Thanks to a friend, I will always know when I am home.
May everyone have reminders of safe places they can call home.
See you along the Trail.
Tag Archives: Shire
Sunset at the Shire
On 17 June,
in the year 2013,
Tricia and I
had this view
on our way
back to the Shire
from the Massawa Restaurant.
See you along the Trail.
Now that the Shire has sold
Now that the Shire has sold,
concern,
frustration, and
anger melt as icicles in winter sun.
Warm,
bright,
life-giving memory
washes over me as summer sun.
Moments fill my heart,
people, beloved people, dance across my soul.
Sadness dissipates.
Joy suffuses.
And I know
it was good.
It is good.
10 April 2013
DL 4065
Filed under Louisville
Heading back for the first time
Soon I will begin one of my favorite pastimes. I will do the laundry.
When I finish, I will pack some of the recently laundered clothes and some others. The Trail beckons again.
This time it will lead me back to Louisville. I have gone there often. Each trip is unique. This one will certainly be.
I will not stay at the Shire. This condo served as home and haven from 2003. Many friends stayed there with me through the years. Since moving to New York, my wife and I have tried to sell the Shire. Earlier this year we succeeded.
Until the sale, I usually stayed at the Shire at least for part of the time when in Louisville. Once or twice, I stayed in a hotel for the sake of attending a meeting. Now I will stay in a hotel for the whole time period. And that will happen every time.
The world turns. Life changes. We go on.
See you along the Trail.
Filed under Louisville, Travel
The door closes, the light remains off
The door closes. The light remains off.
All good things …
The management of The Shire, Louisville’s finest half-star bed (you’re on your own for breakfast – Starbucks is down the road), wishes to inform you that, as of 22 March 2013, we have ceased operations and sold The Shire.
You will be pleased to know that the Sackville-Bagginses did not obtain the property. We certainly were.
However, the new owner, while extremely excited to purchase such a unique and valuable property, does not plan to operate The Shire as a half-star bed (you’re on your own for breakfast – Starbucks is down the road). Thus, you will need to find other arrangements when the Trail brings you to the Louisville area. Of course nothing you find will match the non-existent, exacting standards of The Shire. But do the best you can.
Know that The Shire management deeply appreciated the patronage of each guest. We appreciated those of you who wish you could have stayed at the Shire but who never did. For those who wanted no part of the Shire … well so be it.
We wish you all safe travels and peaceful, joy-filled rest.
Thank you for a great journey!
The door closes. The light remains off.
… come to an end.
See you along the Trail.
Filed under Family, Friends, Louisville
Lent 40, Palm Sunday: Blessed
For nearly ten years,
I called the Shire in Louisville
home.
In a world where too many people
have no safe place,
I am blessed to have several places to call home.
12 April 2012
Louisville, Kentucky
Filed under Lent, Louisville, Photo
Fellowship of the Shire
Originally posted about a year ago,
it seems appropriate to repost this one
in the aftermath of the sale of the Shire.
No rings, no wizards,
no reforged broken swords,
not even a walk to Mordor,
where of course no one simply walks,
but a fellowship nonetheless graced
the halls of the Shire.
Rooted in minimalist hospitality,
this fellowship of family and friends
knitted together over food and games,
movies and song,
conversation and camaraderie,
Jameson and other libations;
never present all at the same time,
always present in spirit,
the fellowship of the Shire
blesses me daily,
graces my living
and travels with me
wherever the ongoing road might lead.
In the hope that the Fellowship of the Shire has meant
and means as much to the other members
as it has and does to me.
The Shire, Louisville
19 April 2012
Related articles
- Dismantling the Shire (graybeardtrail.wordpress.com)
New siding, still unsold
The Shire,
still unsold,
has a new look.
I had always wondered
about having shingles on the front
of a house or a condo,
still unsold.
See you along the Trail.
The condo that never sells?
“The Song That Never Ends” played, but did not end, on episodes of Lamb Chop’s Play-Along, a children’s TV show that aired on PBS from 1992-1997. It became quickly annoying. Each week. Every week.
The lyrics and tune repeated. And repeated. And repeated. No progress. No resolution.
The Shire in Louisville appears to have some commonalities with the song. Despite efforts of real estate agents; despite thoughts, well wishes and prayers of friends; despite offers and possibilities; it remains mine. Another sale has fallen through. My ownership just goes on and on.
On Friday, I journey to Louisville. A couple of days later, Tricia will join me. And, we will stay at the Shire. The dismantled Shire. The Shire bereft of almost all comforts. The Shire that never sells.
But we will make do. And we will save our respective employers money. And we will pose anew the question that has haunted humanity and wannabe hobbits through the ages:
Care to buy a condo in Louisville?
See you along the Trail.
Related articles
- Not quite the same (graybeardtrail.wordpress.com)
- Shelter in the storm (graybeardtrail.wordpress.com)
- Fellowship of the Shire (graybeardtrail.wordpress.com)
Not quite the same
Wandering through the Half-Price Bookstore on Thursday evening, I came across several versions of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. I decided that watching the trilogy – or at least as much of the trilogy as I could – would prove fitting entertainment for what could be my last night in the Shire.
I own the extended versions – they reside in Cleveland and serve as the basis for a family Christmas tradition. I pondered buying another set but, to save some bucks, opted for the original releases. They only cost $2.00 each.
I have enjoyed watching them – about half at the Shire and half at the Shire on the Hudson. Good, good stuff, just not the same as the extended versions.
It has been a good ride. I am glad I got them. I can’t wait to see the extended versions again.
See you along the Trail.
Related articles
- Fellowship of the Shire (graybeardtrail.wordpress.com)
- Shelter in the storm (graybeardtrail.wordpress.com)
- Dismantling the Shire (graybeardtrail.wordpress.com)
Along the Graybeard Trail 