To be fair, I think it was the rooster that actually woke me.

I’m out visiting Bear & Squirrel, although Squirrel has taken K backpacking, so really it’s just me and Bear here, like the old days. The very old days.

I’m old now, it turns out. I did some serious damage to my hip a few months ago, playing soccer. So I’m sorry to miss the backpacking. K loves it, and I didn’t when we first met, but I came around. Part of it is just getting to be with her in the place that she loves, but I’ve come to appreciate the trees and quiet.

I’m up early partly because of the rooster, but also because I’m in Squirrel’s room, and she seems to be into home automation. The room was warm because the fan turned off automatically, and bright because the lights turned on automatically. I fumbled around finding light switches and then might have gotten back to sleep, but another light turned itself on half an hour later. So I’m up. And I’m writing a blog post because that’s what I do when awake too early, far from home.

It’s good to see Bear. We’ve been friends for 35 years, and we’ve drifted in and out of touch, but it’s a friendship that stays solid. I don’t have many of those, and I’m grateful. Squirrel & K asked what we’d be doing when they were gone, and we said we had no idea. We don’t need one.

One of these days I’ll post some pictures of Nicaragua.