THE TWENTY YEAR DROUGHT

TACOMA TO VIRGINIA BEACH ...20 YEARS ---12 MOVES....NO EPIPHANIES........

It's hard to write about these years. There were many ups and lots of downs. Our three children grew up during this period. It was not the way we would have preferred them to. Somehow, someway they grew up to be wonderful, fabulous, loving, sensible, mature adults. Master Carpenter and I could not ask for better children and we are very, very, proud of them. We are blessed!!! They have given us four beautiful Granddaughters AND #5 coming next week...and a Grandson we hope to get to know at some time in the future.

I never realized that day I sat on the steps of the living room of our Tacoma home, that I was going to have 20 very unusual and different years ahead. Years that would test us ...but at the same time strengthen us and our bond.

Master Carpenter left the Air Force after four more assignments, one being a 13 month stay in Korea. After years being a Navigator in the Air Force he started an entire new career....The Restaurant Business!!!!! WHY......WHO KNOWS!!!!!

MASTER CARPENTER IN KOREA

We lived in Tampa, Florida; Cheyenne, Wyoming ; Tacoma, Washington (the kids and I stayed there while Master Carpenter was in Korea; Concord, California; Galesburg, Illinois; Normal, Illinois, Danville, Virginia (two homes), Richmond, Virginia (two homes); Harrisonburg, Virginia and then our first home in Virginia Beach.

DADDY
Daddy and Happy were the only bright point of our stay in Tampa. They came every weekend, driving from Hollywood, Florida. We baked chocolate cakes and had wonderful Saturdays and Sundays.....

During our short stay in Cheyenne we purchase land that we "dreamed" would some day have a log home with a loft. This is Patti walking through our estate

Our children grew up helping to run family style chain restaurants. "Family" style was not only the format, it was the reality that our family ran them! We were the management, cooks, dishwashers, waitress and waiters and Yours Truly.... the often fired hostess.

THIS IS THE HOUSE NONE OF US CAN REMEMBER!
We were in Sambo's 20 hours each and every day and we "took" naps here!

Our Star Waitress, Patti

We had a wedding in our Sambo's in Galesburg, IL between Lowell, a cook and Vickie a waitress.

We took a short break from the restaurant business and opened our own business.....Mr. D's Cheese Shop!! By this time the three kids were married, but Steve came back to help run the business. I was able to experiment with a different field of Design. I was in charge of the merchandising for the store!!! I loved doing it .......

TARA
This is our first home in Danville, Va. Another home we just took naps in. I can't even remember the floor plan....but it was a beautiful home!

Our family grew by one; Grandma, at age 90, moved in with us. She was with us for 9 years and 9 months. Her health was deteriorating and it had always been our wish that she spend her last years with me. We weren't able to do a lot of the things we wanted to, but we did have wonderful conversations and fun remembering the past. Grandma was the most special and the most influential person in my entire life...even to this day!!!!

GRANDMA

WOW......what a ride! And if you are still counting, we are only up to house #22!!!

OUR FIRST HOME ....THAT WE OWNED (MORTGAGED!)

November, 1968

Wow...we did it...we "bought" our first home. No more rent, base house.....this is the REAL THING!!!

We have been in Tacoma almost 8 years and we buy a house!!! That's us! Usually in the Air Force you are at one place no more than 3 or 4 years..... So naturally after 8 years stationed at McChord, we buy a house! Made sense to us.....




Master Carpenter was a Navigator on the C141 Starlifter flying to Asia every month doing his part of the Viet Nam War. He was gone three weeks every month flying all over the Pacific. Out of the blue he got the opportunity for a trip to Australia and New Zealand. During this time a lot of our contemporaries were buying homes. We had been married for nine years and I am beginning to learn how to "work" this guy! I convinced him we had to buy a home!!! Before he left for this "trip" he gave me "permission" to look at homes for sale. He also gave me a "cap" of $30,000 ....not a penny more!

No sooner had that 141 taken off than I was out looking...........I had an idea of the area and what I was wanting so it didn't take long. In about 4 days I found it!!! A dramatic, what is referred to today "Mid Century" ranch!!! Called the number on the builders sign and was in "love" before I had seen the entire home. It sat on a treed lot and was the most gorgeous home I had ever seen. But.........the BEST part............are you all with me? The PRICE......$29,950!!!

THAT WAS IT............

Now, I had to wait 10 more days before Master Carpenter came home. You have to realize we are not in the age of emails or cell phones. I had to WAIT to tell him!!!!!

The poor guy..his plane landed, I picked him up at the base and before he could give me a kiss hello I SCREAMED......................"I FOUND OUR HOUSE!!!!!!" He didn't have a chance! His trip to the other side of the world had to wait to be described, while I went on and on about THE house!!! I don't think it was a week before we had signed our first house papers....AND I am still hearing stories about his adventure to New Zealand and Australia.



Thinking back to those days, I think the two of us have to admit they were some of the happiest days of our marriage. We had so much fun planning projects and doing things together. We had wonderful next door neighbors, that to this day, we consider some of the best friends we have had over our married life. We haven't seen Sandy or Jim in over 35 years, but they are so much a part of our lives. Jim is in poor health these days and we wish him the best. We talk about once a year to "catch up" and it is always like we have talked just yesterday.

