Beth and Bob Visit Us

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My brother Bob and Beth proposed an afternoon visit, and we were delighted. It had been months since we last saw them. That morning I looked at the trees in our neighborhood, knowing they enjoy autumn leaves in the mountains. I hoped they would have a lovely drive from Winston Salem and would see something as bright as this.

We were on our street when I whipped out the camera again. I labeled this photo “Not a Pyramid”. One of the first things Beth said was they had rain and mist all the way until they came to Asheville. At least the last half hour of their trip was more pleasant.

Not a pyramid — our street

The following photo shows Bob and Beth wearing masks on our front porch. They have been careful to avoid COVID-19, and so far that has paid off. They told us their grandson Sam caught the virus at college, although he had been careful, too. He had a cough and didn’t feel very well for a couple of days. John served them fresh apple cider he bought from the orchard a few days before.

As I put down my drink, the camera fell off my lap onto the floor. That was a good excuse to take another picture to make sure it was still working. The day was warm and sunny, perfect for sitting outside. As the sun moved, we scooted our chairs to stay out of the direct sunlight. I especially enjoyed hearing about their grandchildren and Beth’s family. Their granddaughter Kate has many of the same complaints Nathaniel has about on-line classes. Both are coping, but classroom learning is far better. Beth and Bob have enjoyed watching grandson Max play high school football on line. They live an hour or so away, so it’s really convenient to watch him from their living room.

Having a concentrated visit was most satisfactory. Son John $pencer was with us before I took photos, and he was very glad to see them again. We all hope to be together around Thanksgiving.

Published by Anne Mehrling

I'm a retiree who loves to write about life in the mountains of North Carolina.

Published

33 thoughts on “Beth and Bob Visit Us”

  1. Glad to see folks masking and social distancing; you are fortunate to have such caring relatives. Cider sounds wonderful! When we lived in Texas and hopped over to New Mexico now and then, nothing I loved more than the fresh pressed cherry cider. I would always bring a few quarts home. I feel deeply for the college students, and other students who are dealing with online. It is a tough call. I have done online, and some of my best classes and evidence of student learning was in online, but for the most part, nothing takes the place of face-to-face interaction.

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  3. The health professionals warned everyone about having large family get togethers on Thanksgiving and the results of our Thanksgiving is becoming apparent with a huge surge in cases Anne. So I anticipate a much larger surge in your country to happen around mid December?
    So please be careful.

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    2. Thanks for the warning. Our plans are in place, with the understanding that they could be cancelled at any time. I will pass along your warning to Beth and Bob.

      I’m curious. I never thought to ask about Canadians’ celebration of Thanksgiving. Do you have large family gatherings for it? Your statement implies that. Is there a standard meal like we have turkey and dressing???

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    1. You’d be disappointed living here. We expected to see deer, since we live on the side of a mountain. Only once in six years did we are deer in our yard! Logan saw a bear last year, and I found bear tracks in the garden. You might like to sit at the sliding glass door to the deck. There is a lot of activity when I have bird feeders out there.

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        1. Would you chase squirrels? They come and steal the birds’ seeds. I used to call Sadie and open the door for her to chase them. The deck has no outside access, so she couldn’t run away. You and I might come to a deal. I might offer you a job as bird chaser. What do you think?

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      2. without knowing anymore info than what you’ve said Anne,I’d hazard a guess that most of everything that walks has already been shot? Deer prefer wide open areas so they can see around them. They do not like the thick forests we have here but they do like clear cuts.

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  5. Hi Anne, What lovely landscape photos…the mountains have a beautiful glow. So nice to see people we haven’t seen for a while. At the beginning of the month my husband and I were able to visit with my aunt and uncle. Things aren’t normal yet…but love stays the same or even gets stronger through this pandemic.

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  6. We have been very careful here with few family get togethers and none with more than 4 people. I have a procedure coming up in December that I don’t want rescheduled. Unfortunately our numbers are spiking here. It was expected with people weary of the cautions and everyone being more indoors. Your area is more rural so less to worry about. If anything, this time has taught me a lot about the importance of family. BTW my crazy step-son, who has been touring Europe and the middle east for 3 months (yes, during this covid time!) sent photos of himself at the pyramids this past week. All that sand. Can’t say it made me want to actually see it.

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    1. Beth’s procedure was postponed until Spring, so she goes out a little bit. Bob has heart issues and has stayed at home most of the time. They have done a lot of ZOOMing.

      I’m content to see the pyramids in photos.

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  8. Always nice to see family. One of my brothers ilives in Thailand, the other in Calgary, Alberta and I’m in Spain. It’s not likely we will see each other for some time now. Sigh.

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    1. Oh! You are far-flung!! We were 800 miles from my brother until we moved to his state. We had 50 years with all of John’s family within walking distance. Now the siblings are in New York, South Carolina, and North Carolina.

      Your brother in Thailand must have a great story.

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  9. The colors are beautiful on your long and winding street … you are right that the mountains in the sun in the distance do look like a pyramid. Well, Bob and Beth’s grandson Sam sure was lucky if all he had was a cough … he must be healthy to begin with to get rid of COVID so quickly. How unfortunate and here he was being so careful! Looks like your camera suffered no ill effects from its tumble. The view and sipping fresh cider on a Fall afternoon sounds pretty perfect to me.

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  13. Oh, fresh apple cider on the porch with your brother sounds absolutely marvelous! What a wonderful way to spend the afternoon. I hope your nephew is recovered!

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