It all started three years ago when we found a cottage for rent on VRBO. It looked perfect in the pictures. In addition to a quaint house/cottage there was a large deck/dock on a small lake, and a park nearby for walking.

My memory may be in the gloaming stage now but when it comes to our home away from home it is quite sharp. It turned out that K had her own compound, the one on the lake was her home and the one up the hill was the renters. She gave us, a quick hello, the keys and skittered off.  She also was a transplant for half the year in Florida, a golf pro, a singer, and a writer. A real dynamo.

This was also the year that her husband had died after a prolonged battle with Lou Gehrig disease. He was a local legend and respected police officer for 33. She was still wobbly but freely talked about some adventures they had. That summer she held a memorial at the lake, family and friends. Over the next month we will see her now and again. She gave us some good tips about the area and recommended the corn, particularly the cappuccino variety. HUH?

Oh yeah, this area of New York is quite rural, cows and broken-down barns easily outnumber the people. If you think the North Carolina pace of life is slow, come visit central, or more so, upstate New York. But it is our self-appointed oasis- and on that island was our dynamo and soon to be buddy.

In a couple weeks, she was building campfires and giving us tidbits about her life. She also was in creative mode, writing, strumming and singing, day and night. A few times, around a campfire she carefully built for us, she sang songs. Some were lighthearted but most ran introspective and deep. Though still emotionally wobbly, she was physically sturdy and constantly in motion, a whirling dervish that one.

By the end of our visit, she golfed some, played with her grandchildren and even performed in public at a local VFW and at Porch Fest. nerves aside she did great. And then we signed up for year 2. The second year was similar, we went to parks and waterfalls, ate out and enjoyed the lake. For some reason my crappy golf game became decent at a course overlooking Labrador Mountain. If I was a believer I’d call it God’s country.

Also of note was the fact that K was going on a giant hike in Spain soon. She called it El Camino (actually Camino de Santiago) and it winds through Portugal, France and Spain. It is also a major Christian pilgrimage rote (kind of like a mecca lite for Muslims). This was her jam.

She was broken but undaunted and headed to Spain for answers. The path itself is 500 miles; she was hoping to go 40 miles or was it 80 miles? Either way it made my head, feet and back hurt just thinking about it.  In preparation she was taking long hikes locally schlepping an oversized backpack full of bricks. There was also another burden that put the entire trip in jeopardy – she got hacked. Could she fix this in time to go overseas? Barely.

We wished her well before we headed to N.C and signed up for year 3. It was our best summer yet overall. Concerts, a truck parade, a road trip to Cooperstown were just a few.

What about El Camino? This was to be the final piece in her recovery, a spiritual journey. She would write poems, songs and maybe even a book about it. Surely, she did make it to Spain, walked beaucoup miles, met fellow pilgrims but not jumping for joy. I wouldn’t call it a bust but between the last-minute angst and heading to a new country may have been too much. Or not. It’s hard to be positive when you’re seeing red like she was

 This was a year of revelations for our landlord/friend. The first thing noticeable was her smile- it was back. The second thing was her vehicle or shall I say vehicles. Gone was the sharp sedan and in were a new pickup with rear seating and a Harley trike. And she looked different, younger and lighter. Lastly, it was her voice, it seemed fuller and more confident.

In case you are wondering, a trike is a motorcycle with one front wheel and two in the back. As far as the new look that may have been the byproduct of meeting a trike riding guy that lived in her giant Florida community. We met him, quite a solid chap. Whether it lasts or not time will tell- as she said it’s time to have fun now.

And she will.

Until year 4

JG

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