Partner from the Past

It took two years, but we finally got together with Cornelius and his wife. I worked with him in New York, both before and after he became a partner in the accounting firm where I was the secretary. We hardly saw each other after he moved to the New Jersey office. I was aware that he and his wife Susan visited her parents in a town close to us here in North Carolina. They came this year to visit them and made time to have lunch with us. I enjoyed catching up with them and seeing pictures of their children.

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For the foodies: We had beef in a blanket (ground beef baked in pie pastry), mushroom gravy, cantaloupe, neighbor Connie’s recipe for grape salad, and frozen lemon pie.

Waynesville House Tour

It was a total surprise to me that our home might be featured on a house tour. I heard the vehicle on the street, and then it seemed to be circling around the side. I saw it from the back porch and ran to the deck at the side of the house. There it was! The driver seemed very familiar, and I knew the voice of the tour guide. I took a quick photo of the outfit as it drove around the edge of the property.

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The driver was none other than neighbor Bob, and he pulled up with a flourish below the deck. Normally that would have accommodated tourists wanting to photograph the house, but he paused for me to record the event. Logan was the tour guide for his nephew Sufi. Bob acknowledged me; Logan waved, and Sufi studied the house intently. He was not ready to commit himself to approval without further scrutiny. Bob’s Tours had made its first historic stop.

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If any of you want to book a tour, please let me know. Rates are competitive, and I can guarantee you an excellent discount.

A Picture Not Taken

I resisted taking a photo of our son John $ as he told a bear story. He is allergic to the front side of cameras. When I do take his picture, he doesn’t complain, but I know he prefers not to be recorded. That evening he was stretched out on a sofa and told us about a hike a few days before. There is something about the way he tells a story that commands attention. Hiking on a little-used trail, he and a bear surprised each other. Since he was alone, he wasn’t making much noise. He spotted the bear climbing up a tree about the same time the bear saw him. They parted amicably. Further up the trail, he startled two bears digging for grubs under rotting logs. He said it was highly unusual for two grown bears to be together. He wondered if they were two-year-olds cast off by their mother but still used to being together. One scampered off, but the other started toward him. You need to think quickly in a situation like that. $ made noise and sauntered back the way he came, diffusing the situation. Our son is not accident prone, but dangerous things happen to him all the time.

I wish I could take credit for $’s self-sufficiency. Just before we all went to bed, $ asked if he could have the air mattress. He lugged it from our closet to the living room, set it up himself, knew where to find a pillow, and was soon settled in. The next morning, when I looked in the living room, there was nothing in the middle space. He had already stowed away the air mattress and put the sheets in the laundry room. That’s as close as we come to having an instant guest. We didn’t even have to stir in water.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

Our drive from Maryland to North Carolina was pleasantly uneventful until we were 20 miles from home. Traffic came to a halt in the gorge, and we sat there for one and a half hours. There was a long stretch with no exits, leaving us no alternative. The attraction of the moment was the rising of the moon. When we finally moved, we passed an 18-wheeler on a tow truck headed in the wrong direction. It was a strange sight. The four-lane interstate was squeezed by mountains on both sides with a concrete Jersey barrier down the middle. Perhaps the road was closed again later to allow that rig to escape.

062618 Moon rising in the gorge over stopped traffic on I-40.JPG — Darkness on the left is the empty interstate going the other way.

Needless to say, we dragged ourselves into the house, carrying as much as possible. Nathaniel clapped his hats on my head for an easy ride in.

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After the car was unpacked, Nathaniel performed his mirror ritual. His summer has officially begun. [Every time he comes to stay, he moves the mirror to the hanger where the former owners hung a clock. He is the only one who can use it easily, although David can see himself on tiptoe.]

062618 Nathaniel's mirror ritual.JPG

A couple of days later, a cloud invited itself to dinner on our porch. It shied away at the last moment.

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Visiting our old Chair

Catherine and Lars (niece and nephew) invited us to their place to see an old chair John had given to Lars. Lars had it reupholstered, and it was lovely. When our grandchildren were young, John would sit in the chair and hold them to watch train videos. Good posture was not possible in that put-you-to-sleep chair. It was almost guaranteed to knock you out in 15 minutes. I took a turn sitting in it, but I got up before sleep overcame me.

