June | July 2011
Volume 1, Issue 1
Goblin Market Cooking Corner Lucinda Williams My Mr. Right Kathleen Ryan
homejournalonline.com
28 Dawn Williams Publisher Lari Thaw Creative Director Wendy Smith Production Mgr. Abby Conrad Artist Liason Tyler Williams Marketing Representative Contributing Editors Leslie Campione Pat Logan Chris Ross Dan Berger Melissa Bobbitt Lynne Margolis
InThisIssue
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June & July 2011
Publisher’s Letter Artist of the Month Here’s How Leslie Campione The Goblin Market Cooking Corner The Grapevine Movie Review Pop Talk End Story
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For Advertising Inquiries: Lari Thaw 352.360.5392 Home Journal is published bi-monthly by Dawn Williams & Associates. All real estate advertised here is subject to Federal Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitations, or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preferences, limitation, or discrimination.
Publisher’sLetter Happiness consists in activity: such is the constitution of our nature; it is a running stream, and not a stagnant pool. John M. Good
Thank you
for choosing to read Home Journal magazine. Welcome to what we hope to be a resource and inspiration for you as a reader and member of this wonderful community. Creative Director Lari Thaw and I have been friends for almost 30 years, both of us enjoying successful careers in the entertainment, music and publishing industry before deciding to settle in Lake County. My husband Britt and I lead a quiet, “normal” life , raising our son, Tyler, and enjoying our three dogs in Mount Dora.
Lari’s latest project is Bonzo an online humor magazine. The aesthetics and people of Lake County prove to be an inspiration to Lari on a daily basis. We will strive to surprise and entertain you in every issue. We will publish content that is current, of value, and hopefully something you need to know. We welcome your input and ideas, please share! Publishing this magazine is the culmination of a dream...a dream in which there are many more chapters to come true. Enjoy your summer...hug your loved ones, cherish each day. Dawn Williams, Publisher
Home Journal | 5
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ArtistoftheMonth Kathleen Ryan Wolf Moon $350.00 Kathart7@aol.com
W
hen I read Anne Rivers Siddons’ book “King’s Oak” I was intrigued. About one-third through, I read: “It was almost a half hour later......when the deer came. At first they were not there, and then, all of a sudden and at once, they were. A band of perhaps eighty deer, large and small, forming themselves out of the darkness . . . . You could see the shape of them deep-shouldered and delicate-legged, and see the white of their flags and bellies . . . .and see the great crowns of the lone buck’s rack as he brought up the rear . . . . .” Tom said “I’ll check and see next fall, when the Wolf Moon comes back.”
Kathleen Ryan
I could hardly wait to paint the scene as it filled my mind with the deer and the Wolf Moon. I added the oak tree and the stream for atmosphere.
I have always loved Anne Rivers Siddons books, but this one just spoke to me, and, as an artist, I just had to paint it. When this W.T. Bland Library exhibit came up, I knew just which painting I would show.
Home Journal | 7
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Home Journal | 9
Here’sHow By Pat Logan
Build a Concrete Patio Dear Pat: I am planning to add a concrete patio onto my house. Some of the neighbors’ patios have settled and cracked. About how large should a patio be and are there any construction tips? — Caren H. Dear Caren: A patio can be a wonderful addition to any home, and concrete is probably the most durable material to use. Decorative pavers may look a little nicer, but there is some maintenance required with them. It is possible to colorize the concrete for a more distinctive appearance. Before discussing the proper construction techniques for a patio, you must first plan its location and size. A patio is typically located at an entry door, but this is not possible with all homes. Locating it adjacent to an existing walkway is also a good option so the patio will become part of the natural pathway. The proper size of your patio will obviously depend on the layout of your house and the size of your lot. People often underestimate the size of patio that they really need. You can add to it later, but this ends up being much more expensive. A size of 12 feet by 15 feet is probably the smallest patio to consider if you plan on having a standard, four-person round table on it. This might sound big, but remember, the chairs 10| Home Journal