Jim and Master Carpenter constructed the Great Wall. A retaining wall to beat ALL retaining walls......I think that was Master Carpenter's first project of any size. It still stands today!!!!




We did window treatments, cornice boards, wall paper, paneling, converted closets to work areas, ....you name it.....


And in case you were wondering..................Did we have Harvest Gold or Avocado Green.......???

and the answer.............

AVOCADO GREEN OF COURSE!!!!

Grandma during one of her annual visits. I miss her so very much. An interesting note, in this photo, she is the same age as I am now!!!!

Next question.....Yes, we had shag carpeting in the "family" room !!!

YES....BURNT ORANGE

This was also the place where we acquired the infamous Stiffel hanging lamp!! The builder was not "QUITE" UP AND UP and had to settle our claim for a dining light fixture. I went to a showroom and picked the most expensive one I could find!!! That stayed with us for years and I think Patti has it now. At the time, it was very valuable!!!!


The wall book case unit was a Masterpiece!!!! It is, to this day, one of his best pieces of work.


Not to leave the "yard" work out......Look...Look at him doing all this stuff!!!! This is the MAIN reason we live in an area that includes ALL outside maintenance. Master Carpenter did not enjoy this intense, hard LABOR!!!!!



One of the saddest days of my life was the day I found out Master Carpenter got his orders to leave Tacoma.........We had to put "Our Home" on the Market and move to Tampa, Florida. I sat on the steps leading to the living room, and spent a long, long time sobbing...............

We are about to "sign" papers on what will be our LAST home!!! I say this because I truly believe it.......It will encompass all the features that make up what for us "today" is our DREAM HOUSE. I am calling this my BUCKET LIST HOUSE!!!! Considering that this first home was #10 and we about to move into #30 (with a short term apartment while waiting for the home to be built ...not counting it), the next few posts will continue the journey to the BUCKET LIST DREAM HOME!!!!!

PS:

Kids...this one is for you. Our famous guest!

This WAS a mountain beaver who was eating our azaleas. Master Carpenter became Great White Hunter and took care of him!!!!!

# 9.........BASE HOUSING

We Finally Arrived!!!

The entire time we had been in Tacoma, the ultimate goal was to be called and told we were on the top of the list and could have a Base House!!! The day we were called........it was like being told we had won the lottery!

In no time we were packed and moved. The "units" were duplexes in clusters of three buildings. The carports and storage units were in the middle.

All the homes were identical!!! Metal kitchen cabinets, with an electric stove, DISHWASHER, decent frost free refrigerator/freezer AND a washer and dryer!! The floors were wood parquet tiles and the kitchen and bathrooms were linoleum tiles. We were fortunate also to get some base furniture for the bedrooms. Head and foot boards for the kids rooms.....these were a metal material.

It was at this point that my EPIPHANIES started!!! I had all sorts of ideas and went to work to make our home different than the rest!!! This was a challenge. On top of our homes all being the same......our husbands all flew into Asian countries every month and brought back tons of "goodies". One husband would find a fabulous item, maybe a screen from Okinawa, and then we all had to have one. It was vital we all had the screen, green ceramic elephants, Asian horse, pillow tables, brass candle sticks, Japanese dancing women figurines just to name a few.

This was also the period of "antiquing" furniture. I choose the green with black stain. Everything I could find that was wood......I antiqued!! My best work was the hope chest that started out in a beautiful blond mahogany........Today, Patti has it and it has been restored to it's original state!


One day I decided that the thin wood legs on all our "Danish Furniture" casement pieces made them look top heavy! I experimented with the night stand by turning it upside down and discovered I could unscrew the legs. Presto.. the entire bedroom "set" had a new look!!! The latest MEDITERRANEAN look !!!!! I was redesigning all the furniture as fast as I could remove legs!!!!



I really got creative when I decided we needed square cube tables for the sofa!! Epiphany.....use the night stands and ANTIQUE the backs!!!! The backs were just a piece of plywood and to antique them was a breeze. I added a very fancy "Mediterranean" knob! Oh, how clever!!


Some of my best ideas were accomplished with contact paper. The discovery of this product opened up all sorts of possibilities.


Please notice our FIRST CHANDELIER!!!!!


I started in the kitchen......have you ever seen anything so perfect?? You have to remember we were in the 60's!!!!! Even the canisters were covered to match!
That was so successful that I covered the head and foot boards with a stripped pattern.




We were in base housing about three years! Started with one sofa (from a newspaper ad for $75) and ended with the first HIGH END furniture purchase we ever made. To this day I can't remember what happened to the "Danish" sofa that the dear children made the cake on! Started with the sofa in the apartment, on to the one in the "Mobile Home", the "Danish" sofa, the one bought from the classified ad to be up to date with the new Italian and French Mediterranean style and then........ We bought a custom Henredon sofa and two chairs. That's 5 sofa's......... When you purchase quality it lasts....Steve and Angela have the two chairs in Seoul and Patti has the sofa. They have been recovered many times, but the spring/down cushioning and the solid frames have lasted and lasted!!! Worth every penny!


