Carol and her Casita

It’s sometimes a revelation when you’ve known someone in one context (the Peninsula, say) and then you visit them in a completely different environment.  Take our friends, Carol and Ray, for instance.  We’ve known them for close on to thirty years as ‘friends from Seaview’ – beach people through and through, as in living, working, partying, and being involved in our greater community in a big way.  We couldn’t quite wrap our heads around their move to the Southwest.

We knew (as you do with friends) that they had lived in Utah previously.  But that was ‘then’ and made little impact on our relationship.  Then they moved.  We missed them, as you do with folks who have become a part of your life in that easy way of intermittent associations in a variety of contexts.  No longer could we invite them to House Concerts and Christmas parties.  When the wallpaper at the church needed repair, there was no Ray to the rescue.  We got our news of them through mutual friends or via cyberspace.

Ray with Marimba

As we formulated our plans for a short road trip to the Southwest, visiting Carol and Ray loomed large on our travel horizon. And, as expected, they are ‘as usual’ – the conversations and laughter picked up where they had left off four years ago.  It’s just that their lives now have a Southwest flavor.  Like ‘The Casita’—the charming little art studio with the bright blue door that Ray built for Carol in the backyard.

Or how about the marimba Ray is building in the garage out of recycled wood and PVC pipes painted silver?  With a little help from directions on YouTube.   Now that was impressive!  “Do either of you play?” we asked.   “Oh no,” said Carol, “but I’ll learn.  It’ll be fun at parties.”

Wow!  So Ray! So Carol!  With the perfect Southwest flavor – or are there Caribbean overtones here?  Whatever… It’s all perfect.