will be pushed out when people are sitting in them. You will also need some space to walk around the chairs and for another small table, grill, etc. If your patio is being built by a door or an existing walkway, you must also consider expected paths across it. You don’t want to have a table or grill situated so that you have to walk around it each time you carry something outdoors or across the yard. This may increase the size of patio that you need. It would be a good idea, as it is with any outdoor project, to sketch a scale drawing of your proposed patio on graph paper. Pick out the patio furniture you like and include it on your drawing. An open path width of 3 feet is usually adequate. Talk with your contractor to make sure he/she is planning to follow local building codes. Construction requirements may vary from area to
area depending on climate and soil conditions. For example, if you live in a cold climate, frost heave will be a consideration. Digging footers is not generally necessary, but if there has been a settling problem at other houses in your neighborhood, deep footers might be a good idea. The type of soil, especially if it is ďŹ ll, may not be very stable. The last thing you want is to have the patio settle and slope toward the house. This will result in leaks when it rains. There are many different strengths of concrete that you can specify for the patio. A 4,500-pound-per-squareinch strength should be adequate for a 5-inch-thick patio. Adding one-half-inch steel reinforcing rods will add strength and keep the patio stable as small cracks form. When the concrete is delivered to
your home, make sure the contractor will have enough workers there to ďŹ nish it quickly. Tell them not to add any additional water to make the concrete work easier. That can result in weakened cured concrete. Home Journal |11
Wildwood, Single Family Home, 2 Beds, 2 Baths, 1224 sq. ft., MLS# G4672290
Tavares, Single Family Home, 2 Beds, 2 Baths, 1179 sq. ft., 0.1340 acres, MLS# G4672600
Wildwood. Single Family Home, 2 Beds, 2 Baths, 960 sq. ft., MLS# G4672298
Wildwood, Single Family Home, 3 Beds, 2 Baths, 1246 sq. ft., MLS# G4672294
Sorrento. Single Family Home, 3 Beds, 2 Baths, 1654 sq. ft., 0.5711 acres, MLS# G4672556
Lake Mary,Single Family Home, 3 Beds, 3 Baths, 2595 sq. ft., 0.2454 acres, MLS# G4672284
HOME Real Estate Professionals, LLC
Mount Dora, 4 Beds, 2 Baths, 2009 sq. ft., 0.2052 acres, MLS# G4668089
Mount Dora, 2 Beds, 2 Baths (1 Half Baths), 2328 sq. ft., 0.2881 acres, MLS# G4672009
Mount Dora, 2 Beds, 1 Baths, 912 sq. ft., 0.2497 acres, MLS# G4672258
Paisley.Single Family Home, 3 Beds, 2 Baths, 1440 sq. ft., 5.5000 acres, MLS# G4667809
Longwood, Condo, 2 Beds, 2 Baths, 1738 sq. ft., 0.0503 acres, MLS# G4671453
Ocoee, 3 Beds, 2 Baths, 1173 sq. ft., 0.2210 acres, MLS# O5040684
HOME Real Estate Professionals, LLC
LakeCountyWaterways By Leslie Campione
Did you know that Lake County, Florida has the largest collection of waterway trails for canoeists and kayakers in the State of Florida?
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here are over 130 miles of waterway trails in Lake County– these trails are also referred to as “blueways.” A “blueway” is similar to a hiking trail with physical and geo-positioned markers in place to guide users through the waterways. An ideal blueway trail includes an abundance of scenery and wildlife, and easy canoe and kayak access. The eight distinct blueway trails in Lake County are located in the areas of the St. Johns River, Golden Triangle, Palatlakaha Basin and Oklawaha Basin. The Golden Triangle Run is named after the three municipalities forming the Golden Triangle – Mount Dora, Tavares, and Eustis. One of the most well-known waterways in Lake County, the Dora Canal, is located within the Golden Triangle Run. Lined with towering cypress trees draped with Spanish moss, the Dora Canal is a haven for nesting ospreys, heron, egrets and river otters. There are three runs in the St. Johns River area. Stagger Mud Lake Run begins on the St. Johns River in Astor and runs south to Stagger Mud Lake, a 203 acre lake known for an occasional manatee sighting. A second run, the Blue Creek Run, is a 4-mile trail that leads paddlers from the community of Astor to the St. Johns River. Continued next issue. To obtain maps and more information, please log onto www.paddlelake.com. Leslie Campione lives in Eustis and currently serves on the Lake County Board of County Commissioners, District 4.
