capitolkat
Senior Nomad
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Adios Long Legs in La Paz
Carol Doan- aka Long Legs passed away this morning. Carol had been dealing with the effects of metatastic breast cancer for over a year. She was a
good friend and a good woman . When we decided to build here in La Paz about 15 year ago she made herself available for all kinds of questions and
willingly volunteered to help in the construction of parts of our project. We had many laughs about how things go in Mexico, the construction trades,
and daily life. She built three homes in this area and each time learned things she willingly shared with us. Carol had a sharp wit and while she
hadn't posted here much in recent years she had, in the past contributed to this community on line regularly.
When we talked yesterday she was in considerable distress and said " I wish I could just go to sleep and not wake up. " She got her wish and we will
miss her terribly. Norm
Life is too short to drink bad wine
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64743
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Sorry for the loss of another Nomad!
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TMW
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I remember her from years past sharing her wisdom.God speed and may she rest in peace.
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BajaBlanca
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She and I have been in touch since last October when my sister was diagnosed with cancer.
Carol told me the exact same thing a couple days ago: I am ready for this to be over.
I will miss our banter back and forth. Go in Peace amiga! Now you can, literally, breathe easy.
DEP
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Santiago
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Damn, over the last 3 or 4 years I've often wondered about her, I followed her building chronicles closely. I think she left when Old Lady got banned,
another sharp wit.
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DianaT
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This is so sad, so very sad. Carol and I corresponded a lot when we were both active on this forum. She called BS when she saw it and would never
back down, never. She was always very real.
Off the board we also communicated and thought we would meet in person at some time, but that did not happen. We were cyber friends.
After we both backed away from this forum for many of the same reasons, we still communicated, but as it often does, the frequency began to fade.
Damn it, we really need to not let connections fade when we find a connection be it in person, or in cyberspace.
RIP Carol -- so sad you have crossed over but glad you are not suffering!. Damn. just damn.
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rts551
Elite Nomad
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Registered: 9-5-2003
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DEP Carol. I will miss our visits and your common sense approach to life.
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Loretana
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Posts: 825
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Location: Oregon/Loreto
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RIP Long Legs!
I appreciated her advice and counsel as I was building my home in Loreto....she could see what was important and what had to be ignored to preserve
one's sanity.
Like some other great ladies who no longer post here she will be sorely missed!
"If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration."
-Nikola Tesla
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BajaNomad
Super Administrator
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Quote: Originally posted by Santiago | Damn, over the last 3 or 4 years I've often wondered about her, I followed her building chronicles closely. I think she left when Old Lady got banned,
another sharp wit. |
May not have been posting, but has been following the board - helping in the background, which has always been noticed and appreciated. Last time
logged in here was Friday.
So sad to learn of the circumstances. :: sigh ::
Appreciate this info being passed along. Thank you.
When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people.
– Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
We know we must go back if we live, and we don`t know why.
– John Steinbeck, Log from the Sea of Cortez
Affordable Domain Name Registration/Management & cPanel Web Hosting:
https://www.regionalinternet.com
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Feathers
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Mood: Happy
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Quote: Originally posted by BajaNomad | Quote: Originally posted by Santiago | Damn, over the last 3 or 4 years I've often wondered about her, I followed her building chronicles closely. I think she left when Old Lady got banned,
another sharp wit. |
May not have been posting, but has been following the board - helping in the background, which has always been noticed and appreciated. Last time
logged in here was Friday.
So sad to learn of the circumstances. :: sigh ::
Appreciate this info being passed along. Thank you. |
Your Fly-on-the Wall advantage is fascinating, to say the least.
RIP Long Legs.
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fixtrauma
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Posts: 389
Registered: 11-17-2008
Location: El Centenario & Lebanon,Oregon
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Mood: Monomaniac
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So long neighbor
Many years ago when we first bought land near her she connected with us and invited us into her home and welcomed us to the neighborhood even though
we didn't build until years later. She was kind to us. Our neighbor will be missed.
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wessongroup
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Mood: Suicide Hot line ... please hold
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Super Lady ... RIP
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BajaBlanca
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Si, a month ago, I asked Carol how she ended up in La Paz. This was her answer:
Hallelujah! Soooo many people have asked me that , that many years ago I created a Word document, so I can be lazy on my typing & just
cut&paste it here! )
How I came to be in La Paz……
I took a 2-week vacation to La Paz with my sister-in-law in March 1998. First time ever in La Paz & I loved it here! I was purely on vacation
& if anyone had suggested that I’d ever consider living outside the good old USA, I’d have told them they were crazy!
