Then There Were None

Both my Favorite Panamanian and I have used the past couple days to repair our shattered energy levels. The past couple weeks of hosting the annual Grampa and Abuela Summer Camp was all that we hoped it would be, a period of genuine joy. However, it also reinforced our opinion that childcare is purely the province of young people. We were both thoroughly gassed from chasing these three around. The house is back to the usual quiet thanks to the absence of granddaughters. I’d gotten used to the usual chaos and accompanying cacophony that always results from their presence. I should temper that observation by noting that any house with my Favorite Panamanian cannot be described as truly quiet (it’s the continuous phone conversations at high decibel levels). However, it’s a relative reflection since the overwhelming volume we’ve gotten used to over the past couple weeks was so welcome. It all ended on Friday with the departure of the FBR. My daughter showed up Thursday to effect the FBR’s return home. We, at least, had Thursday night with both which was fun in and of itself.

Farewell Photo Friday

Some of the noise I’m referencing was experienced Thursday morning. My Favorite Panamanian made an appointment for the FBR to get her hair trimmed. The appointment was at 730am which neither of us thought would be  a problem since the FBR had regularly been up and already downstairs sneaking time on her iPad by 7am virtually every day she had been with us. Since I had been up late watching movies the night before, I was still in the rack when I heard a lot of “discussion” taking place in the upstairs hallway. My wife had to wake up the FBR, after 7am, and the FBR did not appreciate it. She was in total cranky mode which had me laughing (my wife, not so much) because this is exactly what her mother was like at the same age. Both my wife and I were actually fearful of trying to wake her up back in the day. We had some fun when she arrived later that day to point out that her daughter was exactly the same.  

Saying Goodbye to Abuela

Thursday night I enjoyed watching an old movie with my fellow cinephile daughter. It was one of those Criterion editions, so we watched the extras which always offer fascinating insight into the movie we had just watched. Neither of the two New Jersey bound ladies had wake-up issues on Friday as they wanted to get on the road early. I thought it was a missed opportunity to see our daughter have to deal with a prematurely awoken FBR. Our daughter assured us she has a wealth of experience with the issue during the school year. Apparently the cosmos is watching and has chosen to insert some justice.

Five movies fell in the A-Z watch, all keepers: Sex Tape – silly but very funny comedy; Shaft (2000 version) – much better than I remembered updating iconic 70s story; Shaft (2019 version) – should have ignored the youngest version but a passable action flick because it still features Samuel L.; Shampoo – incredibly funny (got to watch with my daughter) with scenery just chewed up, realized what an idiot the character George is; Shape of Water – the most unconventional love story ever filmed but it works and offers great societal comment.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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

Then There Was One

So, we are down to one granddaughter in residence since the BRS and BR3 had to start school this past Monday. The FBR was a little emotional on the first night without her co-conspirators but enjoying moving into the big bedroom. We had to return to my son’s home the next day, Monday, since we had a meeting at the Exeter church which is running the Marian Pilgrimage we’re going to in October. We discovered this trip when we attended mass there while visiting my son’s family earlier this year. The meeting was supposed to be a barbecue but was moved inside with some rain showers. The FBR remained at my son’s home, reuniting with her cousins who were jazzed from a very successful first day of school. After dinner our group of 45 sat in a circle to introduce ourselves. My Favorite Panamanian, never at a disadvantage when it comes to talking, declared that I had to be the one to speak. I was a little nervous because I know I was the least devout Catholic in that entire room, but we got through it.

