LORNA & BILL

Over the past 40+ years as I've traveled on tours & cruises around the world, fellow travelers would exchange contact information during the trip vowing to keep in touch. In reality I've learned that very rarely happens. So much so that our last few trips I haven't even asked for or shared my email & phone number. On our recent Iceland, Greenland & Norway cruise Lou handed out his cards to our table mates. He hasn't heard from anyone yet.

There are two notable exceptions to this in my estimated sixty or so trips. One was a Carnival Caribbean cruise in March of 2016. We booked the cruise fairly late & the anytime dining choice was sold out. Lou & I normally take this option since we can often get a table for two & like to say that we prefer each others company rather than strangers. But maybe it's just because our kindergarten report cards had the "Doesn't play well with others" box checked.

We were seated at a table for eight on this cruise. It happened that Lou & I sat opposite a delightful woman named Helen & her husband, Weldon on the first evening. Helen & I hit if off like old friends, enjoyed each other's company & talked nonstop. Some of our other table mates thought we were traveling together. We did exchange info & regularly comment on each others Facebook pages but I wouldn't say that we "keep in touch" closely. Although I would love cruising with them again sometime!

The traveling companion who is still my regular correspondent after 7 & 1/2 years is Lorna. We met Lorna & her husband, Bill, from Michigan, on a Danube River Cruise for my 60th birthday. The river boat was small, I think around 200-300 cruisers. Dinner was always open seating & less than halfway through we started gravitating toward finding each other at the same table.

Lou & I were impressed that Bill was just a few months shy of his 90th birthday & here he was on a two week river cruise in Europe! If my math is correct, Lorna was about 12 or 13 years younger than him. They told us that this would likely be their last big trip. Wow, that's fantastic! I hope I'm still traveling the world at 89 years old!

A couple of things about Bill are etched in my mind. At one port in Bulgaria, the tour included a hike up to the top of a beautiful mountain. It wasn't super strenuous but it had me huffing & puffing a few times until we reached the top for the gorgeous views. As we took it all in, we turned around & there was Bill at the top! He had his little device that doubled as a cane & a three-legged seat when you unfolded it & he was enjoying the scenery as well You go, Bill!

As we conversed over dinners, Lorna pointed out that Bill had a shunt in his head to drain fluid for Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus just like my dad does. His had been caught early & really helped to reverse some of his symptoms allowing him to still enjoy traveling. Wine was included with dinner &, of course, we indulged regularly. Also regularly, Bill would knock his glass of wine over! The waiters would run over, wipe it up & pour him another one. It really endeared me to him.

But the real jewel of that trip was Lorna. She has emailed me regularly for 7 plus years, always complimenting me on my blog posts. Numerous times, she has thanked me for allowing her to travel along with us over the years or related her stories of their trip to the same places in the past. 

Sadly, Bill passed away this past February at the age of 96. Lorna has since moved to Texas to be closer to her children & grandchildren. She still keeps in touch, just recently emailing to make sure we weren't affected by the terrible wildfires in Northern California. We have really become friends over the years & I look forward to hearing from her.

I am always heartened to see an email from Lorna each time I include her in my blog post emails. It often says "sent from my iPad". How cool is that to be 80-something & sending emails from your iPad? She has told me if she stops writing it is likely because she is incapacitated or dead.

Lou & I are planning a trip to Texas next May to take in a Giants-Astros game & do some sightseeing that will take us through the town where Lorna is living. I asked her if she would like us to stop by for a visit. She was thrilled & so am I!. It's one of the things I'm really looking forward to on that trip.