Fit to Cough

We are ramping up for the annual Thanksgiving extravaganza where my morale is seriously in danger of exploding from overinflation. Over the next few days, I’ll be hanging out with both of my “kids” and their families, Keene Friend, my father’s family, and Soxfather’s Family. That is a recipe for some seriously sublime times. It wouldn’t be complete without a couple of challenges though. The first involves my Favorite Panamanian. She was too sick to engage in her usual day-long shopping spree during my annual pub crawl so I knew she wasn’t feeling well. She wasn’t getting better and yesterday my daughter convinced her to seek some medical attention. Unfortunately, the only option when this decision was made was the afterhours urgent care clinic. Two hours later she was finally seen and they told her it wasn’t Covid or the flu and sent us to get a prescription for the cough.

They specifically directed us to a CVS in Shrewsbury that was open 24 hours since our usual one was closed by the time we emerged from the appointment. I dutifully drove there and after another twenty minute wait was told they hadn’t received it. I spent some more time with a really helpful pharmacist who, after chasing down arcane phone numbers of the medical establishment, was able to ascertain the prescription had been sent to the closed CVS. He confirmed the medication and provided us with enough to get us through the night until the other CVS opened. We ended up eating dinner around 1030PM when we returned home.

This morning she wasn’t any better and I took her to see our regular doctor who immediately diagnosed her with what I had been telling her for a couple days. This was her annual bout with a sinus infection, literally every year when the temperatures turn south. I have limited credibility in the health diagnosis arena with my spouse based on her forty years with me and my “rub a little dirt on it and drive on” mentality. So, she now has the needed antibiotics which have worked quickly in the past. I predict shopping sprees on the horizon based on her feeling better and close affiliation with all three granddaughters over the coming few days.

New Faucet

My wife’s health wasn’t the only excitement in the house yesterday. Deckzilla Dude made a return visit. He, the builder of Deckzilla and the Master Bedroom addition to the house, was summoned to install a new kitchen faucet. It was fun hanging out with him and watching a master craftsman at work. He kept saying this was something I could have done and I told him I probably could have but it would have taken three days and it would still leak. I was called upon for the brute force and ignorance requirements, mainly during the removal of the old faucet phase. Even my Favorite Panamanian is happy with the results, so, win!

Three movies fell in my A-Z effort, all keepers, City of Angels (would b so cool if this was true), City Slickers (Crystal’s act hasn’t aged well but this still brings laughs), and Clear and Present Danger (Harrison Ford at his best in a Clancy action thriller).

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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; 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

Excitement Redeemed

There are times when you can get over exited for an upcoming event to the point the event is doomed to disappointment because nothing can live up to the expectations. That did not happen yesterday. The annual hometown birthday pub crawl was everything and more than I hoped for. My Favorite Son and a generous collection of high school classmates gathered to produce a very special crawl. It also turned out to definitely being the least expensive crawl ever. That was because my Favorite Panamanian did not accompany me to New Hampshire. She was back home, not feeling well, so she didn’t spend the entire afternoon shopping while the crawl was underway as she has in past years. I still missed her presence, especially late in the day where she usually extracts me from the last stop before the evils of demon alcohol manifest themselves.

The Crew Outside Penuche's

The Pittsburgh College Roommate (hereafter known as the PCR) along with his wife, PCR+1, drove in from Pittsburgh on Friday. They linked up with Keene Friend for a pre-crawl pizza Friday night. I awoke in Worcester on Saturday and was greeted by the day’s newspaper headline, “Best Day of the Year”, talk about portends. My Favorite Panamanian confirmed she wasn’t going to make the trip north with me and encouraged me to go. She knows how important this annual event is for me. I drove into Keene to find my Favorite Son had already arrived at Keene Friend’s house. Our first stop was going to be 5 Guys for what has become our traditional pre-crawl meal.  PCR and PCR+1 were supposed to join us but they had taken a side trip up to Newport and ran into a craft fair on the way back. Since PCR+1 is very crafty that meant a delay.

Keene Friend and PCR on the Pub Crawl Eve

Headline that Greeted Me

The crawl kicked off at Penuche’s Ale House with the Pittsburgh delegation still missing. My son, Keene Friend and I walked in at the appointed hour to find one of my high school classmates already in residence. She’s using a walker due to some serious leg and hip injuries but she was more than ready to participate and made the longest walk of the crawl with us. We grow them tough in New Hampshire. A representative group soon gathered, including Kindergarten Friend and the Cantankerous One. Cantankerous forgot his hearing aides so his decibel levels were prodigious. He swung home between stops to re-equip himself. PCR eventually walked having successfully extracted PCR+1 from the craft fair. We were also joined by another classmate who made the long drive down from Northern Maine with his wife.

