Rarity and the Incredible Shrinking World

We’re experiencing that rarest of events, especially for this time of year in Las Lajas, today– a gloomy day. Even as I’m writing this the sun just broke through and is burning off the cloud cover that uncharacteristically covered my morning beach workout. It was the remnant of a vigorous overnight rainstorm, complete with thunder and lightning. It is yet another sign that the rainy season is about to descend upon us which in turn spells the end of our stay down here. Anyone who spent time in Panama during the rainy season (May-December) will understand the need to escape the torrential rains and pervasive humidity. I, of course, may be a bit prejudiced against it because I harken back to my lieutenant days when I spent a lot of time in the Panamanian jungle getting soaked for days on end. Granted, life is a whole lot easier now, what with the condo on the beach, but I do remember those days in the jungle being amongst the worst in my time in the Army (you ever try to fall asleep with rain falling on your face – you have to be really, really tired). I was so fortunate to be surrounded by some of the best Soldiers I ever served with, who suffered alongside me.

Sitting with All my Friends for Sunset Yesterday

Yeah. I’m feeling a little reflective today. That happens when I must contemplate leaving this paradise in a couple weeks. I’m actually looking forward to that. Yesterday I was on my own for the First Friday of the Week sunset ceremony. It was an amazing sunset with the sky lit  up for a full 360 degrees (rare that). The Upstairs Neighbors were escorting their visitors to Panama City for their long flight home while my Favorite Panamanian was once again in church. I like to think she spends so much time there because she realizes what a long pull she has when it comes to praying for my soul. As I sat alone on the beach for that truly remarkable sunset, I brooded about how much smaller the world is getting.

That Sunset

I know what generated that line of thought. We had our usual First Friday Family Facetime call and Wingman joined us from Australia. He’s touring there with his band and woke up just in time to join us. It’s probably because I’m in Panama that these thoughts invaded. I remember, back in those lieutenant days, when I had to go to the post office and rent a booth to make a phone call to the States (like the time I called my mom to tell her I was getting married in a couple months - ouch). Now, I push a button on an iPad and I’m looking at not only my sister, my kids, and grandkids back in the States, but Wingman in Australia. The Upstairs Neighbors’ visitors, who spent the week admiring the sunsets with us on the beach are now in the air, somewhere over the Atlantic, winging their way home to the Middle East. A couple weeks from now I hope to be sitting down with my high school classmates in a small town in New Hampshire. Yep, a much smaller world.

Wingman in Australia

Those visitors, before they left, had the opportunity to meet the other two members of the Seis Amigos, which should be required for any visit to this beautiful country. I currently am the only resident of the condo complex. My Favorite Panamanian created a fabulous cake but I didn’t get even a sniff of it. She made it for a group of underprivileged children whom the church is hosting for lunch today. I did my part, in addition to fighting off the urge to steal a piece of cake, by helping her make sandwiches last night. So, she’s back in the village pursuing sainthood while I’m left alone to do my reflective bit. It is strange, for a weekend, that I’m the only one here as we usually get some of the Panamanian condo owners in. This gives me a full appreciation for the Upstairs Neighbors and their companionship.

Four of the Seis Amigos in Panama City

I’ve done my usual reading of the entire Travis McGee series (an annual event here on the beach) and, after knocking off a couple new books that showed up on the kindle, I started re-reading another of my favorite book series, the Matthew Scudder novels penned by Lawrence Block. It’s been a while since I revisited old friend Matt and I am once again caught up in his world as he struggles with guilt, crime, and alcohol. He’s such a compelling character who has to do a lot of introspection which is in line with my current mood. New York City is another character in all the Scudder novels and I once took a day trip to NYC just to visit all the different Scudder haunts Block writes about. That was one of the coolest days I’ve ever had, despite being by myself. Well, time to sign off, the sun is back out, gloom displaced and the waves are calling for my boogie board. It’s a tough life, but someone etc. etc.

My Wife's Cake for the Kids (damn it!)

