Beach Day En Fuego

The First Friday of the Week was celebrated in elegant style yesterday thanks to the Upstairs Neighbors and their visiting brother and sister-in-law. My own family semi-abandoned me by bowing out of the First Friday Family Facetime call for various reasons (all valid) while my Favorite Panamanian stayed inside dealing with a cold. The Neighbors’ bunch filled in admirably even though we were both guilty of calendar malfeasance. Yes, I know, that last statement requires explanation. If you stop interrupting me, I can get to it. (sorry I was imagining explaining this to my spouse).

Very Fun Coco Loco Table

Both the Upstairs Neighbors and I received a text saying there would be a live singer down the beach at Coco Loco (the former Johnny Fiesta’s). The text said the event would be on Friday afternoon, so we all planned on going. As we drove up yesterday, there was virtually no one at the place. At this point we checked the text and realized the event is for next Friday. Not to waste an opportunity, we decided to stop in anyways. I’m so glad we did because it was a very fun afternoon. The beer was very cold, there was a nice offshore breeze, a couple well equipped thongs across the street, and a very entertaining table. At times, the unplanned occasions are the best. Without the music and huge crowd, we were able to converse and enjoy the company. A couple of iguanas crawled in on the rafters to check out what was going on as did a veritable herd of ducks. One of the best aspects of life at the beach in Panama is how relaxing life is. Yesterday was a perfect example and a lot more relaxing than usual, just a great afternoon hanging out with friends, old and new. My only complaint was the arrival of a delivery car which blocked the view of the thongs. It was almost as if my absent wife ordered it.

The Target Stump in front of What We Got for a Sunset

I know this will upset all my sunset “fans” back in the States but we were rained out of the sunset for the first time all year. Rainy season is definitely around the corner. My Favorite Panamanian came down to join us, but when she saw the rain, turned around and went back upstairs. This was funny on a couple levels because I told the Upstairs Neighbors as we sheltered under the rancho, that with the rain, my wife would never come outside, not knowing this had already happened. The rain  was problematic on a couple levels. We had promised a beach bonfire for the visitors and they were leaving Saturday morning. We had been gathering driftwood all week in preparation. We had a tight window to prepare the fire because our chosen target, the huge stump from the last fire, was besieged with the highest tide of the year. We had to wait until the tide receded to set up the fire and had only about a half hour before sunset to accomplish this. Then the rain started. It was almost as if there were some cosmic forces trying to prevent our conflagration.

Success!

The Gallery

We persevered. The clouds cleared, after the sun was definitively set, and we made our way to the site after a hurried dinner. I was a little nervous about the rain soaked tinder but after a tenuous start, it blazed away in typical Las Lajas fashion. I was able to assuage my pyromaniacal tendencies by shuttling a constant stream of additional wood into the fire. That damnable stump continued to laugh at my efforts to reduce it. There was a vigorous lightning storm in the distance out on the bay which added a light show. It was another entertaining beach bonfire and we were able to send off the visitors with another memory. We didn’t have to worry about cleaning up because that high tide would be back in the early morning hours.

The Resident Pyromaniac at Work

I went out this morning to find I had finally made some headway with the stump. All the branches which had been so solid when we left had burned off and the stump itself was a mere shadow of itself. Victory!!!! In another, most welcome win, Keene Friend 1 returned home today. He fought a persistent cough while he was here and finally got some medical care to address it when he got home.

All That Remains of Stump

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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; Upstairs Neighbors – American couple and great friends who live in condo above us in Panama; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course

Farewelling

Silence has once again descended upon the condo with the departure of my hometown buddies yesterday. I waited to write to make sure they made it home safe, which they all apparently did. The Cantankerous Friend was up early this morning, driving to Connecticut to pick up his cat (I don’t understand that either). Keene Friend 2 sent a very funny summarization of the trip. Apparently, when they landed in Boston, because of pressure changes attendant to air travel, neither he nor the Cantankerous Friend was hearing very well (an endemic condition for the Cantankerous One). That meant they had to shout at each other to be heard. It’s probably a good thing airport security is understaffed because they made it through without problem.