Home Journal |15
The Goblin Market N
estled on a back alley in the historic downtown Mount Dora village, the Goblin Market Restaurant has been charming locals and tourists alike since 1996.
The restaurant, housed in a renovated warehouse, features three intimate, booklined dining rooms and a full service lounge, furnished in soothing muted tones with tasteful modern art. The private, tree shaded, courtyard and garden patio are open year round for alfresco dining. Low lighting and “New Age” music add the finishing touches to the restaurant’s casual elegance. Owners Vince and Janis Guzinski embrace a simple philosophy of offering the highest quality products, served in a unique and romantic atmosphere, by a personable and attentive staff. The Market’s wine list and menu represent a refreshing mix of ideas from its culinary team. The diversified origins and background of each member, ensure exciting menu offerings and nightly selections. Open for Lunch and Dinner, as well as for private functions, the Goblin Market Restaurant offers sophisticated fare in a relaxed, intimate setting.
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Map
Location: 330 Dora Drawdy Way, Mt. Dora Phone: 352.735.0059 Hours: Lunch Tuesday - Saturday 11am - 3pm Sunday 11:30 - 3:30 Dinner Tuesday Thursday 5 - 9pm and Friday - Saturday 5-10pm Website goblinmarketrestaurant.com Home Journal |17
Mount Dora, 3 Beds, 2 Baths, 1500 sq. ft., 0.2632 acres, MLS# G4671799
Mount Dora, Condo, 2 Beds, 2 Baths, 1459 sq. ft., 0.0095 acres, MLS# G4671842
Eustis, Single Family Home, 2 Beds, 1 Baths, 900 sq. ft., 0.2571 acres, MLS# G4671362
Eustis, 4 Beds, 3 Baths, 3453 sq. ft., 0.4756 acres, MLS# G4666606
Mount Dora, 3 Beds, 3 Baths, 2938 sq. ft., 0.4936 acres, MLS# G4671615
Eustis, 3 Beds, 1 Baths (2 Half Baths), 1604 sq. ft., 0.3042 acres, MLS# G4671859
HOME Real Estate Professionals, LLC
Wildwood, 3 Beds, 2 Baths, 1406 sq. ft., MLS# G4670939
Clermont, 3 Beds, 2 Baths, 1959 sq. ft., 0.2203 acres, MLS# G4671686
Deltona, 2 Beds, 1 Baths, 665 sq. ft., 0.2066 acres, MLS# G4667026
Eustis, 3 Beds, 2 Baths, 1344 sq. ft., 0.2579 acres, MLS# G4671622
Grand Island, 3 Beds, 2 Baths, 1607 sq. ft., 0.3471 acres, MLS# G4671213
Inverness, 2 Beds, 2 Baths, 1164 sq. ft., MLS# G4668408
HOME Real Estate Professionals, LLC
Leesburg, 3 Beds, 2 Baths, 1456 sq. ft., 14.8000 acres, MLS# G4670687
Eustis, 2 Beds, 1 Baths, 672 sq. ft., 0.1561 acres, MLS# G4661948
Eustis, 3 Beds, 2 Baths, 1308 sq. ft., 0.1149 acres, MLS# G4669304
Winter Park, 4 Beds, 5 Baths (1 Half Baths), 4994 sq. ft., 0.3436 acres, MLS# G4671002
Eustis, 4 Beds, 2 Baths, 1344 sq. ft., 5.0000 acres, MLS# G4669897
Tavares, 2 Beds, 2 Baths, 918 sq. ft., 0.0337 acres, MLS# G4669582
HOME Real Estate Professionals, LLC
Eustis, Beds, 2 Baths, 1308 sq. ft., 0.1149 acres, MLS# G4669304
Longwood, 6 Beds, 4 Baths (2 Half Baths), 7578 sq. ft., 0.7281 acres, MLS# G4668515
Tavares, Beds, 2 Baths, 1620 sq. ft., 0.1544 acres, MLS# G4667271
Eustis, 5 Beds, 4 Baths, 3547 sq. ft., 0.2296 acres, MLS# G4669088
Mount Dora, Multi Family Home, 1861 sq. ft., 0.2323 acres, 2 units, MLS# G4668993
Tavares, 3 Beds, 2 Baths, 1680 sq. ft., 0.1412 acres, MLS# G4668004
HOME Real Estate Professionals, LLC
CookingCorner By Chris Ross
A Winning Potato Dish
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his rich potato dish won ďŹ rst prize in the Idaho Potato Side Dish challenge, one of the events at the 2011 South Beach Wine & Food Festival earlier this year in Miami. Baked Idaho Potato Salad
4 large potatoes, washed 1 (16-ounce) container sour cream 5 scallions, sliced 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 5 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional) Makes 8 servings Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake pota-
toes for about 1 hour or until fork-tender. Cool potatoes at room temperature for 15 minutes. Coat a 3-quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Cut potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes and place in large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and toss gently until mixed well. Place in casserole dish. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until warm in
