lasting friendships

Papa’s World – Friendship memories!

/ Tom / Leave a comment

Reflections on the “WALL” in D.C. –

Paul – Sherry and Jo –

Paul graduated from the same H.S. that Sherry did –

And Jo graduated from the same H.S. I did.

We have visited their home in Tuscon –

and they visited our home in Brambleton, Va.

Here we are on one of our trips into D.C.-

We spent days walking the city.

Sherry and Jo to her left in front of the famous unfinished statue of great women.

It is unfinished until we have a woman President.

Great friends whom we visit when we can and they in return visit us.

FRIENDSHIP MEMORIES!

Jo – Sherry and Paul – “REFLECTIONS”!

Bob – Papa – Pam and Sherry.

This friendship goes back to grade school with Bob and Myself.

We played sports together – and stayed at each other’s houses.

Drank beer together – roamed the streets of Eldred after curfew.

Today, they stopped in for a week while they were RVING –

across the country.

FRIENDSHIP MEMORIES!

Jimmy – grew up in the same town as I did.

We played softball together –

He worked at the TILE PLANT the same as I did.

We both transferred to the South in the same company.

He to Va. Beach and me to NVA.

Dottie – taking the picture – married to Jim –

I attended their wedding before I met Sherry –

Also, Cindy was friends with Dottie and –

later we moved and became neighbors with her.

Sherry – Buck and Cindy – married – and Dottie –

Our longest and closest friends.

Blessed to have them in our lives.

We have traveled the World with Buck and Cindy.

FRIENDSHIP MEMORIES!

Our new friends we have met here-

in Cameron Woods Community.

Daine – Marcea – Bill – Ken – Mary Lou and Sherry.

We have been fortunate to meet people in this new location.

FRIENDSHIP MEMORIES!

Thanks for reading –

PAPA’S WORLD-

my site: livinglifedoingitmyway.blog

SUBSCRIBE – IT’S FREE!!!!

Papa’s World – Memories from the past – FRIENDS!

/ Tom / Leave a comment

We are at the beginning of the Pandemic in Reston Town Center – NVA!

We had come to have lunch with Jason and Ginger before we moved South –

To North Myrtle Beach, S.C.

We would say goodbye outdoors in the open air.

We often spent time in this town center-

In winter the ice skating rink.

Today – they have also moved south –

Near Wilmington, N.C. – Leland – Brunswick Forest!

Now we are 40 minutes away and get together often.

Ginger and Sherry on the golf course.

When we moved from Portville, N.Y. in 1999 –

We left behind close friends Steve and Elaine.

We raised our kids as they raised theirs in Portville, N.Y.

We often played golf –

Visiting each other’s homes –

And spending time together as families.

In the very beginning of this friendship –

We were on the same Volleyball Team –

Which was called “THE BEACH CLUB”!

We played in the mid 80’s to mid 90’s –

Before we all took up golf.

We won the one-year championship – 1989!

And to this day we still stay in touch and they have visited once in Camero Woods Community.

We are now all grandparents!

Freddy and I went to school together –

Linda and Fred were my friends before Sherry and I were married on 6-25-1982.

They now live in Florida and have stayed in touch.

We have visited them once and one other time met up with them.

Friendships for a lifetime.

What can I say – Buck and Cindy – Jimmy and Dottie and Sherry and I –

The besties for four-plus decades.

We took our families on beach vacations with Jim and Dottie –

I played softball with Jim back in the late 70’s.

We have traveled the world with Buck and Cindy –

and to this day we still gather 2 to 3 times a year at each other’s homes!

So many fun times – golfing – scrambles – giving strokes and completing!

The years have passed –

but the friendship has continued!

Oh, the laughter and smiles and fun times when these three get together!

Jimmy with Cindy and Sherry –

Outside the guys I graduated with –

Jimmy is my oldest friend –

We played softball together back in the mid 70’s.

I went to his wedding and he to mine when Sherry and I were married.

We worked together in Olean Tile Plant!

FRIENDS FOR YEARS AND YEARS!

Sherry – Pam – Papa and Bobby.

We went to grade school together –

Played sports and stayed at each other’s houses.

I rode to school in his father’s car.

We slept out and roamed the streets.

Made beer runs to NYS at it was 18 back then and 21 in Pa.

That friendship continues to this day.

They now are in their 6th, year of RVing –

And each year stop for a week and see us in Cameron Woods Community.

Many adventures have passed and hopefully, new ones to continue!

