Shank's Mare Is Not So Bad

Because Sandy and I are moving from one continent to another, we're liquidating our assets here in Uruguay. That is why I had occasion to get up early this morning and take our car in before breakfast to get it thoroughly cleaned. That is something we have never done for ourselves, but we did it for the people who are buying it. Since it is our one remaining car, I had to get back home on "Shank's mare," a trip of about twenty minutes at my own leisurely pace.

Along the way I noticed the smell of the Eucalyptus leaves and seeds, though it was a different species from the more fragrant ones in California. Still, it is one of my favorite smells. I noticed, in fact, every little detail of my environment on that walk to the house that will only be ours for five more days.

Later, between breakfast and beer time, I walked back to the "lavadero de autos" to get the car, this time a spotlessly clean version, that will also only be ours for a little while. Along the way, I smelled pine needles strewn on the ground, and it reminded me of childhood camping trips and mountain outings when I was a young man. It also reminded me of our house in Brevard, NC, where there were thirty White Pines on our property, and white squirrels in the trees.

It also reminded me of my childhood. Children usually get a bicycle by the time they're eleven, if not before, but for the first ten years of their lives they are largely pedestrians. They are closer to the soil, and to the details of their environment. If you don't think that's important, you really should think again. We need to get back to it.

My next rambling discourse will probably be from Florida (though there could be one from the beach at Aguas Dulces). In the meantime, be well.

Text © 2019 by Donald C. Traxler. Photo by my cousin Fergus McCarthy, of Midleton, Cork.