Inside Penuche's

Son and I Out Front of Group on Walk to Main Street

Keene Friend Leading the Rest of the Group Including Courageous Classmate

We set off on our first and longest walk of the day with the trail up to the Lab ‘N Lager on Main Street. My son and I were out front and we turned around after a little bit and realized there was a huge gap as the rest of the crew was keeping pace with the aforementioned very game classmate. We paused in front of the crater where the Cobblestone stood to honor that departed Pub Crawl stop. Our normal front window table was occupied at the Lab so we displaced to the back room which offered the room to expand. Cantankerous Friend and another classmate were waiting for us when we walked in. I was taking the time to log in our location on Facebook as we went through the crawl and this assisted other participants to join in. Kindergarten Friend utilized his vast connections in the Keene pub scene to arrange photographers for the group shots at each bar.

Our Group Inside Lab 'N Lager

My Son and I

The Crawlers outside Lab 'N Lager

We made our way down Main Street for stop #3 and a first time stop for the crawl, Modestman Brewery. I had initially opposed this stop since it was a craft beer place with the attendant high prices. With the loss of Cobblestone and several other bars over the years, we needed another stop so I caved to the beer connoisseurs who had campaigned for its addition. Still more classmates showed up here. That was a cool feature of this year’s crawl as people came and went as their schedules allowed. One classmate showed up here whose actual birthday it was so we pelted her with a badly off-key version of Happy Birthday. One of the funniest moments happened here when Keene Friend showed me his beer. He solved the high prices by ordering a sample size. I wish I’d thought of that.

Arriving at Modestman

With PCR and PCR+1

Keene Friend with his Huge Beer

Inside Modestman

Keene Friend and my Son

Group Shot Outside Modestman

After fulfilling our craft beer requirements, we walked around the corner to always one of my favorite stops, the Kilkenny Pub, the designated dive bar of the crawl. We stayed here a little longer than usual which was fine with me after the craft beer exposure. Kilkenny’s featured a new generation of T-shirts which I acquired quickly. I wish the rest of the bars on the crawl realized what an easy mark I am for this type of attire and stock them. Our next stop was another new addition to the crawl - Local Burger. Kindergarten Friend recommended this as they serve beer as well as burgers, so WIN!! The ability to buy food as well as beer was welcome for those of us who had been on the crawl from the start. They even had a long table set up to receive us. The sun set while we were inside Local Burger.

Connecticut River Boat Captain, PCR, Keene Friend inside Kilkenny's

Group Shot Outside Kilkenny's

Inside Local Burger

Our next stop was tentatively across the street at Margarita’s but our local inside contact, Kindergarten Friend had to leave to take care of his wife who had undergone some surgery. Margarita’s isn’t the easiest to work with as some of the head waiters require reservations despite an abundance of large tables. Since it was late in the day now, we bypassed Margarita’s and walked directly to Central Square and the Pour House finale. While we had lost some people along the way still more joined us at the Pour House. This is another favorite stop on the crawl and the owner came over to greet us as after we established our presence at the front of the bar.

Logging in Our Arrival at Pour House

Cantankerous and Freind at Pour House

PCR Leading a Pour House Discussion

Son and I

This culminating stop was a lot of fun as it featured BFBs which stands for well, you figure it out as it includes a ribald description of the size of the beers. This is also where I felt the effect of the absence of my Favorite Panamanian. She usually is around to extract me before I have too many BFBs. That wasn’t the case and since I was having such a good time surrounded by just outstanding people the party carried on. My Favorite Son and I finally declared victory around 9pm (after 8 hours of the crawl) and set off for the long walk back to Keene Friend’s house. Because of the long day, that walk (for me) wasn’t exactly a straight line. We stopped in at Penuche’s on the way home because I had called for an afterparty there during the lead up. We confirmed that there weren’t any pub crawlers present due to our long stay at the Pour House.

