Some friendships start by happenstance and are easy to sustain, others take some effort, especially when taking into consideration the hurdles of time and distance.
For a little over 20 years, Peter and I hosted British friends from the across the ocean in our backyard and at our favorite local restaurants. They would travel to Arizona to implement ‘hot weather’ testing for Jaguar, Peter‘s employer at the time, and I always felt that they needed a touch of home while they were so far from their own. Peter never minded cooking, so he would throw BIG barbecues in our backyard … many funny stories emerged from these times.
On any given weekend there might be a bunch of guys playing volleyball in the pool; another group playing ‘futbol’ on the grass; maybe a few more shooting pool indoors and still others taking part in a hamburger eating competition. When they settled down at the end of the day, the beer would always flow - and the world would be right again!
When not hosting a BBQ, Fajitas was our favorite place to go. The staff there always gave us first class treatment! Parties of 12, 20 or more, it didn’t matter. The food was beyond delicious and the service was top-notch. Now, if you will, picture long tables, several British accents - English, Scottish and sometimes Welsh … and lots of noisy conversation, and maybe you’ll have a little empathy for me as I tell you what happened one day ----- I was having difficulty understanding one of the gentlemen with a Scottish accent at the other end of the table, and I swear I heard him say, “like warts off a dog’s back”. I asked him if this was a particularly Scottish thing to say, and the table exploded into laughter! You see, what he had actually said was, “like water off a duck’s back”, a much more common idiom. The laughter did not subside for at least five minutes and once again I had tears running down my cheeks from laughing so hard.
The best part of these many, many stories, is the friendships that developed. You would think that an ocean could prevent true friendships from thriving, but you would be wrong. Over the years, Peter travelled back and forth to England several times, but I had no desire to go. I know, many of you are probably wondering - what was wrong with me? In my mind, England was cold and wet, and the food was blah. So why would I go there?
Well, Peter retired in 2007 and by the summer of 2015 we were missing these guys, so we finally planned a vacation to England. I did not hold out much hope for sun or good food, but I wanted to visit with our old friends. We told our dearest friends Rob and Nadia, that we were planning a trip and Rob said ‘with a touch of sarcasm’, “I’ll believe it when I see you stepping off the plane!”
It was a spectacular vacation! The sun shone the whole time! I enjoyed every meal! London was lovely! … I found that I had been ... in the words of Arthur Fonzerelli – “so wr… wro…, OK I had been wrong!”
I would be remiss if I did not explain just how special these friendships turned out to be over the years. I love Nadia like a sister and Rob and I can joke around at each other’s expense and never walk away with hurt feelings. We always land at their home when we cross the Atlantic. The four of us Peter, Rob, Nadia and I have shared in the joy of children’s weddings, grandchildren’s births, and the passing of several parents. Is that not the definition of family?
I cannot omit from this list of dear friends - Andy, Dave and Danni, Steve, Pete, Mick, Paddy, Gary, Dick, Carl, another Pete, Graham, Nick, David, Chris - and although they are no longer of this world, Steve Taylor and Julian Zivolonghi , who make me smile with tears in my eyes, every time I think of them.
Over the years, we have all visited, shared meals, gone bowling, gone dancing, played golf, blown out many, many candles and most importantly, laughed and cried together!
You see, with a little bit of love, good friendships can not only survive, but thrive, even when 5192 miles apart!