Pre-Panama Day

Well, Yeah!

I don’t know if I mentioned it or not but I’m heading back down to Panama for a quick one week visit. We leave tomorrow with a flight into Panama City where we’ll stay overnight instead of following our usual tactic of immediately flying up to David. The stated mission is to complete some of the seemingly endless requirements for the resident visa program. Armed with my FBI background check attesting that I am not a serial killer we now have to get that stamped at some place in Panama City before flying up to David where we’ll meet with our immigration lawyer and more document stamping. As I’ve said before Panamanians love to stamp documents.

So Fast!

The up side will be seeing some of my wife’s incomparable family. I predict a lot of laughter will head downrange this coming week. The overnight stop in Panama City will allow us to spend some time with her recently re-located younger sister, one of the founding members of the ever gorgeous PanaGals. While we’re up in David for the rest of the week we’ll also take a day trip to check on the progress of the condo in Las Lajas.

1000 Watt Smile

This was a hastily arranged trip once I got the FBI report stamped at the Panamanian Consulate in New York City a couple weeks ago. It was delayed by the whole moving our home across the street exercise and it seems like we haven’t had a free moment in the past two months. I spent some of yesterday’s work day making hotel and rental car arrangements – so much easier nowadays.

Her "Go To" Sleeping Mode - Butt in the Air

Things have been a little slow at work so of course everything heated up on my last day in the office before taking off a week. I was hooking and jabbing all day with our flighty scheduling software and finally reached a conclusion only to discover the technology company’s FTP site was not functioning. All this while I was trying to escape to mark the arrival of the First Friday of the Week, I was in sore need of Brew City (not that I needed a whole lot of additional motivation).

Still Loves Taste of I-Phones

Brew City provided another thrill when my wife unexpectedly showed up with the back yard Mafioso. They had been out shopping when I told them they should stop by, never expecting them to actually show. I’m beginning to think my wife actually enjoys my weekly forays at Brew City. It was a very good time and the prefect way to kick off vacation week.

As previously chronicled in this blog, my wife’s luggage packing for trips to Panama is truly a task of legerdemain. She takes it very seriously and felt completely unprepared to accomplish it within the two week time frame she had while simultaneously unpacking the house. She’s made up for it by staying up (really late) each of the past two nights. Before all of that last night though, I was summoned to work out on Deckzilla. Her shopping expeditions earlier in the day saw the procurement of flowers for the Deckzilla’s planters.

Deckzilla With His New Flowers

I’m not saying the last thing I wanted to be doing was transplanting flowers in the aftermath of First Friday celebrations but it does rank near the bottom. My wife is not one to be denied though and we’ve both been so busy with other things that this was the really the first thing we’d done together in a long long time which made it acceptable. My Coors Lite inspired ideas on how things should be done were more easily dismissed as well. By the end of daylight she also had me burrowing into the rocky soil to emplace her flower hangers, she made the most out of the good feelings generated by her surprise arrival at Brew City. Even I had to admit Deckzilla definitely looks better with his new flowers. I can’t wait for her to attack the back hill that dominates our view even though it will herald more work for me.

Waving with Wingman

While we were out there we got a video call from California where the First Blog Reader was in fine form. She demonstrated her newly acquired abilities such as pulling herself up and delivering heart rending hand waves. She’s commandeered the bigger bedroom from her parents who say the move has helped with their own sleep (something all new parents cherish). She remains a very busy baby moving constantly which I’m sure has made life for the house cat Pee Wee very interesting. It really sucks to have them all so far away.

A couple days ago I finished off the latest Scot Horvath thriller by Brad Thor, Foreign Agent. It seems so long since I read the last of the incomparable series and have been waiting semi-patiently for him to publish anew. My wait was more than worth it as Horvath has lost none of his edge in the meantime. He’s confronted by a master spy who trying to foment war and destruction along with some nefarious Russian connections. As usual I found it nearly impossible to put the book down which was a challenge with everything else going on but Horvath and Thor’s writing do that to you. I’m now back into the waiting game for Horvath’s next great adventure.

