Some explainations

Cars of beauty…

               1962 Aston Martin

We will not be in our hometown for Christmas. We will leave this Wednesday and head back to Deltona. Jack Jr. will be in and out of this house,  keeping check until the spring. Of course the adjoining condo is rented to good folk, they keep an eye out also.

The reason the bedroom is so large here.  I built the Condos, 1 for Sister Kat and her hubby and one for us. The plans were for a large 3BR house. I suggested taking the two largest bedrooms and making one, since this was going to be our retirement homes. Kat & Dick agreed. When Shirl lived here she ‘complained’  ;-)  about the 48 steps to the refrigerator at night. I just stepped it off for the fun of it, she was talking about the round trip and she took small steps.  LOL.

Sherry is sitting at our built in breakfast table. This was Sister Kat's addition to the house plans. We liked it so much we incorporated it into ours also. The kitchen is to her left. She was preparing the Christmas cards and i surprised her.

We have one last building lot. Granddaughter has asked if we could build her a house on the lot. It has been at least 20 years since I built. Of course I am out of touch with present regulations and requirements for new homes, so I went down town to check. The secretary was very helpful and gave me an application. She said, “The lot presents some legal challenges, but I think it is build-able. As I was leaving one of the older city admins came out of his office. He has aged of course.

I called out, “Alex you have gotten old since I built last. Have you mellowed any?”

“Hell NO!”

“I figured that, I just want to build one more and I will stay out of your  hair, what little you have left.”

“I’ll remember that Darnell.”

I smiled and laughed, “I know you will, my friend, I know you will.”

He was sort of a pain in the rear, but we always got along, that is with him winning most of the time. You know the rules, the guy with the hammer (authority) has the right of way.

Son Mark, who also built in town would say, “Dad, he has a $h--ty job, and he is just doing it.”

Every time after that when Alex and he locked horns I would say, “He’s just doing his job son!”  And we both would get a good laugh.

Mark is Reece’s dad, she said he promised to give her his labor, building the house. Mark is a much better builder than I (and a few years younger). LOL

Nite Shipslog

Small towns

Cars of beauty…

                                         1962 AC Cobra

If you live in a small town you must be careful about expressing yourself about another citizen. If it is negative you might be talking to the person’s cousin.

The smallest town our family lived in was Valdese, NC in the edge of the South Mountains.  Wonderful folk there, salt of the earth as my daddy would say.  The interesting thing was Dad’s congregation.  They were split Democrat and Republican. I knew nothing of politics. Mom and Dad voted but I never knew what party. I always guessed it was Democrat.

During our time there, early 1950s, Eisenhower ran against Adlai Stevenson.  These people, friends and brothers and sisters in Christ actually sat on opposite sides of the church. They wore their buttons: “I like Ike” and “Stevenson is the Man”. Most cars had bumper stickers. 

BUT, but they talked, laughed, joked and always remained friends. If there were hard feelings I never knew it. Of course when dad took the church he knew of the political ‘climate.’ Two of his opening statements at every church were:

“Don’t ask me if I have a party, when I am with you I am whatever you are.” And he always said, “If you don’t like me, please don’t tell me, I think everyone loves me.”  He was the pastor they needed at that time. I was a Stevenson man, because one of my best friend’s dad was a democrat.

This entry was keyed by reality tonight here in Belmont, NC. We just drove about 3 miles. That drive a few years ago would have taken 5 minutes.  Due the increase in population and traffic in our no-longer small town, That 3 miles took about 25 minutes.

We are now a bedroom for Charlotte, NC, with more building daily. Growth is normal. But now the complexion has changed and neighbors have no connection with each other. The earlier years of cotton mill villages has changed. No longer does everyone know everyone and being  kin to many or at least knew someone who is kin to their neighbor.

No longer are homes left unlocked day and night or keys left in the cars.  That is one part of progress I do not like. I am sure most generations have felt the same about progress; as you age you get out of touch with much of life. We take it as it comes and hope one day ‘I fit in again.’ (Maybe in an old folk’s home.)

Nite Shipslog

Title me Miscellaneous

Cars of beauty…

                              1955 Citreon

Over the past few weeks, besides the coach work, a few smaller things have happened. Our Florida neighbor's tree which is in our yard except the trunk has knocked out power in our block  in the last two hurricanes. So last year, with the neighbors permission I trimmed the limbs and killed it by cutting a groove deeply in the trunk.

With the coach gone I could take it down with out minding the coach.