center. Suggestions: Top each portion with a little more sour cream and scallion slices before serving. Note: To lighten up the recipe, you can substitute the sour cream and cheese for lower-fat varieties and use turkey bacon in place of traditional bacon. Recipe from Carlos Barillas, chef of the Burger & Beer Joint, Miami Beach. Home Journal |23
TheGrapevine By Dan Berger
Savvy Wine Consumers Making Most of Sour Economy
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adly for many in the wine industry, the worldwide weakness in the economy is having a calamitous impact. Consequently, smart consumers are cashing in. Or should that be caching? The news this past week was that prices for most expensive, and even moderately priced, red Bordeaux wines from the vaunted 2008 vintage, which aren’t even released yet and 24| Home Journal
won’t be for at least a year, have dropped. Because the 2008 wines have been rated as very good, the only reason for the announced lowering of their eventual prices is that few people are buying wine in quite the same way they were a decade ago when the economy was sailing along, fueled by the dot-com boom. Because the wines won’t be on the market for a while, how does this affect buyers? Directly, actually. Since the 2006 and most 2007 red wines from Bordeaux are already on the market, at prices set long ago and for wines that aren’t quite as good as the 2008 wines are reputed to be, merchants around the globe are hustling to lower their prices. The question mechants are asking themselves is: Who will buy a bottle of a 2007 at, say, $30, when the same produc-
er’s 2008 will be the same price? The answer they’ve come up with: no one. So prices for the 2006 and 2007 red wines are tumbling. Then there is the conversation I had with a Napa Valley winemaker who makes a cabernet that sells for $90 a bottle. His next vintage is due out in a few weeks, so I asked him what he would charge for it. “Well, uh, look, we were all set to move it to, what, $120?” he said, hemming and hawing. “But now, even at $90, can I sell it? So I guess I don’t know what we’re going to charge.” At the lower end of the scale, with the Charles Shaw wines that sell at Trader Joe’s stores for $1.99 a bottle in most markets, sales are off the chart. Fred T. Franzia, president of Bronco Wine Co., which makes the
Charles Shaw wines, said sales were up in the double digits over last year, when sales were also brisk. He said a rough guess is that sales for 2009 will be “way up.” He added that sales of all of the company’s “value brands” had risen 25 percent to 30 percent over 2008. Included in that list are wines under the labels Dona Sol, Estrella and Crane Lake, each of which is made to sell for well under $5 a bottle. This past week I got together with an old friend, Steve Situm, a partner in a venture that makes some 20,000 cases of California wine that sells for less than $12 a bottle under the Stephen Vincent label. All the wines are excellent values, most selling for $11, and less than $10 in some locations. “Our sales are up 18.4 percent in the last year,” said Situm, “and that’s due mainly to the fact that these are great values. I think it’s amazing we were up 1,000 cases a month in the first three months
of the year, because we took a price increase in March last year, and there was a bit of a sales dip. “But the brand has legs. And we’ve done this with smaller wholesalers, not the bigger ones that deal with the broad-market players like Cost Plus and Costco.” Situm said a number of major U.S. wine companies, with wines in the
$8 to $15 price points, are off 20 percent to 30 percent in sales in the first three months of the year, “and that’s huge.” The best-selling Stephen Vincent wine is called Crimson, a 75 percent syrah, 25 percent cabernet sauvignon blend that “sells off the shelf in Whole Foods. They don’t do any promotions. People just love the name.”
