So what did happen after all?

 So what has happened

Takotsubo-  The biggest surprise and not in a good way. A bad, bad way. Not exactly how I was set to start off my year of freedom! .  A little trip down to see Michael brining his brother and his friend Will.  It was hot 96 degrees with very high humidity.  I set off on what the ranger had told me was a 5.2 mile hike in the Shenandoah National Park.  I experienced what i thought was heat exhaustion but what turned out to be heart failure. I was only in the hospital for one night, but it shook my confidence deeply.

Mindy and Family visit- When I was in the hospital they arrived. I was released and sat in the backyard that night.  It was a warm July night and it was nice to sit outside surrounded by family. Life goes on. 

  Mark's car accident - a phone call from Mark's phone. A woman.  She couldn't hear me and disconnected. I was alarmed, he had just left for school.  I called Steve and he thought maybe Mark had just lost his phone.  10 minutes later and its Steve telling me that the police had reached him and that Mark was in a serious car accident. Another major concussion. 3 days in the hospital. 

Matt Moves to Manhattan - His plan to wait a few years to move did not not pan out. His classmate found a nice relatively affordable Manhattan apartment and he was off to new adventures.  I miss him, but he is good about coming home and saying in touch. 

France - Cara, oh Cara "Can I go to Paris for NYE?"  turned into Michael, Chris, Cara and myself spending 10 days in France split between Strasburg and Paris.  Cold but truly beautiful. 

Surgery - Nightmare, recovery was tough. The acute phases were expected but the lingering effects were disheartening. I put on weight from not moving around and it is not budging.  

U of R drama and lake house- Cara's roommates turned on her. It was maybe the most heartbreaking thing I had ever seen.   I rented us a house so she could get a break. It was beautiful and right on the lake in VA. Cara has unbelievable grace under fire. 

Mahjong- Finally found a group to play with and then jumped in to a continuing ed class with Pat. I can say I know the rules but maybe not the strategy. 

Vespa- we bought a Vespa. We had been considering this but it became more real when we realized we had more car demand than cars. Michael has been successfully using it down at Richmond.  Maybe driving too fast but he is pretty good at driving it. 

RIT Graduation- Chris graduated though he is still at RIT, he has learned and grown up so much I can hardly recognize him, though his laid back and kind vibe always shine through. Michael and Cara were able to make it and we had a fun weekend. We hit the museum of play and had a nice dinner at Limoncellos. 

Motorcycle License Cara and Michael got there ML and then Steve and I did!  What a hard class that lasted all weekend. Steve and I were both nervous that we didn't pass, but indeed we both got almost perfect scores!  Crazy. 

Mindy/Ella Visit- Mindy came back with just her daughter .  It was a fun weekend. We saw the Great Gatsby and the girls got in a surf lesson. We hosted a little bbq and the whole family got together . It was really nice. 

Nicaragua - After dropping Michael off at college and RIT grad I needed a quick getaway.  Cara and I went on a yoga/surf trip.  It was interesting, With the cold plunge and the sweat lodge and the cacao ceremony. 

Joe's Wedding - a few day trip to great old MB.  Chris was the only one that couldn't make it. We stayed in a condo on the beach.  The wedding was fun and so was all of the MB classics. Matt Varney joined us for a bit which was fun. Our flight home was cancelled, a first for me. We rallied and made the most of our situation. 

Camera -Picked up a camera at Dick's Pawn shop in Myrtle Beach. From Guns to diamond rings. 

High School? Leaving my dear friends? They love and respect me. I will miss them so much.  At the HS I think I will be the only therapist of any kind. It could be lonely. But I would only be going to my school 2 days per week.  I think I should roll the dice, if only because I love rolling the dice. 

Ok, 25% of the events so far were bad. 13% were decisions that were/are consuming. 30% involved travel. All involved learning. Learning Mahjong, camera basics, the history of play, what my nieces and nephews are up to, how to drive a motorcycle, what cacao ceremony is, how the people of Nicaragua are doing, bird identification (though not included I started going to Audubon events), what Takotsubo is and how it is treated, what Townsend Harris is like, the history of play, I saw Paris and learned more about my families origin, I was reminded of the great story telling in the Great Gatsby, and how awesome the beach is. 

I read about free diving, cosmology, oceanography, the life of plants and how they feel and their intelligence, I have explored the natural world through books and watching. I hope my camera takes me further in to the natural world. 

Coming up

Porch

Cara leaves

Letch worth State Park

North South Lake

The Castle at Consensus NY, Letchworth State Park

Just a Trip to the Park

I had heard that Letchworth state park was the "Grand Canyon of the East".  So with Chris wrapping up his time at RIT we should try to get up there. We did.  The park though not quite living up to the tag line was indeed beautiful.  Lots of photo opportunities. 

The Castle at Consensus

However it never held a candle to the Airbnb that I found.  It of course starts out with me trying to find cheap digs for a quick getaway, when this beauty caught my eye.  Billed a castle and coming in at $546  for the entire 3 nights well I was warily sold.  I booked and got denied followed by a message asking us to rebook using the sight unseen small group booking option. Fine. I warned the traveling party that I had no idea what to expect. 

We drove up to the 110,000 square foot decommissioned monastery. It sits on 20 acres and is abutted by a nature preserves and state lands. We were met around the back in front of the 6 bay garage and shown our rooms. Threes separate rooms on the third floor with private bathrooms. A shared kitchen and communal sitting area. The dogs were allowed to run free in the building and out. The sheets were clean and the bathrooms looked clean enough. It was dusty and worn-out. There was an amazing amount of stuff everywhere from an old car parked on the patio to boats, a crane, motorcycles. Inside was antiques and old plastic toys.   We stayed on the building to the left, on the right were "private residences" There was also a huge guest house, a pavilion. 

Get on the Bus, Forget About Us and Put the Blame on Me

There was a bus with a stone wall built around it. There were chickens and cats And there were crumbling grottos in the woods .  Actual grottos, some several rooms big. 

Crumbling Grottos-Seriously

 

The Devil Went Down to Dansville

I don't think that I can actually leave this post without mentioning Dansville, Tina Markle who apparently is making deals with the actual devil.  Not to mention the town as a whole which is involved with not just the KuKlukKlan but the Mafia and the illuminati, pretty impressive for such a small town. Which a may have believed if it wasn't the accusation against Martin Luther , of Lutheranism fame ,was a member of the Kukulkan as well. Now here is where I draw the line. 

An altogether creepy and fun time was had.  I have to mention that this trip was not for the delicate. The place we stayed at was fascinating but not luxurious by anyone's definition. I am grateful that everyone in my family can handle tough situations, I believe it helps us have a wider variety of experiences.  I am also grateful for the dogs. They make everything more fun.  They loved hiking off leash and the freedom to roam the building. Jo was a trooper and they both hiked miles in the heat and were ready for more.