The Pleasure of Their Company

In May os 2023, we were graced with visits from good friends. In between doctor visits and more tests, we enjoyed spending time with friends, showing them around Cascais, and sharing our life in Portugal. Will was feeling quite good and was looking forward to starting treatment with chemotherapy and immunotherapy later in May. Life was good and we were hopeful about the future.

My college roomates, Judy and Greg DeGroot, joined us for a few days after they finished their trek on the Camino de Santiago. They go every year, this time starting and ending in Porto. From our house, they took a tour to Sintra with our dear friend and great tour guide, Luis. After leaving us, they spent a few days in Lisbon on their own before returning home to Rhode Island. Even though we had not seen them for years, we picked right up as if no time had gone by at all. That is the mark of true friends. This photo was taken at one of the wonderful cliffside restaurants at Casa da Guia.

Our next guests were Lisa and David Radanovich, neighbors of ours in Chapel Hill. They were in the middle of a grand tour of Europe which included seeing several of Bruce Springsteen's concerts in Spain and Italy. We took them on a tour of Guincho Beach, a couple of miles north of our place, and then strolling around Cascais. They, too, enjoyed enjoyed days spent on tours with Luis in Sintra and Lisbon. The four of us enjoyed quality time on our balcony. Lisa and David even accompanied me to the grocery store where they bought an impressive collection of snacks. We celebrated Dave's birthday with a great dinner at the Marina de Cascais. When they departed, they headed off to a Gate 1 tour in Sicily and then another Springsteen concert. Their visit was a reminder of the wonderful neighborhood we left behind in Chapel Hill.

Our last visitors were Dan Foley and Christine Shyne. Dan was one of Will's Gonzaga College High School classmates. They had a wonderful time reminiscing and catching up. I enjoyed meeting them for the first time and showing them around Cascais. You can see in this photo that Will had lost weight, but was happy to be with friends, enjoying a refreshing beverage in town. A few months later, Dan gave a wonderful speech at Will's memorial in Chapel Hill.