It has turned into one of the best
weekends of the year so far. It all started on Friday, as weekends tend to do.
The First Friday of the Week was significant as it marked the return of my Favorite
Panamanian from her “Mom Week” back in David. While she missed the family
Facetime call she returned in time for the Friday sunset which was marginally
back up to Las Lajas standards after a grim week. She, of course, took credit
for the return of the nightly light show. After the sun was adequately witnessed
on its western journey, we amped up for the First Friday pizza in the village.
Sunset Pizza is still closed for vacation (damn it) so we were back at Naturlamente,
new home of Chow Mein the cat.
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| Friday Night Pizza |
There was a nice addition to our usual
crew as the daughter and son-in-law of the Upstairs Neighbors. Those new
additions arrived after a truly epic journey across the globe, flying through
Cairo, Toronto, and Panama City before arriving in David. While they had to be exhausted,
they were still up for a pizza night proving their bona fides as worthy progeny
of the Upstairs Neighbors. Chow Mein the cat made her usual appearance and
seemed to have re-acquired her taste for pepperoni. She charmed the newly
arrived son-in-law out of most of the pepperoni on his pizza.
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| Chow Mein in Begging Mode |
As part of their visit, the Upstairs Neighbor
had requested we do another beach bonfire, which we planned for Sunday. There
was another huge piece of driftwood embedded in the beach near where our last conflagration
took place. On Saturday I noticed that the tide, thanks to a new moon, was at its
highest point since we arrived, including reaching our target. Since I knew the
incursion of sea water would have a deleterious effect on any planned fire, I
recommended we conduct the fire Saturday night before the next high tide.
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| Pool Time with New Friends |
The target is a huge trunk of a palm
tree that had been a resident on our stretch of beach for more than a year. For
that reason, I expected it to go up as quickly as its neighbor in our earlier
blaze. My Upstairs Neighbor and I had gathered a large pile of driftwood over
the past week in preparation. We had to ward off a couple Panamanians who got
their truck stuck in the sand nearby and saw our wood as the way to get out. They
managed without it.
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| Saturday Sunset Crew |
After the sunset ceremony and a brief
break for dinner, I was back on the beach prepared to start the fire which I
had prepped just before the sunset ceremony. Unfortunately I put the paper I
was using to start it (yeah so what, I am no longer in the boy scouts so I had
no problem cheating and using paper) in my pocket which was wet from the
afternoon boogie boarding session. A quick trip to the social area bathroom provided
enough paper towels to get the fire started.
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| Fire Prepped |
It turned out to be a respectable fire
which quickly claimed most of our horde of driftwood. I may have been a little energetic
in feeding the fire. It’s what I do. I’ve written before about my pyromaniacal
side which thankfully finds sufficient outlet in these occasional bonfires. A little
while after we started, a group of Panamanians started some fireworks off just
down the beach from us. We applauded the show at its conclusion and a little
while later one of their group walked up to us.
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| The Pyro in Action |
They are staying at the hotel directly
behind the condo and wanted to ask a favor. Another member of their group was planning
on proposing to his girlfriend and wanted to do it in front of a beach bonfire.
We were more than willing to share the blaze in the interests of love. He had a
small crew with him, and they started off down the beach to find more driftwood
for the fire. They placed that in the fire and said they would return with the soon
to be happy couple. While we waited, the Upstairs Neighbors’ visitors showed my
Favorite Panamanian how to pair up her speaker with her phone and we finally had
music for the fire (she had noticed we didn’t while I was blissfully unaware). Shortly
after the music started, I found myself dancing in the sand with her. It’s what
she does.
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| The Fireworks Show |
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| New Friends Arrive |
After a long wait, the soon to be
engaged couple finally showed up, along with an entire troop of supporting
family members. They threw some more wood on the fire and lit a couple torches,
and the proposal took place. The whole group stayed around for a while and
broke out some marshmallows to roast. Predictably, my Favorite Panamanian ended
up being fast friends with them. They were a fun group and I eventually found
myself in conversation with the newly engaged guy. He was a lawyer from David
who now lives in Boquete. He turned out to be a Celtics fan and made a
pilgrimage to Boston last January where he caught a game. He loved the game but
had the usually Panamanian reaction to numbing cold weather. After my wife collected
enough phone numbers to insure she could contact her new friends, they departed
and we were left by ourselves to watch the fire descend into embers. A great
night.
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| The Overdue Proposal |
I had been suspicious of the target log
all night as it didn’t seem to be burning along with the other driftwood. My
fears were realized this morning when I went out for the morning boogie board
session. The overnight high tide had stopped a few feet short of the site of
the fire which was still smoldering. The target log had been reduced little bit
but stared back at me with an unmistakable air of superiority. It had survived.
I figure if it could put up that kind of fight, it deserved to be left alone;
until next year, if it has the temerity to survive that long. So, a great
weekend, and the best part, it hasn’t ended yet.
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| This Morning |
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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 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
