My dear friend Ruth and I started our grand adventure to Kittrell yesterday with a stop in Wake Forest where we had a nice lunch in a cool sandwich/pizza shop. I hate to
see the empty shops along Main Street but I still enjoy visiting there for many reasons. First the memories I have from my childhood and the times BigD and I rode through here on our way to the Outer Banks and second from the short time I worked there for my dear friend Ann who had a delightful shop on Main Street. We don't come through here on our way to and from Outer Banks now that there is a by-pass but I miss it. Even though there are new buildings, there is still the quaint feeling of a old
small town to it. Since the area is quickly becoming as Yuppie as Cary became, I dread the day all this will disappear. At least the historical homes area seems to still be intact. We enjoyed riding down the street taking pictures of homes from long ago that have been carefully preserved. We
kept getting caught up on each other's lives as we drove to Kittrell where we first went to Oak Ridge to complete my mission. My sister Ann will be happy to learn that her place beside Mama is intact and will be hers. I took pictures of the site and of the memorial stones of
many of my dear relatives who are now gone. It appears everyone forgot that my niece
is buried on the same side as Mama but Ann's space will be between them. Whoever told Ann that Starr was buried beside Mama was accurate except she isn't "
right" beside her. Both Ruth and I enjoyed looking at the older stones - many of which were quite unique. You could feel the love of the surviving family members who put messages on their stones - some were a little poetic. I especially like this one of my Great Aunt - it is not only unique but she is the Aunt my Mother was named for. I thought it was interesting how her maiden name was listed larger than her married name. Kind of makes you go hmmmm? We also saw the little stone for my Mama's brother who
didn't make it after he was born. Bittersweet feeling. Then we rode down a road I used to drive Mama down whenever we went
scoota-pootin - as a matter of fact, the last time we went on one of our jaunts, this is the route we drove. Brought back tons of memories. Ruth was happy to see the places Mama and Daddy lived, played, courted, married and started their lives together. Don't get me wrong - all my sisters and I were very happy Daddy decided his daughters were going to be raised somewhere else - somewhere he could give us more opportunities than he could there. I was very excited to find this house. (above) My
first time visiting it was back around the time Mama had her by-pass surgery. We went for a long ride and she had been here and seen it since a woman had bought it and completely renovated it. She left much of the
original house as it was - just added touches like paint, inside bathrooms, etc.. It was white and gorgeous. She let us walk all through it and around the grounds where she kept horses. Mama talked a lot about when she lived here and Granddaddy would hire a crew to help him with the harvest. She talked about when there used to be another kitchen away from the main house (to prevent the house burning down in case of fire) and the two women who helped Grandma with the cooking during the busy times. She showed me a lovely room upstairs in the front corner of the house and related how she and her sister Margie got into a fight and threw each other's clothes out the window and how mad Grandma got. I loved that story...reminded me of my
sister's fighting over clothes while getting ready for school. I took some pictures that day but I think I gave most of them to Mama. I will try to find them. I also got a picture of the house (on the right above) where my Aunt and Uncle lived in Kittrell. When I was little I stayed with them for several weeks one summer. I think I also must have stayed with
them a short period of time when it was cold because I remember them killing a hog and cleaning it. I finally found a picture of her - Leah took the picture of the picture that was in an album at one of our family reunions. She was Mama's oldest sister and very quiet - like me. I know - it's hard to believe what a quiet little person I was for many years - I think that is what drew her to me. She was very sweet to me and I have little snatches of memories from my time with her and her family that summer. She let me try to make butter with the churn (that was a big mistake - felt like my little arms were going to fall off) and she liked to comb my hair. I felt safe with and loved by her. I also remember how much I enjoyed watching her (and my Mama) cook - they were like artists in the kitchen. Their movements were slow, methodical and fluid - they created some wonderful art too! YUM. We also drove through another small town where another of my Mom's sisters lived. (house above on left) I was supposed to stay with her and her family for two weeks one summer but I got very home-sick. I told Ruth about how her husband would come in to tell me goodnight and ask me to please come and be his little girl because he only had two boys and my Daddy had five girls and if I would be his little girl, he would build me a room of my own and you get the picture. Oh yeah, it was time for me to come home! I thought this guy was going to keep me!!! Other than that, I had a nice time - my aunt made
me a little skirt and my cousins were like big brothers. They had tons of comic books and a green apple tree in the back - I think I got sick off the green apples but the doctor they called when I got sick that
night said he thought it was more like a sickness named H O M E sickness. I forgot to mention the house below(on right) - we used to visit my Grandmother here in Kittrell. When my Uncle got married he and his family lived with her and then she lived with them until she got sick. This is the house Grandmother lived in when I was born.
