Going, going, gone.

My companion for so many of my pictured travels has packed up and gone. Boo. 

The boxes were packed, the cake has been eaten. Sadness.

Rosie has been the best of friends. We have explored the quirkiest bits of the lowcountry - checked all the lighthouses off our list, taste tested pralines, visited the Button Museum, met Pearl Fryer in his topiary garden, explored cemeteries and sat quietly in historic churches. We've eaten the best bbq, enjoyed boat rides, laughed and talked all over the state. It's been a wild ride and joyful friendship. 

For those of you who didn't know who I was riding the roads with, my friend Rosemary is a nun. A religious sister. It's been an unusual and wonderful friendship. I have been blessed with a compatible and joyful sidekick for over ten years. When she retired from working at the hospital, the expectation was that she return to her religious community in St. Louis. 

We had the most wonderful goodbye party. Live music, singing, dancing. The room was filled with people wanting to say goodbye and let her know how much she meant to them. She packed up this morning. Rosie and her twin Rita hit the road and this time I am not with them. They are heading to St. Louis with the well wishes of so many of us in Charleston. All of us, but especially me. God speed my friend.