Thursday, November 13, 2014

With Bob and Marc in Gainesville, GA: 2014


Guess what!  This is the last (but not least) post of our October annual trip to America, finishing it all up with the Tuesday-Friday weekdays we spent with Bob and Marc in Gainesville, GA, just 30 minutes north of daughter Amy's home.

It's a long story about why Bob moved his home from Mid-Atlanta to Lake Lanier a couple years ago.
Let's just leave it that there was flooding and mold in his old condo.  All kaput.
He had been so eager to show us his new place, so we finally got to see it (bottom right).

Our first evening we walked around the Cresswind complex and saw the clubhouse, the marina, etc.
I was so impressed I forgot to take pictures.  And Astrid?
It was the first time I ever heard her say, in America, "I could live here!"
(something I've stored away in the brain's hard drive)

It's a gated 55+ retirement community on AARP's top-10 list of affordable communities.

 We totally fell in love with Bob's split-bedroom plan.  Plus all the light.
(And I should mention that Astrid took all the above pics!)

We always take a box of Trader Joe's red wine wherever we go.  It's the best.
And with our Subway-sandwich spread that first evening, we settled right in.

The next day we shopped at the new Kroger Marketplace in Gainesville, a prototype 
of a supercenter one-stop shopping that combines groceries, clothing, pharmacy, gas, jewelry 
and sporting goods under one roof.
You should see Astrid at places like this...seriously!

 And from that shopping, we had the most delightful dinner prepared by both Bob and Marc.
Lucky, lucky Astrid and me!

Afterwards, Marc (light blue) taught us how to play Aggravation (aptly named, I might add).
We even had popcorn!

 Thanks to Bob for the above images.
How often do we get to see both of us together like this?!
Do we really kiss that often?  Yes, we do...still, after 5 years together.

 One day we took Bob and Marc to their favorite pizza place for lunch.
It so happens to be on the Gainesville square (city center in the South).
We NEVER have pizza, so this was a treat for us.

Again, from Bob (thank you) and still kissing, I see.
(It's quite hard for us to stay serious for long.)

Afterwards, we walked around the square (city center) to see the sights.

We loved the planet exhibition from one corner to the other.

And once again, Bob did his thing...a "new one" for us, to see us together like this.
(Thank you, Bob!)

During our time we met two different couples from the Cresswind community.
It made us realize how important communities are, like where we live here in the Netherlands.

Bob and I go back to the 1990s.  That's a long time.
And because Thanksgiving is soon approaching, how better to celebrate friendship than with PIE.

I'll eat to that...sealed with another kiss!

 Thank you, Bob and Marc!

19 comments:

  1. Beautiful compilation of the experience! The photos reenact the wonderful time and enable re-experiencing the moment. And what a couple...the connection radiated with those demonstrable kisses and the glow on the cheeks and shine in the eyes :-)

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    1. I didn't even know you were taking all those pictures, Bob, so you were very sneaky, in a good way. THANK YOU because we don't usually have anyone photographing us together. :) It really was a good time together.

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  2. How sweet. How beautiful. All!

    What kind of TJ red do you buy? :) Whenever I get my hair cut, I stock up. It's an hour away. Wish we had one here. We ARE getting a Whole Foods, being built now.

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    1. Thanks, Ruth. I think there is only one red and one white TJ box, at $12 for 3L (where we bought ours). Everyone who has had it, no matter where we go, says it's excellent. So we keep buying it and taking it! Amy told me once that the TJ Chardonnay bottle won a taste test years ago. Nothing to blink at.

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  3. Thank you Bob is in order here. It does not happen too often that we are together in one picture. It is a delight to see all these wonderful pictures and have that wonderful memory. Yes I could live in a place like that, never say never of course.
    A wonderful post reflecting the friendship we have, after all these years.

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    1. Ahhh, and unexpected outcome of you having photos of the both of you taken, yay! Indeed, a wonderful long lasting friendship...it ages like fine wine.

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    2. The funny thing is that I was never conscious of Bob taking those pictures! How is that possible???

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  4. PS...... there is nothing wrong showing affection to the one you love :)...

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  5. What a great compilation of a FUN time with great friends! You two are so adorable! xo

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  6. Aggravation! I hadn’t thought of that in… well, decades! My college roommate used to play that with a couple of dental students who rented the apartment next to ours. It was a dump of a place, but we were students and it was perfect. I rarely joined, but they would spend every free moment, my roommate and the dental students, playing aggravation and chewing tobacco, and there was always a fuss and accusations when the dice went in the spittoon.

    Be careful or Astrid will take over your photographer’s job

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    1. While we played the game, Astrid remembered that there's a Dutch version of it that she had in her past life, so once we got home, she found it. That means we can play it here...if we can find some gullible friends to play it with. HA!

      Once Astrid retires, I'm quite sure she WILL take over my photographer's job...or at least give me a run for the money. Truth be known, I have longer staying power at the laptop for the myriad photos and collages but she does enjoy a good twiddle. :)

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  7. Yes, so nice to see you two together with all the kissing and all the wonderful looking food! How in the world do you never have pizza at home?! I couldn't live without it. Great to see the square there in Gainesville ... all the photos are so good!

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    1. This is probably familiar territory to you, Susan...maybe? We can actually get pizza here (there's a Domino's nearby), but we just don't get it, for some reason or other. Maybe I place it in the fast-food category?

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  8. Totally enjoyable! Makes me determine to get out the board games on Thanksgiving day.

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    1. Board games are so fun, Margaret, and make such great memories. They can be just as addicting as online games but are better because of the real-life interaction!!!

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