I know my Mom and sisters lived with her while Daddy worked in Durham and sent money. I was born and lived there as a baby for a little over a year I think before we all moved to the big house in Durham. When I was small we used to drive up beside this house and
my uncle had the prettiest Collie - I thought it was Lassie! Of course, Lassie was the prettiest dog in the world - right? Those Sunday afternoons after we ate a big meal would be spent running and playing with cousins until we were forced to stop so we could go home. We would ultimately drop off to sleep in the car on the way home. It would never have occurred to us to be inside unless it was pouring rain or something and even then, there might be some
outbuilding we could play in. Some of the houses sat up on rocks and we would play under them in the soft sand while it rained. After we headed back home, we drove out to visit Ann, Lee and the babies. Ruth has heard me
speak of them and I was happy for her to meet them. Alas, there were no fresh eggs available - but we got a nice treat of fresh blackberry tea and a slice of chocolate pie - Yum. Lee and Ann were getting the kids set up for her parents to take care of because they were going out on a date! Whoo hoo! Upon request, Ann showed us her new ring Lee gave her for their anniversary - we both thought it was gorgeous. Both Ruth and I were delighted that Biscuit woke up from her nap in time for Ruth to meet her. She has seen pictures of her but was happy to see her in person. She enjoyed hearing the story about Ann
taking Biscuit strawberry picking and how she figured out you don't have to pick them, just pull the bush toward you and gnosh the berries right off the vine. We all agreed Ann probably should have given them an extra $5 for the amount she might have eaten - just kidding. After Ruth measured the delicious antique quilt I want to try to replicate (with her help) so she can make a pattern, we headed home - tired but feeling pretty good. We dropped by for her to visit with BigD and pick up some BBQ chicken to take with her after which we had dinner at the Mexican place up the street. When I took Ruth home, her Mom gave me a peony bush she had dug up. She wrapped it up in newspaper, put it in a plastic bag and poured water over it. When I got home I was so tired but I was also keyed up from the wonderful day full of good
memories of not only my past but my long term friendship with Ruth. I loved hearing about her life, house, horses and of course her wonderful family. I woke up late this morning to rain and had so much on my
plate, I stayed in. I went out to get in the car this afternoon to take Ruth to the airport and realized I had forgotten to take the peony bush out of the car. When I pulled it out, quite a few bugs (not tiny ones either) scattered and ran under the back seat. Yikes! I felt like they were crawling on me! Ruth's mom gave me some bug spray but I think I just need to take everything out of that car anyway and have it cleaned thoroughly! I called Cat on my way home from the airport and she still sounds weak and is a little sore. Hopefully, I will be able to visit her this weekend. I enjoyed my adventures with an old friend......
My dear friend Ruth and I started our grand adventure to Kittrell yesterday with a stop in Wake Forest where we had a nice lunch in a cool sandwich/pizza shop. I hate to
see the empty shops along Main Street but I still enjoy visiting there for many reasons. First the memories I have from my childhood and the times BigD and I rode through here on our way to the Outer Banks and second from the short time I worked there for my dear friend Ann who had a delightful shop on Main Street. We don't come through here on our way to and from Outer Banks now that there is a by-pass but I miss it. Even though there are new buildings, there is still the quaint feeling of a old 
small town to it. Since the area is quickly becoming as Yuppie as Cary became, I dread the day all this will disappear. At least the historical homes area seems to still be intact. We enjoyed riding down the street taking pictures of homes from long ago that have been carefully preserved. We
kept getting caught up on each other's lives as we drove to Kittrell where we first went to Oak Ridge to complete my mission. My sister Ann will be happy to learn that her place beside Mama is intact and will be hers. I took pictures of the site and of the memorial stones of 
many of my dear relatives who are now gone. It appears everyone forgot that my niece is buried on the same side as Mama but Ann's space will be between them. Whoever told Ann that Starr was buried beside Mama was accurate except she isn't "right" beside her. Both Ruth and I enjoyed looking at the older stones - many of which were quite unique. You could feel the love of the surviving family members who put messages on their stones - some were a little poetic. I especially like this one of my Great Aunt - it is not only unique but she is the Aunt my Mother was named for. I thought it was interesting how her maiden name was listed larger than her married name. Kind of makes you go hmmmm? We also saw the little stone for my Mama's brother who
didn't make it after he was born. Bittersweet feeling. Then we rode down a road I used to drive Mama down whenever we went scoota-pootin - as a matter of fact, the last time we went on one of our jaunts, this is the route we drove. Brought back tons of memories. Ruth was happy to see the places Mama and Daddy lived, played, courted, married and started their lives together. Don't get me wrong - all my sisters and I were very happy Daddy decided his daughters were going to be raised somewhere else - somewhere he could give us more opportunities than he could there. I was very excited to find this house. (above) My 
first time visiting it was back around the time Mama had her by-pass surgery. We went for a long ride and she had been here and seen it since a woman had bought it and completely renovated it. She left much of the