Late Night Survivors at the Pour House

Son and I With Our BFBs

The Cantankerous One

My Classmates, Special People

We continued on to Keene Friend’s house where we were able to order probably the last pizza of the night to be delivered from local favorite, Athens Pizza. Keene Friend had also arranged a birthday cake and ice cream for me so the night ended with some serious caloric intake. So ended this latest, 10^th year in a row, birthday pub crawl. Thank you to all the crawlers for coming out, especially those who made long drives to be there. I was so proud of my son who spent the day as the youngest (by several decades) of the crawlers. He was so social, introducing himself and talking with my classmates throughout the crawl. His presence is always the best thing about the crawl. I also want to thank Keene Friend for his customary overachievement as our host.

One movie fell in my A-Z effort, a definite keeper, Cinema Paradiso (may be nest Italian movie ever made, every movie lover must see, final scene rends the heartstrings along with one of best movie scores ever).

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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; 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

Giveth and Taketh

In my last post I was waxing happy if a bit astounded by the People’s Republic of Taxxachusetts actually returning some of their tax revenues to me. The universe has a way of balancing the scales as I’m sure the state’s action caused major ripples in the time/reality vortex. That balancing act took place this morning when our kitchen faucet finally gave up the ghost. I’ve been jury rigging the handle for a couple months now and my latest repair caused a piece to shear off. I could either try and find a replacement handle or go with a new faucet. I’ve come to despise the current faucet (c’mon that’s okay, it’s an inanimate object) so that decision was fairly easy and there went a significant portion of the refund. My Favorite Panamanian insisted on being included via Facetime call on the selection process at Home Depot. Now I just have to find someone to install it. Electricity and plumbing are something I don’t venture into lightly.

My A-Z effort ramped up over the past couple days and I ran into a granddaughter installed roadblock. You’ll have noticed in past posts that the whole A to Z effort wasn’t always strictly alphabetical. That was a result of the FBR and BRS, during their last visit, taking it upon themselves to rearrange my movie collection shelves. I started watching a movie and realized it was the second movie in a series for which I was sure I had the first. I went in search and so far it remains in the missing category. I’ve done a scan of the shelves with no luck, other than finding several of their other creative re-districting choices. It’s the Chronicles of Narnia so it would have had some appeal to them. Now I just have to figure out where it ended up. The BRS, particularly, has a habit of hiding things and whenever she and the FBR team up they become exponentially more dangerous. Chaos is their chosen forte (I guess they bred true). They, of course, deny all knowledge. I’ll let you know if it ever shows up.

Finally, and blessedly, my second most favorite night of the year has arrived (Christmas Eve will never be beaten). It’s the night before the annual hometown, birthday Pub Crawl! I just checked historical Frail Deeds posts and the first pub crawl which featured just myself and my Favorite Son for the entire crawl, took place in 2013. That means year will mark the 10^th annual crawl! Can you tell I’m a little excited?  It’s grown over the years as more friends have joined in after realizing the fun of hanging with friends can be, especially if liberally lubricated. We should have an all-star cast this year with the Pittsburgh College Roommate and his wife journeying back for the crawl as well as Kindergarten Friend, Keene Friend, Cantankerous Friend, the Connecticut River Boat Captain and a plethora of other worthies. Yep. Excited. Damned Excited!

Son & I 1st Bar of 1st Crawl

Celebrating Reaching the Last Bar of 1st Crawl

Five movies fell in my A-Z effort, all keepers, Christmas Vacation (best Vacation movie, by far, and best Chase movie which, granted, isn’t saying a whole lot), Chronicle (found footage of angst ridden teens acquiring superhuman powers – great cast), Chronicles of Narnia Prince Caspian (been there, done that, in the first movie (as I recall), still a very engaging cast), Chronicles of Riddick (bit overblown but epic CGI and it’s got Thandie!), and Riddick (back to basics and well served as Riddick fights a planet, monsters, and mercs).

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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; 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; 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; Pittsburgh College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; 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

Birthday Season

So many birthdays seem to fall this month, within the family and overall. Yesterday was my birthday and today both my now elder sister (Great Aunt) and my “beloved” sister-in-law (Tia Loca) have birthdays. This, of course, follows the truly epically celebrated birthday last week of the FBR. So, birthday season. Our plan for my birthday was, unsurprisingly, a steak dinner followed by a movie. See, totally predictable. Keene Friend reached out offering to take me out for a dinner and a movie (he does know me) so we invited him to come along. I felt really connected yesterday as so many friends and family members reached out to wish me a happy birthday. Great Aunt (more on her below) kept trying to call me during the movie (six different times). Later in the day my daughter roundly castigated me for not knowing how to silent notifications on my phone during a movie. A short tutorial followed. It was a quiet but very enjoyable birthday and thanks again for all of you who reached out. It was truly appreciated.