My Buddies and I on Their Final 2026 Sunset Social Hour

We made the most of their last couple days in Panama. Keene Friend 1 finally felt well enough to join us for time under the rancho on the beach and the sunset social hours. The waves were huge and currents the strongest of the year which made for good, if exhausting, boogie boarding. Keene Friend 2 became quite adept with the board and acquired a beach-wide reputation as the hoodie wearing boarder and almost losing his bathing suit a couple times. The Cantankerous One’s development was slowed when he wore the skin off the bottom of his feet on the sand fighting through the currents to get out to the launching point. He had to sit out the waves for the last couple days but maintained his always vocal opinions on our performance.

Resort Dinner

Saying Goodbye at David Airport

It was so much fun having these three old friends to hang out with for the past week. There’s a shorthand to communication with lifelong friends. I was so happy to show them how beautiful Panama is. We culminated Monday night with dinner down the beach at the Las Lajas Beach Resort. This was followed by a very early morning trip to David to catch their plane. I was starting to get a little worried when we hit traffic in David but we pulled up to the airport and the check-in line was five minutes long. It was more emotional (for me) than I expected, saying goodbye to the nearest thing I have to brothers, was harder than I thought. After leaving the airport we took my mother-in-law out to breakfast and then some vegetable shopping. I was pre-warned so I had my trusty kindle ready to pass the time. That kindle came in handy later when my Favorite Panamanian and Tia Loca decided to hit the David feria in search of Columbian handbags. I waited for their return in the sweltering David heat with my kindle doing its usual yeoman work. I finally pried my wife out of David to return to the beach in time for the sunset social hour.

Yesterday's Sunset Social Crew

We were treated to a breathtaking display of Las Lajas at its best. There was a large cloud bank above the horizon and, as the sun passed behind, it created windows of what looked like molten lava in the clouds. We were given two sunsets, bi-directional, one when it emerged from the cloud bank and again as it went into the Pacific. We had a full crew as the Upstairs Neighbor’s brother and sister in law are still in residence. The Upstairs Neighbors had arranged for Sunset Pizza to remain open last night instead of a planned closing period because they wanted their visitors to experience the sublime Sunset pizza and, needless to say, gelato. I think a favor was done for the owner because the place was packed all evening and the service showed a marked improvement even though the owner still wasn’t present.

Pizza Time!

As you can see from the accompanying photos, St Patty’s day was in full swing back in the States yesterday. The BRS and BR3 looked smashing wearing the green, as did Great Aunt’s grandchildren. My daughter reported that the FBR wore her Fenway Green Monster t-shirt to school in New Jersey, the heart of the Evil Empire. My grandchildren rock. I provided a very unintentional scare for my Favorite Panamanian this morning. As I mentioned above, the waves and currents were strong all week. Unfortunately, on Monday, a visiting American tourist drowned down the beach from us, which we learned about this morning. If there is anything I can count on, it is my wife overreacting to such news and descending on me (she thinks I take too many chances in the water). Even though the waves were calmer today, she repeatedly warned me to be careful.

BR3 and BRS

Great Aunt's Crew

I came out of the waves in fine fashion and decided since it was hot and humid and I was soaking wet, it would be a good time to gather driftwood for an upcoming bonfire. I was less than merrily (again, hot and humid) going about my business when I saw my wife charging out onto the beach sobbing. She had been keeping an eye on me from our condo and when she last checked I wasn’t to be seen anywhere (I was down the beach and obscured from her viewpoint). She was convinced I had drowned and had rushed down to try and save me. I didn’t fully realize how scared she was initially but tried to assure her she wasn’t going to get rid of me that easily. I guess she really cares, who knew!

