Plan B - On the Road Again

Had we followed Plan A, we'd be in the UK heading for SE Asia. However, after Bill's departure, we felt it would be better to stay close to family and friends and devised Plan B. Jeff flew to Seattle and picked up the car while I finished up Bill's project of getting our family's house in the market in Florida. (Anyone need a nice little home in Florida, our dad built it so it has good bones.) Jeff drove across the country and we rendezvous-ed in beautiful Cleveland to see my sister.

Karen and Olive

Cleveland is a great little city. Karen lives on the westside in Avon Lake and works at American Greetings. It was "take your sister to work afternoon" when I flew in so I got to see the inner AG workings... fun for me!  During our visit, we got to see the fabulous (and free!) Cleveland Art Museum, the Westside Market (rivals Pike Place) and enjoy fall walks in a few gems of the emerald necklace. Mostly it was nice just to be with Karen and her wonder-cat Olive in her sweet, comfy home.

From there we traveled along Lake Erie by Buffalo and headed east into the Adirondacks. Neither of us had been there before and the fall leaves were breathtaking. We stayed near Friend's Lake and did some hiking and biking in the unseasonably warm weather.

Jan and John Stewart and our bonus day on Casco Bay

After a beautiful drive across southern Vermont and New Hampshire, with fall leaves in full glory, it was great to see the water again in Portland, Maine. We came here to visit John and Jan Stewart. John and Jeff went to SIU together "back in the day" and we'd visited them in Nicaragua in March. The Stewarts live along the bayside of Portland and can see their sailboat moored offshore, from their front porch. Sweet. It seems like a good life here in Portland, very walkable, bikeable city with friendly folks and a sense of quirkiness not unlike the other Portland (OR). We had a bonus fall day of 70 degree weather to sail with them on Casco Bay, incredibly beautiful day and another sunny bike ride down to the Cape Elizabeth lighthouse. Lots of laughs and good conversations, as always with them.

We cast again tomorrow for Long Island to visit my of 30 years, Karen Allen, and enjoy time with her. The rest of Plan B includes driving back to Atlanta to visit LuAnne and then flying to Bonaire, in the Netherlands Antilles 11/7-12/5. Once back in the US, we'll drive back to Seattle where we will get to housesit for our housesitters while they travel. Looking forward to visiting friends and family, bonus deal.  In the new year we will fly to Aukland, New Zealand on 1/7/15 and back from Sydney, Australia on 4/27/15. At least that's our plan, we will see what really happens this time!

Rich Lake in the central Adirondacks, photos don't seem to do fall colors justice! 

The real journey begins

I have been trying to write this post for over a month now. What would I say about my brother after his death? Not a post I want to write but here goes.
We traveled to Atlanta 8/25 to help Bill and Lu Anne fight this leukemia fight. I was found to be a bone marrow match so we were planning to come to Atlanta for the months it was going to take to get him well enough for the surgery. That wasn't to be and sadly he left the planet on 9/3, surrounded by people who loved him. He is no longer suffering and I am happy for that. It was so hard to see my vibrant, strong brother reduced to a shell of a body.

Easter 1964-ish

Now a new journey begins, how do I move forward without my brother? One step at a time beginning with this post.
Bill, Billiam, Billy Bob. Born as William Monroe Rowlett III. I knew him as my big brother. As kids, I was enough of a tomboy that I wanted to follow him everywhere (You know how that arrangement usually works out!). Bill never yelled at me, or was cruel to me to get me to leave him alone, not his style. He simply found other ways to elude me. Smart boy.
He was an impish little kid and loved to tease and prank both his little sister and our oldest sister Karen. Every summer as kids we were piled into the back of the family car and were driven to Alabama, North Carolina and several times to New England and eastern Canada. I can remember one family summer vacation where he tickled me from Florida to New Hampshire. I wasn't ticklish after that. He toughened me up. I remember learning to ski with him, he'd take me up a lift and once at the top, I'd find out it was a double black diamond. I had to find a way down. He helped me learn I could get down anything. Thank you Bill.

As adults, I really saw what Bill was capable of when we started that inevitable journey of aging parents and eldercare. Bill was right there, taking on what needed done and never failing to show up. He brought himself, even when he didn't want to or didn't think he needed too. He gave me courage to do the same.
Bill was an amazing husband, father, friend, employee, and whatever else he was. Mentor. He touched many people. His good friend/brother Jim Crumbley posted this beautiful tribute to Billness on his blog, he says it way better than I can. Patient, kind, always looking to lighten things up with a joke. Very slow to anger. These are the traits of inner Billness.
At Emory Hospital, in Bill's final hours I looked around the 9 other people that were there, surrounding his bed, and felt such gratitude for how Bill lived his life and how he was deeply loved. His last breath seemed very peaceful. Now the journey begins to live from my inner Billness and be grateful for the 55 years that I was lucky enough to have him as my bro.

Bill and LuAnne in their happy place.