I
am trying to summon the energy to finally get back to writing here on Frail
Deeds. It is the first time in a few days that I can actually sit down and write
because all of my time, and a significant portion of whatever energy reserves I
possess at this point, were devoted to the final days of our annual granddaughter
summer camp, of which we are the more than willing hosts for. As of my last writing,
we had only the FBR in residence. That changed, in truly epic fashion, on
Wednesday morning when we acquired the BRS and BR3.
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| BRS, FBR and BR3 Together Again |
That
required a trip up to the Salem, NH offices of my son where they were being
stored. They had arrived from their west coast sojourn with their mom Tuesday
night. They were still operating on west coast time which made the assembly and
move to their dad’s office Wednesday morning an exercise in patience (for their
dad). We actually beat them there by a few minutes. We chose that rendezvous point
because Salem also just happens to be the home of Canobie Lake Park as well,
that day’s destination.
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FBR Adopted Two Stuffies Which Required Special Care
She Stands in front of the Cake we Made Together |
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| Abuela and BRS Sitting out the First Ride |
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| FBR and BR3 On the Ride |
The
BRS was feeling a little more of the effect of her busy travel days and
actually sat out the first ride after we arrived. Under the ministrations of
her abuela and a trip to the rest room, she rallied in heroic fashion. We hit a
number of rides the FBR and I missed on our trip there the week prior. As we were
walking up to the log flume ride, my Favorite Panamanian, who was feeling a bit
left out after missing the haunted mine exploration, said it looked sedate
enough for her. The part we were walking by had the logs floating by on a calm
river. I failed to inform her that the ride also included a precipitous descent
into a huge splash, figuring she would acquire that knowledge at the top of the
descent.
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| I'm the Guide Taking them through the Haunted Mine |
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| After the Flume Plunge |
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| Cousins Heading to their Next Adventure |
You
have to know my wife to appreciate two facts, she hates getting her hair wet (outside
of a shower) and thrill rides. I waited for their arrival at the splash area
and saw her cowering in the back trying to hide behind her granddaughters. Despite
the huge surprise, she thoroughly enjoyed the ride as did the granddaughters
who thought it was great fun to put one over on their abuela. We did the park proud
that day as we took advantage of the reconnaissance performed the week earlier.
The BRS turned out to be the bravest of the bunch. While she and the FBR partook
of every scary ride available, the BRS was always the one with her hands held
aloft for every descent, she was incredible.
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| Wife in front of the Splash |
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| The Granddaughters Causing the Splash |
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| On a More Sedate Ride |
BR3
was a decidedly different proposition. She learned earlier this year at Disneyworld
that she wasn’t a fan of scary rides. Even though she was tall enough this year
to join her sister and cousin, whenever they went scary, she went sedate. This worked
out as her abuela was more than willing to join her. So, while the FBR and BRS
were zooming and twisting on the Untamed roller coaster, she was motoring
around the oval of the Antique Cars with her abuela. Everyone was happy, even
myself, safely on sidelines holding backpacks and water bottles. This meant I
avoided the stiff neck from the week prior since the FBR now had a more than
willing thrill ride partner in the BRS.
The FBR and BRS on the Untamed
While BR3 Took her Abuela For a Ride
Once
lunch of pizza and dippin dots were sent down range, we were supposed to move
to the water park side but the granddaughters heard the siren call of the beloved
strains of their favorite singer, Taylor Swift. At a nearby pavilion a young Swift
tribute singer, accompanied by a backup group of dancers, was performing. The granddaughters
were entranced and set up on the floor directly in front of the stage. This
offered a more than welcome respite to their grandpa and abuela. The girls got
in line to meet the singer after the show until I pointed out the half hour
they would spend waiting in line could be better utilized at the water park. Thery
immediately saw the wisdom in my suggestion.
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| Shared Lunch Soda |
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| Lunch Time |
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| Taylor Swift Show |
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| The Ladies Were Impressed |
The
water park was a real adventure. For the first time ever, both their abuela and
I joined them in the pool. Our destination was the tidal river where we spent
all our time circling the park on the fast moving current. The ladies set up
shop in two floating devices and I was drafted into being the connecting device
keeping us together. The BRS sat with her abuela and latched on to my neck
while I was instructed to keep my hands on the FBR/BR3 float. It made for an effective
if somewhat painful transit (at least for me). I got my revenge when I steered
us too close to the water fall and heard my Favorite Panamanian squawking
loudly about getting her hair wet, yet again. The granddaughters laughed in
appreciation.
