Coast to Coast

We were on the island of Okinawa for a little more than a year -- living in a foreign land was an unforgettable experience, but, we were happy to be back in the USA !!  Douglas spent a few months traveling from one place and another within the states, spending anywhere from a week to a month at the different military bases the company served.  I spent those months based at my parents big farm home in Iowa.  There was always work of some sort to be done on the farm, so, as Mom put it -- I "earned my keep" !!  Whenever Douglas would be somewhere more than two weeks, I would travel and be with him.  Then came the day the company sent him to San Jose, California  --  it was to be for a year, but, ended up being only six months.  The ninety acre flea market there was one of our favorite hangouts.  The next thing we knew, the company wanted him in Manchester, New Hampshire, so, away we went -- the long drive across the U.S.   We found a furnished duplex to rent -- a short walk through the woods took you to a fishing pond.  It was perfect !  We could sit at our dining room table and watch the family of groundhogs watching us. Our home became the gathering place for the group Doug worked with, along with their wives and girlfriends.  Maine lobster cookouts were a regular thing.   We were the "dog sitters" when anyone traveled.  The fall was the most colorful we ever experienced anywhere.   Antique shops were plentiful and fun.  A day trip to Boston was an adventure.  I look back at this time and place in our life with many fond memories.