The One that Remained

Son Escorting BRS and BR3 to 1st Day of School

BRS 2d Grade Day 1

Son and ABFA with the School Girls

BR3 1st Day of Kindergarten

ABFA Gets in One Last Hug

On Tuesday I was back on I-495 for a return trip to Canobie Lake Park. We gave the FBR an option of Southwick Animal Farm or a return to Canobie. This was also tied to certain behavioral norms she was expected to meet. There was no hesitation as she is madly in love with the amusement park. My Favorite Panamanian thought I could handle this assignment by myself so she could get some rest (she didn’t and spent the entire day cleaning the house). I knew this meant repeated trips on the roller coaster for me. Her absence would prevent me from joining the FBR on the water park side’s tidal river but knowing the layout from last week’s trip with all three granddaughters made it easier. We arrived and immediately checked out the side of the park we didn’t hit last week. We found a horror themed ride that the FBR loved. During the ride I heard a loud bang and thought I had dropped my phone. It turned out to be the FBR’s water bottle but that caused me to look for the phone which wasn’t in its usual pocket. This led to a fairly comical dismounting procedure as I searched the moving car after we got out and it moved along the track. The search required more physical flexibility than I am currently capable of, but I felt fairly certain the phone wasn’t there. I figured I left it back in our car where I had attached it to use the navigation app. I was nervous for the rest of the day until I confirmed that .

FBR Helping at Breakfast

That issue means I didn’t take any photos of our daylong adventures but if you saw the last post you know what was involved. We rode the godforsaken 90 degree roller coaster four times and found three new rides that involved a lot of twisting and turning at high speed. The FBR was, predictably in her element. By the end of the day, I had to beg off riding on a couple because my neck was admonishing me for thinking it would endure this level of abuse without protesting. I also decided against the Boston Tea Party ride which involved the soaking as the ride descends into a lake with a huge splash. The FBR was equipped this time, with her crocs and a bathing suit and hit the ride four times by herself. We were heading for the supposedly final ride when I noticed a ride we hadn’t seen before called Psychodrome. Foolishly, I asked her if she wanted to try it. She hilariously replied, “Of course, a ride with psycho in its name!”. Getting out of the park was equally daunting as we walked by a series of rides along the way which she professed she just had to ride. We would have gotten out of the park much earlier if I was capable of saying no to her. It was great day.

After Canobie with her Spoils

The One Photo I took of Canobie

Yesterday called for a trip into Boston to see the New England Aquarium for the professed future marine biologist. Since I’m familiar with just how delightful it is driving into the benighted Boston street network; not to mention the small loan needed to be floated to afford parking, I looked for other options. Since the MBTA runs a commuter train from Worcester into Boston’s South Station, I checked that out. I was trying to figure out what subways were needed to get to the aquarium until I noticed it was only a ten-minute walk, problem solved (although my wife is allegedly allergic to walking more than five minutes unless shopping is involved). We boarded the train and paid only $6 for each of us as seniors while the FBR was free. She didn’t appreciate all the intervening stops but got through it through the viewing of funny cat videos on my phone.

On the Train

FBR with her Penguins

FBR Teaching her Abuela about Sea Lions

My Favorite Panamanian survived the death march to the aquarium and the FBR seemed enthralled upon entering as she saw the herd of penguins (a personal favorite of hers) cavorting in the huge main level pool. She bounced around the exhibits, loving the different specimens on display. She was especially enthralled with the huge central tank although she bemoaned the lack of large sharks. She’s a shark aficionado (I blame Shark Week) and this definitely set a mood with her. The aquarium is a lot more research oriented than tourist focused and after we finished our first walk around, she commented, “Is that it?”. Her abused feelings were rescued with a visit to the gift shop on the way out where she procured a penguin themed cap equipped with attached mittens.

Since the aquarium took less time than anticipated, we had some extra time to spend. I mistakenly mentioned to my Favorite Panamanian that we were perilously close to the Quincy Market. A millisecond later, we were headed in that direction. We shed my Favorite Panamanian upon approach when she spotted a shoe store. That left the FBR and I to enter the market where she immediately set about searching. Her search ended up with the purchase of a Japanese soft drink. She’s a lot more cosmopolitan in her outlook as her parents have exposed her to more exotic fare. After we finished that off, we attacked the Ben And Jerry’s counter which drew my wife out of her shoe induced trance. We sat on the steps of the market where the FBR started feeding parts of her cone to a pigeon and she was soon surrounded by a flock of sparrows and pigeons.