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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

Gaming and an IT Breakthrough

It’s been a busy last few days. That is, busy for our usual tempo, what being a tropical paradise and all. I place the blame squarely on the Upstairs Neighbors who have some visiting family which has amped up the activity level in all the right ways. They’ve become an established part of the sunset crew and, as is wont to happen, fallen in love with boogie boarding. Their daughter showed up for the sunset with a half-coconut, filled with a rum drink. That, I just find inspiring. We convened another beach game night in their honor. We exposed them to the fun and frustration of Flip 7. The visiting son in law is a math teacher and saw some real world application within it. The ladies, unfairly, teamed up in what is supposed to be an individual game and won each round. Still, a great way to spend an evening. They’ve been a lot of fun to have around but unfortunately start on their long way home tomorrow. We’ve decided to convene a special pizza night for them since Sunset Pizza is supposed to reopen today and they should not leave Panama without experiencing the best pizza in the country along with the gelato. We’ve missed that so over the past couple weeks.

The Sunset Crew Including Third from the Left Whom I 
Mistakenly Left Out of a Sunset Crew Post

Daughter with her Coconut

Game Night with Cheating Ladies

I’ve become something of a handyman around the condo over the past couple days. No. I haven’t injured myself, which is the first question my Favorite Panamanian or my kids will ask when they hear I’ve been DIYing. I installed a couple rechargeable lights next to the new bed. They will come in handy when the next, inevitable power outage occurs. However, the main object of some sneaky pride on my part was my next completed task. I changed out the Wi-Fi router in the condo. I’ve never done anything like this and while it is remarkably easy, I was supremely nervous since it serves as our contact with the outside world. That became necessary when the condo association upgraded the internet provider and our old router (the original one that came with the condo eight years ago) was struggling at times to handle the data flow. Since you’re reading this, that means I was successful and I’m a little amazed at how much faster the connections now take place. I even updated the passwords in all the devices, including both TVs, all my wife’s devices, and the super streamer. Again, I know this is a simple task but tell that to someone from my generation attempting it without the help of their children (my dedicated IT advisors).

The Las Lajas Pelicans are Migrating North

The New Lights

I bought the new router yesterday when my Favorite Panamanian and I snuck back to David for groceries and a movie. It was a fun day despite the oven like heat always present in my wife’s hometown. We discovered a new lunch place, called Foster’s, located in the same shopping plaza where we signed the documents for our condo those eight years ago. The burger comes in third place for Panama which isn’t bad. My mother-in-law and both of my wife’s sisters joined us for the movie which was a lot of fun. We followed the movie with dinner at nearby Terra’s which was its usual awesome. There was a very funny display in the men’s room, of all places, featuring the three worst wines which plays on the what the word “Vino” means in Spanish. In addition to meaning “wine” is can also mean “is coming”. The three wines were “Vino de Suegra”, meaning the mother-in-law is coming, “Vino la Quenta” which means the bill is coming; and No le Vino, which can mean it’s not coming (with some other more ribald possibilities). We returned to the condo around ten last night just as the Upstairs Neighbors were returning from a day spent with their visitors in the mountains around Boquete.

Lunch at Fosters

Movie Time

Dinner at Terra's

The Funny Wines

The movie we saw was Jason Staham’s (my wife’s boyfriend) latest. A Working Man is an excellent action flick with Statham’s once again playing the everyman blessed with a back story involving elite military skills. The bad guys, once again, fail to take that into account when they kidnap the daughter of a close family friend. The expected carnage follows but this is so well done and Statham is so believable in both his acting and his athleticism that it is a joy to sit through. You almost feel sorry for the bad guys as they make the mistakes leading to their eventual comeuppance and loss of body parts. David Harbour shines in a small role as a former military buddy. This is an excellent follow-up to last year’s Beekeeper and proves Statham is still at the top of his game.

I’ve included a couple of other photos which found their way into my possession. The first features Namesake Nephew’s new daughter. She’s every bit as beautiful as reported. Those glowing reports come from Great Aunt who truly relishes her new role as grandmother. I tried to warn her how much fun it would be. The second is from my Favorite Panamanian's week back in David. She hosted a bunch of her high school friends for a baseball game which was roundly enjoyed. Panamanians are dedicated baseball fans and it’s hard to beat getting to hang with high school friends. I’ve done some dedicated investigation into this activity and can confirm it without hesitation

Newest Addition to the Fam

Wife with her Buddies

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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