Board Sadness

It’s been a completely non-busy week here at the beach which I consider a considerable accomplishment considering who I’m married to. I’ve been able to immerse myself in a true retirement lifestyle. That isn’t always possible when my Favorite Panamanian launches on one of the several hundred ideas she always seems to have circulating within her mind. I’ve been able to complete the morning workout routines, followed by beach reading, followed by breakfast, then back to the beach for more reading, lunch, stationary bike workout, and then the afternoon boogie board session culminating in more reading on the beach. This is followed by the biggest and most cherished event of the day, the daily sunset ceremony with my dedicated crew.

The Crew Yesterday with our New Member (l)
Note I had the Binos but no Skinny Dippers :(

We added to the crew yesterday with the arrival of our new next-door neighbor in the condo. She’s a Brazilian gal married to an American from Oregon who is still back in the States working. We initiated her into the mysteries of our nightly sunset ceremony. Earlier in the day, during the morning workout I saw a pair of buzzards take up residence overlooking me. This was a regular occurrence last year and it always begged the question if they knew something about my health that I didn’t. I guess the word finally got back to the flock that I was back because they were back on station yesterday.

My Personal Coaches 

The Turtlenecked Grasshopper

Speaking of Panama’s fauna, my upstairs neighbors took a photo of the mongoso sized grasshopper, with turtleneck, that I wrote about seeing on the fence of the gas place last weekend. You can see why I was so impressed. My Favorite Panamanian took our new neighbor down the beach to Plinio’s yesterday and learned some sad news. The black lab who always jumped into my lap there, reminding me so much of Buddy the Wonder Pooch, died last week after being bitten by a snake.  He was inquisitive, as are all labs.

R.I.P. my Friend

That’s not the only bad news. I am sad to report that my best buddy on the beach, my blue boogie board, is severely damaged. During yesterday’s afternoon session, I felt it become a little too flexible as I rode down a large wave. Upon reaching shallow water I checked and saw the telltale break across the surface revealing the broken Styrofoam below. I’ve had to switch to the yellow one now, a serious break in etiquette. I’ve been searching the internet for ways to repair Styrofoam and I’ll give it a try but prior efforts at earlier incarnations of similarly broken boogie boards have all failed miserably. I should probably be planning an appropriate funeral rite for this old friend. You see, it isn’t all pleasing all the time in paradise. We do have these sunsets though and, come to think of it, it is the First Friday of the Week!!!

The Board Before its Final Ride

But Then We Had this Sunset

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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