Actually it was a night at the beach. On Friday Linda O. called to invite me to her condo, now her permanent residence, in St. Augustine, Saturday evening. The resident "character" and social coordinator, Fred, a throw-back to the 60's, had been after her to have a bonfire again. He is the king of the bonfire! I am the queen! Linda told him she would call Kim, asking him if he remembered the lady who liked to poke the fire so much. I am a fire poker from way back....Indeed he did!
Linda had hot dogs to roast and her daughter, Lisa, brought the works for making s'mores. I got to see Linda's friend, Carol, again, and meet her husband, Bob. Others from the property came out to enjoy the fun as well, including Helmut who has owned a unit there almost since they were built.
His wife was back home in Germany undergoing treatment for breast cancer, being tended by her daughter. He said, "They told me I'd be in the way..." Helmut is a real sweetheart, and a fascinating gentleman to listen to. He said his wife, Vilma (Wilma) sends him his orders every day through 'the e-mail', with that day's orders about how to properly do the laundry . What a good laugh we had over that. He said she is responding well to her treatment, no ill effects, and can still issue her orders.
Lisa told me her big news---she is pregnant! I think she got married about three or four years ago (I missed the shower, I think I was sick) and now, at age 40, she is pregnant! At 21 weeks, I could not even see evidence of it. The organist at Victory, Rachel, is also 40 and expecting, so these two ladies have much to talk about at church. I think Rachel is 5 weeks further along than Lisa. This is quite exciting!
Her sister, Heidi, met her husband while working at the New Beginnings Home alongside her mom a year or so ago. They were married in October. And, I heard that their brother, Vincent, has a young lady friend now. He is a pilot, in training to be a captain (left-hand seat!). Lisa said he must be serious since he brought her to meet them a week or so ago. That's huge! I know this family from GS, so remember the kids as being younger. Fun to see them as 40 years old and pregnant!
Her sister, Heidi, met her husband while working at the New Beginnings Home alongside her mom a year or so ago. They were married in October. And, I heard that their brother, Vincent, has a young lady friend now. He is a pilot, in training to be a captain (left-hand seat!). Lisa said he must be serious since he brought her to meet them a week or so ago. That's huge! I know this family from GS, so remember the kids as being younger. Fun to see them as 40 years old and pregnant!
The bonfire was marvelous, roasting the fronts of our bodies while our backsides were chilled. Fred had made some very sturdy benches for around the fire so I didn't need to haul my chair down there. (Today Justin apologized for forgetting to put my chair in the car for me...I had asked him to do so earlier) I had carried my own chair down to the car, and when Linda said I didn't need to take it out of the car, my hands were freed for my sodas.
It was also great to see Carol again, and she asked about Justin. She is so taken with him, and was surprised to hear he is going to be 26 this year. Her hubby and she brought their toy poodle along with them, dressed up in a sweater. It was chilly out there, not compared to up north, of course, but the poor puppy was shivering! One of the other ladies snuggled the poodle, protecting it from the breeze with chair cushions.
Many of the occupants of the condos are renters, there for a month or even just for a week. One such couple came out to the fire, from Columbia, SC. If anyone had trouble understanding Helmut with his strong German accent, they were in a for a real treat talking to that gentleman who I believe was speaking English. Oh, my goodness! What a drawl! No, not a drawl really, but a series of words with no beginning or ending. There was inflection but it was a challenge to make sense out of what he was saying. He was trying to tell us about a controlled burn he saw in SC, and I served as interpretor to the others. Thankful for the years I worked at Sprint and handled these Southern callers!
When we were done around the fire, Lisa, Linda, and I went up to her condo so I could see her renovations. She updated her kitchen and bathrooms, getting it ready to be her primary residence. Having to squeeze her two homes together is a challenge so this will be a project for her.
She is no stranger to projects, though, as she is leaving soon for Antigua to see about starting a New Beginnings Home there. Linda will be gone for two months so the rest of the settling in can wait until she returns!
Lisa was going to stay overnight and she asked me if I was staying also. No, I would be driving back to OP, and shared with her the cautions from my mom and from Justin. Before he left for his day, he asked, "Are you going to be late tonight? Do you have your glasses?" Yes, I have my glasses but no, it won't be too late. Mom cautioned me about drinking and driving (no worries), drinking Diet Coke only. And my GPS took me right to the door of Linda's condo. Well, not quite---she's on the 2nd floor!