The last visit before they left for winter camp in Florida.

They like where we are in N.C. –

And maybe someday will make this area a base camp.

And now we are making new friends in our community-

Here – Marcea – Bill – Diane and Papa.

Neighborhood friends –

Friendly competition between Bills and Steelers fans.

Sherry – Jack Lisa – Bill and Marcea and Diane and Steve.

Friends have been and always will be a prime source in our lives together.

Diane and Sherry –

new friends – but her and Steve are from back in WNY –

close to where we lived and raised our children.

Thanks for reading PAPA’S WORLD –

my site: livinglifedoingitmyway.blog

Papa’s World – LIFE IN GENERAL!

/ Tom / Leave a comment

Here we are – 42 years later plus a few months – living in the South – both born and raised in Pa.

Although we lived a mere 40 miles from each other in the rural countryside – we never met.

Sherry did know one of my classmates – through Chorus – I found that out much later.

We attended competing H.S. – and both thought Olean, N.Y. was the big city while we were young.

Funny how life works out – we met when we were around 31 and married a year and a half later.

That was on June – 25th. 1982.

Life in general for the both of us began then.

We were divorced with children – her two daughters – four and nine – and me two sons – nine and fourteen.

We had no money – both working for American Olean Tile Co. in Olean, N.Y.

But we made the most of what we had – spending so much time with the kids – picnics –

day trips and weekend campfires where we lived.

Our friends changed from a few holdovers from our previous lives to a mix of both old and new.

But those old friends became lifelong friends to this day!

Dottie was there before we married for me and her husband Jim who I played softball with –

And less than five years after we were married – Cindy became our neighbor along with Buck –

her husband and we have traveled the world with them!

LIFE IN GENERAL would not be the same without them!

We have come a long way since that time in Pa. and WNY.

Via – Northern Va. – South Carolina and now North Carolina –

We all live in North Carolina now – Jim and Dottie are some five hours away –

and Buck and Cindy some 45 minutes away.

Any of the three places are great places to call home.

We still plan to get together and now all six of us are retired –

Sherry and I are the SENIOR retirees and we hope a lot of time remains –

but if it doesn’t – this journey of LIFE IN GENERAL has all the earmarkings of –

A LIFE WELL LIVED!

Here is to that well-traveled road – I wouldn’t change a thing and am blessed to have met and known all of these people –

and to my wife of 42-plus years –

Thanks for my and our LIFE IN GENERAL!

PAPA’S WORLD – my site: livinglifedoingitmyway.blog

HERE’S TO “LIFE IN GENERAL” and our old friends who have made it that way!

Papa’s World – More memories of our life!

/ Tom / Leave a comment

Our life together began prior to our marriage on 6-25-1982!

We dated for 1 1/2 years – we each had two children.

Her two girls – Debby and Tammy – and my two sons Troy and Shawn.

She had custody of the girls and my boys stayed with their mother-

But – weekends were for adventures – not overly costly – but what we could provide.

Picnics – state parks – camping – campfires on our home to be in the country!

It was a time of adjustment – both for the children and for us!

We decided to get married after our divorces were final.

In the picture above are our oldest friends we have had as a couple.

I knew Jim and Dottie who in turn knew Cindy and Buck.

Then after five years of marriage – we sold the country house and moved closer to the school –

We were neighbors with Cindy and Buck – we had seen them at events with Jim and Dottie and we became fast friends!

In the mid-90s – they moved to N.C. – all six of us still remained friends –

We would vacation together with Jim and Dottie and their children

and would visit Cindy and Buck in N.C.

Then our children were all grown up and we were empty nesters.

We sought out transfers – eliminating some and applying for others.

We ended up in Northern Va. – within the company – and retained all of our service.

Some years later – Jim and Dottie transferred to Va. Beach – Jim with the same company as us –

and Dottie into the school system.

All the while – we all continued contact with one another and soon –

every four months or so-

would take turns to host!

We have maintained a friendship for over 40 years!

Now today at last we are all retired – and still we get together –

laughing – games – golfing – seeing shows and at each other’s homes.

Sherry and I moved from NVA to the border of N.C. and S.C. –

and Jim and Dottie from Va. Beach to Edenton, N.C.

Life has continued – friends have continued – and retirement is grand –

And new memories are being created –

MORE MEMORIES OF OUR LIFE – PAPA’S WORLD – LET THE GOLFING BEGIN!

PAPA’S WORLD – my site: livinglifedoingitmyway.blog