Bon Voyaging

This will be my last post in October (you’re welcome) as I’m heading out tomorrow for my latest European Adventure. I’m not as excited as I should be and I’m not exactly sure why. I may be becoming a home body. The Favorite Panamanian is very excited, if for no tother reason that it gives her another chance to practice one of her most cherished activities, packing suitcases. Actually, hers has been packed for a couple weeks now. She’s upstairs packing mine, after I had the temerity to think I could pack it myself. She disabused me of that misconception and used her 51% vote to take over the effort.

We’re taking one of those river cruises on the Danube River, starting out in Germany and ending up in Budapest, Hungary. I am excited to finally see both Budapest and Vienna, two of the world’s great cities. I was concerned it would devolve into a bus tour when I heard horror stories about the low river levels this summer in Europe. While the levels are better and we will be on a boat for the entire time, we’re going to take buses to a couple destinations at points beyond which the boat can travel. I’ll be more excited when we’re actually on the boat as the flights to our destination are always a pain in the posterior. I did some calculations and this will be my 14^th flight (all round trips, thank God) either to or through Europe, counting the military ones.

I’ll try to post on Facebook as we make our way down the river. This will be my first trip behind what used to be the Iron Curtain since a 1979 train trip to then West Berlin. I’m told things have changed. I think part of my ennui about the trip is leaving New England during my favorite time of year and what awaits me on the other side of the trip, FBR birthday, my pub crawl, Thanksgiving, and then sublimely easing towards Christmas. It’s tough to compete with that lineup but the Danube is going to give it a try.

R.I.P. Ensign Chekov

I’ve written before about the 1960s television series Star Trek, one of, if not the, favorite show of my life. Another one of the original crew of the Enterprise shuffled off the mortal coil this week when Ensign Pavel Andreievich Chekov passed away. Actor Walter Koenig died at the age of 90, which surprised me but shouldn’t have, given that I was twelve when Star Trek first captured my imagination. Only Captain Kirk and Lieutenant Sulu remain from that beloved cast. R.I.P. Chekov and thanks for helping fire the imagination of a very young version of myself. It must be a week for internal reflection because I was watching some internet videos (I think the proper term is reels) and a couple really got to me. It might sound a bit trite but one featured renditions of the service songs and another highlighted Army values. While I acknowledge I’m way too old to even think about serving, the memories came flooding back. I remembered what I loved about wearing a uniform and serving this great nation. I walked upstairs and my Favorite Panamanian delivered the sought-after hug.

We knocked out a date night this week with a trip to the cinema to see Clayface. I thought it was going to be a DC superhero flick. I was surprised it turned out to be a horror movie, something called body horror which I guess is a category. I’m surprised my wife sat through the movie, but it was well done. I could have done without the graphic surgery scenes, no need to see what the internal side of a nose looks like. The story revolves around an A-list Hollywood actor who sleeps with the wrong gal and pays for it by having his face carved up by her gangster boyfriend. He loses everything and eventually seeks out a radical treatment where nanites magically repair the damage. Since it’s a horror movie and there are bad guys that need to be addressed, there is a serious catch to the treatment. The lead actor does a great job handling the serious challenges of his role veering between hero and villain. The special effects are amazing, maybe too much so (see nose comment above). A very good movie, but not for the squeamish.

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

Circling Autumn

One of my most cherished traditions since I’ve moved back to New En gland was taking a full day driving around to enjoy the spectacular autumnal foliage. I hadn’t realized that, in my nearly three decade absence, it has become an entire industry, unfortunately labeled “leaf peeping” where hordes of the unwashed non-New Englanders descend on us. While hesitant to contribute to the masses, I’ve come to enjoy the day for an additional reason. It gives my Favorite Panamanian and I a day to spend with just each other. While, at times, that can be a recipe for conflagration, we usually figure out a way to enjoy each other’s company (almost as if we’ve been married for over four decades). We used to take the Columbus Day (yep, still going to call it that) holiday for our journey but since neither of us work anymore, it can be any day, hopefully a day like yesterday.

The Intrepid Travelers Setting Out

We’d missed out on the tradition last year because we were on that trip to Portugal/Spain/France. Since yesterday’s forecast was great, we hit the road and were immediately rewarded with some great color. Some of the best colors we saw were within twenty minutes of home. We took the usual back roads, eschewing the interstates, so we could also enjoy New England towns, which always serves as a welcome reminder that I’ve come home (that never gets old). Our wandering took us to our usual lunch place, the Golden Eagle, perched on a hairpin turn on Route 20 with remarkable views of the hills of Vermont, Massachusetts, and New York. They’ve instituted a buffet style meal which was awesome, allowing me to have steak tips, turkey, ribs, and chicken (all the basic food groups).