Dallas

A supremely tough night yesterday in Dallas as police had to confront a racist coward(s) who took the logical extension of the empowerment offered by the Black Lives Matter movement. I was going to write today about the two police involved executions that led to the protests in Dallas. The explosion of cameras in everybody’s hands has exposed the issue of police involved shootings for the entire world to see. The very small percentage of police officers who should not be serving are now more readily exposed.

The vast majority who do a fantastic and very difficult job of protecting us are lumped in with the idiots and then the cowards take matters into their own hands. ALL LIVES MATTER, not just black lives. The sanctity of human life is not defined by the color of skin. If Black Lives Matter was really concerned about black lives they should address the real killers of black people – the criminal element within their own ranks who victimize their own people with drugs and gang violence. This element, lionized in hip hop, is responsible for infinitely more black deaths than police involved shootings.

We’re all on this earth together and skin color should not be a difference maker for any intelligent conversation but black activists are allowed to make statements lumping all white people into “oppressor” category. Statements, if made by a white person, would be labeled as racist. Judging people by their skin color is exactly what the Dallas shooters did.

Luckily I've got this young lady to keep my spirits up although her mother has been entirely remiss in posting photos this week. Her brother helped out with some more photos of Riggins.

Finish Line

We’re getting near the ultimate conclusion of the move across the street. The only room that is left to unpack is the guest bathroom. My wife has performed yeomen work in the un-air conditioned bedrooms upstairs. I still am making my way through the stack of boxes in the basement but even those are starting to show signs of succumbing. The prior owners of the house built in several sets of shelves which have turned out to be really handy in emptying all the boxes. The final step will be the ceremonial hanging of the various pictures and signs on the wall once my wife completes her planning (currently in its 143^rd iteration).

Very Few Pictures Available Today
But Enough to Keep me Smiling

The contractor returned yesterday to put the final touches on what I’ve taken to referring to as “Deckzilla”. He added a support beam so my wife could have her seat swing. He also finished screwing down the deck while commenting that Deckzilla had an insatiable appetite for screws. He went through nearly a dozen huge boxes of the screws but I can really tell the difference in how secure everything feels. He also sanded down some rough spots. The ball is now in my court as I have to apply a couple coats of water sealer once the sanded spots weather back to the same color as the rest of Deckzilla.

Deckzilla with Swing and Sanded Spots

The final step is making the house completely livable will be the installation of air conditioning. We also had movement on that front yesterday. The company that is installing the system sent a state funded team in to assess the house’s energy efficiency. This is a needed step to get some money back after installation in the form of a grant for installing an energy efficient system. The cool thing (J) is while doing the survey they replace light bulbs and faucets with more efficient alternatives, free of charge. The actual installation of AC will take place on July 21 and 22 so we now have a date when the current heat wave will end.  

Above and Champion Still Seated

These Two!!!

I like to stay away from political issues for the most part because whenever I do comment I run the risk of the Cantankerous Friend’s head to spontaneously combust. I can’t ignore the blatant disregard for the rule of law yesterday. I always thought the Clinton email scandal was a tempest in a tea pot, not a big deal, and just another attack by the Republicans of a minor issue that didn’t really merit the noise, attention, or money being thrown at it. I’ve never liked either of the Clintons but I thought they were getting a raw deal here.

Shame

Then I heard the results of the FBI investigation. I don’t know how many times, while I was in the military, I heard information classified Secret and/or Confidential and then would read the same information in the newspaper. Once I was moved behind the curtain of more highly classified and special compartmented information it was a whole different world. I was told in no uncertain terms that if I was careless with or revealed this type information I would go to jail. I took the warning very seriously. I learned yesterday that some of Clinton’s emails involved some Top Secret Special Access information and that is a hell of a lot more serious than Director Comey was willing to admit yesterday. She also sent and received work-related e-mails in the territory of sophisticated adversaries (read Russia) so Putin was reading her emails almost as soon as she was.

