Circle Closure

This week in Pescadero has been our first time here since Gary passed and we attended his memorial down here a year ago in March.  On our first full day here we found ourselves walking back from the beach in a rather circuitous way that led us past Gary's place.  Seeing cars parked outside, we thought maybe his kids were around and we would stop in and say hello.  Instead some people we'd never seen before greeted us.  We told them what we were doing and they said, "Come on in and we'll tell you the story.  Would you drink a Pacifico?"  Funny how the story telling tradition lives on in that place, even with new owners!

Yesterday while walking back from town we commented on how we really hadn't been passed by anyone going our way that could even offer us a ride.  About then, two cars approached going the oppposite direction, one right behind the other.  We gave the habitual wave as the first car went by, but wait......that jack-o-lantern grin......yes!  It was Lupe Gary's former handy man, driving what used to be Gary's car!  As he drove by we could hear his excited voice exclaiming, "Oh, mis amigos!" He immediately pulled over, jumped out of his car and ran back to hug and greet us.  He even had to tell the driver of the car behind him that we were his friends.  Turns out, the woman in the car behind him had Chica in the car with her!  After Lupe told us that was Chica in the way back of the car that had passed, we asked him what had happened to Einstein, Gary's "talking" donkey.  Again that big smile, "He's with me!  I have him up in the mountains."  Einstein was a favorite of all the gringoes who walked past his pasture there at Gary's, so he was used to plenty of human attention.  When I asked Lupe if Einstein was happy there, Lupe said, "Oh yes!  He is with my horses."

And so now the circle of Gary is closed and we continue to hold his memory in our hearts as we search out new adventures, meet new friends and form more relationships down here.

This is where Einstein lived when Gary owned him.  The sign  says E=MCsquared