yet.

Game Time

Since Panamanians were involved, you had to know that dancing would break out at some point. Deckzilla provided a perfect venue as my Favorite Panamanian once again returned to her first love – dancing. I was once more hanging on for the ride as the group danced into the night. At one point Panamanian folk music started playing and my wife led the ladies in the folkloric dance moves. It was so good seeing her back in her “happy place”. The party continued until well after ten and petered out when we started to worry about keeping the neighbors awake. I’ve written before about how blessed I am in life with the group of friends we have here in the Worcester area. Another chapter in that saga was written last night and I find myself basking in the afterglow today, remembering those great friends and reuniting with the lost neighbors.

Let the Dancing Start

Bring on the Dancing Girls!

Three movies fell in the A-Z watch, all keepers and new additions to the library due to my son’s Father’s Day generosity: Gladiator II – amazing sequel that kept the story rolling along with better CGI, sharks in the Colosseum!; Venom The Last Dance – the usual combination of hilarity and carnage; Red One – loved this Christmas movie with the Rock type cast as a Christmas elf, better on second time seeing.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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 her single days in Brooklyn; Czech Connection – Czech couple who’ve become good friends along with their daughter (the Czech Shadow); 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; 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

Home Field Advantage

It’s been a fun week so far and that means it has flown by. The highlight was the Tuesday night WooSox baseball game. I’ve been anxious to get to a game but since my Favorite Panamanian wanted to attend, I had to be sure the weather was acceptable (above 70 and no rain). That wasn’t possible so far this spring with our Jekyll/Hyde weather. As we ventured into June, I figured it was safe to make the attempt. During various thunder runs both Keene Friend and the Cantankerous Friend indicated they would join me whenever I arrived at a date. Great Aunt, firmly converted to baseball fandom due to her long association with Soxfather, also wanted to come.

Fun Group

I waited until the extended forecast indicated Tuesday would be the best bet this week. The crucial error I made was believing an extended forecast about New England weather. It rained almost all day Tuesday and although it promised to break by game time, I wasn’t convinced. My Keene buddies showed up right on time, but Great Aunt had to beg off. She claims a house cleaning service showed up later than scheduled and she couldn’t make it. I believed her. The Cantankerous Friend opined that she saw the impending rain and decided she didn’t want to chance it. The remaining four arrived at Polar Park and found our seats. I’d brought a towel to dry off the seats from the day long rain. I’d hoped our seats would be under the overhang, protected from rain. I’d kind of promised my Favorite Panamanian that would be the case. I was wrong. The seats were good but three rows into the open sky. I kept my fingers crossed but, again, this is New England. At the start of the second inning, the rain started falling. My wife, who reacts to any rain, despite being from one of the rainiest countries on earth, the way any self-respecting cat would. She charged back onto the concourse, those eyes shooting daggers and recriminations my way.   

View from the Seats

In a major surprise, the Cantankerous Friend came to the rescue. There were a lot of open seats, and he led us to some four rows behind our original seats, safely under the overhang. We were then able to enjoy the rest of the game, despite the omnipresent mist. My Favorite Panamanian spent most of the game watching videos on her phone but emerged from that to catch the final couple innings. It was a very fun night, despite the weather, as I got to hang with my good friends, enjoying our shared Sox fandom.

The New Accent Wall 

Earlier in the day on Tuesday, my Favorite Panamanian’s first floor bathroom remake was completed when the wallpaper guy showed up to, well, wallpaper. I know here are people reading this who question hiring someone to perform this fairly simple task. This job required precision and patience. I am blessed with neither of these traits. I consider it money well spent and it came out looking great; as usual, my wife’s style sense is redeemed.

Finally, I had a very funny moment in my closet yesterday. Wow, that statement probably generated a lot of speculation. I was changing clothes in our closet when I looked to the side and nearly jumped out of my skin. My Favorite Panamanian has been changing out the winter clothes for the summer counterparts which left a couple shelves empty. Somehow, one of the granddaughter’s dolls was reclining on the empty shelf looking at me with very dead eyes. I may watch too many horror movies.

Scary Doll Checking me Out

Four movies fell in the A-Z watch, all keepers: Poltergeist – still scary, with great cast and Spielberg touch; Poseidon – nice remake of the original using CGI to make it scarier; Powder – one of my favorite movies of all time, great story about human possibility, superb acting and awesome musical score; Power Rangers – thought I was going to kick this but the young cast recaptured me and I enjoyed the watch.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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 her single days in Brooklyn; Czech Connection – Czech couple who’ve become good friends along with their daughter (the Czech Shadow); 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; 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

Dad Day Reciting

I undertook a novel way to celebrate the Father’s Day weekend. I attended not one but two dance recitals. As I have written before about how much I “loved” these things, you can be rightly stunned. Yes, this makes three of these “experiences” I have undergone since our return from Panama. You can correctly surmise that the only factor that could influence me enough to subject myself to this pain would be the “granddaughter effect”. The BRS participated on Saturday while BR3 danced on Sunday. I’m still convinced the dance school organizer who put this on Father’s Day weekend belongs in the third level of hell, but, hey, my Favorite Panamanian loved it. She thought all the groups were great. Her operative phrase was “they’re so cute”. The cuteness was lost on me but I seriously loved watching the granddaughters in action.