Riggins Has Also Co-opted the ABFA for Couch Time

That’s exactly the problem I’ve always had with the Clintons, both Bill and Hillary, their arrogant belief they are above the law; that the rules don’t apply to them. Bill meeting with the Attorney General, Comey’s boss, last week was another example. Do these people really think we believe this wasn’t orchestrated? To have President Obama appearing for the first time during the campaign at precisely the same time that the FBI reveals the results of the investigation is arrogance on a scale that is unfathomable. Do they really think we’re this stupid? The Commander in Chief should abide by the letter of the law because of his position. For the first time in my adult life I cannot imagine voting for either of the major candidates. The real victim here is Bernie Sanders as this FBI tap dance was kept under wraps until the power elite could safely escort Hillary to the finish line. Shame on us for allowing this to happen. Now if someone would please put out the fire engulfing the Cantankerous One’s head I’m sure he’ll come riding to the rescue with an explanation and somehow blame everything on George W. Bush.

I’ve always loved Tarzan movies but no one has yet replace Johnny Weissmuller as the champ. I can still hear his heroic Tarzan yell (the gold standard) from the television screen of my youth. I always hope a new movie will emerge at least challenging for the title. The Legend of Tarzan certainly is not, despite a very engaging cast. 

Still the Champ

One thing Alexander Skarsgård has always brought to his parts is presence which would seem to make him perfect for the part. That is until whoever directed this decided to hide him for almost the entire movie behind the feisty Jane (Margot Robbie – white hot as usual) and Samuel L. Jackson channeling his Tarrantino. We also have Walz typecast as the glib villain. We don’t expect Tarzan to spout Shakespeare but he has to be at least mildly communicative and certainly not with a Tarzan yell that sounded like a bullfrog with bronchitis. The challenge for a Tarzan movie is today’s PC world was obvious and at times cringingly overdone. A clear miss.

Well That Was Fun

At times I’m reminded, in no uncertain terms, just how deep my Keene, New Hampshire roots are. The past couple days are a perfect example of this phenomena. There’s just something that reaches back to the lizard part of my brain pumping out endorphins when I get to hang out in my hometown with a number of the people that made it my home for so many years.

Wife, I and Keene Friend at Margarita's

Driving into Keene on Sunday I was again reminded of the passing of time. Keene is justifiably famous for its Central Square park in front of an iconic white church. When I was young the signature elm trees of the “Elm City” lost their battle with Dutch elm disease. They were replaced by saplings which had the entire city bemoaning the departure of their behemoth predecessors. I remember my father telling me it would take decades for the trees to grow back to their earlier lofty height. As I topped the small hill on Main Street coming into Keene those saplings do just that now towering up to obscure most of the church.

Scores

The Keene Friend has a lot to do with that feeling of returning home. We passed a couple hours at Scores on Sunday while my wife made her obligatory shopping foray (something that’s been sadly neglected with the past two months’ worth of grandmothering). Scores was pretty deserted except for, strangely, French soccer fans. There was some sort of game going on they were intensely interested in and there wasn’t a single TV screen of the many present showing the Red Sox game. Of course this could have been in reaction to the Saturday night massacre at Fenway Park but we soon righted the world and a good third of the screens were switched to the Sox game by the waitress for us. I think she realized we were her last hope for a good tip (given the heavy French population).

Meanwhile the Granddaughter was Getting Aquatic in CA

I’ve got a touch of arthritis in my hands which seems to be progressing from the small fingers inwards. I hadn’t had my wedding wing off for years and I noticed a couple weeks ago, with all the physical exertions of the move that the ring finger had swelled to the point the ring couldn’t be taken off. I’d seen something online about using a string and told my concerned wife that was my plan. While conversing with Keene Friend about the state of the world we discovered that the liberal intake of Scores Lite beer either reduces the swelling or the acknowledgement of the pain associated with removing the ring. By the time my wife policed us up for dinner across the street the ring was off! Now, since there’s an noticeable mark, I’m going to be “that guy”, who’s obviously removed his wedding ring for some nefarious reason. I’m thinking the wife will get it re-sized quickly.

