June 22. Up with the birds at 5:00 a.m.

Wow. I didn't expect to become so emotional when I said good-bye to Cynthia at 5:45 a.m. She had to take a taxi to the airport because her plane was earlier in the day.  Tonight, she'd be at her son's engagment party in LA. What a wonderful world.

After they left, I played ball with Danielo's dog, accidentally hitting a tree with the ball, which careened it down the hill. This loyal little mutt chased it down the hill and dragged it and himself back up. Covered in burrs, he let me pick them out one by one.

The others grabbed breakfast to go and Luciano loaded their bags into the Mercedes van for one last trip. I snapped a pic of Luciano and we exchanged European cheek kisses. What a kind gentlemen he is. They were off at 7:00 a.m.

Davide, Stacey, Laura and I will take a taxi to the train station at 10:00. I managed to fit everything back into my bag and backpack before the large group left, so all I have left to do is visit the rock patio where I stretched and did yoga most days. The smell of the olive trees was a pleasant reminder of the savory flavors we ate on a daily basis.

The others were relaxing under the Scopa Cabana. Edmund and Allesandro seemed lost without program planning to do. I remember what it was like at the end of each session of Stanford Sierra Camp. Families left on Saturday afternoon and the new group came in on Sunday afternoon. We'd have 24 hours to have the place and the lake to ourselves, usually talking about the fun people and the obnoxious brats. What would they say about us? We had to be one of the most fun groups ever, even with the drama of a visit to the ER and a case of COVID. I'm sure they won't forget us. I won't forget this place, either.

I need one last visit to the formal patio where I watched a sunflower grow a foot in two weeks. From this fountain bench I watched the full moon rise and wondered what I'd be feeling like for the next full moon. I'd be sitting in my own backyard, waiting for the orb to rise above the wall of azalea bushes. Instead of feeling homesick for this, I simply didn't want to leave this magical place. But, the thought of an air conditioned free apartment in the middle of Rome? If only I could stay there longer.

Good-byes at 10:00, and we crammed into the taxi. We're at the train station 30 minutes before the train to Rome leaves, and we see it's a regional train with no first class seating. It's only an hour and I realize it would be possible to commute from Terni to Rome. Most of our fellow car dwellers are younger, and probably heading to Rome for a day of pleasure instead of work. We grab a snack and head to the platform, where the train is waiting 15 minutes ahead of schedule. We find an empty car, schlep our bags into the seating area as there's no baggage racks, and sit down with a sigh.  Good-bye, Terni.