Juxtaposition

All of you snowbound friends and family in New England had to know this was coming. After a couple year wait, I can finally lord the difference between our respective weather situations. I know I do this fairly regularly anyways but yesterday offered a remarkable opportunity to explore that juxtaposition. I checked this morning and Worcester received 15.5 inches of snow yesterday, while at the same time, true dry season weather has bloomed here in Las Lajas over the past few days. That means instead of shoveling snow I was basking in 85 degree temps and a gentle off shore breezes. I know Great Aunt is gnashing her teeth at my temerity to fully explore this situation, but she’ll be here in a few weeks to assuage her frustration at my remarkable luck.

Photo I sent to the Fam While it was Snowing

View From our Front Door Back Home Halfway Through Storm

BRS and Riggins Yesterday

My two snow bird granddaughters, the BRS and BR3, predictably enjoyed the snow. Their faithful companion, Riggins, is starting to show his years and wasn’t up to cavorting as much as he used to. He still kept a close eye on his charges as they careened around the back yard. I enjoyed talking with my son later in the day as he had both gals resting in his lap while he tried to watch football. He said the snow was so deep BR3 was freaking out because she couldn’t move once she sunk in. Their abuela’s only comment on the unfolding major winter storm was “Gracias a Dios”. I’m fairly certain that meant she was happy she was enjoying our luck here on the beach. They didn’t receive as much snow in New Jersey but the stalwart FBR was heading out to play in what did arrive. My daughter, who channels her mother when it comes to cold weather, stayed safely inside.

Son Rescuing BR3 From Snow

Dad, You're Staying with Me

FBR Heading Out

Speaking of someone happy, I’m fairly certain that describes my Namesake Nephew right about now. Today is his 30^th birthday and I’m sure he’s celebrating it in appropriate fashion with his lady and their family. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many photos of him smiling. He’s a well known scowler and I can address responsibility for this change of visage to his lady. I’m glad he’s so happy which is what life is truly about, finding that special person. Instead of asking for presents, he asked for donations to fight the disease that claimed his dad with such shocking speed. If you have a chance, check out his Facebook page and donate to Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Foundation. Somewhere above us, Soxfather is smiling.

Birthday Boy and his Gal

A Happy Man, Smiling!!

It hasn’t been all boogie boarding and beach time here in paradise (although there has been a fair amount of that). The elevator still hasn’t been fixed, so we have to walk up two flights of stairs (I can hear my big sister, “oh poor baby!”). The corollary effect was that my new stationary bike remained downstairs in the caretaker’s cottage while we awaited the elevator to come back on line. My Favorite Panamanian had specifically forbidden me from trying to carry it up the stairs. I’m a big enough idiot to realize (after four decades) that sometimes, she’s right. I had planned on sneaking it up but my courage to defy her evaporated. When the latest attempt to repair the elevator failed, she allowed me to bring it up as long as the caretaker assisted me.

Bigger (and Heavier than I Thought)

Fully Assembled

We Have a Guy Down the Beach with a Motorized Parachute
He Freaks Out the Local Parrots When he Buzzes by

Friday Night Pizza with Upstairs Neighbors

We got it up but I had a definitive moment of clarity about halfway up that I would have failed miserably if I had tried to do this by myself. It’s called a moment of clarity for a reason. In a sign of my developing (yet still nascent) maturity I admitted to my Favorite Panamanian that she had been right. I received, in answer, one of her patented wifely looks of superiority. I counted the carrying up and then assembly of the bike as my daily workout. We had one of the PanaGals staying with us for the weekend so my wife wasn’t able to focus solely on my tropical sloth.

