Since my hubby was a Marine, he was required to go overseas a few times. We were fortunate in that he only had to go over twice in the 21 years before he retired. Marines rarely get an accompanied tour which means wives and kids can go. Such was our case. He went over twice in 21 years for a 13-month tour each time in the Philippines.
The second time he went over I traveled back to the East Coast to live so we could be near his family for a while—parents and 7 sisters and brother. It wasn't the most pleasurable time in our life for me or the kids, but we made do.
We lived in a small town near them as there weren't any decent rentals in the town his parents lived. It was only a few miles and for us that wasn't even a commute as we were used to commuting 20 miles to work in California. I'm a West Coast gal and am not fond of the East Coast. It's just a lifestyle preference since I've spent most of my life out west here.
But we had a duplex. We shared a common wall with the staircases on the common walls supposedly to cut down on noise. It didn't. It had 3 floors and a basement and a decent yard. The neighbor was a single woman with 2 kids and we struck up a friendship. It really was different living there because if you weren't certain ethnic groups, you didn't fit in. That astounded me because it wasn't that way with military people. We were all in it together no matter what your ethnicity was. We stuck together.
It was very different for my children also because they were the new kids in town and from the West. If it hadn't been for one of their teachers who was an ex-serviceman I don't think they would have made it through the year. He was kind to them. Also, the town had few transient people. We were differentiated because of our lack of the local accent. I can tell in a couple of sentences if someone is from that particular area of that state. We've been back there only once since then when we went with our son and his family to visit hubby's relatives.
The duplex was large for a duplex but most people there owned their duplex and at that time it seemed strange to us to own a home with a shared wall. Rental, yes; ownership, no. They were brick with really good sized porches. The garage was out back, detached from the house and I never used it, just parked on our street. I don't think I'd do it differently, even now, as it gave us a perspective we could never have gotten on other areas of the country. Now, I'm truly proud of this whole country and the people who make it up. However, for this gal, I'll always be a West chick. I simply love it out here.
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The second time he went over I traveled back to the East Coast to live so we could be near his family for a while—parents and 7 sisters and brother. It wasn't the most pleasurable time in our life for me or the kids, but we made do.
We lived in a small town near them as there weren't any decent rentals in the town his parents lived. It was only a few miles and for us that wasn't even a commute as we were used to commuting 20 miles to work in California. I'm a West Coast gal and am not fond of the East Coast. It's just a lifestyle preference since I've spent most of my life out west here.
But we had a duplex. We shared a common wall with the staircases on the common walls supposedly to cut down on noise. It didn't. It had 3 floors and a basement and a decent yard. The neighbor was a single woman with 2 kids and we struck up a friendship. It really was different living there because if you weren't certain ethnic groups, you didn't fit in. That astounded me because it wasn't that way with military people. We were all in it together no matter what your ethnicity was. We stuck together.
It was very different for my children also because they were the new kids in town and from the West. If it hadn't been for one of their teachers who was an ex-serviceman I don't think they would have made it through the year. He was kind to them. Also, the town had few transient people. We were differentiated because of our lack of the local accent. I can tell in a couple of sentences if someone is from that particular area of that state. We've been back there only once since then when we went with our son and his family to visit hubby's relatives.
The duplex was large for a duplex but most people there owned their duplex and at that time it seemed strange to us to own a home with a shared wall. Rental, yes; ownership, no. They were brick with really good sized porches. The garage was out back, detached from the house and I never used it, just parked on our street. I don't think I'd do it differently, even now, as it gave us a perspective we could never have gotten on other areas of the country. Now, I'm truly proud of this whole country and the people who make it up. However, for this gal, I'll always be a West chick. I simply love it out here.
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A beautiful log home.
I thought at first these were lilacs, but they're hydrangeas. Aren't they scrumptious in that old basket? Update: A friend told me they were indeed lilacs. What do I know; I'm ignorant of flowers names for the most part. I just love them is all. :-)
A small potting area with a darling brick floor, chandelier and curtains so it must be inside.
A black and white and gray color scheme. Very pretty.
Don't sigh; it's easily done with a hammock and a canopy from Bed, Bath and Beyond.
Tassels in pink. I actually have several pairs of tassels hanging around the house.
A simply pretty photo to share with you. Lots of those in my iPhoto and Photobucket.
Easy to make hearts for a project.
I have a silk blouse this color and just love it. It doesn't fit anymore but it's still gorgeous. ;-)
Cute tiny cottage with a heart window, pink lace and a terrific view.
While it's a gorgeous kitchen, it looks like Morticia's kitchen in The Munsters. A bit too dark for me.
Just goes to show you that even in an apartment you can grow your own vegetables, have a patio to eat on and have a fantastic view. Of course, the highest apartment gets the biggest patio.
I could live with these two chairs. They're my style, my color and would go well in this house. Love this room!
An old stone farmhouse. Beautiful.
And, of course, a beautiful bottle.
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Tidbit:
An Ohio student hurt his head when a train struck him. He told police he was trying to see how close to the moving train he could place his head without getting hit. [Well, he found out, didn't he? LOL]
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Tidbit:
An Ohio student hurt his head when a train struck him. He told police he was trying to see how close to the moving train he could place his head without getting hit. [Well, he found out, didn't he? LOL]
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