To Spain -- at least that's where one of my predecessors, Rebekah Scott, is now living.
She and Paddy O'Gara, another Toledo newspaper ex-employee whom she married while they were both working in the newsroom, packed up and moved to Pittsburgh first, then in 2006 headed to north-central Spain.
They are running a bed and breakfast for pilgrims on the ancient Camino de Santiago.
Rebekah was a great religion reporter and a fine writer in general who now blogs about her life here.
You may find her adventures in Spain quite amusing.
Paddy, by the way, is a genius at newspaper graphics and design. I had the honor of working with him for two years in the 1990s when he was hired to oversee a redesign program. It wasn't easy but he brought the newspaper into the 21st century, or at least the late 20th century.
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Finally got a haircut from my "regular" stylist last night -- it had been five months. I've been going to the same person for 15 years or so but the circumstances have gotten a bit odd, and then they took another twist in January.
It's a long story, but here's the short version: Kimm (with 2 mm's) is a Toledoan who moved to Florida a few years ago when her husband built a house there without consulting her. She agreed to move but wanted to keep cutting hair in Toledo on a limited basis, and visit friends and family while here. She cut her clientele down from 800 to 80, and had beem coming back once a month for a while and then once every five weeks.
Meanwhile, Kimm has a phobia about flying, so she drives the 1,100 miles each way every time.
Then in January she was a passenger in her neighbor's car when the car was struck by another car in an intersection. Kimm broke a number of bones, including in her hands and legs, and was pretty beat up, putting her out of commission indefinitely.
I've scrambled for haircuts ever since, and never felt comfortable with the subs. Then last night Kimm was finally back at work in Toledo. My hair is looking good. I feel much better. Life is grand.
I know, I know, it's definitely an odd situation. But once you find someone who does a job just right, it's hard to settle for less. As with a lot of services that people pay for, I'm fairly certain it's not just Kimm's hair-cutting talent but also her personality that makes her clients so loyal.
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Toledo, Ohio
June 4, 2008