A photo of my late husband, John. We were hiking in Königsforst in Germany. Always a good sport, he posed with my gnomes who were hunting for mushrooms.
This story will get around to the central theme of this blog - offspring tourism - but first some background.
In early November 2022, my husband, John, died from brain cancer. As time with him became more precious toward the end, I stopped writing this blog in favor of spending time with him walking, talking, eating, sleeping and laughing. We both found moments of levity and humor, even in the dire situation we faced. In a recorded Zoom video, John even mentioned how we were keeping things “hilarious.” Obviously, his death is not hilarious and I miss him terribly.
Through January this year, I had a house full of supportive friends and family staying with me, cooking for me, and helping me in so many ways for which I will always be grateful. They still support me, but sooner or later, everyone must go home and get back to their own lives and leave me to grieve in my own way, alone.
By late January, I realized I wanted to celebrate my 70th birthday in early February with daughters and friends in New York. I also longed to hold my grandchildren who live in Germany, but I had a few obstacles in the way. I needed a house sitter and to do my taxes. A lovely friend solved problem one and was happy to stay in my house, water the plants and use my hot tub for six weeks. I asked for an extension on submitting my taxes, got it, and booked my flights.
My adventures with my offspring spanned New York, Hawaii, and Germany with a bonus trip to Amsterdam alone. I will write about it all in my upcoming posts. I needed to write this post to break the ice and overcome the anxiousness I felt about getting back to this project.
Thank you for your patience, kindness and support.
John was a man like gnome other! ❤️🩹❤️