Back in the Saddle

My geographic bachelorhood ended in rather dramatic fashion on Saturday as my Favorite Panamanian ushered me to her true “happy place”, the dance floor. She’d been sidelined from that beloved activity since her knee went hors de combat last summer followed by September surgery. We’ll get to the dance floor eventually, but I must recount my journey to join her. The First Friday of Last Week rolled around, as scheduled, which had the stalwart upstairs neighbors allowing me to join them for pizza night after the obligatory sunset ceremony. Since they were driving back to David on Saturday morning, they saved my wife a trip to pick me up. The aforementioned wife forgot to take our depleted propane tank for the balcony grill so that fell to us.

Together Again

She had reconned a PanaGas location on the highway back to David and we accomplished the refill amidst the surrounding arcane requirements while taking in the absolute largest grasshopper I’ve ever seen. It was reposed in the surrounding fence at the gas place and had to be nearly a foot in length and appeared to be sporting a turtleneck (not kidding). Of course, I forgot to get a picture of it but I was impressed, it looked vaguely pre-historic. They dropped me off at my mother in law’s house and I was reunited with my Favorite Panamanian.

We celebrated by immediately setting out to do something really romantic, grocery shopping. I’d put a serious dent in our food supplies during the past week so that was needed. We had a fun dinner at El Fogón with my favorite waiter/friend Everardo. Fortunately El Fogón was showing a NFL playoff game so I caught the last quarter of the Kansas City – Houston game. I must really like my Favorite Panamanian because I only saw one of the four playoff games this past weekend. Just saying. After dinner my wife and Tia Loca prepped for the big event of the weekend, the aforementioned dancing.

Back on the Dance Floor

Very Fun Group

The Sangria Twins

My wife’s brother had invited us out to the iconic Joron Zebeda. He and his lady drove us all to this favorite and immense dance floor. It was nearly empty when we arrived because it was so early, only 9pm. It’s an inside joke within the family that I am always the one who wants to leave, usually when the crowd starts to rev up, say around 2am. A small crowd eventually filtered in as we spent most of the time on the dance floor. It was really hot, Panama hot. I eventually devised a cooling off technique which involved placing my cold beer bottle on top of my head when we returned from the dance floor. They thought it was cute, but effective.

My Cool Down Technique

I should mention at this point that my Favorite Panamanian and Tia Loca were imbibing from a pitcher of sangria. Everybody in my family knows this is a situation fraught with danger. Sangria seems to have a magical effect on them. Tia Loca starts speaking fluent English and my non-drinking wife loses what small geographic sense she has. During a well-chronicled event over a decade ago in Panama City, she ended up wandering our hotel in the early morning hours searching for our room, but that is a story for another day. This time out, they were a lot of fun. Although my wife was singularly upset with me for not bringing my standard hangover prevention cure, Alka Selzer, with me.

Tia Loca and her Brother

This is led to a very funny event. We left the dance floor around midnight (truly early for this bunch) and as we were driving home my Favorite Panamanian said, based on her consumption of sangria, she needed Alka Selzer. This led to a trip to an all-night pharmacy where she boldly walked up to the outdoor window and declared she needed Alka Selzer, and was informed a black Alka Seltzer was available that was specifically designed for this type requirement (too much intake). The rest of us stayed in the car and laughed since she is usually a teetotaler. She returned to the car saying she told the attendant the cure was needed for us. I’m not sure the attendant bought that story either. When/if she sees I’ve posted these photos I’m probably on the couch for a couple nights.

Wife at All Night Pharmacy

Scoring her Alka Seltzer

Before heading back to the beach on Sunday we were invited for lunch at my brother in law’s lady’s home. That was a very fun gathering where we once again took up our roles of refereeing the back and forth between Tia Loca and her brother. Our hostess spent years creating a fantastic garden complex which we all know my Favorite Panamanian enjoyed touring. I eventually had to almost drag her out as they compared garden complexes. I was jonesing to get on the road back to the condo because of the third playoff game I was destined to miss. On the upside, we got all the groceries stored in time to join our redoubtable upstairs neighbors for the sunset ceremony. I finally saw an NFL playoff game that night and it was probably the best of the weekend.

Sunday Lunch

Yesterday was an interesting day here at the beach. My wife contracted last year with a local artisan to build us a bed frame. That was delivered yesterday with appropriate fanfare. Before he left “we” decided he should build us a couple bedside tables as well. Fortunately, he and I teamed up to convince my wife that a round table she envisioned for the dining room would be too large for the space available. Small victories. The power was out for a scheduled maintenance period during all this and we had our handyman in to fix a minor problem with the sliding doors to the balcony he fixed a couple weeks ago as well. Electricity came back and we were blessed with another fabulous Las Lajas sunset, with an additional friend in the crew. I was thinking of Keene Friend 2 last night as his beloved Notre Dame’s epic comeback in the college national championship game against Ohio State fell short. On the upside he’s on a retirement vacation himself, not too far from us, in Aruba.

Last Night's Sunset

The Crew

Our New Bed

Finally, apparently my earlier report about the BRS and BR3 losing all their kiddie makeup privileges was in error. The ABFA is their latest victim. They told her they wanted her to look like a tiger and this was the result. They asked my son, “Doesn’t Momma look Beautiful?”. I’m hoping he was able to achieve the needed level of diplomacy before answering. I miss seeing those girls. The internet at the condo is the worst it’s ever been, and all Facetime calls inevitably freeze up. You see, everything isn’t perfect in paradise.

Tiger ABFA

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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 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