Friday, June 20, 2008 - Last Day on the Farm

Each moment and each view seems precious. Abilio leads Guillermo and I down a rough trail behind the house to the river below. Wild and tropical. Bugs and spiderwebs. Decaying leaves on the path. Small inch worms hanging in midair from their long webs. A snake! Indiana Jones like adventure. Gross and a bit scary. But beautiful and invigorating too. We reach the cool river and take off our shoes to wade. Long thick Tarzan-like vines hang from the rock cliff that climbs above us. Just enough sun streams through the thick jungle to dry our feet before we head back up.

Later Abilio takes us back to his place so we can take pictures of the 3 cabins that he has available to rent out to tourists. There are several groups of Minnesotans planning trips to the farm -- the first a group of about 25 from Most Holy Trinity in July 2008 -- and it is fun to imagine them enjoying this place. We take one last hike with our kids and their cousins through the pasture with it's amazing open view of the valley, past the rasberry bushes where we stop to munch, down the road past Sabel's coffee and then Abilio's. Stopping to admire the 800 year old tree one last time. And then back to the house for lunch before we take the sad trip down the mountain to the city. Abilio's middle son, 8 year old Abilito sighs and says, "it is so sad to leave behind your land," quoting I'm sure, his father.