SUNDAY MEMORIES
Judy Wills
Leaving Heidelberg was difficult – we really loved being in Germany. But our three years were up and it was time to rotate stateside. We did a circuitous travel to England for two weeks (Please see my posts starting in July 30, 2017 – November 26, 2017 about that trip.). We then flew to New York then eventually to Virginia, where Fred’s next posting would be at Langley AFB in Hampton, Virginia.
We found our house, signed the papers then flew to Tampa, Florida for a week’s visit with Fred’s parents.
July – Clearwater, FL – Fred’s parents, Karen and Janet
From there we flew to Albuquerque for a visit with my Mother and Aunt Jessie. And then back to Virginia to begin that adventure.
July – Albuquerque – My mother and step-father, Fred, Karen and Janet
The house was available for us then, but our furniture had not arrived, so we stayed one night in temporary quarters on Langley AFB. One night was all it took. It was August and HOT…HOT…HOT! And the air conditioner was broken – and no fans! We tried to sleep, but couldn’t. We were all up about 1:00 or 2:00 a.m. to drink down as much ice water as we could.
The next morning, we borrowed mats and a card table (sound familiar?) and cooking equipment and went to our house. We slept on the floor on the mats. It wasn’t easy, but at least we were cool!
The house was barn-shaped, but had some neat features.
It had four bedrooms and three full baths. One bedroom and bath were downstairs, and we used them as a guest unit. The master suite was the width of the house, and had an en-suite bath with a shower only, no tub. The second bathroom upstairs had the full tub/shower. The other two bedrooms were upstairs, as well. One of the bedrooms, that faced the front of the house, had a little door in the closet, that led to some “attic” space, the length of the house. That was so convenient!
Downstairs was a formal living room and a separate dining room which was just off the kitchen.
Dining Room – left is the hallway to the guest bedroom and bathroom
There was also a family room that was wood-paneled and had a wood-burning stove in it.
My mother in the family room
Fred’s parents in the family room. Wood paneling and the wood-burning stove
I really liked the kitchen! The previous owners had renovated it, so that one wall that had been just empty, now held cabinet space and drawer space, as well as the stove. They had also installed a microwave – but they had cut a hole in the wall and made a brace on the wall in the garage to hold the microwave. All we saw in the kitchen was the front of the machine! We also didn’t hear the machine when it was running. Nice and quiet. The space where the stove was originally (next to the door leading to the garage), now became a very large pantry. There was cabinet space galore, and a window over the sink, looking to the back yard. The refrigerator was at the end of the cabinets, next to the doorway to the dining room.
In the back yard, there was a patio made up of slate sections. There was a trellis at one end, and a big tree at the other. Someone had installed a pull-across line that could be used to hang clothes to dry. I love the smell of sheets dried in the air, and so did that frequently.
We lived in that house nearly 13 years – the longest we had lived anywhere.
~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~
Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .
Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.
After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.
Old Things R New 
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