062618 John sprawled in his old chair.JPG

John’s sister Barbara and Thom were there, too. Barbara took her grandson Thomas out to swing. Nathaniel went out shortly afterwards and was soon swinging the four-year-old. I stepped outside to text grandson David who was sick as a dog back at our house. I told him where to find medicine and how to make Jell-o. I overheard Nathaniel ask Thomas what he liked to do. The boy replied, and then he asked Nathaniel the same question. Nate answered that he liked to bake and said he’d make Thomas a cake or some cookies the next time they were together. This shy little boy was having a real conversation! I was amazed. There was give and take, with questions asked and answered. I know teenagers who can’t do that!!! The two stayed outside most of the time we were there.

062618 Nathaniel pushing Thomas.JPG

Inside, Lars showed us the illustrated manuscript he did. He assigned his students a project of doing an illustrated page, giving them three months to finish. He wanted them to know first-hand how time-consuming it was. How long did it take for him to finish the big one? One whole year! Catherine had it framed for him as a gift. Lars has been interested in history almost all his life. [He has published four books: Lost to the West: The Forgotten Byzantine Empire, The Normans: From Raiders to Kings, The Sea Wolves: A History of the Vikings,and In Distant Lands: A Short History of the Crusades.]

062618 Lars with his illustrated manuscript.JPG

Before we left, I asked for a group picture. Barbara and Thom posed with Lars and Catherine. Barbara is holding Ellertsen, the baby whose christening we missed. We nabbed Nathaniel from the swing set and continued our drive back to North Carolina.

062618 Lars Thom Barbara Catherine Ellie.JPG

College Bound and a Post-christening Party

Off to College! The day after graduation, we picked up grandson Nathaniel He was always a light traveler. We thought the car might be filled to the brim with all his clothes and gear for college, but there was plenty of room for us to sit comfortably. He is working again at the steakhouse where he worked last summer and will go to Johnson & Wales in August.

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Post-christening Party We missed the christening of our great nephew in Maryland, but John’s sisters and spouses stayed an extra day to visit with us as we drove down from New York. Thom and Barbara’s twins and their wives provided a lovely cook-out. Nathaniel offered to cook the meats – hamburgers, hot dogs, and locally made chicken-apple sausages. I wish I lived near that sausage-maker. They had a lovely way of accommodating appetites for a mixed group, providing a choice of large hamburgers or sliders.

062518 Nathaniel grilling.JPG

I particularly enjoyed watching six first cousins from age four to age sixteen playing together. I can’t think what relation grandson Nathaniel is to those six. He might be a second cousin or something once removed, which sounds like a second-rate person dumped in the garbage. I hadn’t looked at the calendar and was surprised when we were suddenly celebrating Barbara and Thom’s 52^nd wedding anniversary. I hope I can be forgiven for forgetfulness, because I’m old.

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062518 Barbara Thom on anniversary.JPG

The next day when Thom and John were both trying to pay for breakfast, Thom pulled a fast one . He told the cashier not to pay attention to John because he was senile. We all burst out laughing. I was glad the cashier was not flustered, but laughed with us.

062618 N Thom BA JC breakfast at Chick fil A.JPG

Celebrating with Friends

After grandson Nathaniel’s graduation party, we had dinner with friends of long standing. They have known our grandson all his life. I enjoyed hearing about their granddaughter’s graduation two days before. Her class had 93 graduates and was quite different. Instead of processing them like cattle, someone read a short bio about each one. They included awards, academic achievements, and where the student would be going to college. In addition to all the speeches and lengthy diploma ritual, this class had a formal recessional. The graduation ceremony took twice as long as Nathaniel’s. It must have been very gratifying.

When host Al knew Nathaniel was inside, he invited him out to help cook the steaks. What a meal we had! The meat was exceptionally tender and tasty. They also served a tossed salad, corn on the cob, a corn concoction in the husk, and fresh bread. Ice cream with a choice of hot toppings ended the meal. Excellent coffee set it off to perfection.

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Being with old friends is such a delight. You pick up right where you left off, because you have a shared history. Through the evening we caught up on recent events and verbally checked up on mutual friends. I don’t remember a train conversation this time, but Al is always trying to share at least one tidbit of information on trains that John doesn’t know. Once in a while he succeeds. Karen and I talked about graduated grandchildren and our college days, among a thousand other things. I’m ashamed to say I forgot to ask what she was knitting these days. She’s an expert and creates the most beautiful things. I lined everyone up for a quick photo as we were leaving. It had been a soul-satisfying evening.

062418 Nate Al Karen John after dinner.JPG