As I look at these pictures I see my window treatment skills were beginning to develop as well as my picture arranging talents. My Dad's art was complimented with boards I covered with fabric to make "art"! I have no idea where the map of Long Island ended up, but I wish I had it now! The "key" and the ornate clock were design fashions of the day.

My design work was being born and I was on my way................

Two side notes:
Remember the floors I described earlier......I waxed them with liquid wax weekly!!! When we moved, we had to hire a professional floor cleaner to remove three years of weekly wax. It was mandatory that the units be left as you received them.........which meant the contact paper also became History!!!

AND

......The Latest thing in fashion was to have "robes" made out of three large bath towels. Mine was perfectly made by Grandma!!!




Master Carpenter just spotted his FIRST project!!! What is seen outside the window is a play house painted blue and yellow that he made for the kids!!!!
One last point...The Milk containers...we lugged 13 of those home weekly...no soda in our house!!!!

Next.................#10.........Our FIRST Home Purchase!!!!!

#2 THROUGH #8

THE SAGA BEGINS......

Hold on..... because you have to concentrate while reading this. Even Master Carpenter had to sit back and take a break.

Continuing from the apartment in Blacksburg, we started what would become "We're moving"!!!! We should have seen the signs 51 years ago....they were there!!!!

Not long after the Christmas Holidays we became friends with other married students at Virginia Tech. They lived in Mobile Homes............They were NOT considered "trailers". They were MOBILE HOMES!!! You guessed it.....I had to have one. It was twice the size of the apartment, had a washer and dryer..... we could take it with us when we moved to our next assignment, etc. etc.

Against EVERYONE'S advise

.... we bought one.

#2!!!



A 50' by 10' Mobile Home. We thought we had a mansion, and loved living in an apple orchid with our friends. One couple had a two story "mobile home". They were rich!!! The "mobile home" came completely furnished with all appliances (no dishwasher). Still no design talent emerging. I would rearrange the basic sofa and chair now and then, but it was rather limited!

Note the "ART" ...BEFORE ERICA I HAD MY FATHER'S WORKS! Guess we know where Erica's talent comes from!

When Master Carpenter graduated he received orders to James Connolly AFB, Waco, Texas for January. We had a few months of being nomads. We arranged to have the "mobile home" moved to Texas. An interesting note here....the Government didn't pay for most of the cost of moving "trailers"!

We moved back to my old room in my parents house in Garden City! If you are counting we are at #3!

In October, Bobby was born and then in January, off we went to the Wild West! Oh, by the way ...We received news that our second child was coming in September ........How????????, I just had the BABY!!!

We settled into a "mobile home" "park". Not the pretty apple orchid back in Virginia. I count this as #4!! Same home, different location.






Patti was born in September (the doctor was correct!) ! Master Carpenter received orders for Mather AFB in Sacramento, California in November. Now, we are not even considering paying for another move of the "mobile home" and we have outgrown it!! So...we sold it.

We arrived in Sacramento in late November and rented a two story apartment. #5....




We bought our first "sets" of furniture. All furniture came in "sets'! ..... a Danish sofa, chair, (remember the "Danish Period"), slat bench, end table, lamp and the bedroom "set". We had two cribs and the hope chest my parents gave me for Christmas back in 1956.

Note the Danish Sofa!

I must add that was one of the hottest Christmas Trees for it's time!!! and....for those that don't know what the "things" are on the mirror!!! Those are Christmas Cards. People used to send all their family and friends cards. Can you just imagine!!

....The construction of the ceiling/roof of the second floor of the apartment was very poor. We could see the sky......and we were air conditioning the State of California!!! Our electric bill was horrendous.
You guessed it.....we found a new apartment to move to..#6. This was a brand new duplex and a lot of our friends lived close by.

Are you all still with me......

We get news that Baby #3 is coming in January and
Master Carpenter receives orders to McChord AFB in Tacoma, Washington for November.

We are up to #7!!!

We arrive in Tacoma in late November and find a lovely little three bedroom home to rent. It had a huge backyard with a storage shed. You know, I don't think I EVER went out into the that yard. Simply didn't have the time! Steve arrived in January and I get the bug....we need a bigger house!!!!


....#8

We found a larger "ranch" home for rent. I didn't do anything in design in either of these homes. I was too busy taking care of three toddles to worry about such things! The three kids did create a design change though!!!!! One morning, before Master Carpenter and I got up, they got into the refrigerator, took out eggs, milk, Worcestershire Sauce, Ketchup, their "baby vitamins", along with some flour and sugar. They decided to make a cake!!! To this day I don't know why they added the vitamins! And where did they do this .......on our Danish sofa....Needless to say it had to be recovered! That was the extent of any design during those years!

But..............Wait......

We finally got word we made the list for Base Housing!!!!

Oh, boy, Base Housing, that was the best yet!
We had been in Tacoma two years and now we are moving for the third time... to Base Housing!!! #9

You see a pattern here.....AND..........

the design projects begin..................