Home Journal |25
MovieReview By Melissa Bobbitt
Will Ferrell Gets Semi-Serious in Everything Must Go Director: Dan Rush Writer: Raymond Carver and Dan Rush Producer: Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey Cast: Rebecca Hall, Will Ferrell, Michael Peña, Laura Dern and Stephen Root
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he first five minutes of Everything Must Go are very bad for Nick Halsey (Will Ferrell). He gets fired from the company where he’s worked for 16 years, has his car repossessed and returns to his suburban Phoenix, Ariz., home to find that his wife has left him—but not before strewing his belonging across the front yard, changing the locks to the house, freezing their bank accounts and canceling Nick’s cellphone service. Alone and adrift, Nick settles into the recliner situated on his lawn and, with a fridge full of PBR, indulges the alcoholism that caused this adversity in the first place. City ordinances and complaining neighbors soon force him to turn his impromptu campsite into a yard sale, an obvious metaphor for Nick finally unloading his past. Vinyl records
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recall memories of Nick’s drunk DJ dad; a yearbook reminds him of an old classmate (Laura Dern), who he then visits; a projector allows him to watch old home movies. We learn more about both Nick’s flaws and dormant heart thanks to two strangers who wander into his orbit. In an example of art following life, a terrific Christopher Jordan Wallace, the 14-year-old son of slain rapper Notorious B.I.G., plays a fatherless youngster who mirrors Nick’s expressionless melancholy as he bikes throughout the neighborhood looking for someone to just teach him how to play baseball. And across the street is a new pregnant neighbor, Samantha (Rebecca Hall), whose absent career husband portends a woman experiencing the same early woes that eventually plagued Nick’s wife (who is wisely kept off screen). Directed and adapted by Dan Rush from a Raymond Carver short story, Everything Must Go is at times too minimalist for its own good, and the story progresses to a predictable end despite its semi-surreal setup. But the film works on two particular levels. First, it is an earnest fable about a man who must confront and let go
of his past in order to embark on a better future. Ferrell dials back his normal oafish shtick in favor of the low-key humorous persona he used in Stranger Than Fiction. Second, there’s a commentary about the artificiality of suburbia, in which
denizens suffer the same problems as everyone else but craft covenants and regulations intended to wall away life’s ugliness, even the peculiarity of a man living with his own stuff on his own lawn. Everything bad, indiscreet or just unusual must go ... out of sight and mind.
Mt. Dora Plant Co. “Your Neighborhood Garden Center”
custom container gardens Native and Unique Plants gift cards available 2145 Britt Road Mt. Dora, FL 352-242-8585 We are located 2 miles behind the 7-11/Racetrack off 441 on Wolfbranch Road.
Home Journal |27
PopTalk
by Lynne Margolis
Blessed are the Strong
For much-acclaimed singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams, true love travels on a gravel road.
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t’s true that Lucinda Williams counts the many ways in which blessings come in the title track to her new album, but she’s still far from the soft and mushy fool in love some feared she’d become after finally finding domestic bliss. Not our Lucinda. Released in March on Lost Highway Records, Blessed starts out with a rather vicious kiss-off, “Buttercup,” then moves into “I Don’t Know How You’re Livin’,” another song about her troubled brother à la “Are You Alright?” from 2007’s West. The third track is “Copenhagen,” which begins with the line, “Thundering news hits me like a snowball striking my face and shattering.” “I wrote that about my late manager, Frank Callari, who died suddenly when we were touring over in Europe,” explains the L.A.-based artist in a fairly cheerful tone. But clearly, Williams hasn’t lost her talent for using vivid imagery to express pain — or the need to get it out in song. “I don’t sit down and think of a theme before I go in to
28 | Home Journal
write,” she continues. “It’s whatever’s goin’ on in my life at that time. Unfortunately, there’s sad stuff that goes on. I mean, that’s why I’m an artist to begin with. It’s like writing a journal for me or something; I just have to get it out of my system.”
passing season with lines like “We’ll never see a yellow so rich .... There will never be another kiss like your kiss.” (The song also appears on the Grammy-nominated album, True Blood: Music from the HBO Original Series – Volume 2.)
