Friends Side By Side

I left Maine this morning, bidding farewell to Clam Cove until next summer when I invite myself again to Warren’s. As usual the visit was too short. We did not get done the organization chores of his extensive collections that we always talk of doing. This just means I will need to keep returning until we get around to it.
I am on my last lap of this east coast road trip and I saved some very good friends for the return trip. Today I drove back to Manchester by the sea to spend the day and night with my Dickinson friend Janet Nathenson Del Valle, her husband Frank and her youngest daughter Isabel. I love seeing Janet because there is hardly a moment where we are not laughing or telling stories.
As a professional freeloader I am quite appreciative of the hospitality that all my friends have shown me when I come and camp out at their houses, but it can be tiring to be constantly visiting. With Janet it has been nothing but relaxing. She had a big puzzle started and we immediately sat down and began to work the complicated piece.  
Turns out we are very compatible puzzle solvers. “I’m looking for a green piece with three innies and one outie that has a bit of pink,” I would say. And Janet would put her hands right on it and place it in its rightful spot. When we were looking for a very odd shaped piece Janet’s standard response was, “I’ve seen that one.”  
Frank kept saying, “Have you finished the puzzle yet?” He did not know how hard a puzzle can be. We took an eye break so we could eat the yummy dinner Janet made of Indian inspired chicken and vegetables with a coconut cilantro lime sauce. I was especially thankful for a healthy meal void of sugar.
After dinner Frank did the dishes so Janet and I could sit side by side and work the puzzle. I told her it was a good thing we did not do puzzles in college because we never would have done any studying if we had. It was a most relaxing way to catch up. I have to say that I have not had a moment of boredom on the whole trip. My only sadness is that I eventually need to sleep when I would rather be spending time talking.
There just isn’t enough time in life to visit with all the friends I love. I hope that my friends will let me repay their hospitality and come and stay with me. Guests should always leave before their host wishes they were gone, but seeing Janet one night is just too short, especially since we have to finish the puzzle before I go.