Birthday Dinner Yesterday

I Got a Cake Too!!!

I received a birthday shock yesterday as well. I actually received an unplanned tax refund from the People’s Republic of Taxxachusetts. I know. Shocking. The state legislature passed a bill back in the 80s that required the state to refund collected taxes if their surplus exceeded a certain amount. I’m sure there as a dedicated effort to bypass that requirement but a check showed up yesterday. Wow.  It wasn't huge but again, Wow! Also, for the first time I can ever recall, it snowed on my birthday. I spent a lot of years in the deep south and other tropical climes so it may have happened on November 15^th before, but this was a first for me. We received a couple inches overnight. I wasn’t looking for it but as I walked upstairs from the Man Cave last evening, I noticed everything outside was white. Weird to go from the 70s a couple days ago to this, but, New England.

Deckzilla Last Night

Great Aunt a Few Years Ago
BR3 Looks Just Like Her

A Few Christmases Ago in our Charlton Home

Today is a powerful birthday date as well. Both Great Aunt and Tia Loca have their date of births today. Great Aunt and I are Irish Twins for a day but now I can kid her for being so much older than I am. She counters with the fact that I’m the path to the same age within a year. She’s had an unimaginably tough year with the departure of Soxfather and I am once again truly struck by her internal strength and courage. I’m so proud of my big (elder) sister. I’m going to pay for all the agism references though. Tia Loca, on the other hand, has her own brother to contend with. They have a fiery relationship and the text bombs started flowing very early this morning. It’s fun to sit back and watch the carnage when those two go at it, good naturedly of course (I think). She claims to be in her thirties but that would make her nearly thirty-year-old son hard to explain.

The Always Elegant Tia Loca

The birthday movie was Black Panther, Wakanda Forever. I was excited to see this, as I am with most Marvel movies, and while I enjoyed it, overall I was left with a feeling of “ehhh”.  After the first Black Panther movie soared, I was probably expecting too much. The filmmakers do an excellent job of honoring the late Chadwick Boseman but their personal feelings of loss permeated the movie a little too much. The action was broken up by long periods of navel contemplation. I think they also erred by making Letitia Wright the lead which is understandable as she was fantastic as a supporting actress. She just didn’t have the chops to carry the movie and this was only too obvious when they finally bring Lupita Nyong'o back. She should have been the focus, she’s that good. So, I enjoyed the movie, who couldn’t when a de-humidifier is the ultimate weapon, but it was a two hour movie crammed into nearly three hours (it felt longer).

Three movies fell in my A-Z effort, all keepers, Born Free (out of order because of granddaughter invasion of movie shelves – still madly in love with Virginia McKenna), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (pure schmaltz, but lovely, especially Miss Scrumptious), and A Christmas Story (may be the best holiday movie of all time, captured an era)

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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; 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; 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; Pittsburgh College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; 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

Delightfully Soggy Walkabout Magic Days 3-4

After yesterday’s monumental post I think I can get through the remainder of our epic Disneyworld trek in less time and effort. The second two parks definitely did not live up to the first two but provided some memorable moments and since we were all together, fun was inevitable. We missed out on a full day at the Animal Kingdom since Hurricane Nicole blew through the area overnight. Again, I wasn’t that impressed as there have been Nor’easters around here with a lot more punch. Disney delayed opening the parks until the afternoon so I watched the news coverage on the local channels from the condo. In an all too normal trend the TV “journalists” were trying to make the storm seem more potent than it turned out to be. The ole “if it bleeds it leads” precept. I was watching a live feed from a Fox reporter on a supposedly flooded street where you could still see the pavement and he was telling everyone how dangerous it was. He was hilariously interrupted by a car smoothly driving through the supposedly dangerous area.

FBR and Parental Units in Animal Kingdom

The FBR had stayed overnight with us and picked up on her lifelong habit of stealing bacon from my breakfast plate. The grandmothers decided to stay home for the day so the team was down to four for the Animal Kingdom, a park I’d never visited before. It will probably be the last time. The park opened at 1pm and while there are always lines to enter the parks this was the longest we encountered, because everyone came at once. Despite the still close hurricane/tropical storm we didn’t run into any rain, just a sustained mist. Our first stop was Dino Land where we spent an epic time travel ride through the age of, you guessed it, dinosaurs. Only mild yelping was required but it was a good stat for the day.

FBR Guiding me Through the Day

Wingman and I Providing the Needed Swing Posts

On Safari with the FBR

Everest Waiting Line

FBR Consumed

Our next stop, Expedition Everest, turned out to be the highlight of the day. A truly great rollercoaster ride haunted by several Yetis. The FBR was truly in her element.  Although the first ride required a fairly long wait, we were all hooked on it coming out. It’s a very tall rollercoaster that comes to a stop at the very top of the mountain as the Yetis have torn up the track. You’re then propelled, very fast, backwards and into the dark. It scared the hell out of me and I loved it. So did everyone else and the ever-resourceful Wingman secured a later, second ride through the lightning lane. The FBR requested to sit with me this time and required that I keep my arms raised throughout the ride, which added to the nervousness of careening through dark tunnels, backwards.

Everest Ride in the Distance

Entering Animal Kingdom

Very Happy FBR

Channeling her Inner Yeti

Boundless Energy

Entering Pandora

Our next stop was the moon of Pandora, for the Avatar ride. The ride was okay, fairly sedate after our Yeti encounter. I was truly impressed with the transformation of the location to the wild landscape of Pandora, to include the floating rock islands. We tried the Gorilla Falls walk but didn’t find any apes so it was back to Expedition Everest for the aforementioned second ride. The sun was starting to fade and we were told that was the best time to hit the Kilimanjaro Safari which featured a ride through the African savannah with the accompanying animals. The FBR loved seeing all the animals, especially the cheetahs. We ended the day at Tough to be a Bug, one of those Disney education can be fun events. We were sitting in theater seats as a progression of bugs talked about their lives, emceed by an ant. It featured an extremely cool climax when the seats moved under your butt simulating crawling insects. I only wish my Favorite Panamanian had been along to see her reaction to that.

Floating Rock Islands of Pandora

FBR Directing us Back to Everest

On Safari

Still Looking for Gorillas

Except for the one ride I wasn’t impressed with the Animal Kingdom. Its design has you constantly walking between islands and there seemed to be a lot more emphasis on restaurants than attractions for kids. We ended our half day by swinging by the condo to pick up the grandmothers and heading out for dinner at a nearby Logan’s Roadhouse. We were treated once again to the very slow service that seems to be the standard in the greater Orlando area outside of Disney. In a weird trend all the waitresses there were under five feet tall. I mentioned this to my Favorite Panamanian who said I am under orders to stop noticing these things. Failing that, I’m not supposed to voice these observations either. I guess I’ve failed.

FBR Pointing the Way to Epcot

FBR, Always Ready

Very Happy Grandpa

Looking for Nemo

Friday was Epcot Day but more importantly it was also the FBR’s official birthday as well as Veterans Day (thanks to the many people who sent me well wishes). It also marked the first full day of sunshine we enjoyed in the sunshine state. We actually drove to Epcot three different times throughout the day which was possible because of the short distances between events that Wingman had set up so well. We got off to a very slow start after walking under the signature dome at the entrance to Epcot. Our first attempted ride was a Chevrolet sponsored test track. We were in the line for nearly an hour and the ride broke down twice. After the second breakdown we declared a mistrial and left for rides that worked. It wasn’t a sterling advertisement for Chevrolet and I know Chevy owners are nodding sagely at that last remark. So, we set off in search of Nemo which was quaint but dated. There was an attached Aquarium where we saw manatees being fed.

Wife and I at Epcot

At the Ratatouille Ride

FBR and Parents in Front of Epcot Lake

Epcot is designed around a huge lake which makes getting around a serious walking effort. My daughter counted more than 25,000 steps by the end of our day. Our next stop was at the other end of the lake in the French section where a Ratatouille ride was the target. We got there to be confronted by another broken ride notice which was fixed but still called for a hour long wait. My Favorite Panamanian and I decided to stroll around instead of waiting only to be urgently summoned back when Wingman had finagled us into the lightning lane once again. He was my hero all week. The ride was very cool, featuring the sliding cars that made the Rise of the Resistance so memorable. The last screen was broken but the rest of the ride was a lot of fun. Confronted with yet more walking under he sizzling sun, Wingman dangled the prospect of time at the hotel Water Park in front of the FBR who promptly snatched at the bait.