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| BR3 on More Quiet Rides |
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| Eventually Got the Other Two With her |
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| BRS and FBR Back to the Flume |
We
had enough time left after getting out that it was back to the thrill rides (for
the FBR and BRS). They were very “persuasive” when it came time to leave, about
“just one more ride grandpa”. As you can imagine, I was powerless to resist. I
carefully guided our departure away from some of the more attractive rides and was
eventually able to depart. Since we slayed so late, most of the traffic on the
benighted I-495 had dissipated. We made the tactical decision this year to have
each granddaughter sleep in different bedrooms. This paid immediate benefits as
they all slept in past 8am on Thursday. This would have been unheard of in
earlier years. I think the west coast time difference helped since BR3 is usually
the instigator and she slept the latest
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| BR3 Chauffeuring her Abuela |
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| FBR and BRS Back on Untamed |
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| Parents Dream? |
Thursday,
we had the one disciplinary problem with the FBR for her entire stay with us.
That is a new record. She decided she wasn’t going to wear the special T-shirts
we had made for them. It stated Granpa and Abuela’s Summer Camp 2026 and
featured a photo from their visit to us in Panama. The FBR decided she didn’t like
the photo and adamantly refused to wear it. I just as vigorously disagreed with
her. We took the photo below on Deckzilla where my 51% of the vote on the
attire was recognized although you can see her trying to hide. She sulked a
little trying to tie the shirt up so it couldn’t be seen. That lasted until we were
entering David Farmland, Thursday’s destination. The young lady checking us in
saw the t-shirts and complimented the FBR on a great look. For the rest of the day,
she was proud to display it.
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| Unhappy FBR |
We
had the added benefit, at David Farmland, of Great Aunt, her grandkids and their
mom, joining us. It was very cool to see how effortlessly the group of
grandkids merged. Everyone wanted to be the personal bearer of the youngest, Namesake
Nephew’s daughter. She seemed oblivious to all the attention, enjoying her day
with the animals. We had just entered when I found all there of my granddaughters
with baby goats in their laps. BR3 didn’t look especially pleased about this
while the FBR and BRS definitely were. BR3 also went out of her way to show us
she has conquered her comical fear of chickens, even going so far as to chase
one down to pat. This was a much better decision than during her recent trip to
the west coast where she tried to pat a wild black bear they encountered hiking.
The FBR befriended an Alpaca despite her fear of it spitting at her (too much Nature
Channel). Likewise, the BRS adopted a mom and baby goat tandem she named Oreo.
I had to repeatedly remove all of them from the attraction where they could pat
live kittens. If there was a five minute break in the schedule that was where
they were headed.
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| All the Grandkids Together |
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| Goats |
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| FBR With her Goat |
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| Sharing with the BRS |
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| Great Aunt getting her Time in |
The
kids had a great time at the park’s bounce houses which we strategically scheduled
for prior to lunch. After lunch, it was off to the water park side. That had
been seriously redesigned since last year and wasn’t as much fun as prior
years. The granddaughters did not take on the suds machine, saying that the suds
got inside their bathing suits too much. While Great Aunt’s brood decided to
stay there, I was called upon to escort my bunch to the back forty where there
is a huge slide and a self-propelled cart path. There was a great moment here
where Great Aunt’s 4-year old granddaughter wandered over and wanted to partake
in the carts which required pedaling. The BRS, without being asked, took her
under her wing and walked around the entire course next to her cart. The BRS
also showed almost freakish upper body strength by carrying the same 4-year old
around the park all day.
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| BRS with her Own |
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| BR3 Not too Sure About this |
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| Great Aunt and her Granddaughter |
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| More Goats |
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| The End of the Great Chicken Chase |
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| Alpaca Friend |
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| And a Lizard |
I
think this will be the last year we hit David farmland. It is expensive but the
kids don’t seem as excited about it as in prior years. They did like the
traditional after-park ice cream stop at the Sterling Ice Cream Bar. In a first,
all three finished their servings which are more than generous. Yet another
sign they are growing up. Adding to he fact that the FBR now comfortably fits
into her abuela’s shoes and will probably catch up to her height-wise in the coming
year (although that’s not exactly a lofty standard to meet).
