Reason to Believe

I spent this weekend worshiping at the alter of "Life is Good". From Friday night to just a few minutes ago there has been nothing but food, family, and friends. Plus an occasional adult beverage. Say yes to the adult beverage. Amen! I mean seriously, iced cold beer in a frosted mug, a small rivulet of condensation tracing a line through the ice, another skim of ice forming at the top of the glass. I say to you Hallelujah! No matter how bad your work week was that perfect moment when you bring that glass to your mouth... I say again, Hallelujah! Does anyone out there doubt my friday night benediction? Costs almost nothing too.

So you add in friends, hey MD is up from NYC, DP is swinging by anyway, call ES and see if she's going to be around. By 6:30 the burden of toil was forgotten, friends were lined up and I was on my way to Davis SQ DP in tow.

Literally a hole in the wall.

Townie bars are always the right place to start and finish the night in Boston. Early on everyones drunk enough to be friendly but not chippy enough to start brawling. Later everyone still there is past their expiration date so they're spending most of their remaining energy staying upright. Met MD at 8:30, ES to follow. DP had already turned the corner but he was entertaining the still friendly locals which gave me and MD a chance to catch up a little bit. I only had 1 (my count was now 2) because I take my time but before I was even finished DP was creepen peepen on a table of girls half our age. Time to eat.

Mmmm! Redbones!

I love Redbones. It isn't the best barbeque I've ever had, but it is funky and cheap and darn good chow. Only a ten minute wait, so by 9:30 I was chomping on pulled pork and sucking on a hoo doo lager. Bruins talk was running through the bar. Did I mention that Chara clubbed some Flyer while we were in Sligo? Why is a knockdown punch so awesome? Wouldn't a civilized man be appalled? Why not me? They have corn pudding there. Did I mention the corn pudding? Take the worlds least healthy grain and turn it into something between a side dish and a desert. Mmm corn pudding! My Hoo Doo brought me to 3 (in 4 hours) but DP had headed for the gulf stream by then so it was time to find a safe place to watch the rest of the Bruins game.

Flyers suck.

Needed a loud place to hid DP. The Joshua Tree did the trick. Loud, young meat market where the men were too busy macking on the ladies to hear DP's political rants. Too bad I couldn't talk to MD since we only cross paths once or twice a year. No ES even though she texted 2 times. Bruins win! Bruins win!
No beer for me in the Joshua tree. Games too exciting and DP is going to need a wrangler to keep him out of custody.

ES called at the crack of midnight but I was already herding DP to my car. I know it was early but at my age another hour would have killed me and my weekend was just getting started. Made plans to meet MD in NYC sometime before his wedding in August and headed home. DP hit the couch, I took a shower and hit the bed.

Saturday was Sea Dogs day in Portland ME. My friend K buys tickets for her husband my friend J. It's his birthday. L makes us a foursome, but I have to meet them at the park because I have business to take care of. One of our branch offices is in Portland and I have to drop by, plus there is Tony's.

The church of fried goodness.

I don't miss Linda's in Seabrook too often on my Saturdays but you have to if you are going to Tony's. A couple of those lead sinkers washed down with a bucket of black coffee could wake the dead. Not that I was dead. ( only 3 beers last night remember?) I'm just old and need a jump every once and awhile. The dozen I brought to the office helped lubricate the first time meeting though. Remember, good donuts are the cheapest way there is to buy people off  . So everyone is munching donuts, telling mover stories, figuring out how many people we knew in common even though none of us had ever met ( a surprisingly high number) and just generally shooting the breeze when P offers me the company season tickets for the Sea Dogs. Sweet. We already had tickets but these where right on the 1st base dugout. Time to meet K, J and L.

Those were our seats, thanks Pete!

Minor league baseball is a whole different vibe from the Red Sox. The pace, the crowd, everything is slower and calmer than Fenway. You eat, you chat, you make friends with your neighbors, you try to remember if you have heard of any of the players. The rotary sponsors sack races. They raffle off Sea bucks (what's a Sea buck?) and tickets. A lighthouse that must have escaped from a demolished amusement park pops out of the center field wall when ever the home team hits a home run. It's the America you see in the Walt Disney movies and it's really kind of cool. The most excitement all day was when L crushed a small child going for a ball one of the players threw her way. (well that never happened in a Disney movie.)
Time for food.

Mmm Duck Fat

Portland has it's share of hippies, but instead of raw vegan goodness these hippies are all about french fries and cured pork, so not your average hippies. I think K,J, and L were expecting something a little more Food network than harvard square circa 1972, but I was too busy sucking down a PBR with a bowl of poutine and a plate of pickled vegetables and salt cured lardo to care. I am a selfish bastard when food is dangled my way. Mmm lardo! Hey, when in Rome...

I will admit that a restaurant that specializes in french fries cooked in duck fat isn't exactly supper, but it is a good start. I didn't notice that the duck fat made the fries extra good though. If it wasn't for the lardo, Mmm lardo! I wouldn't have been impressed. No one else ate the lardo though, Mmm lardo! so it was off to...

Irish? or fake Irish? is there a difference any more?

Who cares. Nice place on the water front. Solid Irish chow. L was tired of french fries so she ordered chips with her burger...oops! she should have ordered crisps. More than a little Irish.

The ride home was about an hour twenty. Bed felt good. How good is it to sleep in your own bed? It's the little things for sure.

Like bringing the niece and nephew to Al's for breakfast. I always get nervous when I have to watch kids. I'm always afraid I'll lose or break them somehow which would then require me to spiral into alcoholism and self pity. That never happens though so instead we had breakfast, talked about sharks ( why do all kids want to know about sharks?), walked along the Merrimac river,  told  stories about their dad ( theirs were funnier than mine), we avoided why he and their mom aren't together any more, and I taught them how to skip stones on the water. ( mandatory uncle stuff, stone skipping is part of my contract)

Dropped the kids off at their aunts then went home and called Mom for mothers day. I was originally going to drive out and see her but the kids dropped into my lap last minute so I had to go with plan B. It was better talking on the phone anyway. Mom was chipper and I even listened the whole time while she detailed all the freaky stuff surrounding Osama's death. Nothings certain yet, but I'm sure it will end up  including the Rockerfellas and the knight's templar by the time she's done. Maybe the mason's too. Someone's got to replace Glenn Beck.

That left my afternoon free to visit with K and D and their family. A family that has treated me like family since I first met K back in 1971. Forty years, wow! It was great to be a part of it all, just like it was  great this whole weekend. You work hard, things go bad, sometimes you just want to lay down, but how can that be right? Am I the luckiest guy ever? No? Find someone luckier then, I dare you.