Charleston

For years Layne has kept track of two Navy friends.  Of all that he happily associated with, these two stand out as men of integrity.  They have been loyal friends through the years even though they have seen little of each other since their Navy days.  One of them, Larry Durbin, decided that the time had come for these three to meet and bond in person.  So, last spring, he arranged a week together and chose Charleston, South Carolina, as the place. Layne was excited to reunite with fellow pilots, Larry and Lonnie.  This past week was our scheduled meeting.

Heres Lonnie, Larry (always the shortest guy) and Layne, friends since their days of navy pilot school in Pensacola, Florida, in the 1960s.  Lonnie made a career in the navy and is still flying; Larry flew for United Air Lines, like Layne, after leaving the navy.

So we arranged for Allegra to care for Seth and Angelica.  Gerald flew home on Thursday.  We flew to Charleston Tuesday.  I've never been there before.  What a beautiful place!  It is a place where plants of all sorts really want to be there.  The issue is controlling them, not talking them into growing, as is often the case out here in the West.

Charleston is one of the oldest towns in the country.  It was organized in the 1600s.  It is a charming place, filled with signs of its past in buildings and grounds all throughout the area.  We enjoyed eating out each day at the many delicious restaurants and went on a boat ride that exposed us to more distant sights.  We were reminded that the Civil War began here.  

Larry and Lonnie talked about airplanes endlessly while we girls, Teddy and Audrey, did a bit of girl talk.  They are both lovely women, good at heart and nice to be with.  However I couldn't talk them into doing much looking around.  It was hot outside.  These women, Teddy from hot Florida and Audrey from hot Arizona, didn't want to go outside!  So I did a bit of shopping on my own.  There is always something interesting to see!  We all toured a plantation called the Magnolia Plantation with amazing grounds filled with trees, plants of all sorts and an abundance of water.  The grounds are the treat, but we spent what I thought to be a very short time only touring the house.  The group wanted to leave after that.  So we didn't get to see the gardens.  I was disappointed.  But, again, it was hot.

Here we all are:  Layne, me, Teddy and Larry Durbin, Audrey and Lonnie McClung.  All of us have been married for 50 plus years.  That's somewhat rare these days!

In spite of my disappointments,  we had fun together.  I'm glad to have spent time with these good people.  I believe Layne had a wonderful time.

The few days we had together passed quickly. Soon we were on our way home, arriving Friday night, just in time to share a Friday night movie with the kids.  Gerald got safely home and Allegra and the kids are happy and in good shape.  We've spent the weekend watching and enjoying General Conference; one of the best treats ever.