Shell Game and Some Hugging

Anticipation is building steadily with next week’s arrival of our first February guests, followed a week later by my daughter and the FBR. That means my Favorite Panamanian has been deeply into the planning process, having mapped out meals for the next month (I may be exaggerating there). Yesterday, as part of the process, we were back in sweltering David on a grocery run. While there we also visited the travel agency and are scheduled for a week-long trip, in March, to Medellín, Columbia. This is an anniversary gift as my wife has been campaigning for another trip. I wouldn’t have thought Medellín, with its unfortunate history, as a tourist destination but apparently, it’s become just that over the past decades.

Lunch at El Fogon

We were able to stop at El Fogon for lunch and touch base with my buddy/friend Everardo. My Favorite Panamanian got her mother out of the house for some shopping at the mall. There were benches for me to read in air conditioned comfort, so win win.  We were back in Las Lajas in time to enjoy the sunset and Las Lajas rallied from a less than stellar performance on Wednesday with one of it’s best. It was fun having my partner in crime back with me on the sunset crew. In further great news, the upstairs neighbors are back in the house to further flesh out the First Friday sunset crew.

Back on Duty

That Sunset

My Favorite Panamanian has been working on her balcony garden recently. A neighbor used shells in her flowerpot to help with splash protection. My wife thought that was a great idea and spent a couple days collecting shells, something the beach is never short of, the result of a very hungry bird population. In way of explanation, the innumerable birds spend a lot of time digging up shells, breaking them open and then depositing them on the beach after consuming the resident. This is when they’re not eating crabs and leaving a mess on the side of the pool.

The Balcony Garden

Wife Cleaning Shells

The return of the upstairs neighbors wasn’t the only highlight last night. I finally remembered, after several misses, to attend the zoom call with the redoubtable Root Huggers, my Command and General Staff classmates. A simply great collection of American heroes. While my internet connection was predictably bad, official labeled “unstable” by Zoom, I truly enjoyed hanging out with these good friends. We collectively decided it had been too long since we’d seen each other in person. There was talk of a mid-May reunion in either Tampa or Tucson. I’m hoping for Tucson because that means one of our members is well enough to travel. Now, to get back to celebrating the First Friday of the Week in Paradise!!!

Roothuggers Last Night

I checked out the latest version of The Wolfman this week. It’s an interesting take on the venerable character with a young family threatened in the deserted mountains of Oregon by a mysterious manlike beast. There is palatable tension throughout without unnecessary jump scare, just that building sense of ominous danger. There are the usual unbelievably stupid moves by the hunted characters, but that’s required in a horror movie. Still, hiding from a werewolf on top of a plastic sheathed greenhouse has to rank up there. There is a nice twist near the end and a well thought out conclusion. Enjoyable horror fare.

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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