As the Eagles sing in Hotel California, “seeing old friends is good for the soul.” How true those lyrics are … Almost forty years ago, when my son was a toddler, Tamara, age 18, showed up at my door in response to a help-wanted ad for a fille-au-pair. We smiled at each other, startled by having the exact same color hair, a shade of red unusual in France, and I hired her on the spot.
The American from Madison, Wisconsin proved a jewel and has remained a friend ever since. Now this adventurous spirit has chosen to leave her editing job at American Girl and set off towards new horizons, with the intention of serving in the Peace Corps. Tamara had never seen our B&B, although she did visit my parents’ old house several times. The changes produced a vigorous thumbs-up. First Sven and I showed our special guest Duck Harbor
at sunset, a sight we always recommend in winter and one of our favorite Wellfleet experiences. The spectacular light made Tamara whip out her camera. I did the same, and we all posed for a round of fun photos. (Sven is holding a sea snail shell.)Yesterday we went to LeCount Hollow, but the wind whipped white caps across the waves and a walk was out of the question.
No problem. Down to Provincetown we sped. “Closed” signs hung in most shop windows and yet Commercial Street pulsed with life, as if a morning giant had sprinkled the buildings with the spiritual equivalent of cayenne pepper to wake everyone up. Here’s what we noticed: a couple of men walking hand in hand, exchanging tender glances;
the words “Angels Landing,” written in tiles on a roof; a freshly painted Town Hall, sparkling in the crisp sunshine; a pan of water underneath a water fountain for dogs; some great Victorian architecture;
a Toys of Eros sex shop; the South African restaurant Karoo Kafe; a woman, on her way to the post office, striding down the middle of the street in loud conversation on her cell phone. We had lunch at JoMamma’s: superior panini; Espresso for Sven, latté for Tamara, smoothie for me. (JoMamma’s is the café inside Art House, where Hedda Lettuce performs.) Then our tour took us through the Provincelands,
a wild part of the National Seashore, at the tip of Cape Cod, where there's a great bike trail. What an exhilarating view from the deserted Race Point observation deck! The landscape of sand dunes, sapphire ocean, and stunted green pine provides such a soothing contrast to the bustle of Provincetown, even a Provincetown almost empty of tourists. Impossible not to be awed by the beauty of nature. We came away with a sense of peace …If you had an old friend come to visit, what would you share with him or her? Do you agree that seeing old friends is good for the soul? If so, why?
17 comments:
Good Morning!
Seeing old friends, I feel, brings excitement to life for me. I love the anticipation, the planning and then it all goes out the window to pure "do what feels good while you are together". I always like to have what they love to eat or drink, even if it is something so small as a special fruit. I like to take them to visit special places that I have found. The distination becomes new again as I see it through their eyes. And, of course, the talking, from A to Z any topic and all topics. But in the end it is the quiet time when we are sitting together and no words have to be exchanged at all. I enjoy seeing my friends and I love making them feel special when we are together.
I love your blog Alexandra and I just want you to know that we have breakfast together every morning. You are the first thing I go to when I turn on my computer. Like visiting an old friend!~
Marie
I love it when friends come to visit here. As with your area, there are so many things to see and do, it just depends on who is coming and the weather. If they are outdoors people, we can go hiking, canooing, fishing, boating, swimming in the Buffalo River National Park or on one of the 2 very large lakes here. If they are sightseeing, there's two dams, Branson, antique shops galore and the country's largest bass fishing boat manufacturer here. And yes, I do think seeing old friends is good for the soul. I already have 2 weekends booked this year for friends to come!
There is nothing more special than reconnecting with old friends; what a sense of comfort and security it provides! You are so fortunate to have so many places to enjoy. So many times when old friends visit, we have so much to catch up on that we end up sitting on my porch (weather permitting), talking for hours.
It sounds like you had a nice visit and had lots to show her! We've lost touch with most old friends. And since we live in the area we grew up in, there wouldn't be much to show them that they hadn't already seen!
I completely agree, Friends are good for the soul. I'm waiting in anticipation for a friend to visit us late may or june from the States. I have a long list of shops,sightseeing, nearby cities that I hope she and her husband will enjoy.
karoo kafe is south african not australian
Yes, of course! So sorry, Karoo. I will go correct that.
Over the years I have introduced the Outer Cape to so many friends, including my husband. There is nothing like seeing the reaction someone has for the first time to the dunes, the wide empty beaches, the endless skies, the crystal clear ponds, and the funkiness of all that is Provincetown, Truro and Wellfleet. It's become my litmus test as to whether a new friend will become an old friend: if they don't fall in love with the Cape, they fail the test!
Fortunately, my husband and my son-in-law passed that test with flying colors. Who knows what might have happened if they had not!
It's always nice to visit old friends. I think it's because they help you to remember a long forgotten part of yourself, too.
I'm far, far overdue for a long visit with my old friends. Your post made me feel wistful for them. So happy that you had a great visit.
I love introducing my friends to my favorite hometown haunts. Beautiful pictures.
I love the term "massage for the soul" in relation to a visit from an old friend. It is so true. When my back east friends visit the desert southwest, they don't always immediately appreciate the distinctive beauty. But after driving them along Picture Rocks Road as it drops down into a forest of saguaros at Saguaro National Park, they finally understand.
When friends come to visit, I tend to go see things in my own area that I have neglected for a long time. So the local sights become old friends re-visited, also.
How cool! I actually ate at Karoo Cafe in Ptown a few summers ago. Figured it may be one of my only opportunities to taste South African food, so why not? And yes, having old friends visit is the best medicine ever. If I had an old friend visit me in Boston, I'd take them to Trident Cafe on Newbury Street. Sweet potato and marshmallow pancakes all around!
glad you had a good visit with your friend, and nice to read all the comments too. I think both the talking and the silences are the best part when I get together with an old friend. sharing a good cup of tea, a relaxing meal, or a long walk while we do that just adds to the fun.
Such a nice post. Don't you love when friends come to visit and help you rediscover where you live? Everything seems so much more exciting and interesting through a newby's eyes.
There is nothing better than old friends- and great places to visit!! What a wonderful post- I so enjoyed every bit of it and especially loved the pics which went along with it!! Oh my- truly wonderful.
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