I dropped Dan off at Goerke’s Corners this morning to catch the Wisconsin Coach Lines bus to O’Hare for his flight to France to begin his eighth Camino. At the end of his walk he will be going to Alicante (I think) and then on to Greece before he returns home on Nov. 4. Jolene and I leave for our Camino on Oct. 10 and return on Nov. 9. Everyone will then be home until the snow starts to fall, and Dan will head north. I leave for Panama on Dec. 1. I just started looking for a place there. It’s getting harder because many rentals are now long term, which does not mean four months. The plan is to stay in Panama for three months and then spend my final month (Mar.) in Colombia with Barbara. I haven’t secured lodgings in Boquete yet, but I did rent this in Jardín Colombia:
If I continue to have difficulty finding a place in Boquete, I may just spend my entire time at this place. We’ll see.
I received these photos recently from Maria del Mar. Such a beautiful family. They will be headed for Abu Dhabi after the birth of the baby. This is part of the family (minus Maria del Mar’s parents, Fredy and Ana). Dan will be visiting them all in Alicante after his Camino, before heading to Greece.
I took Sara to the Commodore last night for her birthday dinner. It is quie a dining experience. It was our second year doing this. I let Sara order whatever she wanted. She ordered the beef Wellington for 2. It was deliciou$:
Last weekend Kathy, Michele and I drove to Marinette for a sisters’ weekend. We stayed at The Island Casino. Michele knew of it, and we thought it would be fun. It was an opportunity for me to do a solo (aka without Dan) trip with the Spaceship. It was a mostly fun weekend if you don’t count almonst running out of battery and having to sleep in the tub.
On Sunday morning Michele suggested we drive to the charging station and get that out of the way. We did that. I couldn’t get the charger to work. I even questioned a Tesla driver next to me who seemed to be very familiar with the technology, and he couldn’t figure it out. With only 18 miles left, and nearly two hours later, we decided to make a run for the nearest chargerer, which was 14 miles away. We made it! I am thankful that both Michele and Kathy are very even tempered (for the most part) and didn’t give me a hard time. Turns out I was using the wrong adapter. We have two. I didn’t even look at the second one because the one I used said Tesla on the box. Who knew?? Apparently not I.
Then the bathtub adventure. When we got to our very small room, we discovered only two double beds. We were hoping for queens. In any event, we drew straws, and I won…in theory. Before the evening was through, Kathy decided she couldn’t sleep in the same bed with Michele. She crawled in with me, fell asleep instantly and started to snore. It was so assertive that it was vibrating through the mattress, my pillow AND my earplugs. That’s when I opted for the tub. I laid down all the available towels and pillows and made the best of it. I will confess that I took an Ambien to make it easier. I’ve been off the Ambien since my birthday (July 11) and am feeling very relieved by that, but I allow myself judicious use in an emergency. So, I deemed this an emergency executive order to my brain.
It is still always fun. We just miss Mary Pat. At one point we were in the hot tub and chatting with a few other guests. When one guy discovered we were sisters, he insisted on taking a picture.
The latest in calligraphy: The first two are for a friend, Anita, a member of my Soul Matters class. I will be meeting her for lunch on Sept. 17, so I’ll give it to her then. It is a favorite quote she share in a class. The last one is a botched job from yesterday. I’m using a new ink, and I didn’t realize it took extra long to dry. I smeared it when I started to erase the pencil marks. That’s okay. I didn’t like a number of things about it, so I’ll get a do-over. Their party is Sept. 24, so I have a little time.
I had Cordelia and Marie recently. I loved this conversation:
Me: So how’s camp going?
Cordelia: B-o-r-i-n-g.
Me: Really? I thought you liked it there.
Cordelia: No, we’re not at Good Times anymore. They closed for the summer. Now we’re at Day Spring Church. All they talk about is Jesus and the Bible.
Me: Really?!? (Surprised becaue I do not know Sara or Chris to be philosophically Christian.)
Cordelia: I believe that there was a person named Jesus who died on a cross, but the rest of the stuff just doesn’t make sense.
Marie: C’mon, he walked on water?
Me: Well, there’s a story to explain that…
Cordelia and Marie in unison: LA, la, la, la, la, la, la…. We don’t want to hear it.
They are 8 and 6. I cannot imagine thinking like that at their age. I bought the whole myth, hook, line and sinker. And I’m quite sure it would not have gone very well if I hadn’t.
Jolene surprised me with these yesterday, and she gave Dan a card that made him cry (doesn’t take much).
So, now it’s just us for a while. I have Pepper because Kathy and Dan are on a cruise through Canada. Kathy just texted that her sheets stink – oh, oh. Pepper loves Penny. I found him crying outside her bedroom door this morning.
So, I’ve had two big signs of relief recently: the publisher releasing me from the contract, and an email from the church board saying that two people volunteered to take over the auction. Yay!! Of course I will help with the transition, but the weight lifted is a big one. So, now my only real responsibility is facilitating the Soul Matters class. And even that is a lighter load as Lynne has agreed to co-facilitate, since I can’t do the October class. It’s going to be a good couple of months.
I’m visiting Connie on Monday, lunch with Anita and Lynne on Wednesday, Coffee Sangha on Thursday, Stephanie overnight on Friday and working in the garden with Pedro on Saturday. Stay tuned.