So.
I’ve been away from Frail Deeds for a while. You are welcome. There won’t be
the usual avalanche of pictures because I forgot to take my phone with me when
we spent the past couple days in David. I could have borrowed my Favorite Panamanian’s
but the odds of finding an appropriate photo op and her not talking on the
phone are astronomical. We went back to David with a very ambitious agenda
including buying a new shower enclosure for the guest bathroom, car inspection,
car registration, a new TV for master bedroom, a swivel mounting bracket for
the main room TV along with a myriad of other tasks. There
were some challenges. We left on Tuesday morning which was a national holiday
in Panama, the Day of Martyrs. It commemorates a bunch of young Panamanians
killed in a confrontation with the US during the Canal Zone days, so a good day
for a large gringo to keep his head down. They also don’t sell beer on this
day. I did say challenges. It is also a huge beach day and the condo complex
was filled to bursting, so a good day to be elsewhere. As we were leaving Las
Lajas there was a long line of cars rolling towards the beach, including full
buses. Luckily all the places we hit were open with the added benefit of no traffic
which is decidedly atypical for David.
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Gelato Time in Boquete
Wife with her Mom and Aunt |
We
found the shower enclosure, the last one in stock, and on sale. I found a
google tv on sale at the box store we frequent along with the swivel mount. Lunch
was at my favorite, El Fogon, with my buddy/waiter Everardo, very happy to see
us. By the early afternoon we had accomplished all our shopping tasks and were
hanging out at my mother-in-law’s home. We hit another favorite, Terra’s for a
pizza dinner Tuesday night, but again, no beer. No traffic in David was a more
than fair trade. Wednesday morning, we dropped the car off for an annual
service and official inspection. That went well and after lunch we drove up to
Dolega to get the car registered.
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| Sunny Boquete |
That
took less than ten minutes and as “luck” would have it, my wife’s favorite aunt
lived just down the road. We had brought my mother-in-law along with us because
of this proximity. They had a nice visit and since my Favorite Panamanian had
been longing for gelato, we hit the road for Boquete. Dolega is about half way to
Boquete from David. What we didn’t expect was running into a truly ferocious rain
storm as we headed into the mountains. This is supposed to be the dry season
with no rain between December and March. My Favorite Panamanian was into
serious stress mode since she acts almost allergic to falling rain. She was now
faced with the competing goals, avoiding rain and acquiring gelato. She must
have a guardian angel because my ears had just finished popping from the climb
to Boquete when we broke through the clouds into a sundrenched Boquete.
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Granddaughter Break
BRS Looking Confident in Kindergarten |
After
returning to David, I faced the task of loading all our acquisitions into the
car for the trip back to Las Lajas. The biggest item was the set of glass doors
for the shower enclosure. My wife, based on my history, was concerned I would
take enough care in loading them for the bumpy ride to the condo. They were a couple
hundred pounds so it was an interesting load out but using two boogie boards we
bought for our upstairs neighbors as a cushion I thought we were in good shape.
I was soaked with sweat from the effort but took it as a good sign that I didn’t
receive any additional guidance from the supervisory sector. We had one quick
stop at a grocery store to pick up a few items. This is where disaster struck.
After loading all the heavy stuff without incident earlier, as I moved the
small grocery bag into the car I felt as if someone had stuck a knife into my
back. One of the real “benefits” of getting old is having a balky back.
This
was a new kind of pain as it felt as if a muscle running from one side of my
lower back to the other side of my upper back was on fire. I’m sure it was
fatigued from earlier efforts and moving the ten-pound bag was all that it took
to snap. “Fortunately”, I had an hour and half drive ahead of me. My wife
offered to drive but as long as I kept my hands at text book position there was
no pain. She fished some Tylenol out of a suitcase and off we went. The drive
was not a lot of fun, especially whenever I had to turn the wheel. We made it
back and I emerged from the car feeling and looking like a 90-year-old. The
caretaker showed up to help carry the food items up to the condo (elevator
still not working). I was entrusted with a package of toilet paper for the suddenly
very long climb up two flights of stairs. We left the heavy stuff in the car overnight
since the contractor was coming in Thursday morning to install everything and
his first task would be to carry it all up.
 |
| Heavy Stuff Carried Up |
 |
| New Guest Bathroom |
We
had just settled in when a thunder storm that put the earlier one we experienced
to shame. It felt like we were under artillery fire as the thunder was almost continuous
and the wind driven rain overwhelmed the balcony door seals and my Favorite Panamanian
was running around with a mop for nearly an hour. I tried to look appropriately
chagrined that I was physically unable to help. It was truly shocking to get
this type of rain at this time of year here. The biggest surprise, the power didn’t
go out. I remarked on this the next morning at breakfast to my Favorite Panamanian.
In yet another example of “should have kept my dumbass mouth shut”, the power
went out fifteen minutes later. Luckily the contractor had battery powered
tools and the installation wasn’t delayed. Six hours later the power came back
on, just as they were finishing up. While everything was going on my wife and the
contractor came up with a new project. I’m sure this guy is so happy when he knows
we are returning to Panama since it represents a guaranteed income stream. He
does good work for a reasonable price so I’m more than happy with the relationship.
My wife was attacking my back with a series of lidocaine patches and Tylenol. I
was initially concerned because this was a new kind pain but it calmed down a little
yesterday and today it only twinges when I forget about it and turn more
quickly than I should. I should be able to get back to my workout routine
tomorrow. I’d been making good progress at working off all those Christmas
cookies before the back went out.
While
watching everybody else work I caught the news about the end of the Belichick
era in Foxborough. After his worst season since arriving, the legendary coach
is leaving the Patriots. It was time. I will be eternally grateful for the past
24 seasons when he turned the Patriots from a laughing stock to a true juggernaut.
Six Super Bowl wins! Wow, just wow. There would have been eight except for
Asante Samuel and Wes Welker. There will always be detractors, especially in
Pittsburgh (because he had their number,) but we were blessed with the combination
of the best coach and the best quarterback in NFL history. It was a great ride
and the memories are too many to celebrate appropriately. Thanks Bill, you were
the best.
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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 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; Soxfather -
my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course
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