It so happened that I picked up and started reading the book The Help recently. In a weird way it made me feel very nostalgic for North Carolina where my father's family is from and where I lived for 11 years. I had to fly to Charlotte on business and decided to fly down for the weekend and visit Hickory and Winston-Salem where I used to live. One of my best friend's, Quinn, and I spent the weekend wandering around town sight seeing and shopping and enjoying the beautiful warm weather for January.
We drove to Hickory and I gave Q a tour of the town. I showed Q my Great Grandparents home where they lived and my Grandfather grew up and later my Great Aunt Vera and my Great Uncle Gordon lived before they sold it to cousins who own it now.
The red brick house looked beautiful despite the leaves gone from the trees.
We visited my Great Aunt Vera's home where she lived after they sold my Great Grandparents house. I spent many weekends helping her in her garden and sitting in her parlor talking. I really miss her. Her grey house looks well cared for by the new owners. She just passed away a couple years ago. She was the Grandmother I never had. A wonderful Lady. I miss her wonderful accent, her sense of humor, her graciousness, her honesty, her apricot-colored poodles, her congealed salads , her daffodils, and summer days with ice tea in her parlor. She represented everything that was good about the south to me.
Quinn and I drove back to Winston and went to Old Salem, Reynolda, and to Forsythe cemetary where my best friend, Bill, lies with his partner, David, together. I put flowers on their grave. I miss Bill very much. I keep a picture of him on my bedside table and two Staffordshire figurines that belonged to him as well as a book of poems that he wrote to always remind me of him.
We managed to have dinner with two additional old friends of mine, Jack and William. We talked for hours and stood outside the restaurant after it closed laughing so hard and not wanting to go home.
A visit to Winston would not be complete without visits to some of our favorite haunts - K&W cafeteria and Mr. Barbecue made the weekend complete and I left for Charlotte for work.
It was a great weekend, and thanks Quinn for keeping me company. I miss North Carolina!
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