Crossing the Mighty Connecticut River

With My Date

Outside the Golden Eagle

The Golden Eagle

I told my wife that I had a surprise for her after lunch as we headed north into Vermont. Last weekend during the intense action surrounding my pub crawl recon, the Keene Friend’s lady mentioned that he had taken her to the Vermont Country Store and suggested my Favorite Panamanian would enjoy a trip there.  That was the surprise, a new shopping experience, I would max out on hero points. To get there we followed a picturesque road through Vermont, although it looked as though a lot of the leaves had already fallen. We stopped off at the Hogback Mountain overlook to say hi to Mom and for my wife to get her annual guilty pleasure of the fudge they serve there.

Stopped Off in Sherburn Falls
No Cosby Sightings

Wife Loves the Bridge of Flowers

This Town was Used for First Season of Dexter Resurrection
White House was his Store

From Other Side

Bridge of Flowers

She was dozing off a little as we made our way to the store, but was wide awake when we pulled into the parking lot (shopping does that for her). I could tell from the look on her face that I had scored the hoped-for hero points (you know I’m going to need them at some point). I gave full credit to Keene Friend’s lady. I brought my kindle out and parked in a rocker on the front porch and told her to take as long as she wanted while I read. When the sun sank below the mountain ridge it became a little too brisk, so I moved into the car for next hour. It was just getting dark when she finally emerged, tired but brimming with excitement at her purchases.

Saying hi to Mom at Hogback
Old Friend Mt Monadnock in the Distance

Surprise Spring

Happy Wife with Hero Husband

Our route home took us through Keene, which is the first time I can remember passing through the town without stopping (except for gas). Keene Friend was out with the hero lady and the Cantankerous Friend on his annual South Carolina sojourn, so therefore unavailable. I’d already imposed on others for the recon, so we just kept driving, completing a huge loop through Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire. A great day, spent with a very appreciative Favorite Panamanian.

Wife Took a Million Photos During Our Travels Yesterday
Here are Some of the Best, Enjoy

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

Autumnal Pseudo Recon

We’re smack dab in the middle of my favorite time of year as the trees are in the midst of their annual descent into amazing colors New England is so justifiably famous for. Growing up here, I never realized what a special treat I was subjected to every year. I thought everybody had the colors we had. Spending most of my military career a long distance from home I came to appreciate it more when I retired and came home. Every year my Favorite Panamanian and I used the Columbus Day holiday to trek through the mountains of Western Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire to enjoy the scenery. Now that I’m retired, for good, we can choose other days for that trip, hopefully tomorrow.

Lunch at the Yard House

I finished another puzzle, a first for me. This marked the first time I ever attempted a 2000 piece puzzle. It will be the last. I had to bring in a special table in order to fit the damned thing, which compromised my view of football. So, you can see it was a serious issue. I thought for a while that I was putting a 1,999 piece puzzle together until I found the 2000th piece which had tried to escape by latching onto the bottom of my shoe. Balance has been restored to the Man Cave with the large table back in the garage.

Last 2000 Piece Puzzle I Ever Attempt

Speaking of the garage, my Favorite Panamanian’s return on Sunday was marred by a mistake in judgment by her husband. It wasn’t the first, and certainly will not the last. We had talked about changing positions of the cars in the garage with the arrival of the new, longer Highlander. She was opposed. In an attempt to show her the merits of my position I moved my GR86 into the Highlander’s traditional space ahead of her return. I wanted to show her the added space this would provide. I was met with stony silence and my internal spousal alarm was sounding with a large “Ruh Roh!”. Two days later she had calmed down enough to actually try it and in doing so, figured out this meant easier access for her to use my car, which has now become “our” car. So, the cars have been switched but not without casualties.

View from Lawyer's Office
We Live on Hill in Far Left Distance

We had our final meeting with the lawyer yesterday to complete all the “what happens when I die” paperwork. Since I was now back in her good graces, I invited her out for an extended date night by taking her to lunch before the movie. A new restaurant/bar called the Yard House opened this year and we took a shot there. It was a very expansive place with great burgers and superb service and did I mention all the sports TVs adorning the place. I really liked it. I was on weekday behavior, so no beer, but I noticed an impressive bank of beer taps that would make my favorite beer snobs, Wingman and my son, very happy. That led me to thinking (I know, dangerous, that) that there are now enough bars at the plaza to conduct a mini-pub crawl there. I’m still in recon mode from last weekend. In addition to the Yard House, there is Longhorn’s Steakhouse, Applebee’s, 110 Grill, TGI Friday’s, Red Robin, and Chatter’s Bar and Grill. Yes. A target rich environment.

