We were visited yesterday. Not by some mysterious ghostly figure that
seeped through the walls and wailed in the darkest corners of our back
closet. Nay. This was an actual, real-time visit from some
of our bestest friends in the world from Arlington, Texas – Cary and Kay Lynn
Winkle. It was rather confusing at first
when they arrived. There we sat,
watching one of the Harry Potter movies, when we heard the unmistakable sound
of the doorbell. Now anyone who knows us
well knows that around the Vaughan house there is little reason to ring the
doorbell once you have been here once.
That means you are considered one of the family. If the wooden door is open, come on in,
holler out your welcome, and make yourself at home. In this case, however, the Winkles actually
rang the doorbell. I don’t understand
what their reluctance was. Perhaps
because they have been on a vacation swing through East Texas. But come on … Cary helped build this house
back after Hurricane Ike. He chain-sawed
trees and replaced siding and hung sheetrock.
This guy is a beast when it comes to the home improvement category. He more than most should feel at ease coming
through the front door. And Kay Lynn has
some of the most incredible flower-lip capabilities I have ever
encountered. She can come up with words
of encouragement that make one feel absolutely wonderful. Come into my house and start talking any
time, Kay Lynn.
And it gets better. Not only did we get to spend time hanging out
with them, but they took us out for a seafood dinner at Jimmy’s on the
Pier. Fried shrimp and an array of
delectable “local vegetables.” I don’t know
exactly what that means, though. The
only ones I know of on the island with a garden that could handle broccoli and
squash like that are Ed and Pat Jackson.
I’m pretty sure it just means they bought it at WalMart, though. Our waitress was the hit of the meal. Donna was from Khazakstan (or however you
spell it), and could speak four of the Eastern European languages. I asked her how to say “rabbit” in one of
them. When I tried to pronounce it, she
laughed at me. Apparently what I said didn’t
exactly mean the furry little long-haired Bugs Bunny that we all know and
love. She corrected me carefully,
though. She plans to learn Spanish
next. Know what impressed me most? She said “Bon appetite.” Not even one of her repertoire of linguistic
accomplishments. I asked if that meant she was offering us a dog biscuit,
because I didn’t really like bones. After
our meal we had a chance to walk around on the pier and watch people fish. No major catches, though. A whiting and a few hardhead catfish.
The bonus of all bonuses came after we
returned to the house. I took Cary out
to the garage to show him my workbench.
Before we came back inside we had installed the new garage door opener
and pulled down one end of our fishing pole creation. Cary managed to get it screwed back up
temporarily, but I’ll get some more permanent bolts later and redo it. All we have left on the door is to install
the wireless keypad and program it to work with door. Oh, and find a place to store all the extra
parts we didn’t use. See, Cary and I have
worked together many times in the past.
Our primary targets have been automobiles, but we are experienced enough
to have contemplated starting a business called “The Other Side.” That’s because we have discovered that the
second side, for some reason, is almost always easier than the first side. Thanks again, Cary. Once again you have embedded your mark on our
house. You have permission unto eternity
to enter without ringing the doorbell.
Isaiah 38:20 says, “The Lord will save me, and we will sing with stringed instruments all
the days of our lives in the temple of the Lord.”
Father, thank you for Cary and Kay Lynn and
for the connection of friendship we have had with them for so long. Ride with them the rest of the way on their
journey. Amen.
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