Water Dodging Fountain on the Greenway

Japanese Soda

Ice Cream Time

We caught the train back to Worcester with additional funny cat video time. Today is the FBR’s last full day with us. She and my Favorite Panamanian decided shopping was needed. They made a bee line to a local mall to search out first day of school clothes. This freed me up for the first time in a couple weeks which is why I’m writing in the actual daytime versus my late night ponderings on the last couple weeks while granddaughters have been in residence. My wife is so delighted that she finally has shopping buddies in the form of her granddaughters. It seems the shopping gene skips a generation. My daughter arrived a few minutes ago to effect tomorrow’s redeployment of the FBR. While both my Favorite Panamanian and I are exhausted, (child care is definitely a young person’s game) we’re going to miss the “excitement”  afforded by their presence. They are just so cool.

Seven movies fell in the A-Z watch, six keepers and one ejection: Season of the Witch – Cage in a medieval horror story, Ron Pearlmon always a delight; Secondhand Lions – love this heartwarming story with perfectly cast Robert Duval; The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013 version) – awesome scenery and special effects; Secret Games 3 – ejection, dated movie from my skinamax phase, Rochelle Swanson still a stunner; A Series of Unfortunate Events – Carrey in his element as the villain; Seven – such a great crime thriller with unforgettable villain and ending; Seven Psychopaths – love this dark comedy with superb cast.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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

Farming it Out

Tonight makes the last night with the entire brood of granddaughters in residence as the BRS and BR3 will be redeployed tomorrow by the ABFA. This is ahead of their first day of school on Monday. The FBR will remain in-house to continue to challenge any authority she feels is inadequate to address her activities. It’s been a busy week, and I believe I can speak with a certain level of confidence that both my Favorite Panamanian and I are looking forward to a break in the action afforded by all three cooperating at creating chaos at the same time making us love them more every day. I didn’t think that was even possible but they’ve accomplished it.

At the Farmland

Wednesday was a long overdue rainy day and prevented us from any outdoor adventures. The granddaughters decided that made it a perfect day to camp out. Fortunately they chose the upstairs hallway as the location for their camp. When the activity ran its course, they devised a new one called Queen and Princesses. This involved yet another raid on their abuela’s closet to secure the requisite wardrobe and, of course, shoes. The FBR was appointed queen while the BRS and BR3 served as princesses of the realm. My Favorite Panamanian was designated as the royal stylist. I was named the morning cook (fame is fleeting). My selection is a result of preparing a breakfast of the only three things I am trusted with for the feeding of children: bacon, corn muffins, and cinnamon rolls. All three granddaughters are renowned bacon thieves which has me employing additional security measures when my breakfast makes it to the table. We filled the rest of Wednesday with a trip to the cinema to see an animated movie, The Bad Guys 2. The granddaughters were perfectly behaved for the entire movie which was a welcome change from prior performances (they really are growing up).

Hallway Campsite

Rainy Movie Date

Queen and Her Princesses

They Require a Mountain of Shoes

Thursday involved a road trip to my son and ABFA’s home. The BRS and BR3 had their classroom orientation which required their attendance. We had the usual “pleasant” experience on I-495 and made better than expected time. This occasioned another of what BR3 is rapidly becoming famous for, one of her one-liners. Since we were ahead of the schedule, I pulled into the first rest stop in New Hampshire. We were only a few minutes from our destination but I wanted to make this one of the few arrivals where I’m not rushing to bathroom before greeting anyone (prostateless effect). Announcing someone is going to the rest room always results in BR3’s default reaction - to claim she also has to go. When she made the claim, I asked her if she could hold it for ten minutes because we would be at her home then. She said she could. As I parked the car and started to dismount, she loudly asked, “Grampa, can’t you hold it for ten minutes?”. Both my wife and I descended into laughter (not a welcome result considering my mission there). BR3 is destined to become the family comedienne.

