Without a Trace ~ Random Memory # 13 ~ Thailand

Blue Hill, Maine

Brunswick, Maine

Two familiar landmarks disappeared last year. The old cape on route 15 in Blue Hill was efficiently dismantled board by board and the house on the Mere Point road in Brunswick went up in flames in a controlled burn. In both cases, there is no trace of the former dwelling, or of the personalities who spent their lives within walls, now gone.

Random Memory #13 ~ Thailand

We have returned to Bangkok and plan to visit our Dutch friends, Anneke and Eric. After their years in Bahrain, the lush growth and brilliant flowers have captivated Anneke who is an enthusiastic gardener and I sense that when they leave Thailand, they will do so reluctantly. Eric is nearing retirement and they are planning to move to Spain.

After a few wrong turns we find their house which is an oasis in the middle of a soulless concrete desert of newly built high rise apartments. Walking into the enclosed garden is like entering Eden with its profusion of exotic trees, vines and the hundreds of orchids Anneke has collected from all over the country. The filtered light through overhanging foliage gives the impression of coolness in the thick humidity. The house is very old with beautiful carved details and shuttered windows that leave bands of light and shadow across the large airy rooms. They have been very content here and I too, could happily live in this traditional space so full of the atmosphere of old Bangkok. I have fallen in love with the house.

Our friends tell me the owner has sold the house to a developer and soon there will be another high rise block in its place. When the movers come to pack in a few weeks, Anneke and Eric's home will become a memory.