Our trip to Maui was just one of many through the years with
our friends, Frankie and Ray, during the 80’s.
We also had the pleasure of meeting other members of their family and to
this day, remain good friends. Sollie
and I had not had many good friends as couples after we married and
moved away from our home town. There is nothing more precious than good friends, especially when you are in a new area. We were in new areas often. There is a difference between acquaintances,
friends, and good friends. Thank God, we were richly blessed with all three through the years.
Our travels together took us to San Francisco, where we
spent a week sightseeing and touring, and making memories together. Alcatraz, China Town, Fisherman's Wharf, Wine Vineyards, Ghirardelli
Chocolate Factory, and the Redwood forests were all dazzling to us country
folks. Hanging on riding the famous cable
car from Union Square to Knob Hill and a show with the “man himself”, Tony
Bennett singing “I Left My Heart,” were also highlights to remember.
Through the years, we spent several days in Orlando,
Nashville, Washington, DC, and just about every summer, we rented a condo in
the Destin/Ft. Walton beach area where we sunned, played golf, and swam in
those pristine waters of the Gulf. In
the fall, we spent one week-end every year in Cashiers, North Carolina, where we rented the same cabin every year
overlooking the beautiful valley and mountains beyond. Each place, each condo and each trip was
spent sharing laughs, meals, shopping, reading, and just enjoying our good
friendship. I might throw in here, that
being from different political parties never entered our discussions. Not even
once. We simply had fun together and it
was a given that each couple shared expenses when buying supplies or eating out. I have a few funny stories from those
trips. I may share with you on another
post, but not this one.
By 1993, a new job was calling Sollie’s name in Blackstone,
Virginia. Our daughter was living with
us at the time, so we left the house in her charge, and rented a furnished
apartment in Blackstone where we became instant and forever friends with the
owners, the Sheffields. The Olympics
were due in Atlanta the next year, and I began to hear about homes being rented
for that time in the area. Since we
lived within a few miles of the Equestrian events, it occurred to me that we
might rent our home and pick up some extra money. So, I tried to figure out a way to do it
successfully, but at the same time, control who it was rented to. I made a deal with Teresa that she could live
there until the games but that I would rent it out if I could, and then place
the house on the market.
Sollie’s job took him to the main office of his company
located in Englishtown, New Jersey. Occasionally,
I went along for the ride to do some junking and antiquing. Englishtown is a big area for horse lovers
and there was a tack shop in the village.
I took along some photos of our house and proceeded to venture down to
the shop to try my luck, asking if the owner might be coming to Atlanta for the
games. He wasn’t, but offered to let me
post the pictures along with the information on his local bulletin board. Within a short time, I had a call from
someone who wanted to rent the house.
Bingo!
The following months were
spent getting the house ready for rental and to put on the market for
sale. Everything proceeded as planned
without a glitch. Teresa bought a house, our house rented, and
our house sold. Providential?
Indeed.
