Carnivale has kicked off in Panama which
means some clogged streets and a lot of celebrating since the entire country is
off from work for four days. Yesterday there was a big birthday party here at the
condo complex. The kids seemed to consider it their job to put as much sand as
possible in the pool. My Favorite Panamanian was not pleased. Everyone seemed
to have a great time although the caretaker has been working since 6am to clean
up the debris. The biggest (and best) news though was the return, at last, of
the two missing people from the Seis Amigos. The Panamanian component had been restricted
to Panama City since our arrival by a new job.
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| The Seis Amigos, Together Again! |
We made up for lost time as we gathered
for a lively sunset ceremony. There was a great sunset, but it was almost
ignored as we reconnected with these great friends. Tia Loca and my mother-in-law
were also present as part of the crew which only added to the enjoyment. As
usual when this group of friends get together. The sunset crew stayed on
station well into the evening, offering some spectacular views of the star
studded tropical sky. It was so good reconnecting with these fabulous people.
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| The Full Crew Last Night |
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| Looking Back Towards Condo After I Wandered Down the beach to Look at Stars |
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| In Reverse Order for Some Reason, Yesterday's Sunset |
Friday was also fun despite the
departure of our Rhode Island friends. We made an early morning trek into David
to drop them at the airport before we engaged in one of my wife’s favorite
activities. Yep, shopping. We acquired a new air fryer, mixer, and front door
lock. She was truly in her element as we hit four different stores, one three
times. Despite all this pain (for me) we were able to get back to Las Lajas in plenty
of time for the sunset where, while pared down to the base crew of the upstairs
neighbors and us, still rocked. We also had our first uninterrupted First
Friday Family Facetime call thanks to our new internet service. In a news flash
that surprised nobody, Great Aunt is loving her new role as grandmother. Pizza
in the village was the usual fun and we ran into the down beach Canadians
during the gelato phase of the evening. We wandered around the village afterwards
in search of sancocho (Panamanian chicken soup) from the booths set up for Carnivale.
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| Friday Sunset Crew |
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| Sunset Pizza with the Owner Stopping By |
Meanwhile, back in the States, the FBR made
an awesome dance recital debut. I saw the video sent by my daughter while we
were out on the beach last evening. As required of a very proud grandfather I
made sure everybody else saw her amazing performance. We’d been treated to some
practice moves during her recent visit. Seeing this made me miss her all that
much more but also generated a significant amount of pride, as previously mentioned.
While her swimming acumen came from me I can state unequivocally that dancing
is a legacy from her abuela and mom.
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| Some Screen Grabs from the Video |
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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
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