Sat morning we drove back to VA and visited with Spouse's mom, sister, and her kids. Then we stocked up on some non-perishables at Trader Joe's (wish we had one here), then picked up my aunt and went to our friend George's 80th birthday party.The weather cooperated nicely for indoor/outdoor party in George's honor. There were probably 75 people or so, which really necessitated the usage of the outdoors. Several of George's nieces and nephews came from NH and NY, as well as many local friends and neighbors. The food was yummy and everyone had a great time.Sun morning we met our VA realtor Betsy at a condo in Arlington. When we sold our VA house last Sept we used 1/2 the proceeds to pay against our new mortgage, and saved the other 1/2 for the garage/bath/closet addition and buying another condo. For months we've been searching for a condo within our budget that we could update a little and then rent. There have been very few foreclosures in our low-end budget, so we were excited to see this one on Sun. It had been for sale for a few months but had just been reduced into our budget. We liked it a lot and feel it could be a 'winner'.
Then we met up with Spouse's mom, sister, brother-in-law, and their 3 kids for lunch at Ruby Tuesday (love their salad bar), followed by a nice visit at Spouse's mom's house. We tossed our overnight bag and Jordan into the car and headed to our former neighborhood to meet Betsy again. On our recommendation, our former next door neighbors Suzanne & George selected Betsy to list their house. Betsy was there for the open house, and had a contract for us to sign and initial 1,001 times. We did this so that after giving it sufficient thought, we can call Betsy and have her present the offer, saving us the hassle of having to receive the contract via fax and then fax it back to her. (Its many, many pages long.) Then we headed back to DE.
After feeding and walking Jordan, we went for a snack at Shag. I like that Shag has 'small plates' so if you're hungry you order two; if you just want a snack you order one. Shag is also fun because they play 70s and 80s music in their large, outdoor dining courtyard. Spouse had angus sliders and a soda. I had bouyardi (a crock of melted feta with herbs, tomatoes, and pita) and an Atomic Age cocktail, and we split a small order of sweet potato fries. It was the perfect amount of food for us, and the evening breezes complimented the 75 degree temperature, making for a delightful dining experience. We went for a short walk on the boardwalk, then returned home and watched TV before bed.Crush du Jour: Erik Brunten
Yesterday Spouse & I drove back to VA to handle a few last items related to the sale of our house. Today the house is no longer ours.We needed to swap the chandelier out with the one from our current dining room, so we could bring the crystal chandelier, dripping with prisms, back to our current house. We also needed to pick up the lawn mower and various other yard work tools the tenants requested we leave for their use. We also needed to close Spouse's old checking account. Fortunately these things all took place without a hiccup.But another important task on our to-do list was to say goodbye to our treasured neighbors, Suzanne & George. For years we traded pet sitting duties with them when either of us was away. Many an evening Suzanne would catch us as we arrived home from work, and we'd talk in the driveway about whatever. They were friendly, down-to-earth, smart folks we really liked a lot.I called Suzanne earlier in the week to tell her we were coming, and we agreed the 4 of us would have lunch together on Thurs. George picked up subs from the Italian Store while Suzanne, Spouse & I sat on her porch and caught up on the goings-on of the neighborhood and each other. We had a lovely lunch outside and talked until we could no longer delay the inevitable. We said our goodbyes and thanked them for a lovely lunch, and for their friendship.As we were loading the last of our loot into the CRV, I saw Suzanne crossing the yard toward us."I know we've already said goodbye, but there's one more thing I wanted to say to you," she began. I really couldn't imagine what it might be."I want you to know how happy we are that YOU were our neighbors. You were role models for our two sons. You know, sometimes people say derogatory things about gays, but I know that if my boys hear those kinds of things, they'll know they aren't true. They know that their old neighbors Mark & Joe were gay and that they were fine fellows. So before you left, I just wanted to tell you how grateful we are that you two were such great neighbors and such great role models."We were truly touched. I thanked Suzanne sincerely for having said such a nice thing, and gave her a final hug.I've never thought of myself as a role model, and doubt that Spouse has either. But as I thought more about what she said, it struck me that each of us can be a role model to others without knowing it, and without desiring it. Its tempting to think that if we'd known we were role models, we might have done some things differently or better. But on 2nd thought, why?Being the only gays on the block (and perhaps in the neighborhood) we just tried to live an authentic life. We never felt we deserved special treatment, nor did we ever feel that we should apologize for being different from our hetero neighbors. We hosted our family for Thanksgiving just like our neighbors, mowed our yard just like our neighbors, and went to work each day just like our neighbors.But without knowing it, we were role models.Crush du Jour: David Shillington
