"One Tin Soldier Rode Away"

Last week, day one on our journey, we lost a dear childhood friend of mine, Nanci Kavanagh Besner. One hec of a strong soldier gal indeed, an airforce brat like myself, thus our immediate connection when we were kids.

Grateful I got to see her a few days prior to our departure and let her what she meant to me in my life and tell her I love her (I am not really an "I love you" huggy kind of gal, yet those words came out of my mouth as we left her hospital room).  Always with her glass half full she told me she would be getting out of the hospital within a week and very much looked forward to reading about our adventures on the road.

Nanci was the very first one to reach out to us when we first decided less than a month ago, on a whim, to take on this cross North American adventure, offering up her encouragement to go for it and her driveway for boondocking practising (as well as her hubby Bob's amazing Michelin Star quality Morning Glory veggie frittata).

Nanci was a walking miracle, thoroughout her life she had many mountains to climb, all of them she conquered with that amazing attitude of hers!

And thus JDog and I dedicate this adventure we are on to all the walking miracles in our life, to those we have lost too early (RIP our darling Nanci) and to those who still walk this world with us, my amazing brother Brian Cymbaluk.

When we were kids Nanci used to sing this song to me with that amazing angelic voice of hers (with me joining in on the chorus line and butchering it). She sang it again to me at the last dinner party I hosted that she was at, it was kind of our thing to do when we were together, and most appropriate way for me to end today's post...

Listen people to a story
That was written long ago,
'bout a kingdom on a mountain
And the valley folks below.
On the mountain was a treasure
Hidden deep beneath a stone,
And the valley people swore
They'd have it for their very own.

Go ahead and hate your neighbor,
Go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of heaven,
You can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing,
Come the judgment day,
On the bloody morning after
One tin soldier rides away.

So the people of the valley
Sent a message up the hill,
Asking for the buried treasure
Tons of gold for which they'd kill.
Came the answer from the kingdom,
With our brothers we will share,
All the riches of the mountain,
All the treasure buried there.

Now the valley cried with anger,
Mount your horses, draw your swords
And they killed the mountain people,
So they won their just rewards
Now they stood before the treasure
On the mountain dark and red
Turned the stone and looked beneath it
Peace on earth, was all it said.

Go ahead and hate your neighbor,
Go ahead and cheat and friend,
Do it in the name of heaven,
You can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgment day,
On the bloody morning after
One tin soldier rides away.