Thursday, April 10, 2025

Fuego Again

I’m writing this on my last full Thursday in Panama. While at times I grow nostalgic about leaving what Great Aunt refers to as “my happy place”, I’m more than ready to return home and catch springtime in New England. This way I can still claim to have experienced all four seasons, although, watching a recent Red Sox game made me think I’ll also qualify for winter. Anyways, I’m looking forward to experiencing a little less humidity which has become a daily, albeit totally unwelcome partner here. To counter this I did what any self-respecting pyromaniac would do, I lit a fire.

Shortly Before the Fire Broke Out
Actually, this was done in conjunction with the neighbors. The pesky palm tree stump that defied my last conflagration was still mocking me each day as I sat in the rancho reading. I decided to give it another shot and the high tides during the last fire resulted in a new crop of driftwood to utilize. There was another, thick branch of a buried tree sticking up directly behind my foe and I decided to add another small fire to the show. We had a huge pile of wood gathered by all of our efforts. Whenever the neighbors returned from a walk down the beach they came carrying more fuel.  

The Targets

The fires quickly consumed that fuel and we had a glorious blaze going for several hours. I checked this morning, two days later, and there are still hot spots as the coals simmer. My enemy, unbelievably, is still there as well. I’m beginning to think this tree was made of concrete. Any further attempts to burn it into the sand will have to wait until next year. The secondary fire completely removed the smaller obstacle so there was a minor victory. I count it as a major one though because we got to hang out with our most excellent neighbors beyond the usual sunset ceremony.

A Couple of Our Sunsets This Week






The condo cleaning has begun as we prepare for its eight-month hibernation. My Favorite Panamanian’s plants have been relocated from the balcony to below so they can be watered during our absence. As much trouble as I gave her when she started her mini jungle out there, I find myself missing them. Towels are disappearing into storage containers which led to a frustrating situation last night when I found myself leaving the shower only to find my wife had stored all the towels that weren’t in the washing machine. Looking back at it, pretty funny stuff, but only because hindsight has given me the time to calm down a bit. The woman just loves to store things.

The Birthday Girl
Finally, today is also the birthday of one of the Seis Amigos. One of the few downers this year during our stay in Las Lajas was the absence of the Panamanian component of the Seis. She, a lawyer by trade, was appointed to a job for the new Panamanian president. That’s kept them both in Panama City as she’s been too busy to grace us with her presence except for a couple quick stop-bys. On one of those brief visits, her husband was responsible for my excess beer consumption that sent me on a midnight crab hunt on the beach. That’s my story and etc. etc. Happy Birthday to this fabulous and glamorous member of the Seis! We hope next year will see more of her in Las Lajas.

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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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