And Riggins Picked up Some Bad Buddy Habits

We had dinner across the street at the outdoor seating area for Margarita’s which allowed us unfettered views of downtown Keene as it ambled by on a technically perfect New England summer evening. There was a young couple, obviously dating, at a nearby table that drew our eye. They were both so engrossed with looking at their smart phones they were virtually ignoring each other. Keene Friend, wag that he is, opined that they were probably texting each other.

Wife and Keene Friend in Left Field at Alumni

We then set off for Alumni Field which was another event harkening back to my youth. For as long as I can remember my family always ended up watching the fireworks at Alumni Field. It’s a tradition I followed with my own family when the kids were young and we were close enough to New Hampshire to partake. We set up in deep left field after the baseball game ended, not far from the spot my daughter, not much older than her own daughter now, uttered the immortal phrase “PINK!” after her favorite color at the time every single time that color fireworks appeared. It’s something we always, to her great annoyance, remind her of whenever fireworks are viewed.

Just Before the Lights Went Out and Fireworks Started

Keene Friend and I were reminiscing about the fireworks displays of our youth which sometimes included battles between faux battleships who exchanged fireworked broadsides in center field. While those are a thing of the past (probably a good idea given the size of the crowds and the odd overshoot) it made an impression on us both. When we texted our location to our fellow native Keenite, the Pittsburgh Roommate, without prompting he asked which battleship was winning, there’s something to a shared history.

Wife and I at Otter Brook

We had some time to kill yesterday before Keene Friend 2’s birthday party so after breakfast we took the car for spin through the hills surrounding Keene. We stopped at Otter Brook Dam where we met a very grouchy, slow moving porcupine which terrified my wife. She didn’t want to leave the car within a ¼ mile of its location, fearing it would charge out of the woods to impale us. We were passing along a back road when we ran into a high school classmate out for a walk with his wife to buy eggs at a nearby farm stand. I told him he was being appropriately rustic.

And the Keene Friend

Back at Keene Friend’s house none other than the Cantankerous Friend made an appearance, complete with his own brand of attack humor. We’d tried to rope him into the prior day’s libations but he was at a family event without his phone. He was getting ready to take his dad out for an excursion but felt the need to stop be and remind us all of our shortcomings. It was a nice visit and good to see him.

Cantankerous One Arrives!

Late in the afternoon we finally made our way over to the other side of Keene for the highlight of the weekend – Keene Friend 2’s birthday. He was being ushered into the big 6 0 club, the last member of our group of friends to achieve that status. His fantastic girlfriend was throwing him a surprise party; the “surprise” however did not survive the planning stage. It was very nice gathering of friends, including several other high school classmates under yet another perfect summer evening.

Party Time

Everyone was asked to provide a memory of Keene Friend 2 and, while he did not attend, the Cantankerous Friend’s missive was one of the true hits. He remembered a probably fictitious basketball game from our youth at Franklin School, which court we all haunted mercilessly during high school. He said what made this particular game memorable was the fact that it was the only time in recorded history that anyone remembered the Pittsburgh Roommate ever passing the ball.

Keene Friend 2 and his Fantastic Girlfriend

It was memories like those and too many others to chronicle that made the day special. There was also the presence of a death by chocolate cake and some of the best frosted sugar cookies I’ve ever tasted contributing to the excellence. Just before we left for the trek home we connected with Pittsburgh Roommate so he could regale us with the exploits of the Stanley Cup champion Penguins. Keene Friend 2, a hardened Boston Bruins fan, took the jibe in good stride while my wife suggested he use the Penguins T-shirt he’d received as a birthday gift to clean toilets (I told she was dangerous!).

Meanwhile Out in Cali Some Others Were Heading Out to Party

So after a two month span where I couldn’t get up to Keene enough, the past couple days more than redeemed the absence. The immersion with friends and memories was exactly what a bone tired mind and body needed. While the trees in the center of town provide ample evidence time has passed nothing can dent the place this small town (and its people) have in my heart.