Those Taps

Namesake Nephew's Daughter Helping Supervise
Great Aunt's Kitchen Renovation

We saw the movie Verity. I didn’t read the book, and I enjoyed the ride because I wasn’t encumbered by literary preconceptions. This is an excellent thriller/mystery, and I was impressed with Dakota Johnson who more than held her own with Ann Hathaway and Josh Hartnett. She plays a struggling writer offered an opportunity to ghost write books in a popular series for a famous author who’s become an invalid (Hathaway). She goes to live in their beautiful but creepy Vermont mansion and becomes embroiled in both tragedy and romance. I can’t say much about all that without giving away the interesting plot twists, but it was a very enjoyable, adult level plot that didn’t take a predictable way out. The film also features the bloodiest meet-cute moment in cinema history. A good watch that I thoroughly enjoyed.

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

Downsizing

It’s been a very busy week on several fronts. The major effort has been downsizing the contents of our basement storage area. I’ve written before about one of the major differences between our lives in the military versus civilian life is the accumulation of junk. In the military we would be moving every couple years which led to the jettison of stuff that we really didn’t need or want. That discipline resulted from the requirement to unpack everything and the sometimes sparse storage areas available. That all went out the window upon becoming a civilian. People have a tendency, at least we do, to expand our possessions to fill whatever space we occupy. Our first ten years, postmilitary, was spent in a very large house with a huge basement storage area. We expanded and it was full when it came to move.

Keene Friend and I, A "Few" Years Ago

Now, in our second and hopefully last house after that first one, we have another large basement. Fortunately, half of that basement is dedicated to my Man Cave (reason I wanted to buy the house). The remaining half is devoted to mechanical systems, storage, and my exercise bike. Since my Favorite Panamanian possesses one of the Western Hemisphere’s premiere collection of Christmas decorations, half of that space is consumed. That left a quarter of the basement available for storing everything else we have “pack ratted” as civilians. We were crowded there but surviving until my Man Cave bathroom was greenlit. That meant we had to shift the massive toy cache the granddaughters maintain in the new bathroom’s location.

Area we Have To Clear

That remaining quarter of the basement had to take the brunt of this shift. Yesterday, one of the queen sized mattresses (had hoped for both) and box spring we donated to a local charity were picked up. This morning I lugged a couple hundred pounds of clothes we are donating out to the curb, 8 bags worth.  This afternoon, I made a trip to the Worcester rubbish collection point where I had made an appointment for a bulk drop off. The bulk consisted of two huge bed sets that dominated that lonely quarter of the basement. That included the first bed my wife and I bought after getting married, so it was older than 40 years and had made all of the household moves we made since then. I felt a little guilty throwing it away, but it was time. I’m glad my Favorite Panamanian wasn’t around when I compacted the old bed into a size that would fit in the car.

The Drop Off Today

Going through today brought back some memories of my early childhood. That was the weekly trip to the “dump”. Each Saturday my dad would load up the family station wagon with the week’s worth of rubbish and then we would travel (still remember the pungent smell in the car during summer months) to the dump. My dad would back the car up to edge of the deep landfill pit and I had a great time throwing things as far as I could into it. Strange, that remains such a profound memory of time I spent with my dad. As I backed up my car today, those memories re-surfaced. It smelled a lot better today. As I throwing the beds away I found some photos had accidently been wedged inside. The PCR’s wife had taken them back in 2008 (I think) for one of my KHS ’73 class reunions. The photo above shows a much younger Keene Friend and I.

Finished Another Puzzle

Earlier this week, on date night, we saw the Heart of the Beast. This is a great movie honoring the unsung heroes of military working dogs. Brad Pitt plays a retired special forces soldier who adopted Odin, with whom he served multiple combat tours. They are both dealing with PTSD as they seek peace in the remote Alaskan wilderness. A plane crash forces them to make a nearly impossible 58 mile trek though that wilderness dealing with grizzly bears and wolves in addition to the stark wilderness. There are only two other actors in the entire movie but it works because Pitt is so authentic and the dog steals every scene (as expected).  It’s one of those movies where you can’t help feeling for the characters as they make their impossible journey. I really loved the ending which didn’t involve a Hollywood cop out. A great movie I recommend heartily.

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