One of my favorite memories as a child was going to visit my Grandparents in Mobile Ala. My grandmother lived in a huge old home with my granddad,my uncle Sam and aunt Boo,my aunt Ellen and my cousin Jim and his mom aunt Lillian. My cousin Jim’s dad had been a air force test pilot and was one of the first pilots to break the sound barrier. Sadly his plane crashed on one of the tests runs and he died. My aunt Lillian brought her then 6mos. old son back home to Alabama. My granddad was a builder and he built this enormous home for her and the rest of the family. My mom was the youngest of 4 girls and a rebel. She ended up to be the only “Pankey” girl to leave home. It must have been something about dashing air force pilots because she fell for one herself and ended up eloping with him much to my grandparents chagrin. Hard as they tried to get my dad to give up being a “flyboy”and settle down in Mobile they never did, but we made annual trips to visit and it was always one of my favorite places on earth. What I wouldn’t give to be able to sit with my Gaga once more, on her porch, snuggled up next to her on her big old comfy glider. We would sit and glide and she would tell me and my sister all kinds of wonderful stories.All my family would gather on that porch in the late afternoon and it was always filled with laughter and love and beautiful soft southern voices. I know this is where my love for all things southern, especially porches came from. I now live in a beautiful big old home with a big old southern porch and one of my favorite things to do is gather with family in the late summer afternoons,drink some ice tea or fine chardonnay and share stories and laughter and love.
Last week I found a vintage glider and matching rockers at the flea market. I was thrilled and bought them on the spot.Now I can sit and glide once more. I guess you can go home again.
