Todos Los Caminos Llevan a Casa (All Caminos Lead to Home)
June 28, 2012
Our flights home yesterday were uneventful – we were so exhausted and the opportunity to just sit, watch some movies, and sleep was welcome by all of us. George met us at the airport and offered to drive Susie home, but all we wanted to do was sleep, so she stayed the night.
I was up, though, for a late sunrise and, after being landlocked for 30 days, overwhelmed by the view of the Hampton Roads Harbor in front of our house. Susie was up, too, and like good pilgrims, we went outside to enjoy breakfast on the pier. She had been out for a walk in the neighborhood already and told me that about a block away, there was a yellow arrow painted in the street. We went to check it out. Sure enough, some road crews painted what looked to me like a Camino sign on Chesapeake Avenue and aimed it in the direction of my house. Huh.
But that's not all.
On the way to take Susie home, we stopped at Trader Joe's and Costco for groceries to fill our empty refrigerators. When we turn into her street, someone has taped a paper yellow arrow and shell on a mailbox, pointing to Susie's house. More messages, shells, and well wishes lead up her driveway and to her door. I asked her to turn for a picture and she beamed back at me with the biggest, happiest, “I'm Home!” grin ever.
Back at Chez Greene, Morgan is up and installing one of his favorite games (Portal) on my laptop that he insists I will have fun playing. He's planning to spend the night at Dominic's tonight and coaches me through the first levels of the game until it's time to go.
For all of you who have been following the saga of The Boy Who Fell Off the Pyrenees – here's the update on Dominic. Once he got back home, the US doc removed his Spanish “dinosaur” cast and exchanged it for a lighter version. He's been in a wheelchair until just last week. In fact, he started walking the day Morgan stopped walking. I should have taken a picture when I was there, cause he looks great. There's the removal of the extra screw the Spanish doctor put in (in some countries they leave it in, but Dominic's doctor wants it out) and that should be the last of Dominic's medical care. We're all glad to hear that his bones have healed 100%.
Meeting friends for dinner, there are many questions about the Camino. It's not easy condensing such a complex experience into just a few sentences; I'm better at answering specific questions. Fortunately, most of the group has been reading this blog; it makes it easier.
It seems that only now, with everyone who set out from St. Jean Pied de Port are home and the house stocked with provisions, that my Spanish Camino has truly ended. Now the challenge is to integrate the peace and sense of harmony (yes, Australian Kathy!) into my day to day life at home in Virginia. I have cleared my schedule for the month of July so that I will have the time and space to do this.
However, it's not quite the end of the blog. I have three more posts to bring this story full circle and provide closure, at least for here. Stay tuned!
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Practicing Travel 
Que tu conserves la paz que el santo te regalo’
July 10, 2012 at 3:28 pm
That will be covered in one of the next blog posts! Stay tuned.
July 10, 2012 at 4:06 pm