Kiss of death And yes, there are more thoughts of mortality permeating Blessed. Even the closing love song, “Kiss Like Your Kiss,” contains finality in its words, as she recounts the special nature of each
“These things are gonna happen and of course, the older you get, the more strange or different things you’re gonna experience in life,” Williams observes. “I just turned 58 [in January], so of course, I’m gonna see
life differently than I did when I was 48 and 38 and 28.” Then there’s the devastating “Soldier’s Song,” inspired in part by Jimmy Webb’s “By the Time I Get to Phoenix.” “I always loved the visual imagery in that song, where he’s goin,’ ‘By the time I get to Phoenix, she’ll be rising.’ He knows what she’s gonna be doing at any given time during the day,” says Williams, her Arkansas accent still prominent decades after her departure. “I kind of utilized that concept. I can see why other singer-songwriters would be so inspired by him.” Further inspiration for that one just came from reading the newspaper — “the actual, physical newspaper” — which for Williams is a recently acquired habit. Reading so much about war, she started thinking about how soldiers spend their days, and who they think about. “I’m always coming up with ideas, I’m never at a loss for that,” Williams says. “But I don’t sit and finish a song; I don’t say, ‘OK, I’m gonna write a song a day or a song a week’ or whatever. I just keep ideas, I write everything down.” Poetry in motion Blessed is definitely a departure in one respect: Apart from an incendiary Elvis Costello guitar solo on “Seeing Black,” there’s no barnburner cut, no “Get Right With God” or “Joy.” It wasn’t intentional, she says. Just
happened that way. “I just go where the song wants to go,” she says, noting that one song which might have filled that bill wasn’t quite working, so it went on the back burner. But despite the lack of rockers, there is, she says, an intensity to this album, which was co-produced by Don Was, Eric Liljestrand and her husband and manager, Tom Overby. (There’s also a deluxe version, which features the stripped-down acoustic demos of each song.) Some of the songs, says Williams, “kind of reminded me of a Jim Morrison vibe, almost. ‘The Awakening’ sort of reminds me of ‘This is the End.’” Morrison, of course, thought of himself as a poet. Williams has the same gene; her father is renowned poet Miller Williams. But she says writing lyrics really is different than writing poetry, something that’s driven home to her every time she tries to pen a poem and shows it to her dad: “He says, ‘Honey, I think it wants to be a song.’” The reverse is also true, she says. He’s tried his hand at lyric-writing a few times, giving her lyrics and asking her to come up with some music. But in each case, the words or the meter never quite worked. Still, father and daughter have done a few evenings of shared poetry and song, and he wrote the vows for her
2009 wedding, which took place onstage at the First Avenue nightclub in Minneapolis, Overby’s hometown. After the couple came up with the idea, Lucinda wasn’t quite sure whether she wanted to go through with it — the onstage wedding, that is. The marriage part, she had no doubts about. “My dad said, ‘You know, Hank Williams got married onstage.’ I said, ‘OK, that clinches it then. I know we’re doin’ the right thing.’” Overby, who has retail and record-label experience in marketing and A&R, also “passed the test” with two longtime Lucinda associates: her booking agent, Frank Riley, and lawyer, Rosemary Carroll. The two industry heavyweights gave him their blessings as both management and husband material. Of course, Williams admits that they occasionally butt heads, just like any married couple. “You work through it,” she says. And then you count your blessings. And maybe put them in a song.
Home Journal |29
EndStory
My Mr. Right By Abby Conrad
I
looked over at the picture of Jim taken shortly before he passed away.... It was a true likeness of him, deep wrinkles in his cheeks, thinning hair and beautiful green eyes. But that is not what I saw when I looked at the picture. What I saw, was my Jim on New Years Eve 64 years ago when he was 6’1”, 165 lbs. of muscle and the cutest, little butt you’ve ever seen! He was wearing a soft yellow sports coat... a white dress shirt, with the collar rakishly open. His almost black hair was carefully tousled as tho’ it had not seen a comb for a week. I knew the moment I saw him that he was my guy! My quest for MR. RIGHT ended right then and there.......I was only 18 but I knew he was IT – he was my MR. RIGHT!
