Day Thirty-Four...

---

…Mike volunteered to go to Kathy’s daughter Amy’s house to wait for the delivery of a new clothes dryer so Kathy and I could keep our breakfast date with Aunt Mary Jane. They and Carol meet for breakfast once each month. Carol wasn’t feeling well this morning so she opted out. Breakfast was leisurely and delicious.

Today we were going to try to find Uncle John and Aunt Della. When we were here in 2006 they lived in a condo. Hopefully they’re still there. Mike remembered the name of the condo complex but not how to get to it. It took just a bit of a Google search to find out exactly WHERE “there” was. Off we go.

At the condos we were faced with half a dozen separate buildings, each having eight units. We had no idea where to start. Mike decided we should just start with the one at the front and work our way back. Sounded like as good a plan as any. We stepped inside the main entry door and looked at the list of tenant last names on the mailboxes. No Houlihans. Okay, next building. When we stepped out, the gentleman who’d been reading his morning paper on his patio as we entered asked us who we were looking for. We told him and he informed us they didn’t live there any longer. He also gave us very specific directions to their new place. They’d moved less than a mile away to a duplex. He told us when we saw them to tell them, “Claude said hello.”

We followed Claude’s directions and went straight there (after turning around because we missed the turn). We pulled up to the duplex Claude said they lived in but couldn’t remember if he’d told us if they lived in the one on the right or the left. A dog was barking in the left half and Mike didn’t remember them having a dog, so he stepped back off the porch and was about to go try the one on the right when a woman came to the screened open window and asked who he was here to see. He recognized the face and voice immediately as Aunt Della’s. He answered, “We’re here to see you!” He explained who he was and after her initial shock, told us to come in.

We sat at the table in their eat-in kitchen. It took John a bit longer to realize who Mike was, but once the lightbulb came on it didn’t dim. Della couldn’t get over how much she thought Mike resembled his dad. We had heard John had fallen and was now wheelchair-bound. We were happy to see that wasn’t the case. Yes, he’d fallen, but there was no wheelchair. He now uses a walker to help him get around. He and Della both are nearing 90 years of age. She still gets around really well and still has her driver’s license.

Like all the other visits with relatives only seen when we come east, the visit was enjoyable and ended with, “Come back and see us again before you leave town.” I think we’d need another week in town to see everyone again.

From John and Della’s we went straight to Patrick’s again. This time to see two of his sisters, Jill and Marsha. There’s no doubt they’re siblings…the resemblance is that strong. Part way through our conversations with them Jill decided to call their sister Debbie Lou who now lives in Florida. Debbie Lou is known for her long-winded conversations. Debbie Lou answered her phone and after a very brief response, Jill handed the phone to Mike. Jill, Patrick and Marsha sat back and giggled as though they’d just pulled the best prank on Mike. I pointed at Jill and told her I could tell already she was trouble. Mike had, as predicted, a very lengthy phone conversation with Debbie Lou. She even put her son on the line to say hi to a cousin who probably meant absolutely nothing to him. Poor kid. From Mike’s telling of the phone call, he was a very nice, polite young man with a very strong southern accent. Several hours later (I’m sure it seemed that way to Mike) he ended the phone call and returned to the visit that had been put on hold. Eventually, Jill had to head home to start dinner. Not long after, we headed home as well.

The rest of our evening went just as it would if we were back at home...watching baseball.

---