Back at the Hotel

The Hotel Water Park

In the Pool with Grandparents

FBR Finishing a Slide

Grandpa Wins a Race

In the Lazy River

We spent a glorious afternoon at the water park which featured a number of pools, a lazy river, and some impressive water slides. The FBR said earlier in the week she was too scared to go on the tallest slides and said she would wait for her dad and grandpa to show her how it was done. Pressure. I loved the slides but the climb up was not as much fun. Still, it was hard to deny the FBR anything and she wanted a companion to start out with. Eventually she granted the adults a reprieve and repeatedly tackled the slides on her own. We spent a lot of time circling around the lazy river which had a very potent current. An altogether fantastic afternoon hanging around the pool with the family.

At Guardians Ride

FBR and Parents

Outside Guardians Ride

Our second trip back to Epcot was made because we (Wingman) had heard the Guardians of the Galaxy ride was not to be missed. Wingman, first thing in the morning, had gotten us into something called a Virtual Que with an appointed late afternoon time at the ride. As with the Rise of the Resistance, all the machinations we went through to get there were redeemed by the ride itself which was incredible. Individual roller-coaster cars careened through the space story spinning and going backwards in the dark (again) and being way too much fun. For me the experience on this ride saved Epcot which had really not impressed me at all. After we disembarked, we rounded up the grandmothers and headed to our reservation at Disney Springs.

Miniature Star Lord

Daughter and FBR Walking into Disney Springs

Birthday Dinner

I’d never been to this place but it’s another Disney property that features a very lively set of restaurants and entertainment opportunities geared more towards adults. Wingman had arranged reservations at an Italian restaurant for the FBR’s birthday dinner. We were on a tight timetable with the long walk through the masses from the parking garage. The food was awesome with a very lively Italian waiter that my wife wanted to bring home with her. The wait staff sang happy birthday to the FBR in Italian and she was thrilled. Disney Springs also featured something I didn’t think Disneyworld was capable of – free parking. It just didn’t seem right that we weren’t required to pay for something.

During the Happy Birthday Singing

She Loved It

Our day wasn’t finished though as we headed back to Epcot for the third and final time so we could get the FBR on the Frozen ride which she was very excited about. Of course, it was on the other side of the vast lake and required speed walking through the massive crowds in the very poorly lit park. I was surprised by the lack of effective lighting which caused several near collisions as people hurrying to other rides crossed out paths. The Frozen ride was worth the effort and I got the added benefit of a wet seat from the climactic plunge which made the walk back kind of squishy. We stopped by one last ride with Journey Into Imagination, which is really dated but offered a sedate culmination after all the rushing around on this very busy Friday. Epcot is kind of magical (that word again) place at night as the dome constantly changes colors. As we were leaving, we tried to get a group shot in front of the dome.

Lego Chewbacca Encounter

Nighttime Epcot

Trying to Get that Final Shot

Wingman Comes Through

FBR With her Hero

I dropped off everyone but Wingman and my daughter at the condo and then drove them into central Orlando to once again link up with friends for a night on the town. Back at the condo the FBR insisted on waiting up for me because it was Friday, her birthday, and well she’s the FBR. She conked out almost immediately after her very busy week. Saturday’s planned redeployment went exactly as planned, another tribute to Wingman. We arrived back at LaGuardia facing another ride through the maelstrom of NYC traffic but Saturday was much easier than a Monday morning. As soon as we got back to New Jersey with one unplanned diversion (damned GPS) we reluctantly bid farewell to our Disney group and hit the road back home. I didn’t want to face Sunday traffic of a three-day weekend so a Saturday evening on the road was called for. Nothing could diminish the week I’d just been through though. While Disney always delivers the fun, it was made so much more special seeing it vicariously through the eyes of the FBR. Once again Wingman was the star of the trip with his adroit managing of all the arrangement as well as the blessed lightning lanes. In the end though, hanging around with these people is what made the week so special. It was a true acid test for my knee though. I was really glad I brought a knee brace along. It was practically worn out by the end of the week and my balky knee is still barking at me a bit three days later. Totally worth it.

Intrepid Traveler Heading Home with her Spoils

Only one movie fell in my A-Z effort, a definite keeper, CHiPs (Michael Pena is so good in everything he does – great raunchy, comedic actor as well).

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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; 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; 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; Pittsburgh College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; 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