Connie's Corner

Lots of errands today...

I don't know if I mentioned it before, but my Jim is a retired residential builder...retired since the late nineties mainly due to health reasons. While we were out today doing lots of errands, we decided to swing by a couple of the houses he built that happened to be close to our route. Unlike many builders, Jim did most of the work, himself, with carpenter's helpers. He could do just about anything, all carpentry (rough and trim), lay block and brick, plumbing, wiring, roofing. He even built swimming pools with some of his houses. My input was drawing the plans, pulling the permits, knicky-picky details, and the gopher, or is that go for, jobs . Anyway, both of us were always proud of every finished job.

The first one we drove by was easy to get to, in a closed end development, one way in, the same way out. It's a two story colonial with about 2,500 square feet of air-conditioned area and a 2-car garage. Jim built a pool with it, and we were pleased to notice the current owners had installed a pool enclosure. The house and surroundings looked wonderful even though he built it in 1979.

On to the second drive-by. This house is slightly more difficult to find. The subdivision is more rambling with lots of curvy streets and twists and turns. The home was built at the end of a cul-de-sac. I thought I was really good at remembering directions, but if Jim had not been with me, no way could I have found this house. Jim, on the other hand, calmly says, "Go to the third street, turn left, go to the second street, turn left, continue to the end of that street and turn right, go two more streets and turn left and the house is at the end."

"No way," I say. I did not recognize anything. I guess when it takes six months to build a house, and you drive there and back everyday, for that period of time, you remember. There it was, up on a little hill, looking beautiful with new paint colors, sage green with apricot shutters, and a dogwood with blooms so white it almost hurt your eyes to look at it in the bright sunshine.

So there we were, sitting out front, gawking, when suddenly I hear this "beep beep" in back of me and realize the owner is trying to get into his driveway, which I am blocking. I waved, silly me, and continued on around the cul-de-sac. He probably went in to tell his wife there was some old man and woman sitting out front staring at their house...lock the doors, honey.

It was a fun day, bringing back some good memories.

until next time...c