Leaving

Tara and Maya on the Beach

More goodbyes. Everyone was sad today. My parents flew back to Edmonton where it is 25 degrees below zero. Although I am not sure it would feel any colder there than it has these last few days in Florida. Perhaps because we expect it to be warm amongst the palm trees and the sand, it is stunning that the temperatures are as low as they are, and along with the humidity, the cold seeps into the bones. I remember that the frighteningly low temperatures in Edmonton were much more tolerable than one would expect, perhaps because the air is dry rather than humid.

Tara, Maya and I had our last walk down the beach for cappuccino and ice cream and a stroll to the jetty. There were fishermen there, but also a very patient pelican waiting for its prey in the wild surf. Eric would say that today was a windsurfing day, but I saw one lonely kite boarder flying.

The house is emptying. The kitchen is almost too clean and organized. I baked chocolate chip cookies for the children and for my father-in-law who asks for them whenever he visits. I wanted to use everything that I had bought while I was here, but there is much left over. My parents left for the airport around 3, very anxious and worried about the flight home. I took another walk on the beach and then washed all the shells that I had collected, wondering what to do with them. I do not want to throw them away but it is impractical to bring them to Quito.

We ate Thai food with the Fortunes for the evening and said more goodbyes and discussed plans for future visits, after having such a wonderful two weeks celebrating together.

I am happy to visit friends and colleagues in Baltimore, but I am also eager to return to our lives in Quito, get back into a routine, back to our new home.

Pelican Waiting