Columbia, South America was once known for drug production and kidnapping by its largest rebel group, FARC. Many wealthy Columbians escaped the violence by moving to South Florida. One of these families moved into our island neighborhood in Florida and very quickly became our dear, multifaceted friends.

Early in our friendship, we invited Isabella and Eduardo to a dinner party at our house so they could meet some of our island friends. As we were enjoying our dinner, wine and conversation, our golden retriever appeared at our patio door with a possum in her mouth. Isabella immediately jumped into action, asked my husband for a hammer, then took the possum from our dog’s mouth and quickly solved the problem. None of this was noticed by our other dinner guests.

A few weeks later we received a call from our Columbian friends inviting us to join them and a few other island friends for a dinner party at their house. The next day I received another call from Isabella asking if she could borrow some wine glasses for the party. This was followed by several other calls requesting to borrow dishes, flatware, and even cooking utensils. At that point, we offered to have their event at our house but Isabella insisted that they host it at their house. All of the dinner guests arrived at the appointed hour only to find Eduardo still in the shower. It was then we learned what was meant by South American time.

Eduardo and his family owned a large flower farm just outside Bogota and we were invited to visit their country home on the flower farm. The occasion happened to coincide with Columbia’s annual flower festival. We were greeted at the airport and quickly escorted by a chauffeur to an armored limousine. When we arrived at the flower farm, I was introduced to my personal guard who was armed with an automatic rifle and accompanied by a German Shepherd. You see my friends, at almost six feet tall and with long blond hair, I was a perfect target for kidnapping.

The flower festival held in Cartagena was an absolute feast for the eyes and the celebration continued for days to include a wild, adventurous ride on a Columbian party bus complete with live music, rum, and a beautiful dancing girl. A nightclub on wheels, if you will.

It was there that we got to know our friends much better. Eduardo is a renaissance man, a person of many talents, knowledge, and expertise. A man of culture with proficiency and interests in many fields. Eduardo is a luthier, a craftsman who designs and makes stringed instruments. He is also a gunsmith and with his skills has created everything from a small canon to a Kentucky long rifle.

Isabella is a deeply caring, thoughtful, and creative woman. She founded a non-profit camp for children with cancer. Her friends call her the flower child or granola girl in that she would rather camp out in the Everglades or go hunting with men than go shopping. She is an extraordinary cook but she has become accustomed to having a maid in Columbia, so cleanup stateside falls on her friends.

We have met a lot of individuals in our lifetime, most of whom are acquaintances while others become our friends. If you move from place to place as we have over the years, these friendships often become more distant. But some are true friends that withstand time and distance. Such is the case for us with Eduardo and Isabella.