Las Lajas Waves Are Back!!!
They've Only Been Adequate Until Yesterday

Sunset Ceremony Joined by PanaGal

This Little Bird Has Visited Each of the Last Few Days During Sunset

Which Set my Wife to Dancing

The New Picture Wall

I was engaged to hang all the new framed pictures she’d used a large percentage of our luggage for. It isn’t perfect but I was a little bit impressed with the result. I even received a rare compliment from the spouse on my effort. I did this while the last (thank God) Patriots’ game of the year was playing on the TV. Sad to see them go out this way if this is truly Belichick’s last game. In other news, we’ve established a new First Friday tradition with our upstairs neighbors which calls for a trip into town (after the sunset ceremony) for pizza. This morning I was chilling on the beach after my workout when the caretaker approached me. The caretakers change on Monday and the outgoing guy (our Favorite) said my Favorite Panamanian had asked for a couple coconuts to extract water from. So, there I was catching the coconuts as he harvested them. I thought I was doing well catching 14 out of 14 until I realized I was going to have to carry all of these upstairs. Note to the uninitiated, coconuts are heavy. 14 are really heavy. I know. I know. Poor baby.  

Coconut Lineup

You Knew You Were Going to Get Some Sunsets

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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 him her single days in Brooklyn; 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; Soxfather - my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course

Fix it Time

One of the inevitable challenges of leaving the condo unoccupied for eight months in a tropical beach environment (read salt/sand in the air) is the requirement to repair everything that needs it upon re-opening. That’s what we’ve been doing for the past couple days. I, at times, have an elevated opinion of my abilities to play Mr. Fixit. Those are always challenged when we arrive here without my usual compliment of tools. The list, this year, was fairly normal. The living room light, the main tv’s Blu-ray player, the guest room air conditioner, and the front door digital lock. I was able to fix the door lock (including re-programming!) and the Blu-ray player (bad USB cord) but we had to bring in the local pro for the air conditioner.

Sunset Ceremony Time

I had to go pick him up in the village of Las Lajas this morning. As soon as he pulled the cover off the outside component of the air conditioner, a cloud of dust erupted. He was soon knocking off more dirt (they make their nests out of mud) and I finally realized, to my intense discomfort, that he was knocking off hornet nests. Panamanians are a lot more sanguine about interacting with the insect world than I am and I was checking for the nearest exit. Luckily the hornets seemed to have decamped prior to our intrusion. Since the unit had been inactive for the eight months, I guess they felt empowered to take up residence.

Air Conditioner Top with Hornet Nests

Today our designated handy man was scheduled to arrive and undertake installation of the balcony sun blinds we put up each year as well as a number of other tasks. My Favorite Panamanian also felt our closet was too small and asked he convert an area of shelves into a hanging closet for my clothes. This follows a trend from back home. In quick order I had the new closet and was evicted from the part of the closet I had heretofore shared with my wife. Once she noticed there was some space left after I took up residence, she was busily moving some of her clothes there. She then started moving a number of clothes she had hanging, unbeknownst to me, in the guest room closet. I’m simply in awe of her ability to acquire clothes. This follows the trend back home where all four bedroom closets house part of her wardrobe.

TV with Permanent Gray Screen

Master Bedroom Curtains

My New Closet

After my Wife Noticed the Open Space

The handy man installed the indoor blackout curtains in both the master bedroom and living room. We had a minor issue when the fixture used to hang the curtains pulled out of the ceiling. So, he’ll be back next week to repair that and install a new shower door in the guest bathroom (it is a never ending effort). Over the past couple days the TV in the our bedroom also went on the fritz so we’ll have to replace that next week (yes, that is important). While all this was going on today, the upstairs neighbors had a local woodworker in to install their latest furniture. My Favorite Panamanian stormed upstairs and I  met the guy (surprisingly young) who was now contracted to build a new bed for us. So it goes.

My View

While all this might sound kind of busy, there has still been time to accomplish the requisite beach time. We’ve re-established the daily sunset ceremony with our upstairs neighbors. That means you gets some of the sunset pictures that I inflict upon you as often as possible. So, this is really phase 1 of fixit time as the handy man will be back next week and I have a stationary bike and a new TV to install. At least I’ve got this view to hang out with. I hear they’re getting ten inches of snow in Worcester this weekend. Just sayin.

