If you lived in New England this past Friday, you experienced a significant windstorm. That’s exacerbated when you live on top of a hill, as my Favorite Panamanian and I do. We got an increase in trick or treaters this year before the big winds arrived. I heard the wind coming so I moved a huge pile of fallen leaves from Deckzilla onto the back yard. You may ask, why? One of the benefits of hilltop living, despite the high winds, is having those winds send leaves downhill. I think some of those leaves may have ended up in Connecticut with how high the winds were. We awoke Saturday morning to find both the front and back yards completely scoured of leaves. I offer a tongue in cheek apology to downhill neighbors. It would be nice if those neighbors could return the two garden flags that my wife lost to the winds as well.
That
extra hour of sleep we got last night because of the time change was more than
welcome and needed. It was a gift since I spent yesterday afternoon haunting my
hometown performing the reconnaissance needed ahead of the annual birthday pub
crawl. I was joined by Keene Friend and the Kindergarten Friend (an
acknowledged expert on the Keene pub scene). My Favorite Panamanian and I journeyed
north Saturday morning with a plan to join Keene Friend for lunch ahead of the
recon. Since I made the mistake of allowing her access to a telephone (like I could
have prevented it!), by the time we made it to Keene she had arranged a lunch date
with a new Latina friend she met a couple weeks ago. She opined that Keene Friend
and I should join them but this wasn’t my first rodeo in that area. 
The Recon Crew in The Perch
I
said Keene Friend and I would be able to score some food, so she would be able
to spend the requisite time with her new friend. My assessment was spot on. When
I checked in, a couple hours into the recon, that she was still at lunch
(Latinas like to talk). This had the corollary effect of saving a significant amount
of money since the time she spent socializing at Applebee’s came at the expense
of TJ Maxx time. Meanwhile, Keene Friend and I started off the recon with our
lunch at the Lab ‘n Lager, the first stop on the crawl with the demise of Penuche’s
Ale House.
Pour House Brainstorming
We
were joined in short order by Kindergarten Friend, and the “hard work” of the
recon started. The Lab ‘n Lager was vetted as the new kickoff point, replacing
Penuche’s. Our next stop (since Modestman is gone) was the Kilkenny Pub, which
once again validated its status as the designated dive bar for the crawl. A
short distance from there was the back door to the newest addition to the
crawl, The Perch. It came as no surprise to us that Kindergarten Friend was already
well known there and was greeted as a returning hero. The staff were all young
and seemed intrigued that senior citizens were conducting a pub crawl. 
Madame Sherri's Finally Open
Our
next stop, Madame Sherri’s, brought another issue to confront. They were
closed, having changed their Saturday opening time to an hour later which meant
they wouldn’t be available at the time we had planned. We continued our march
down Main Street to the Pour House to conduct a conference on what we should do
with this development. We called the PCR to obtain his sage input on our
situation. Although we caught him in the middle of a drive home, he added his
usual cogent opinions. After brainstorming an appropriate time, we decided we might
have to add Margarita’s back in to bridge the gap until Sherri’s opened. Margaritas
has a checkered history with the crawl and was removed from the lineup because
of poor service and requiring reservations. Since our only other option was a martini
bar (and who wants to do that), Keene Friend and I coordinated with the Margarita’s
manager who assured us they were ready to regain their lost place in the crawl.
The Dinner Crowd
FBR (r) Uncharacteristically Serious
We
lost Kindergarten Friend after the Pour House so it fell to Keene Friend and I
to brave Madame Sherri’s once it opened after our Margarita’s coordination. We all
liked Sherri’s last year (its first appearance in the crawl) because the crawl
crowd were the only patrons in the bar. This may explain the later opening hour,
but they were very happy to hear we would be stopping by again in a couple
weeks. At this point we declared victory and made our way back across Main
Street to await my Favorite Panamanian in Margarita’s. Her extended lunch had
ended at some point during our travels, and she was ready for dinner with us. She
was little tired from all the talking, but more than ready to handle the drive
home since I had felt it incumbent upon myself to verify at each of the recon
stops that their beer was up to our lofty standards. So. Yeah, that extra hour
of sleep really helped. 
ABFA with her Hunters
Pumpkin Carving with other Grandparents
Meanwhile
the granddaughters were in high fettle themselves as they addressed the Halloween
requirements. We haven’t heard from any of them for a long time as they and their
parents have been very busy. My son unveiled his costume to match the ABFA’s
and his daughters’ demon hunters’ costumes. The FBR launched her Stitch costume
(Lilo and Stitch). I felt it totally appropriate that she chose a mischievous character
to mimic. I was reminded of what Halloween is like for the parents of young
kids. Both the BRS and BR3 looked like they were providing the requisite parental
challenge. The very best news, after our long time away from each other, is we will
see all of them for both of the upcoming weekends. First, next Saturday for the
FBR’s birthday and the week after, for mine. All this, followed by Thanksgiving.
Yep, things are looking up.
FBR On the Loose!
BR3 Celebrating a Conquest 
BRS 
The Demonhunter Crew
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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