The FIRST day back from vacation, I was informed that my job of 18-years with The Boeing Company was going to be outsourced to IBM. I interviewed with
IBM & received a job offer to stay in the same job, same desk, supporting the same customer base. I accepted that offer on a straight across
basis; my time, salary, benefits, etc. went with me. IBM left me on the Boeing account for approximately 6 months before moving me to Consolidated
Freightways, in downtown Portland; four different freeways & a 1-hour commute each way on a good day! I hated the commute, I hated the job; there
was no challenge to it, no personal job satisfaction whatsoever.
In October 1998 I brought my then 81-year-old mother to La Paz with the idea of looking for property to buy when I was financially able to retire; the
time-line in my mind at that point in time was when I was 62-65. Mom went from trying to discourage me by telling me there was no way I could live in
a 3rd world country because I’d miss all the conveniences I’d always had in my life in the states....to telling me if I didn’t buy the piece of
waterfront property (that we just happened to be standing on at that moment)....that I’d be stupid! I believe there must have been a parental alien
abduction I wasn’t privy to! I did buy it, but still with the idea that I wouldn’t be able to afford to move & build for 10+ years.
The FIRST day back at Consolidated Freightways after vacation, I discovered that IBM was offering a resignation incentive package of 3-month severance
pay & 6-month medical/dental coverage to certain job classifications, mine included....I jumped on it! I resigned as of December 31, 1998.
I began getting rid of cold/rainy/snow possessions from both of our homes, put both on the market, sold Mom’s 3 vehicles. I spent the next year
researching the hell out of retiring & living in Mexico, I got resident documents for each of us. When my home sold, I had United Van Lines pack
all my household goods & put them into storage & I moved to Moms. When her place sold, United packed all her possessions & added it to
mine in storage. I bought a 22’ Minnie Winnebago for us to live in during construction & travel Mexico later. We left Portland in November 1999.
I felt I’d lost control of my own life through a series of crap that happened; beginning with the death of my father in 1996 when I applied for
relocation to Boeing Portland for Mom’s sake. The company relocated me & I sold my home of 19 years in the Seattle area the first week I listed
it. I bought a new home in the Portland area 5 miles from Mom. Then things started going downhill....my dog & I were attacked by a pit bull on the
Oregon coast (bite to left knee, got infected, 1 month on crutches; ME on crutches, not my dog....she was taken to a vet with deep throat & chest
wounds on an emergency basis before I’d go to ER); I crushed my left foot with my own car (didn’t quite get it all the way into park before
leaping out to save my dog from a snarling lab with hackles raised in front of Mom’s, realized it was still rolling & tried to get back in....it
pulled me facedown & the rear tire rolled over my left foot crushing it into gravel, pine needles & bunny poop! No broken bones, just
extensive soft tissue damage & 6 weeks on crutches); had a very bad reaction to a spider bite on the back of my left thigh.....my doc offered to
amputate my left leg to just get it over with! I was rear-ended on the way to work the day I was turning in my resignation paperwork to IBM. I
decided it was time to take back control of my own life, take all the lemons life was throwing at me & set up my own lemonade stand
(euphemistically speaking!) in La Paz....sooner rather than later!! I was down here permanently a year to the month after buying my property &
haven’t looked back since! Absolutely no regrets!
Mom was down here for 2 years before she missed her friends, the heat got to her & she opted to go back to Portland.
Carol
****************************************
Amazing story, a true fighter!
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capitolkat
Senior Nomad
Posts: 510
Registered: 3-9-2006
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Lil Abner- Joe
Blanca- thanks for the reminders of Carol's story. When my wife and I were moving to La Paz, we had bought property in Centenario and rented for a
year. Well, the house we rented was owned by a lady from Texas and it was on the beach in Comitan. Only later did we discover that it was the first
house Carol built in Mexico, to accommodate Carol and her mother. it was a little strange in it's design- but after you got to know Carol you could
understand her quirky layout for her and her mother.
Carol's story, that you kindly supplied was a lot like the character from Lil' Abner who had a cloud over his head all the time- Joe Blyfstk(?). so I
started calling her Joe as she seemed to have that cloud over her head, car problems, repair problems, minor and major health issues, contractor
problems on her last house, black mold, Odile inside her car in her garage with her dogs. She even began identifying herself as Joe when she called.
But, when the cancer came she asked that we dispense with the Joe stuff as it wasn't fun anymore. I agreed and about 6 months after she suspended the
chemo and radiation- which she hated- she called and we knew it was the end . WE could tell from her voice the story was about to have it's final
chapter. she faced the end with courage and said I'll see you on the other side. Norm
Life is too short to drink bad wine
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