All Four Grandparents with the Dancing Queens

So, in total, three hours spent over the weekend, of which, seven minutes involved granddaughter participation. Yes, I’m grumpy about it. I’m old enough to qualify for that character defect. Other than those benighted presentations, it was a magical weekend, thanks to the ladies who endeavored tirelessly to insure the rest of the Father Day’s weekend was special for the three dads involved. My son, the ABFA’s dad, and myself were treated royally by the ladies. My Favorite Panamanian and I drove up on Saturday morning, through the seemingly requisite Saturday rain storm. It has rained every Saturday since we returned from Panama.

BRS After the Dance

Superstar

We arrived at my son’s house to find both he and the ABFA charging around shepherding the kids to swim lessons and then getting the BRS prepped for her recital. The ABFA drove us over while my son departed earlier to check the BRS in for her dances. The ABFA’s parents joined us just in time to sit down for the start of the dancing. Even the grumpy old man that I’ve become will admit there were some cute moments. The ABFA had secured fantastic seats in the second row from the stage that provided great views. Eventually the BRS appeared with her group for her first dance. She was awesome and, yes, I am biased, but I thought she was clearly the best dancer in her group. This impression was confirmed when she took the stage for her second dance. She has a secret advantage over her peers, she has her abuela’s dancing genes.

After the Dance

Proud Mom and Dad

We returned to my son’s home after the recital and the wives did not allow any of the guys to assist with chores. This predictably led my son and I to park ourselves on the couch to watch SportsCenter and compare notes on the Red Sox. Rumor has it we might have nodded off at certain points during our cogitations.  The ABFA’s dad performed his usual role of chasing the granddaughters around the yard. He eventually tired and my Favorite Panamanian paid the price as she attempted her afternoon rosary. I woke up long enough to see both granddaughters jumping on her. I don’t think she minded the interruption.

Son and I "Watching" SportsCenter

BR3 Remains a Moving Target

BRS Getting So Tall, She Can Reach the Hidden Candy

Wife Doing her Rosary

We all trooped back to the cars to rendezvous at the local favorite restaurant for a very fun Saturday dinner. The recital had continued after ours and the BRS spotted several dancers, still in costume, entering. I was lucky enough to be seated next to BR3 and across the table from the BRS. It made for a very entertaining dining experience. That dinner was one of the true highlights of the weekend. There is just something extremely special sitting around a table with family, even when you have to dodge the occasional granddaughter elbow. We returned home in time to get the youngest into bed while the rest of us settled down to watch the Red Sox versus the hated Yankees. When the Sox won on Friday, we figured they were in for some serious pain on Saturday from a better Yankee team. We were enjoyably stunned when the Sox steadily pulled ahead and hung on to beat the Yanks. A very nice Father’s Day weekend gift. We even stayed awake for the entire game.

Saturday Dinner

Sunday morning was a repeat of Saturday with both girls scheduled for swimming lessons followed by a frantic prep for BR3’s dance recital. This was preceded by a fantastic Father’s Day breakfast prepared by my Favorite Panamanian. She made fried dough for me, something that brought back memories of my mom. We were a little concerned as we headed for BR3’s recital because she’s liberally blessed with personality and last year’s recital saw her more interested with interacting with her friends than performing any dance moves. She proved she had acquired some discipline over the ensuing year which surprised the entire family. When her group finally (and blessedly) appeared, she was great. She forgot to smile but was obviously paying close attention to what she was supposed to be doing. I loved it.

BR3 Dance

Grand Finale - Teachers Shouldn't be in Front of kids

Following the recital we returned to the house where the guys set up to watch the Sox game while the ladies prepared a superb Father’s Day dinner. The Sox, once again, stunned us by winning again, sweeping the series from the Yankees. Totally unforeseen and something I’m sure to bring up with the Panamanian guy in the Seis Amigos. More on the Sox later.  All three ladies contributed to the meal, and these were some of the best steaks I’ve had in a long time. Father’s Days gifts were distributed and my son, once again, was way, way, too generous. As we drove home, I found my mind wandering constantly back to how blessed the three dads were this weekend by the ladies we are fortunate enough to be associated with.

