We Be Off

Greetings All:

Gini and I are actually well into our winter sojourn. It has mostly been visiting friends and family, some whom we have not seen for several years.

Our Christmas was a bit different. We were quite pleased to have Chip home for the holidays but we were not so sure he enjoyed it as much. At the age of 25 he had his tonsils removed and it took well over a week before his familiar smile returned.


Tom and Michele Wolfson were able to join us, my brother Tom and tenant Kevin in welcoming in the new year. After all had left we spent a day emptying and cleaning the refrigerator; draining pipes and packing the car. Somehow we exited Bailey Road relatively close to our planned ETD on Jan 4.

Our first stop was at Linda and Arthur’s. These are friends we met through Gini’s sister Janice many decades ago. We are probably talking double digits in years since we had crossed paths. They live in Montgomery Village, MD and graciously put us up for a night as we drove through the DC area. Linda served a ‘regular’ meal as we enjoyed steak filets, potatoes and vegetables along with some good wine. She reveled in demonstrating her skills on an induction stove and confidently placed her hands on the active ‘burners’. We were duly impressed and placed it on the fantasy list for our future, mythical and somewhat legend-to-be condo in Miami Beach.

Conversation settled quickly into the rhythm of former times. Children were, of course, the leading topic. Their Amanda had just recently graduated from College Park and was now hoping for the economy to begin embracing our educated youth. Linda continues to work the intricacies of medical grants and Arthur works on the internet proffering automobile purchases.

In exchange we discussed retirement, Gini’s part-time job at Dressers Unlimited and Chip’s imminent completion of his MFA in Chicago. We had pictures of his Urban Quiet final project. It was only during the holidays Chip had finally convinced Gini to view these pictures since the weather had become too cold to pursue any more footage. The project consists of photos and videos of Chip crawling up Chicago building facades and along the underbellies of skeletal bridge structures.


May the universe allow a safe pursuit.

We had only the one evening with Linda and Arthur and headed the next morning to Murrell’s Inlet in South Carolina. Waiting for us there were Rick and Hanna who we had spent New Year’s with at the beginning of our trip last year and had visited at their New York home this past summer for the fraternity reunion. They had just bought a new house close to the place they had for the past few years. (hmm, weren’t we moving furniture last year at this time with them?). They arrived just a day or two before us and had efficiently organized the move so that we were welcomed into a fabulous home ready for their first guests (an honor).

Rick and Chris, of course, headed for the TPC at Myrtle Beach once again (see last year’s blog). This time the weather was a bit more forgiving. Hanna and Gini continued to shop for the finishing items for the new residence and we all managed to partake of martinis and fresh oysters while line dancers regaled us to a live band.

We also went back to BrookGreen Gardens where we had seen so many wonderful sculptures last year (Jan 2010 – Happy New Year! Is the Furniture Here Yet?). Hanna and Rick wanted us to learn about the ‘Silent Cities’ there. And once again we did our part to confuse South Carolinians about global warming:



The gardens were created in the twentieth century by an artist (Ann Hyatt Huntington, sculptor) and had a previous history as four rice plantations. Our tour guide indicated the boundaries of the old estates and had us envision the land from centuries ago as most traces had been covered over. The focus of the tour were the cemeteries (the silent cities). The contrast between the burial styles of the owners versus the slaves was dramatic. The planters used the European style of above ground structures:



The slaves from that era do not have many above-ground remnants save a few headstones provided by the owners. Their African beliefs had the bodies buried facing to the Atlantic and in natural settings. Markers were of small stones, cement, iron objects, all of which were lost to the natural terrain. However their descendants have requested to be buried there and have since added headstones and other interesting markers:





Thankfully there was hot cider at the refreshment area after our excursion.

Our last evening in Murrell’s Inlet was having dinner with Rick and Hanna and Hanna’s parents who we enjoyed very much last year and once again this year. We love their stories about their life in Poland, Brooklyn and New Jersey before coming to Myrtle Beach.

Orlando is next.