                      Below the top half on the ground

                         Below is the offending tree on the ground.

The entire  time, Sherry never came out to say, BE CAREFUL even once. ;-)

Then I took the rest down even with the fence. Now it is down and it will not be the villain again.

I have seen two Albino frogs at the engine door area of the motor home.

We are presently in our home in NC. We arrived with a lot of ice (by NC standards) still hanging on.

And Yes as I said, me’n Stormy are in a relationship again. She is letting me pet her.

I am afraid she hasn’t been practicing safe sex, she is looking a little chubby around the middle. She denied it when I asked her. Since it is cool here I did offer to let her stay inside with us, but she refused to come in. I am sure she has never been inside a house.

When I built these condos My sister and her husband stayed mostly in the front part of their side until bed time. We lived in our big bedroom most of the time. We left this home to go RV’ing full-time over 20 years ago. It has been leased/rented since then. Sister Shirl lived here for the last 10 years. The BEDroom has not felt the same. We always had a double love seat across from the TV. SOOO we decided to buy us a Christmas present to have when we are in this area. TA-DAAA..

GDdaughter Sherece came over and brought GGD Stella for a visit. She was showing some of her moves from gymnastics class.

They tried out the love seat.

Nite Shipslog

PS This bedroom is about twice the size of our coach, 576 sqft!

All I have to offer you is ME, Charley Pride

Autos of Art:

1961 Nash Metropolitan

This is an end to yesterday's blog.  I was saying Sherry played some Charley Pride:

I don’t know why it hit me so hard, but Charley sang a song, “All I have to offer you is me.”  Words like “The only Gold I have to offer is in a wedding band,” and “No mansions with crystal chandeliers, etc.  All I have to offer you is ME.”

I quit singing along, She looked at me and saw the wet eyes and asked, "What's wrong honey?"

I looked over am my girl and I actually choked up. Remembering a member of the National Honor Society, a beautiful intelligent girl who said “YES” to a HS dropout. I didn’t have enough education for a good job, making $78 a month as a PFC in the USMC. When I married her I did not consider how I would support a family, buy a home and a good car. (I owed $250 on my car with a huge dent in the driver’s side. She took her Christmas savings and paid that so we would have no debts).

After she said YES, I made some promises. Once we passed a house on a hill, she loved it.  Big man, I boasted. “I’ll get you one.”

 LOL  It has been a long journey, lots of bumps. She lived in a Chicken Coop, tent, and a house with no plumbing with two kids.  BUT there was always ME.  And that was in the beginning and for many years.  BUT I had HER love. So, I looked over at that girl who had taken me at face value, and on this trip, at 80 yrs old,My brain put it all in perspective. Together we had made a life. We never went hungry. She alone supported us at times and followed me over a lot of this world.

This is repeating I am sure. My first W-2 form was $946 for the year 1956. Today our property tax alone is  over 8 times that amount.  We have been debt free for many years.  Tears were in my eyes as I drove, because back then, I had nothing to offer a beautiful lady BUT ME. Somehow she had faith in what she was getting. What I didn’t KNOW was her magic and ability to make ends meet. It was she who started me in the direction of general contracting; it was she that insisted we live debt free. 

She never did get that house on hill, but she did get a house on South Main St in her hometown. The only house in town with an indoor heated swimming pool.

That home is long gone now, we graduated to our condos and then on to a nice motor home.  I was 16, she 17 when we fell in love. I was 17 when we married and I moved her into a 200sqft trailer. Now at the age of 80, I tell her in our 62 years I have moved you up 2800sqft then back down to 300sqft, that is still an increase of 100 sqft of living space.

  All this reflecting is because of a simple song that said, “All I have to offer you is ME”. We were remembering two young people whose only asset was true LOVE! 

Our plans are to have a continuing love story until the end.

Thanks for reading the shipslog. 

Nite Shipslog

PS: I was successful in building. But I have never failed to give her credit for the majority of my success.  Of course she was successful in her own career as a clerk and secretary. She  has a choice of 5 homes or a motorhome, she still prefers the 300sqft Motorhome. That is my girl, still the most beautiful girl in the world.  

What is not understood by many is that she did not get an engagement ring nor a wedding band in the beginning. At the time our church did not accept rings. So she didn't even get the gold band.  I did later correct that and gave her both. 

If you have read this far, I appreciate it. I am glad on a quirk I suggested trying to listen to music.  It must be easier to cry as you age. ;-)