From the West to the East, and Back Again

Almost thirteen months after our departure on our excellent adventure, we flew east from New Mexico on Thanksgiving Day, landing in Boston in time for a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner at Keith's brother's cozy home in Somerville. With our niece visiting from Port-au-Prince where she works with the Haitians on rebuilding their country, and our nephew on break from college in Washington, DC, it was like "old home week", made even more delightful by the presence of our son and daughter-in-law who had flown from Albuquerque to Boston just two days prior to us.

Our lovely daughter-in-law Bevin and handsome son Rene

Our good friends Deborah and Nancy

Keith and his brother Ken

Having ten days to see everyone we wanted to see and do everything we needed and wanted to do, it was a tall order to accomplish it all and manage to be fully present for each encounter with family and friends without allowing our minds to wander too much to the next destination.

The first few days in New England were relatively easy, and our time in Boston and Manchester-by-the-Sea flew by. Walking on Singing Beach in Manchester with our dear friends and visiting with our god-daughters was joyful, but we were still quietly daunted by the next leg of the journey.

With our friends Maria and Vint

Keith's goddaughters, Andi and Vikki

A five-hour drive to New Jersey on the Monday after Thanksgiving delivered us to the hospital where Keith's father was dealing with some serious health issues, and we were closely involved in his transfer to a nearby rehab facility. Unfortunately, our itinerary prevented us from lingering too long, and it was most difficult to leave him in the rehab, miserable and lonely, as we made our way to Brooklyn in order to visit a very dear friend who is waging a battle against metastatic ovarian cancer.

Having only twenty-four hours with our friend was bittersweet, but we were quickly able to adjust to her skeletal body and see that her spirit is intact, and no matter her outer appearance, she's still "in there", with the same sweet smile and loving manner. Being entertained by her delightful grandchildren, the two cherubic children were an antidote to our weariness and opened our hearts for a visit that lifted all of our spirits, even as Keith became ill with apparent bronchitis and our subsequent destinations beckoned us away.

Exhausted, we drove north to Western Massachusetts and our beloved Pioneer Valley, spending the night at the Pioneer Valley Cohousing community, a stay made all the more enjoyable by the hospitality of good friends.

Once in the Valley, Keith's illness became worse, and it became apparent that Mary would need an emergency root canal. As if orchestrated by powers beyond our control (as it most likely indeed was), Mary was able to undergo urgent dental surgery by the best root canal specialist in Massachusetts, surgery that immediately resolved the pain that had been incrementally increasing over the last few months, coming to an excruciating head during our visit. (Thanks to this masterful oral surgeon, Mary was able to avoid the astronomical pain that the high altitude of the flight home to Albuquerque would have certainly caused.)

During our few brief days in Western Mass, we were able to revisit the home of our friend David who took his own life last November several weeks following our departure, as well as spend some time with an elderly disabled friend who brought a joyful lift to our spirits.

David, one month prior to his death

Amidst Keith's illness and Mary's pain, our very dear friends hosted a heartwarming and wonderful party in our honor, and we were able to spend an unforgettable evening with more than 20 friends who arrived with delicious food, drinks, smiling faces and open arms. The conversations and sharing were deep that night, and a circle towards the end of the gathering allowed many to share life updates, memories and stories with the entire group.

Finally, as our ten day sojourn came to a close, it was time to face the ultimate test: our 10 x 10 storage unit. Sorting and repacking the flotsam and jetsam of our lives in the damp, cold New England air was no picnic, but we were able to successfully fit everything into a 6 x 8 x 10 space on an 18-wheeler moving truck which will deliver our worldly goods to our New Mexican storage unit in just under a week. It was a Herculean effort, but it will bring us great peace of mind to have all of our things where we can access them, rather than sitting in a damp storage bin 2,000 miles away.

Even though it was a stretch, to say the least, dealing with our stuff now clears the way for more uninterrupted quality time with friends and family during future visits to the East Coast. We look forward to certain special things being once again in our possession, including our super-duper juicer, German vacuum cleaner, and some beloved art that will soon grace the walls of our casita.

We are so grateful to our friends and family who hosted us, treated us with such love, and who made this trip wonderful despite the physical and emotional challenges that confronted us along the way. We honestly had some trepidation that our visit to New England would engender some wistful nostalgia, perhaps triggering the feeling that completely relocating to the West was not necessarily what we ultimately desire. However, what resulted from this trip back East was the cementing of the notion that we can continue to nurture and grow the many wonderful friendships that will no doubt mature into lifelong connections regardless of geographic distance.

Absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder, and this also applies to our return to New Mexico. Flying over the breathtaking mesas and mountains, we did actually feel like we were coming home, and Tina greeted us happily with a wagging tail and her ubiquitous and unending desire for treats.

It wasn't easy, but the trip was extremely successful, and we feel incredibly blessed and grateful for the wonderful people in our lives. Now we will settle in for our first New Mexican winter, and continue to allow our lives to unfold as they will. It's good to be back.

Some Resplendent Maine Foliage

 

Final Weekends in New England

As our time in New England comes to a close, we find ourselves traveling every weekend, visiting friends, saying goodbye, and retracing our steps through favorite haunts. 

Last weekend, we visited Brattleboro, Vermont to make our peace with the town where our dear friend Woody was murdered. Comic relief was provided by my old art-school friend Harry Bliss, a famous cartoonist for The New Yorker and Playboy who gave a hilarious talk at the Brattleboro Literary Festival. We also connected with friends who we originally met in the aftermath of Woody's death, and their support and love is so very appreciated. It was a bittersweet visit in some ways, but a full circle was drawn, and we left with satisfied and healed hearts, especially after a memorable and positive visit to the church where Woody died. 

This weekend, we are in bike-friendly and beautiful Portland, Maine, spending precious time with our wonderful friend, Annie, previously pictured in this post. Memorably resplendent and brilliant foliage was a highlight this afternoon, and photos from that walk are pending uploading and editing, so stay tuned. 

Next weekend, while Mary is at Rowe Camp and Conference Center at a writing workshop with none other than Marge Piercy, I will be in Montreal to visit a friend who I have not seen since 1988 (who I originally met in southern Portugal in 1985) and who just recently found me on Facebook.

These are rich times filled with glorious autumn colors, wonderful friendships, and bittersweet goodbyes. We're so thankful for this time, these opportunities to connect, and the open road that lies ahead.

---Keith

On the Bridge

How the heck are you?

For us, the complicated storms of downsizing and simplifying are, at long last, coming to a gentle close! Thank God! The house is sold, the rig is almost road ready, our day jobs are ending, our bodies are recovering, our minds are more at ease, and these glorious New England autumn afternoons are leading us closer by the moment to our imminent departure. Thank Goddess! The now fading phase of radically reducing our material possessions was pretty darn significant and taxing, to be sure--and not recommended for the faint of heart. But, how meaningful is all of that if we don't lighten our load from within as well? Now it is time to clear out from inside to make room for the burgeoning abundance that is just waiting to greet us.

As we walk on this bridge into a new lifestyle of less stuff and more freedom, we are easing into being more self-sufficient with our little home on wheels and will need to rely on our inner resources to generate what we need, welcoming plenty of serendipity and spiritual support for the road. Successful self-employment looms on the horizon as do many happy reunions, new friends, beautiful places and more time for the simple enjoyment of life. The time is perfect to lay down our burdens which, for me, pretty much just boil down to my old belief systems, wounds and attachments, is all. :0 All of that be damned, for I am walking this bridge under the rainbow that arches overhead, into the light of the new day and all the splendor, wonder and abundance that await us on the bright horizon! Hope to see you there!

Love,

Mary