Sad and Glad

Saturday, May 12th  - I was a little sad that the trip was soon going to end.  I wanted to go to Charleston and Savannah even though both of those towns hold special memories for me and I thought that might make me sad.

A line from an old song came to mind - "even be glad just to be sad - thinking of you".  And I heard a little voice in my head - "you are making NEW memories and in just a few hours your house will be filled with the laughter of your grandchildren". . . Sunday would be Mother's Day.  I had a lot to be glad about.

Our last visit would be with Doris Johnson Brockington in Goose Creek, South Carolina.

Doris's mother, Martha Louise, was  granddaddy Nesmith's sister. Aunt Mattie Lou was a favorite of my grandma Nesmith, so much that she named her first daughter, Iva Louise.  My mother was also very fond of Aunt Mattie Lou and I grew up knowing that Doris is one of my mother's favorite cousins. 

The two cousins enjoyed visiting as at her invitation, I enjoyed meandering around her beautiful home.

I took note of a familiar photograph.  I had seen a similar one many times.  Taken about 1930, it was Solon T. Nesmith who with Annie Rebecca Gamble had been the parents of Alva, Gertrude, Gerdette, Ellie, Mattie Lou and Solon.  There was also a little girl, Etta, who died in early childhood. 

Interesting note of the day was that it was the day that granddaddy Nesmith had been born - 115 years ago.  Doris told me that he had always called her chatterbox and I wondered why he never called me that - I guess it's because he was too busy calling me (and all the other females in our family) "sister".

After a delicious lunch, it was time for the short trip into Charleston.

I have wonderful memories of a day that Rich Suhey and I spent in Charleston in 1997 after Jennifer and Jeff Calabrese's wedding.  My living room remains the home of a beautiful print of a Charleston door which began a collection of similar prints that I still enjoy.

When we were planning this trip, I determined that we should not travel more than a couple hours at a time.  So rather than come on home, we were going to spend the night in Savannah.  I have "Rich" memories of Savannah also - and a print of a door to prove it.  Besides my mother had never been to The Lady and her Sons (AKA - Paula Deen's).

Thanks to my friend Sandy Harbison, we had a great rate at a Best Western.  We checked in and put our things away and were off into the city - where of course we could find no parking place.

We drove by The Lady a couple of  times and the line was not long.  So mother suggested that I put her out, she would get in line and hopefully I would be back before they had a table for us.(Don't stop reading here).

With a little hesitation, I decided that was our best option.  Now remember, my mother goes nowhere without the assistance of "Big Blue", her walker.

We had seen a parking garage.  It now alluded me. I seemed to be driving in a circle.  When I realized that I had driven past The Lady and Her Sons at least twice, I knew I was driving in a circle.  Once when I rounded the corner where the restaurant is located, I put my window down and was able to speak to a hostess.  My mother was fine.  She was in the gift shop.

Finally - I made the proper turn and ended up at the entrance to the earlier observed parking garage.   I gave the attendant a $10 bill.  He told me to turn left at the arrow.  As I turned, I saw the way the pavement was going - DOWN.  Before I found a parking place I was on level four.  Maybe it should have been called minus four.   Me, whose least favorite thing in the world is a tunnel of any kind!

For someone who is really good at remembering, I often lose my car once I've taken my leave of it.

So, I took out my little notepad and wrote down exactly where I was.

I found the elevator, the doors that opened to the street and walked back to The Lady and Her Sons (by this time I was well familiar with its location).  My mother was still in the Gift Shop.  She told me that they now accept reservations - no wonder the line was so short - and that we were to be seated at 9:00 PM.  It was 7:45.  I knew that there was no way that my diabetic mother could wait that long to eat.  And I knew that if we ate at 9, then I would be walking back to the parking garage and into that abyss  - well after 10 - so we decided to forgo the Southern culinary experience this time.  My mother had purchased two items so she can say "I've been to Paula Deen's" now.

The Best Western's desk clerk had told us that there were 100 Marines staying in the hotel for the night and that we might hear them.  I was worried about that - for about a minute. Time to bed down - tomorrow we would head home - the adventure was over - but wait...there was one more surprise...that comes in the next blog.