I am just about at the halfway point: three weeks since returning from New Orleans, three weeks till I leave for Tanzania. Time to catch up!
The last two days in New Orleans passed in a flurry of activity. On Friday we treated the volunteers to a full-out Cajun meal: two kinds of shrimp, potatoes, corn on the cob... and alligator nuggets! (Breaded and fried, alligator is quite tasty. It tastes like alligator.) Everyone's taste buds seemed to relish the adventure; there were no leftovers. Dessert was ice cream with praline sauce.
Saturday I toured the beautiful Honey Island swamp and met "Al."
The next day I drove for about 12 hours and spend the night in northern Kentucky, where I treated myself to a comfortable hotel room and a Mexican dinner -- alas, no Corona because it was a "dry county." (Yet there was a big sign by the road saying "You are three miles from the biggest gun collection in the tri-state area." Go figure!)
I arrived home on a Monday. On Tuesday Marlee flew in from LA for a two-week visit, on Wednesday Marlee's friend Mitch arrived, and early Thursday morning the four of us (Brian, Alison, Marlee, Mitch) piled into the car and drove to Duxbury, Massachusetts, home of Brian's sister Kate. Two days in Duxbury included some beach time,attendance at a wedding (Kate, Marlee and Mitch), a great anniversary-celebrating seafood dinner (Brian and Alison), a barbecue with three of Brian's siblings and their partners and some of Kate's friends, and lots of laughter, story-telling, and dogs. We drove home Sunday July 3rd; in scheduling the trip we missed both Canada Day and Independence Day, so no fireworks this year. Oh well.
After two days at home Marlee and I drove to Ann Arbor for a quick overnight visit with my parents. Back in Waterloo we prepared for and hosted an awesome backyard barbecue.
Marlee is now back in LA. It was a whirlwind visit but a good one. We will see her next at Christmas time -- I'll be home from Tanzania for a couple of weeks then too.
My time at home has included African drumming classes (a new passion), workout classes, squash games, not practicing violin enough, running errands to get ready for Tanzania, meeting with a friend who is tutoring me in Swahili, and picking raspberries in our garden. I have enjoyed getting together with various friends and am looking forward to more.
I have been able to visit my dear, beloved 91-year-old friend Marion in the hospital where she is recovering from heart surgery. Though she is thin and exhausted, her eyes have lost none of their incredible luster and the love within shines out no less brightly. Unstoppable till almost 90, a connector with people and a celebrator of life, Marion is my role model. I an glad I'll get to see her again before I go.
There is sadness too in the midst of this life. Recent email brought the news of the death of an old friend. Richard and I worked together almost twenty years ago, and were in the habit of meeting two or three times a year, over drinks or a good Indian meal, to talk about music, culinary experiments, travel, and life's follies. Richard was a singer and loved good choral music. Requiem aeternum dona ei.
An epic three weeks indeed. The lesson here: don't wait so long between blog posts! The next three weeks promise to be full as well. Departure date for Tanzania: August 8th.
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