Yesterday's Amazing Sunset

The Molten Clouds

First Sunset

Second Sunset

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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; Upstairs Neighbors – American couple and great friends who live in condo above us in Panama; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course

Rally Point

The visit from my buddies back home continues apace with Keene Friend 1 finally feeling well enough to accompany us on a trip to the mountains yesterday. He’s battling a persistent bug that has defied my Favorite Panamanian’s arduous nursing efforts. That included that ghastly green concoction he downed on Thursday. Before we left, the guys got to witness an annual rite of “spring” here which is the trimming of the beach palm trees and harvesting their coconuts. We were all impressed with this little guy who scaled the trees and then settled into the palm fronds to trim with his mini machete and then lower coconuts to the rest of his team.

The Gang Over Boquete

The Palm Tree Guy Up in the Fronds

Then Lowering Coconuts

The Cantankerous Friend and Keene Friend 2 have made the most of their beach days, with both acquiring impressive boogie boarding skills. They now realize you have to work for the rides as pushing through the surf to get to the launching point is a true workout. That probably explains the accompanying nap time photos. We ended Thursday evening out on the beach for one of our signature beach events – a bonfire. This allowed me to express my pyromaniacal side once again.

Sleeping Beauties

Keene Friend 2 in the Pool

Bonfire Prepped

The Upstairs Neighbors and I identified an offending huge stump that washed up a few weeks ago as our next victim. It was made of some really dense wood which a local had driven on to the beach to salvage, leaving only the huge root and a few smaller limbs. My friends joined me to assemble a large pile of driftwood to build the fire with. Our recently arrived Canadian friends from down the beach also joined us and the Upstairs Neighbors for the conflagration. It was pretty evident, early on, that the root ball wasn’t going to burn but we had a lot of fun trying to encourage it. I went down to inspect late yesterday, it was still smoldering, and we had burned a hole through the root. Next week’s fire will hopefully finish it off.

We Have Ignition!

Bonfire Spectator Gallery

Getting my Pyro On

We went with our standard Boquete visit on Friday and were so pleased Keene Friend 1 felt up to joining us. He particularly liked the cooler temperatures. We went from 95 degrees on the coast down to 72 in the mountains. We made the obligatory stop at the museum overlooking the valley in which Boquete rests but the coatimundis didn’t come out to play this time. We cruised through the coffee plantations to see the basalt cliffs and then the waterfall. Along the way Keene Friend 2 engaged with a street vendor to secure some donuts and some banana cake for my Favorite Panamanian.

Visitors Above Boquete

Keene Friend 2 Shopping for Donuts

Keene Friend 1 and Cantankerous at Basalt Cliffs

Waterfall Gang

A Better View

She had not accompanied us, opting for a day of rest after her strenuous health care responsibilities. We lunched at our favorite Boquete eatery and then I exposed my friends to the pervasive joy of gelato. After some souvenir shopping, we hit the road back to Las Lajas. We were about halfway back when I realized, with the daylight savings time change back in the States, I had very little time to make it back in time for the First Friday Family Facetime call. I may have fractured a few traffic laws after that, including passing a couple cars on the dirt road as we neared the condo. Keene Friend 2 may never voluntarily ride with me again.

Boquete Lunch

And Gelato!!!

The Burned Stump Remnants

We were treated to another fabulous Las Lajas sunset, the last with the Upstairs Neighbor’s visiting sister.  This was followed by assembling at Sunset Pizza for the First Friday of the Week pizza extravaganza. The owner, who usually takes care of us, was away on vacation and she was missed. The pizza was its usual fabulous but the service was the worst we’d ever experienced there. We re-discovered that my Favorite Panamanian is not a fan of typical New England humor where you pick on someone who makes a mistake. The Upstairs Neighbor’s sister rescued us by asking her about a Catholic saint. It was a very fun night that culminated with yet another serving of gelato.

Friday Sunset Crew

Sunset Pizza!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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; Upstairs Neighbors – American couple and great friends who live in condo above us in Panama; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course