We took a stroll down memory lane last Monday when we left home at 7 a.m. and traveled for 3 hours to Albany, GA, where we lived 1990-1996, until Jim retired and we moved to the farm in AL.
We have talked about going back for a long time, to visit one of our "back yard" neighbors, Susan. There was an alley between our houses and we each used the alley to get to our carports on the back of our houses.
Susan's father died soon after we moved there so we didn't get to know him. Her mother Betty was such a sweet lady. Susan had some learning problems and her mother took care of her needs. After we moved to the farm, Betty had a stroke and never came back home to take care of Susan. We worried about who was taking care of her and called often and she would always tell us her mother's friends were looking after her, and she was staying at home alone.
Then one day I got a card in the mail with her new address; she had moved into an assisted living apartment.
We were so relieved. She had no siblings; just two first cousins who live in VA.
We hear from Susan throughout the year when she sends cards on birthdays, Christmas, etc. She was so sad when James died in Feb 2009 as he was her friend. Every afternoon when he came home from the workshop she would be watching for his bus to make sure he got inside the house if I happened not to be home. Then at 4 pm almost every day, you could expect the doorbell to ring at the back door. Susan would come for her visit while I cooked dinner or did other chores. She and James would chat for awhile and then she would move into the kitchen to talk to me. I think she was lonely from sitting at home all day watching TV.
We also visited another friend, our maid Lillie Mae. It was so good to see her again and to see her beautiful new brick home that was built by her daughter and friends from Proctor and Gamble where her daughter worked. Her old home was destroyed by the Albany flood of 1994. Lillie Mae loved James and helped me out many times.
We took both of them to a buffet at Ryan's Restaurant and spent more time talking than eating. After lunch we got in the car and drove all over Albany. Couldn't find some sites we wanted to see; they are no longer there. The County Extension Office is now home of part of Albany Tech. Bob's Candy outlet is gone and they no longer make Bob's Candy in Albany; family owned business sold to a big candy company. M&M Mars manufacturing plant had a For Sale sign on it. Our favorite restaurant, Merry Acres, was closed and someone remodeling it. The newest thing is the development of the waterfront downtown where the Flint River flows south thru the city. How I wish we could do something like that with our Pea River in downtown Elba.
At 3 pm (EST), we took them home and headed back to Dothan to do some shopping and attend a church laity banquett at 6 pm (CST) at Covenant United Methodist Church before returning home to Elba.
Traveling from Dothan to Albany we noticed the big farms had a different landscape from past years. If there were crops planted, they were suffering from the drought. Many of them were "laying out"; probably in some type govt. program. I missed seeing the beautiful rows of peanuts, cotton, etc. The little towns are all "drying up" - not much left. Roofs were caving in on some of the vacant school buildings and businesses in the towns.
It was a good day and we had so much fun with our old friends and it was good to see them in good health.
Oh, and our old house on Ardmore Lane looks the same. The present owners are taking good care of it.