Abuela Created T-Shirts

Friday was a perfect summer day which freed us up for another of our annual events of Grampa and Abuela Summer Camp – a trip to David Farmland. Apparently most of central New England had the same idea. I’ve never seen that many people there. We had to park across the street and wait twenty minutes in line just to get in.  Once that was accomplished, fully armed with animal food cups, the granddaughters descended on the animal enclosures. The goats were extremely happy to see them. BR3 had to face up to one of her singular catastrophes of last year’s visit when the David Farmland Attack Chicken chased her onto a chair. She has spent the last year preparing herself. She sought out the chicken roost, and made a point of patting a chicken not fast enough to escape. I was very proud of her. She was probably sick of hearing about the very funny episode from last year.

Farmland Arrival

The goats have perfected their technique and instead of sticking their mouths into the cup, one bit the edge of the cup and wrestled it away from BR3. The older granddaughters were better prepared. We spent a long time with the goats with both the FBR and BRS with baby goats in their laps. BR3 discovered a fascination with the cow station that offered a tutorial on milking (the kid loves her milk). My Favorite Panamanian pointedly avoided the snake house where all three granddaughters got to pat a boa constrictor. We eventually convinced them they had to eat lunch and immersed ourselves in the Farmland cafeteria which is always an interesting experience. This was followed by a trip to the nearby playground and the bounce pad. My wife opined following a meal with a bounce house is not a great idea. The kids overruled her and were soon bouncing for all they were worth. The heat eventually got to them and I mistakenly pointed out to my wife that no one had hurled (when will I learn).

BR3 Practicing her Milking

The Famous Chicken Pat

The Boa

Watch Where You Step

Bounce Time

The heat was a perfect reason to head over to the expanded splash pad. My wife and I set up at a covered picnic table and released the brood into the wide variety of water emitting devices. All three granddaughters refer to David Farmland as the “bubble place”. Shortly after we arrived at the splash pad all three were covered in bubbles from the suds station. After nearly an hour there, BR3 came back and said she wanted to check out an adjacent playground. This was part of the improvement, and I had no idea what was back there. She and I set out where we discovered a real treasure. She was soon scooting around on a mini-bike like device. After that we wandered back into the tree line, where she spotted a large slide which riders use a burlap sack to slide down. She was in love. After a few rides we walked back to where we could see the FBR and BRS and summoned them to join the fun. I safely sat in the shade while they repeatedly climbed the hill to slide down. After a while I noticed BR3 wasn’t using a sack anymore and was sliding on her bathing suit bottom next to her sister and giggling the whole way down. We left an hour before the park closed to miss out on the massive exodus the crowd promised. I rewarded them with the requisite stop at a nearby ice cream emporium.

Hill Slide

Scooter

Bubble Time

Sign of a Busy Day

Ice Cream Reward

Today, the scheduled event was a return to the Leicester pool we hit earlier in the week. Our hostess was celebrating her birthday. The Czechs were also there along with the Neighborhood Mafiosos and a representative group of the Mafia. My Czech Shadow once again assumer her role as the den-mother for the three granddaughters, who all worship her. The granddaughters had hopes of coaxing me into the pool again. Those hopes were dashed almost immediately when all three loudly proclaimed that the water was freezing. This included the BRS who is renowned for her immunity to cold temperatures. That was all I needed to know and despite some pointed comments from my Shadow, I remained safely dry and warm. The kids, despite the cold, kept going back into the pool.  It was a very nice afternoon spent with friends celebrating the birthday of our fabulous hostess.

Cold Pool

Shadow with her Crew

Czech Friend Helping at Dinner Time

Mafia Gathered, Birthday Girl front Right

Hula Hooping on Lawn

Girls Surrounded by Czechs

Wife Dancing with Birthday Girl

Cake Time

Granddaughters Helping with Candles

Four movies fell in the A-Z watch, three keepers and one ejection: Saving Private Ryan – conceivably he best war movie ever made; The Score – DeNiro and Norton chewing up the scenery, Brando’s last film; The Scorpion King – hasn’t aged well, just too silly to keep; and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World – awesome action comedy with incredible cast in early roles.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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