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| Bounce House Races |
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| Swing Time |
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| Ever Try to Get Six to All Look up at the Same Time? |
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| Water Park |
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| All Three on the Big Slide |
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| FBR and BR3 |
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| BR3 |
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| BRS Helping Great Aunt's Granddaughter |
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| Getting Ready to Leave |
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| Ice Cream Aftermath |
Friday’s
big event was the annual WooSox game we bring the kids to, with the added benefit
this year of fireworks after the game. Prior to that, the BRS and BR3 heard
through some granddaughter grapevine that their abuela owed them a shopping
trip. Enough said. The FBR provided expert advice to her cousins and they
conducted a successful raid on the Blackstone Shopping Center. That was
followed by a series of videos created in the Man Cave which they, once again,
seized control of by main force. The FBR was the director and photographer
while her younger cousins performed the music videos. I was genuinely impressed
with the artistic effort although both their abuela and I lost control of our
phones during these times as the needed cameras
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| Thanking Abuela for Shopping Excursion |
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| At Polar Park |
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| BR3 Conquering Cotton Candy |
The
game was a lot of fun although I’m not sure the granddaughters realized there
was a baseball game going on. They reveled in the between innings entertainment
and tried to chase down the various mascots the WooSox employ. Their stated
goal was to reappear on the big scoreboard screen which they achieved with an enthusiastic
dance number at their seats. They also sought to bankrupt their grandfather
with repeated runs to the park snack bars. Anybody who’s ever bought food at a
ballpark will understand. For the last three innings of the game, BR3 was in definite
sleep mode, barely keeping her eyes open. The WooSox fireworks after the game
more than woke her up. I’m always impressed with the length and quality of
fireworks they provide.
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| Our View |
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| FBR Decided I was a More Comfortable Seat |
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| That Last Shoulder Ride |
After
the fireworks, we moved with the crowd exiting the park and I hoisted BR3 up onto
my shoulders as she was struggling to stay awake. I told her that this was probably
the last time I gave a shoulder ride to a granddaughter due to their growth and
my advancing age. That kind of twinged at my heart. We had just about reached our
car in the parking lot when I heard an anguished cry from my Favorite Panamanian.
I thought she was having a medical emergency until she revealed that the
outburst came as a result of realizing she had left her glasses case and
glasses back in the stadium. They continued onto the car while I worked back
through the crowd to the emptying stadium. I thought they were gone for good
when I reached our seats and couldn’t find them, until I remembered she had put
them in front of my seat and there they were. I returned to a hero’s welcome at
the car where the granddaughters seemed very entertained by my extended hike.
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| BRS and FBR Have Similar Shopping Tastes |
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| Abuela Teaching Clothes Washing |
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| BR3 and I Watching Beetlejuice |
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| Bedtime Conference Before Splitting to Own Rooms |
My
daughter showed up Saturday morning to begin the extraction campaign. She took the
group down the hill to the playground despite warnings from both me and the FBR
about the difficulty of the return trip. She said she needed the walk after the
long drive from New Jersey. They admitted to multiple “shade breaks” on their
return trip up the hill. The granddaughters once again seized control of my Man
Cave to execute their video campaign, while I got to hang out with my daughter
watching the Sox game in the kitchen.
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| Helping Tend to Abuela's Flowers |
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| Swarming Grandpa in the Man Cave |
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| BR3 Chosen to Carry the Book at Children's Mass This Morning |
The
New Jersey bunch left this morning and are safely home. My son showed up around
lunch time with a serious hangover. With a childless house, he hosted his
fantasy football league’s draft Saturday night. It seems that he’s learning the
valuable lesson that partying into the wee hours of the morning in your forties
is not as easy as it was twenty years before. Although the decibel level in the
house is decidedly lower now, I’m relearning my annual lesson of how much I
miss having the noise around. I must have done something special in a prior
life to have been blessed with these grandkids and their parents. I don’t know
how many more years they’re going to want to spend time with their grandparents
but they breath needed energy and life into our summers that we didn’t realize we
missed until they arrived.
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| I Already Miss the Pile of Shoes |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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 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
