Late afternoon, I suggested to the General that we needed to get out of the house. I suggested we stop by and visit with Andrea and Kevin. I texted to check on their availability and was given a thumbs up.
As it turned out, it was a visit down memory lane. Andrea is interested in real estate, and although they are not in the market for buying another home, she had seen a home on MLS in Travis Heights in Austin that reminded her of my aunt's home in Nocona.
It actually had been the boyhood home of my uncle. During his adult years, he did a complete makeover and added a very spacious living area with floor-to-ceiling windows. I'm also assuming the rock facade was subsequently also added. I always enjoyed visiting in their home.
One of the things I always liked about the home was the color of the wood trim inside the house. It is a historic color. Sherwin Williams captions it Morris Room Grey SW 0037. We painted the wood trim inside our current home that color. It serves as a trigger to remind me of my aunt's home.
I was born in Nocona. Many of my childhood memories are associated to that place. Coincidentally, the same is true for my daughter. She mentioned the home of another aunt that also lived in Nocona. She was married to my mother's youngest brother. He was only thirteen years older than me.
As a couple, my uncle and aunt never lived in Nocona together. After high school my uncle either joined the U.S. Army or was drafted. He was initially stationed in Korea and later transferred to Japan. While there, at the age of twenty, he was diagnosed with cancer and given the projection of 6 months to live.
He was discharged from the Army and returned to the home of my grandparents. They lived in Ringgold (twelve miles from Nocona) at the time. Once back in the setting where he grew up, he found it didn't work for him. For starters everyone treated him as though he was sick.
He didn't know how long he had left, but he wanted to be in an environment where people didn't know that he was ill. He wanted to live a normal life.
He broke up with his girlfriend and told her because of his health status, she was better off without him. He moved to Odessa and stayed with us while he got on his feet.
The girlfriend he broke up with had a mind of her own. She had an aunt that lived in Odessa, so she moved to Odessa as well. In short order, the two of them got married.
I have so many wonderful memories of them. Following my uncle's death, his wife was always considered family, and she welcomed the connection. She moved to Nocona.
Fast forward - In later life, she was married to a man that worked for Haliburton Oil Company. At one point, they lived in Dubai. My daughter remembers that aunt as also being a lot of fun.
Memories are a wonderful gift.
All My Best!
Don
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