I greeted my Aunt Norma and Uncle Jim at the Manchester airport Thursday afternoon. My uncle took one look at me and said, “are you wearing eye shadow under your eyes or are the dark circles from being tired?” Hmmmm....was my crazy, hectic lifestyle of the last few weeks really becoming that obvious on my face or were my other friends and family members just being too kind to mention the black rings under my eyes? A quick inspection in the ladies room told me that, indeed, he was not exaggerating. As we got in the car to make the 2 1/2 hour drive to Danville, Vermont he and my Aunt told me in no uncertain terms that I was to take the next 60 hours (my time with them) to rest. No agendas, no trips anywhere, just rest, relaxation and the occasional walk. Sounded good to me.
My aunt and uncle are very special people and I’ve been coming to visit them in Vermont for 20 years, exactly. I graduated from college in 1988 and moved to Boston, just 3 hours away. At the time they were living in Groton, a small hamlet about 10 miles over the New Hampshire border about an hour south of where they live now. They had over 60 acres on a large hilltop overlooking New Hampshire’s White Mountains. The house they lived in had been designed by an artist and was covered with windows. It was beautiful, as were their many gardens that they spent a lot of hours on. It was heaven on earth to me. A place I could come and escape from the city; from the stress of beginning my accounting career with a Big 4 firm. This is my forth trip back since moving from Boston. They have always welcomed me with open arms anytime I needed a rest. This was no exception. They no longer live in the sprawling, sunny house on the hill (downsized due to upkeep) but it’s still heaven on earth.
My aunt and uncle and their two children lived overseas most of the time while I was growing up. He spent many years with the CIA, having been recruited for his language skills, and helped to start one of the original cold-war stations in Germany. They lived there on and off from 1957 to the early ’80’s.
Just before I was in Kindergarten my Aunt and my two cousins moved to Oconomowoc (my home town) while Uncle Jim did a tour of duty in Vietnam. My older cousin, Jeff, is 5 years older and wanted very little to do with his little sister and cousin. I remember him scaring me when I was younger; I was very shy. His little sister, Steff is more like a sister to me being only 10 months and a few days older. Uncle Jim and Steff used to visit quite a bit during the summers and we went to see the whole family in DC during the US Bicentennial.
My uncle used to tower over me at 6’6” and has had a handlebar mustache as long as I’ve known him. You can certainly pick him out in a crowd. He is unique and has a heart as big as the outdoors; being involved in many forms of community service, from the Rotary, the Boy Scouts, his church and driving cancer patients to their treatment appointments. He also is one of the best gift givers I’ve ever known. I used to get very well thought out and special gifts from around the world.
I got to know my Aunt a lot better during my many trips to Vermont back in the late ’80’s. She went to nursing school later in life, graduating in the late ’70’s. She and I used to have so much fun driving around Vermont seeing the different sites. Both of them came to visit me in New Zealand in 2006 and that trip is one of the highlights of my life. We took a week and drove around the East Cape of New Zealand and then spent a few days in Hawkes Bay, eating and drinking to our hearts content! It was wonderful.
So, now I’m nearing the end of my 2 1/2 days with them and feeling much more rested than when I came. I’ve spent a lot of time reading, napping, walking and talking to these two beloved people. They are both 76 now, but their minds remain sharp even if their bodies are slowing. They are both interested in politics (Obama supporters from the beginning) and world events. We have interesting conversations against a backdrop of the ever present classical music. We are all older, but visiting them in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont is still heaven on earth!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment