I have become justifiably proud of my retirement weekends which, given that they are indistinguishable (in terms of responsibilities) from any other day of the week. You just got to love retirement, where every day is a Saturday. The only problem with this equation is how much faster those days go by. That being said, sometimes we have to adjust to actual weekends since some of the people we socialize with are still working stiffs. It’s nice to see that neither my Favorite Panamanian nor I haven’t forgotten how to properly celebrate weekends.
Standardization
of weekend celebrations begin with a healthy respect in recognizing the First Friday
of the Week. For the second week in a row, I was able to mark that auspicious date
by gathering with my former co-workers as I attempt to restart their lagging recognitions
of Fridays. My departure from the scene seems to have had an impact in that
area. Go figure. Anyways, we shifted our celebration away from the nasty Park Avenue
traffic to gather in a former garage on Shrewsbury Street. It was a cool bar
with the garage doors fully open given the unseasonably hot weather (New England
weather paradigm kicking in). Apparently, the gospel of Frist Friday is not
kicking in with new employees yet but the stalwart four that did assemble did
the day proud.
Saturday Lunch with BRS and BR3
With
the weekend kicked off in genuine fashion, Saturday called for a road trip up
to New Hampshire. It’s been exactly one year since we traveled to Portugal/Spain/France
and met some new friends from my son’s church, which sponsored the trip. We’ve
hung out with them several times since then and Sunday was the next one up.
When we called my son a couple weeks ago to arrange a crash pad for the weekend,
he laughed. He was just about to call us to see if we could babysit for the BRS
and BR3 since he and the ABFA were headed for a surprise birthday party in Nashville,
TN. While that was a great opportunity, we had already cemented the plans with
our friends so we agreed to share babysitting duty with the ABFA’s parents who
are also a lot of fun to hang out with.
First Friday Observation
With
the first weekend in a while with good (check that – fantastic) weather, a lot
of people were on the road heading north along with us. Our good friend Waze
redirected us through an alternate route to avoid my hated nemesis, I-495. Our
later arrival meant we had to meet our co-grandparents at the BRS’ Saturday
soccer game. A truly fabulous day produced a big crowd, but we quickly linked up
with the ABFA’s parents. While the BRS was on the field, I found BR3 working on
her upper body strength (freakishly strong granddaughters continue) at a nearby
playground. As soon as I received the obligatory granddaughter hug she set off
to ambush her abuela, a recurring theme with these two.
Rare Calm Moment at the Soccer Gam with Wife and BR3
After
the game we treated the granddaughters to lunch while the ABFA’s parents got a
break, having been on duty since the previous day. After lunch we returned home
where the granddaughters set about entertaining us. Somehow, and I’m still
trying to figure how this happened, my Favorite Panamanian and the two granddaughters
assembled in the girls’ playroom and decided to establish order where it was definitely
lacking as a surprise for their parents. The BRS was a more than willing participant
while BR3 had to be constantly reminded to contribute. I assisted by assuming
couch potato position to watch college football. C’mon, someone’s gotta do it.
The girls were great and I was touched that they wanted to do this to help out
their parents and since they were the dedicated authors of the disarray in the
first place, justice.
Wife was Equipped with a Lighted Headband During Cleaning Exercise
In
case you were worried I wasn’t getting the full granddaughter experience, don’t.
The FBR went through a phase where she saw me lounging on a couch as a bona
fide target. The BRS is going through the same phase and decided I needed more exercise.
She and BR3 would sit next to me and claim there was no way I could catch them.
I was then required to reach over and grab either their leg or hand which would
set off a cacophony of noise as they tried to effect an escape, usually calling
upon their sister to aid them. They thought it was a high adventure and provided
their grandfather with a bit of a workout. They therefore performed their usual
role of energy vampires as they got stronger in direct proportion as I lost
same. My
Favorite Panamanian perfumed another miracle by distracting them long enough to
herd them in for showers. They emerged wearing their new towel caps and were
beyond cute, although I also suffered the usual pangs of thinking they are
growing up too fast. BR3 set up behind a non-working computer and played at being
a working lady. Her work outfit included the towel, headphones, and a pair of goggles. It
made sense to her.
BR3 Being Typically Serious
Sunday
morning saw the usual riotous breakfast experience, with the requisite
hojaldras and corn muffins. We were scheduled to meet our friends at the 11 o’clock
mass but my wife wanted to accompany the BRS to her 11 o’clock Spanish lesson because
the teacher is a fellow Panamanian. She was thwarted as the teacher was late
and we had to leave. As we were pulling away, she muttered about a typical Panamanian
being late to her own class. I wisely kept my mouth shut at this point as I don’t
believe she was seeking my honest opinion on the subject.
Beyond Cute
We
linked up with our friends after mass and convoyed to Newmarket where we had
reservations for lunch at the Riverworks Tavern. I hadn’t been to Newmarket
since 2007 when the Cantankerous Friend allowed us to stay at his first post-retirement
home which was across the street from the tavern. Newmarket is close to Durham where
I, my son, and the ABFA had all gone to college so there were some attendant
memories. Newmarket seems to have re-invented itself and could almost be classified
as upscale which is a definite departure from my undergraduate days. Lunch was
so much fun as we validated the friendship we forged across the ocean a year
ago. We relived the memories including discovering the worst Irish Pub in the
world, in Lourdes, France. 
The Outfit
It
was a great afternoon with non-stop conversation and constant laughter. At some
point an idea was broached about an upcoming concert in Bethlehem, NH which we
committed to attending. I probably should have looked at a map ahead of time,
not realizing how far north it is, but I love going to places I’ve never been before
and this certainly qualifies. I’ve discovered one of the traps of getting old
is being too tied to and being overly comfortable at just staying at home (I
put part of that blame on my Man Cave). Having opportunities like this past
weekend and the many similar ones associated with my hometown are the best medicine
for that affliction and, of course, being parried to who I am is also a boon. 
Great Friends at Sunday Lunch
We
returned after lunch to find the Patriots winning an exciting game as we waited
for my son and the ABFA to return from their trip. They arrived to an appropriate
welcome from their kids and Riggins. My Favorite Panamanian had prepared the
requested meal of “albondigas” (one of my favorite words in Spanish). They
recounted their adventures in music city and I got to sit on the couch with my
son catching up on just about everything. A great weekend prepping me for future
adventures and a really busy October/November. This coming weekend involves the
reconnaissance operation for the November pub crawl! Psyched!!!
Son and ABFA (r) in Nashville with Friends
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------RECURRING CHARACTERS: 
Albondigas with Some of Best People in the World
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; Upstairs Neighbors – American
couple and great friends who live in condo above us in Panama; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course
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