Sunsets from the Last Two Days

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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 him her single days in Brooklyn; 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; Soxfather - my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course

Here it Comes

Well. I’m certifiably informed that we are now engulfed in what passes for 2024. This is a very good thing because it means I am ensconced in the beach front condo, not having to worry about whether the next storm is ice or snow. I’m not saying this to rub salt into the wounds of those who do have those concerns.  I’m simply enjoying the fact that after so many years of doing exactly that, since retirement, the beach is now my winter residence. The past few days have been spent settling in, which was a challenge since we felt obligated to celebrate the arrival of the aforementioned new year.

Wife and her Two Sisters New Years Eve

I arrived Saturday with the Favorite Panamanian, her two sisters, and her mom. We spent nearly all of New Years Eve on the beach as further unpacking would have felt unpatriotic. I returned from the sunset viewing (a daily requirement to watch the orb sink into the Pacific) to find the ladies getting dolled up for the New Years Eve celebration. I was impressed. We were joined for a little while by the upstairs neighbors. The celebration was more subdued because we didn’t have the usual infusion of younger blood from the many nieces and nephews who usually join us. They are now all working stiffs (yet another sign I’m getting old). We still did a credible job of celebrating the arrival of 2024 and walked out onto the balcony to watch the fireworks from down the beach.

Wife and Tia Loca

Wife with our House Guests

And the Upstairs Neighbors

New Years Day was spent (wait for it) back on the beach although I was drafted to produce my annual turkey dinner for my wife’s family. This has always been a challenge to first find a turkey and then fit it into the condo’s fairly small oven. I prepped the bird the night before (first task of 2024) and snuck out of bed early to start the oven (always a challenge involving a faulty automatic lighter and some matches). I didn’t burn off any of my eyebrows this year and the oven stayed on for the entire time it was needed (also a first). The dinner was big success as the upstairs neighbors also joined us.

New Years Day Beach Walk with Wife and Tia Loca

Always This Crowded

Sisters Posing

Yesterday Tia Loca had to return to Panama City and we drove the rest of our guests back to David. My Favorite Panamanian had a list of errands we had to perform such as meeting with the auto insurance folks, getting new batteries for the car keys, and obtaining the supplies we forgot on our initial foray. Those may seem like mundane tasks but nothing is simple in Panama. When you add in the purely insane driving environment in David, that I’m just getting re-adjusted to, it made for an exciting day. Thank God for afternoon siestas. We achieved some remarkable success though and I even learned how to start the car if the battery ever completely dies in the key fob. That was pretty cool.

Beach This Morning

Crowded Again

Starting to Really Appreciate this Whole Retirement Thang

We ended the day with a movie at the local cinema where we saw Aquaman (see below). After the movie we drove back to the beach (having missed the sunset). Speaking of sunsets, when I posted on Facebook about my return to Panama a high school friend commented that this meant they would be seeing a bunch of sunset photos. While I hate being predicable (a little bit), I am almost forced to share these representations of the natural beauty I’m blessed with each day. This used to bother Great Aunt until she visited last year and witnessed a few herself. She now understands.

So Here We Go

First Sunset of 2024

I know this latest version of Aquaman is not getting a lot of love from the critics which to me means it was probably pretty good. I was right. I truly enjoyed this latest venture into the undersea world which Jason Mamoa has made his own. He continues to own the role and injects just the right amount of humor, danger, and recklessness. They brought back Patrick Wilson as his brother and they make solid chemistry with each other. The story moves right along with top notch special effects and a truly crazy final battle. I thought they missed a little by not giving the villain any redeeming qualities but everything was moving so fast that was a minor issue. This is a full-blown superhero epic that got misplaced from summer somehow but it certainly works. Critics wrong again, go figure.

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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 him her single days in Brooklyn; 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; Soxfather - my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course