“Hallo. My name is Indigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”
Most of us are familiar with this oft repeated phrase from the movie “The Princess Bride”. However, Indigo utters another quote while the masked man climbs the Cliffs of Insanity. It has been going through my head all morning, “I hate waiting.”
We are ready to go. The bikes are disassembled and in their boxes. Carry-on bags are devoid of knifes, excessive fluid ounces and sharp objects. Money belts are secured around our waists. Unfortunately, it is only Tuesday. We fly out Thursday. I hate waiting.
Always a concern is leaving your house empty for an extended period of time. Last year, the principal of Toledo High School, Martin Huffman, stayed in our house while we hiked the PCT. Of course, that trip was during the school year, April, May and June. Martin does not need a summer place. But, fortune has smiled upon us again.
Warning!! Nerdy history lesson approaching!! Proceed with caution!
Louis IVX of France channeled a considerable chunk of 17th century France’s GDP into building the ultimate governing palace in Versailles. This opulent, sprawling palace became the governing center of France, and the envy of all European Monarchs of the time. The court moved out of the Tuileries in Paris and governed from Versailles for the next 100 years. By the time Louis the XVI took over, the palace was a center of intrigue, ritual and hangers-on. 19 year old Marie Antoinette, Louis the XVI’s queen, wanted to escape the everyday craziness of Louis and the court of Versailles, so she frequented the Petite Trianon, a smaller version of the palace built in the decade before she was crowned queen. It is not far from the grand palace, less than a ten minute walk. Here she found the solitude and quiet she sought.
Although the scale and grandeur is slightly reduced, we have a similar situation here in Toledo. Kenny and Mary Shipp built a magnificent house next to us in 2005. It has a footprint about 3 times the size of ours. We often joke that we live in the caretaker’s cottage for the estate house next door.
"There was never a child so lovely, but his mother was glad to get him asleep."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Sara and Jen are staying with Mary and Kenny for the coming months. Oh yes, and so is newborn and incredibly cute Charlie Jean. The musings of Emerson suggest that one or more of those four will need to pull a Marie Antoinette and visit the "Petite Trianon" next door for an evening of solitude and quiet. Thus, our house is occupied this summer. Thank you Shipp's and Zea's for staying in our house this summer.
Today, we moved with quiet deliberation as we slowly completed items on our list of to dos before we could leave. By 6 o'clock, our list was exhausted. We loaded bike boxes and bags into the van and headed north to Sammamish for a night's stay at Jeff and Jackie's. Jackie met us in the street as we pulled into the guest parking area at twilight. After a nice visit, we all retired to our beds for the night. We are on our way. The waiting is over.
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