Our weekend was in dire danger of
falling into mundanity but was ably rescued by the most dependable source of
joy, granddaughters! With school vacation week flowing up in New Hampshire my Favorite
Son and the ABFA decided an adventure was needed for the BRS and BR3. They journeyed
to the wilds of Connecticut to participate in the kick off season for the Great
Wolf Lodge, a waterpark built adjacent to one of the casinos. There were some
very funny videos created, including a rare physical failure by the family’s
best athlete when the ABFA fell crossing a lagoon on large lily pads. The BRS
pointedly stated that she made the crossing without issue (apple and the tree
here). The kids were excited to be sharing bunkbeds in the same hotel room as
their parents. I’m not certain their parents shared that excitement.
 |
| Sunday Lunch at Red Robin |
I base that opinion on how excited those
parents were when they arrived on Saturday and took up residence in a bedroom separate
from their progeny. Before they reached the weekend though their Connecticut
adventure continued with a journey down to Mystic for Friday night. Saturday morning
they toured the aquarium and made friends with the assorted sea life. The granddaughters
were especially enamored of the seal show and provided a breathless rundown for
their grandparents. Any dangers of a mundane weekend were effectively put to
flight. I’m still trying to figure out why my back always hurts after a weekend
with granddaughters. That’s a question I know the answer to, of course. They’re
all getting bigger, but I find it impossible to resist the urge to pick them up
and hug them repeatedly. Then there’s the repeated insistence for a game of
tickle monster. I, am, unfortunately and somewhat proudly, the tickle monster who
must chase them down when they venture from the safety of the couch.
 |
| BR3 and BRS at Great Wolf |
 |
| Bunkbeds! |
 |
| Sisters Wolfing |
Sunday was a fun day. The ABFA and the granddaughters
attended church with us while my Favorite Son tried to fix the issues with my printer.
Yes. I took advantage of having a member of my IT section in residence. After a
fun lunch at the Red Robin, we each went with our respective strengths. My son and
I went to see a vampire movie (see below) while the gals went shopping (so a
very expensive movie). We came out of the movie and eventually tracked them
down to receive a full report on their accomplishments. The BRS is showing definite
signs of inheriting her abuela’s style and shopping genes. After we successfully
extracted them, we patronized the local Cold Stream Ice Cream Parlor before
they had to hit the road home. A fully rescued weekend is a vast understatement.
 |
| My Man Cave Office was Transformed |
 |
| My Decorators |
 |
| BR3 at Saturday Dinner |
 |
| And the BRS |
Speaking of vast, my Favorite Panamanian
has started her annual spring refurbishment of her vast garden complex. She’s been
on a buying spree over the past couple weeks and her spoils are now awaiting
their final plantings. She related a conversation at a recent plant shoppe when
a fellow patron admired her purchases and they shared how much they loved this
time of year. My Favorite Panamanian said while she loved the buying part, she
now faced the less enviable task of getting them into the dirt. I know she doesn’t
mind it too much because she refers to her time with her plants as therapy. Being
married to a certain blog writer means she probably needs all the help she can
get in that arena.
 |
| Wife's Targets Awaiting her Attentions |
 |
| The Master at Work |
We weren’t the only ones having a great
weekend. We haven’t talked to the New Jersey bunch since Friday but they were a
moving target all weekend. Wingman took the FBR to a monster truck event in the
Met’s home stadium. I await a full report on that activity. At some point, her
mom was out with some friends sampling some of Maplewood’s finest pubs. Once again,
the apple falling from the tree in terms of genes. That DNA is clearly my responsibility. A former bakery down the street from their
neighborhood has re-opened as a pizza place (I think) and there was a great video
shared on social media of the grand opening, with a band playing outside in the
rain. I watched the video because it featured the FBR dancing with friends in the
rain, making her abuela proud.
 |
| Wingman and FBR |
 |
| Ear Muffs as the Trucks were Loud |
 |
| Who Knew she Liked Trucks |
Okay, we’ve covered the titular weekend
rescue and the garden plotting, moving on to renovations. We decided earlier in
the month to replace the trim and gutters on our house as there was evidence of
some water seepage. The crew showed up on Friday and quickly stripped off the
existing trim. I archly noted to the crew that there was no evidence that water
had seeped through as the wood beneath was still pristine. I’m still happy it
was done because it looks so much better. I was laughing at my Favorite
Panamanian (I know, a dangerous habit) because she was very strict with the
crew when they showed up, complaining (to me, of course) about the potential damage
to her garden complex by the scaffolding. Bu the end of the day, she had
adopted them (Ecuadorian immigrants) and cooked them a dinner of empanadas. On
Saturday morning the gutter guys showed up and quickly created and then
installed the gutters. They had a small van with some sort of machine that
created the gutters in very short order. I was particularly impressed with the
gutter for the back of the house, it is huge. At any rate, the work’s done and
the house saved (even if it didn’t need saving) along with a fifty year guarantee.
I’m reasonably certain that should keep me covered for as long as I’m around.
 |
| Trim and Gutters Removed |
 |
| The Really Long Rear Gutter |
 |
| Happy with the Result |
That vampire movie mentioned above was
Sinners. This was one of the best horror movies I’ve seen in a long time. It
took me a while to figure out there were two Michael B. Jordans in the cast. He’s
one of my favorite actors and he played both parts of twin brothers opening a social
club in depression era Mississippi. They were locals who went away to make
their fortune, including a stint in Capone’s Chicago Outfit. Everything is
going swimmingly despite the clan’s looming presence, until a roving band of
vampires led by an Irish balladeer the Indians failed to kill. You’ll have to
see the movie to understand all that and it’s certainly worth it as the filmmaker
turns a vampire movie into something special as a great storyteller. Jordan is
always great, but the rest of the cast is up to the task as well. A great kick
off to the summer movie schedule. If you don’t the mind of odd dismemberment,
go see this.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
No comments:
Post a Comment