original house as it was - just added touches like paint, inside bathrooms, etc.. It was white and gorgeous. She let us walk all through it and around the grounds where she kept horses. Mama talked a lot about when she lived here and Granddaddy would hire a crew to help him with the harvest. She talked about when there used to be another kitchen away from the main house (to prevent the house burning down in case of fire) and the two women who helped Grandma with the cooking during the busy times. She showed me a lovely room upstairs in the front corner of the house and related how she and her sister Margie got into a fight and threw each other's clothes out the window and how mad Grandma got. I loved that story...reminded me of my 
sister's fighting over clothes while getting ready for school. I took some pictures that day but I think I gave most of them to Mama. I will try to find them. I also got a picture of the house (on the right above) where my Aunt and Uncle lived in Kittrell. When I was little I stayed with them for several weeks one summer. I think I also must have stayed with
them a short period of time when it was cold because I remember them killing a hog and cleaning it. I finally found a picture of her - Leah took the picture of the picture that was in an album at one of our family reunions. She was Mama's oldest sister and very quiet - like me. I know - it's hard to believe what a quiet little person I was for many years - I think that is what drew her to me. She was very sweet to me and I have little snatches of memories from my time with her and her family that summer. She let me try to make butter with the churn (that was a big mistake - felt like my little arms were going to fall off) and she liked to comb my hair. I felt safe with and loved by her. I also remember how much I enjoyed watching her (and my Mama) cook - they were like artists in the kitchen. Their movements were slow, methodical and fluid - they created some wonderful art too! YUM. We also drove through another small town where another of my Mom's sisters lived. (house above on left) I was supposed to stay with her and her family for two weeks one summer but I got very home-sick. I told Ruth about how her husband would come in to tell me goodnight and ask me to please come and be his little girl because he only had two boys and my Daddy had five girls and if I would be his little girl, he would build me a room of my own and you get the picture. Oh yeah, it was time for me to come home! I thought this guy was going to keep me!!! Other than that, I had a nice time - my aunt made
me a little skirt and my cousins were like big brothers. They had tons of comic books and a green apple tree in the back - I think I got sick off the green apples but the doctor they called when I got sick that 
night said he thought it was more like a sickness named H O M E sickness. I forgot to mention the house below(on right) - we used to visit my Grandmother here in Kittrell. When my Uncle got married he and his family lived with her and then she lived with them until she got sick. This is the house Grandmother lived in when I was born.
I know my Mom and sisters lived with her while Daddy worked in Durham and sent money. I was born and lived there as a baby for a little over a year I think before we all moved to the big house in Durham. When I was small we used to drive up beside this house and 
my uncle had the prettiest Collie - I thought it was Lassie! Of course, Lassie was the prettiest dog in the world - right? Those Sunday afternoons after we ate a big meal would be spent running and playing with cousins until we were forced to stop so we could go home. We would ultimately drop off to sleep in the car on the way home. It would never have occurred to us to be inside unless it was pouring rain or something and even then, there might be some
outbuilding we could play in. Some of the houses sat up on rocks and we would play under them in the soft sand while it rained. After we headed back home, we drove out to visit Ann, Lee and the babies. Ruth has heard me 
speak of them and I was happy for her to meet them. Alas, there were no fresh eggs available - but we got a nice treat of fresh blackberry tea and a slice of chocolate pie - Yum. Lee and Ann were getting the kids set up for her parents to take care of because they were going out on a date! Whoo hoo! Upon request, Ann showed us her new ring Lee gave her for their anniversary - we both thought it was gorgeous. Both Ruth and I were delighted that Biscuit woke up from her nap in time for Ruth to meet her. She has seen pictures of her but was happy to see her in person. She enjoyed hearing the story about Ann
taking Biscuit strawberry picking and how she figured out you don't have to pick them, just pull the bush toward you and gnosh the berries right off the vine. We all agreed Ann probably should have given them an extra $5 for the amount she might have eaten - just kidding. After Ruth measured the delicious antique quilt I want to try to replicate (with her help) so she can make a pattern, we headed home - tired but feeling pretty good. We dropped by for her to visit with BigD and pick up some BBQ chicken to take with her after which we had dinner at the Mexican place up the street. When I took Ruth home, her Mom gave me a peony bush she had dug up. She wrapped it up in newspaper, put it in a plastic bag and poured water over it. When I got home I was so tired but I was also keyed up from the wonderful day full of good 
memories of not only my past but my long term friendship with Ruth. I loved hearing about her life, house, horses and of course her wonderful family. I woke up late this morning to rain and had so much on my 
plate, I stayed in. I went out to get in the car this afternoon to take Ruth to the airport and realized I had forgotten to take the peony bush out of the car. When I pulled it out, quite a few bugs (not tiny ones either) scattered and ran under the back seat. Yikes! I felt like they were crawling on me! Ruth's mom gave me some bug spray but I think I just need to take everything out of that car anyway and have it cleaned thoroughly! I called Cat on my way home from the airport and she still sounds weak and is a little sore. Hopefully, I will be able to visit her this weekend. I enjoyed my adventures with an old friend......
I love all the old houses and the memories -and yes, Lassie still is the most beautiful dog in the world :D
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