After the Dance

I have a couple updates I need to weigh in on. While we were driving back, my phone started pinging as both my son and Great Aunt passed on the news that the Sox had unexpectedly treaded their best hitter, Raphael Devers, away. I was not as surprised as he had evolved into a primadona after signing his immense contract. He pitched a fit in the spring when he was moved off third base, even though he was a terrible defender. He then petulantly refused to play first base. I noted several times over the weekend that he didn’t seem as engaged as his teammates. I know over the past few weeks I cringed when he got to bat in critical spots as he only seemed to thrive when the pressure wasn’t on him. They’re not as talented a team after the trade but I think they’ll be a better team. On the upside, I’m going to WooSox game tomorrow and may see some of the trade return there.

The other update, which I am honor bound by Great Aunt to reveal, involves my latest doctor’s appointment. The doctor was really happy with my test results. Her usual practice in in geriatrics and she said she loved having someone who wasn’t falling apart (despite my own opinions on the subject). She sent me for my annual PSA test which is a big deal this year. Today marks five years since I was diagnosed with prostate cancer and if the PSA test was clear, I’m considered to have beaten it. Late this afternoon I received the test results. My PSA levels remain undetectable. Talk about the best possible Father’s Day gift.

Two movies fell in the A-Z watch, both keepers: Point of No Return – excellent action take on Pygmalion, Bridget Fonda was so good; The Polar Express – weird watching this in June, but I love Christmas enough that I was still tearing up, CGI has improved so much since this was groundbreaking.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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 her single days in Brooklyn; Czech Connection – Czech couple who’ve become good friends along with their daughter (the Czech Shadow); 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; 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

Moving On

It’s a transition week for the granddaughter corps. Today saw the BRS’ last day as a first grader. The ABFA provided these photos and the BRS looks more like a teenager than a second grader. I’m excited to see that whole gang this weekend for Father’s Day up in New Hampshire. Meanwhile, in New Jersey, both my daughter and the FBR had a big week as well. The FBR starred in her after school drama school play, Newsies. My daughter sent a video and the FBR once again dominated while on stage. She finished up the week with a presentation of her school project – about cats. I blame my Favorite Panamanian for that as she and the FBR always seem to end up watching funny cat videos whenever they’re together.

The New Second Grader with BR3

Seeing These Guys Tomorrow - Psyched!!

A crazy day back in the 508. The aforementioned Favorite Panamanian was in one of her cleaning frenzies, which is always dangerous country for certain retired Army officers who cohabitate with her. The problem lies with me sitting down at any point while she’s bouncing off the walls cleaning everything within reach. This is where I come in handy because I can reach a lot of things she can’t (the one-foot difference in height coming into play). I successfully negotiated that difficult terrain until late afternoon when I had the excuse of taking on the heating element painting that I wrote about in my last post. My wife directed I delay until today because it was supposed to be a rainy day.

Newsie Star

Showing her Mom the School Project

It turned out to be the best day of the week outside. That turned out to be a good thing as my Favorite Panamanian ultra-sensitive olfactory senses came into play once I started wielding the spray paint. I used an interesting mix of carboard which Amazon kindly donated by overpacking a small delivery this week. I sanded down the rust spots and then came the spray paint. I didn’t think much of it until my Favorite Panamanian started complaining about the smell. I then made the same mistake I’ve made countless times in our marriage and still haven’t learned; I reminded her that this whole project was her idea. Once I recovered from her return fire, I helped her move her paraphernalia (IPad) onto Deckzilla for the rest of the afternoon. She watched her Russian soap operas dubbed into Spanish (don’t ask) while the house aired out.

Before

After

It was a fantastic day with a gentle summer breeze cooling off Deckzilla. I joined her out there after the painting (the paint smell was profound). We stayed out there until it was time for the First Friday Family Facetime call. After a long day, it was so good seeing all those faces. Great Aunt reported her weekly new grandmother contentment report. Wingman couldn’t join us as he was touring with his band in D.C. for the weekend. I was under the impression, since the FBR was out with friends, that my daughter was distinctly enjoying having the house to herself. We’ve got an early morning tomorrow to drive up to New Hampshire where we’ll celebrate Father’s Day weekend with not one but two dance recitals. Be still my heart. At least I get to spend the non-recital time with some of my favorite people in the world.

Three movies fell in the A-Z watch, all keepers: Please Don’t Eat the Daisies – Old Doris Day classic, hasn’t aged well; Point Break (1991) – surprised me at how well this was done, James Cameron with his wife directing, amazing cinematography; Point Break (2015) – pale attempt at an update, none of the charisma of the original, amazing stunts and extra points for Teresa Palmer.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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 her single days in Brooklyn; Czech Connection – Czech couple who’ve become good friends along with their daughter (the Czech Shadow); 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; 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