This is the way it all happened............ I was in Florida for a little vacation with my Mother and we stayed at a very reputable hotel near the beach.......Jim was working in his sister’s Sundry store, which happened to 30 | Home Journal
be close to the hotel. In those days all hotels did not have restaurants so every morning Mom and I would go to the Sundry store, hike up on a stool at the counter and have breakfast – then off to the beach or shopping or whatever. We usually got back to the hotel mid afternoon at which time I
would decide it was time to go to the Sundry store for something cold. Now, do you get the idea that I wasn’t just going for something cold? Well, you’re right I had my eye on the cute guy behind the counter. Jim was recently discharged from the Army and he was just sort of killing time until
he decided what he really wanted to do. He did not have a car, but those were the days when you could ride a bus without fear. One afternoon, Jim asked me if I would like to go to a movie and of course I said yes. That evening we rode a bus to the movie theatre on Biscayne Boulevard. After the movie, we decided to walk back to the hotel. We held hands all the way and talked up a storm. When we got to the Hotel, we sat on the veranda talking – not wanting the night to end, but when my Mom appeared in the lobby of the Hotel looking for me, we hurriedly said goodnight. The next morning Mom and I followed our daily routine....breakfast at the Sundry store then to the beach. As we were leaving, Jim followed us to the door and asked “Okay if I stop by the Hotel when I get off?” I nodded yes and left with Mom for the beach. That evening I sat on the Hotel veranda waiting for Jim to come by ---- but he didn’t come!!! The next morning Mom and I went to breakfast as usual. As soon as we walked into the Sundry Shop, Jim was by my side, apologizing......it seemed as tho’ his sister had an emergency and he had to stay with her 6 year old son. Well, wanting to
sound as tho’ it wasn’t a big deal, I said,” yeah, sure – that’s okay, I wanted to finish my book anyway”. I left with Mom and did not give Jim a chance to make any plans for the evening. That evening, when it was about time for Jim to get off work, I sat on the Veranda hoping that he would come. There he was – coming toward the Hotel.....as he got close enough to see me he got a big grin on his handsome face. We didn’t go anywhere except to the park across the street from the Hotel where we sat on those gosh darn awful hard benches for a couple of hours, oblivious to everything but each other. New Year’s Eve was just a day away and Jim asked if I would like to go to a party he had been invited to. Not knowing him that well and being the cautious and good girl that I was, I declined. I asked him if he would like to go with me, my Mom and her friend to a New Year’s Eve celebration at a nightclub. He immediately said yes. I was elated, my Mr. Right was spending New Year’s Eve with me! I had a great time, we danced – stared into each others eyes and held hands!! It was clear to everyone that we were in love.............how did it happen so quickly?........ who knows, it was just
meant to be....... The night before Mom and I planned to leave for home she said to Jim “why don’t you and Anna Belle take my car and go for a ride on the beach?,” she did not have to ask twice. Jim was a good driver and I sat as close to him as I could. We drove North on A1A as far as North Miami Beach then turned around and headed back South. Jim slowed down and pulled into a little spot with a clear view of the ocean. The moon was bright and it was beautiful. I was leaving in the morning and I was sad and I think Jim was too. We just sat there quietly for a few minutes then he pulled me close and kissed me....whew.... I could hardly catch my breath! Jim said, “I don’t know what has happened here but if you have a hope chest you better start fillin’ it up.............and don’t even think about marrying anyone else.........your mine!”. Four months later we were married. Jim has been gone many years and I was recently asked why I had never remarried. I answered, Jim was my guy -- he was a wonderful lover, husband and father. No one could measure up to my memories of him. Jim was my MR. RIGHT. Home Journal |31
LAKE GERTRUDE HOME
108 feet direct lake frontage, no road or sidewalk in between! Incredible views from every room. Rare, private boat ramp, dock and large entertainment deck overlooking the lake. Beautiful tile, nicely updated throughout. Warm hardwood oors, new carpeting, multi-zoned central air. Roof, windows, appliances, complete electric upgrade all recently completed. Fully fenced with separate doggie area, this home is ready for you to really enjoy lakefront living! Low taxes and utilities! $479.000
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