Tuesday, November 18, 2008

North Myrtle Beach - Part One

I worked at Metro Center until 1985 when working conditions got so bad that I had to leave. Administration changed and focus of school changed directions with less focus on what was best for the students. The time I spent at Metro Center made up some of the best years of my life; I was able to do so many things that I never thought I could do and was able to work alongside teachers that had so much love for the students that attended the school. As time passed with a change in principals, there came a change of treatment of the kids. I could not remain with the school any longer and my heart was broken when I left. My departure from Metro Center allowed another chapter of my life to open. Soon afterwards, Hazel and I decided to buy a lot and build a house at North Myrtle Beach, SC. See the location.
Our friends, John and Sue Rogers, had purchased a condo at North Myrtle Beach. During one of our trips down to visit with them, we found a lot that was on the market and we could imagine how the house we wanted would look on the lot. I called the real estate agent, Rachel Thompson, and made an offer that was within our means. The agent said that she was sure that the seller would not accept an offer that low. I told her that they could counter our offer and if we could afford it we might just buy it. Three days later we received a call from her that the seller had accepted our offer which meant that we could afford the property so we started planning how we could buy the land and build a house. We had no bank account and only owned the house on Pawnee Drive in Charlotte. We prayed about this move and felt that it was in God’s will. We put a down payment on the lot and got things started knowing that He would do the rest. We were able to get our money out of our investment in Jackson Homes which was enough to pay for the lot and some left to start the house.

With the help of John and Sue and many other friends that we made so quickly, one thing after another happened and everything fell right into place. We met Larry Lambert, a contractor that had about a hundred patio homes he was planning to build. At the time he could not start until some of the completed ones were sold so he had a couple weeks that he had nothing to do. He agreed to frame our house and ended up doing the outside and roof. The weekend after this job was done was when his company had sold the most of the patio homes in one weekend so he was very busy for the next six months. I did not know how we were going to pay him for what the work he did for us but with the help of friends we were able to pay as the house was being built. We met Mr. Edge, a plumber, that volunteered to do the plumbing for cost and the air condition was also installed for the cost of the unit. George Broom, an electrician and friend from Mulberry Baptist Church, and my son Glenn went down and did all of the electoral work in just two days, one to ruff it in and one to finish it.

All this time my good friends were letting us borrow the money that we needed until we could sell our home in Charlotte. When we were ready for the sheet rocking, I went to see Jimmy the guy that was doing the work for Larry Lambert, the contractor, to see what it would cost. It just so happened that he got caught up that day and all of his men would have two days off. He told me that if we could get the sheet rock that afternoon, he would put it up for just labor cost. I called the lumber company and they so happen to have a truck and would have it at our house in one hour, Jimmy and his crew started that afternoon and two days later the sheet rock was hung, patched and ready to paint. Glenn and I painted the inside of the house and he worked with me as I built the fireplace. That same weekend I met Wheat, a man that had a cabinet shop in Statesville. He came over and measured my house and he just so happen to have cabinets for the two bath rooms that he had made and had not sold. He gave them to me and built the rest of the cabinet for cost; one week later the cabinets were delivered to my house in Charlotte. The bill read to be paid at my leisure, every time we needed anything, God was there one day ahead of us meeting our needs. Everything that we did until the house was finished was taken care of in a way that only God could have done it. Listen to me tell this story.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Our First Cruise and Trip to Hawaii

During the winter of 1982, John and Sue Rogers, Bob and Marge Greene, and Hazel and I decided that we would like to go on a cruise. I contacted a travel agency at Belk's and found that we could go on a seven day cruise for a little over five hundred dollars each which this sounded pretty good so we each booked a reservation. We flew to Atlanta, GA and after a short snow delay headed on to San Juan, Puerto Rico and then on to the Cunard Princess Cruise Line.
We sailed all the way to South America and to four islands on the way back to San Juan. We enjoyed the cruise and the land tours very much! The last night on the ship Hazel slipped on some wet stairs and hurt her lower back. We went to see the ship doctor and were given some pain pills. The next day Hazel's back side was hurting but she would not take any of the pain pills which made a bad day for all of us. We got on the plane home and headed for home. The plane was not full so she had five seats that she could lay down so that made the trip home a little better. Later on we found out that we could sue the Cruise line and get a free cruise and some money but we did not think that we should because we did not think it was the fault of the cruise line. I think we enjoyed this cruise best of all over all the ones we went on during our cruise years. After moving to North Myrtle Beach we joined a senior citizen group called the Nifty Fifties and were able to go on many other cruises.
Bob and Marge Green and Hazel and I went to Hawaii in 1980. We were out to dinner one night and someone suggested that we go to Hawaii which sounded good to us all. After we finished our meal we went directly to the airport to check out a flight and found that a round trip would cost us $500.00 each which did not sound too bad so we went on to Bob and Marge house and called the Sheraton Hotel to check on the price and we could get Sheraton Wikkie Beach. We found that we could get the room for $80.00 a night which did not sound too bad so we booked for 10 nights went back to the airport and booked our flights for the same time and we were set for the trip. Pam,Shannon and Christy went to the airport to see us off early one morning and they watched us get on to the plane. They watched it take off and fly into the western sky. When the plane went out of sight, Christy started to cry. Pam ask what was wrong and Christy said that her grandparents disappeared and she wanted them back. Pam assured here that we would come back in 10 days and that helped her understand so she said that she would wait for us.

We arrived in Honolulu that afternoon and were met by a friend who let us rent a car for the time we were on the Island. Upon checking into the hotel we found out that our reservations were made for the next day and they did not have two good rooms for us and we would have to sleep in rooms with only two single beds. That upset me so I told the clerk that I did not come all the way to Hawaii and not to sleep with my wife the first night. I ask him to put the two beds together and he did.

The rest of the time went really well and we had a wonderful time. We flew to five other Islands and spent time on all of them, we were able to tour all of Honolulu and did most everything that could be done! We bought some pineapples, Macadamia nuts,and Kona coffee to bring back home with us. Pam, Shannon and Christy met us at the airport early that morning and Christy sure was glad to have her grandparents arrive back through the skies just like they had disappeared ten days earlier.  Listen to me tell this story.