Tempus Fugit

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the things you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Mark Twain

Gosh, we don’t know if we even have 20 years left! Almost certainly not 20 active years. We lost two years to the pandemic, so need to make up for lost time with an ambitious and exciting journey.

Isn’t there risk? Sure. The plane could fall out of the sky; a terrorist could blow up the cafe we’re in; we could pick up Covid from another person’s sneeze. Overall, these are risks we are willing to take. Concerning Covid, we are confident that we are maximally shielded, being healthy and strong for our age, and with the gold standard of vaccine plus booster protection. Masking and distancing will help a lot.

Moreover, our first destinations – Ecuador and Chile – have vaccination rates of 82% and 92%, respectively, which compares shockingly favorably to the rate of 43% in Nacogdoches County, our home. (What a very sad commentary on US society ….. and perhaps reason enough to get away from it for a while.)

All that said, we will not be surprised to test positive at some point along the way; if so, our plan is to recover quickly and pick up where we left off.

Initially, we head south of the border (which is the name of this blog chapter in Spanish, al Sur de la frontera). First major stop will be the Galapagos; from there we make our way even further south through Chile, then cross the ocean to Cape Town, gateway to the people, wildlife and haunting landscapes of Africa. From there, our schedule is open; will make the call as to further wandering later, but we do expect to be gone at least 5 months and maybe a couple more…..

Henry’s daughter Holly and husband Matt will join us for the first 10 days or so as we explore the Galapagos.

Our faithful canine companion from pandemic isolation, Raider, has returned to the family that originally rescued and loves him (Henry’s son Cliff, his wife Laura and two kids, Mallori and Jake). And yes, we are both quite sad to bid him farewell. He has been there for every moment of peace, frustration, joy, and disillusionment over more than two years, always with a steady and comforting presence.

For a short while, we had another little friend with us, a scarred and badly-neglected chihuahua mix who showed up at our front door, bleeding and emaciated. We ended up calling him Basil Pesto. We took care of his medical needs and helped him reestablish trust with humans….. but could not keep him because of our travel schedule. My dear friend Jane connected us with the animal welfare equivalent of the Underground Railroad…. Basil Pesto ended up making the trip in a caravan from Houston all the way to the middle of Michigan, where kind people will find him a loving and responsible home very soon. More tears as we said adieu…

Both pups will be well cared for….. we are sorry to see them go, but compelled to pursue new adventures.

But first, we must clear the Covid hurdles and navigate the possible ice storm that threatens our area. If all goes to plan, we fly to Miami on Friday and Guayaquil, Ecuador on Saturday.

Wish us luck, dear friends, and stay tuned!