You know what? Some days you just should not “go there”!  Monday morning, I thought to myself, “I’ll just glance through these photos (an on-going to-do project) … I promise I won’t get too sentimental or distracted from the Monday ‘stuff’ that I should be doing .” Yeah, right. As usual, I had to stop and reflect on each one and savor the memories each conjured up. Before I knew it, I was getting all warm and fuzzy feeling inside, and thinking just how blessed I am.

It was Fall, 1995, and we had been in our house in Greenville, SC a couple of years. We were still getting over the effects of the move from Louisiana, and were finally beginning to feel at home in our very own house, feeling so grateful that God had allowed us to buy another house. It had been about 7 years or so, I suppose, since we moved to the Greenville area. (When we had to sell our house in Louisiana and make the big move to the Carolinas, Andy reassured us that, “we just needed another house to put our home in … it was ok to say goodbye to Four Acres and the house that held so many memories." The location of the house was not important. He was right.)

Anyway, back to my story. For weeks I had looked forward to the visit from my friend, Jamie Leslie Evans (now David), and my cousin/like sister, Betty Joyce Zager Freeman (now Anderson). Many years ago (hint, hint: it was between 1950-1960) we were a trio of singing Texans! Boy, did we have harmony! Jamie and I later went to Tennessee Temple Bible School in Chattanooga, TN, we all married, and raised our families. We kept in touch through the years; at a minimum we shared Christmas greetings and occsaional visits.

So, Jamie and Betty were coming to South Carolina to see us, after way too many years to count!  Bill and I were eager to show off South Carolina!  Jamie and Betty were singles again and Bill gave me permission to get with these two gals and hit the Smokey Mountains together.  After a night or two in Greenville, that’s just what we did!
 
So we set out to have fun, renew old memories, sing again, act crazy, eat, sleep as little as possible, and just get caught up on years of overdue news and hugs! Our first stop was the Dillard House in Dillard, Georgia! A quiet, lovely rural setting in the mountains of NE Georgia, where one can enjoy the beautiful outdoors right from the room. Talk about a view! Horses roamed outside, grazed contentedly, and contributed to the overall serene, restful setting. Home cooked meals were served family style in the large dining room. A sort of bed and breakfast, I suppose, but larger in its accommodations. I recommend it highly! The food is out of this world; the character and warmth of the place and the grounds surround you; sharing it with friends is just about as good as it gets.

According to the Dillard House website, here’s a hint as to why the family style food is so delicious (aside from the fact that someone else prepares it!): If you ever wonder what makes the vegetables at the Dillard House so special, we will let you in on their secret--a 600 acre farm where they raise the corn, beans and okra served family style with an array of meats and other vegetables. It seems that the fried chicken and vegetables are the dishes by which family style restaurants are judged, and Dillard House rates an A+.

Now, if you’re still with me and haven’t struck out for the Dillard House … I’ll try to wrap this up. There’s way too much to tell about these two special people in one entry! I can only tell you we had a fabulous trip, spending time in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, and back to Greenville again. It was one of those memories that blesses you all over again when you re-live it! We got caught up on the past years and shared our joys and sorrows that are inevitable in all our lives.

From Dillard, we continued to Gatlinburg, TN area.  One memory from our trip that is etched forever, is of the time we went into a small shop, drawn there by lovely piano music coming from somewhere. Inside we discovered the lovely piano music of Emile Pandolfi. I learned that he was a Greenville, SC native, and that he played pure piano without any bells or whistles interfering! Bill and I have since gone to several of his concerts in the state and have enjoyed many of his CDs. Strange that we discovered his music in Tennessee, and all the while he was right in our backyard in Greenville! Isn’t that often typical of how things elude us?

Many years have passed and many changes have occurred in all our lives since that get-together in 1995. Betty is now married to a marvelous man, Howard Anderson. They live in Longview, TX and they have a very full life and stay on the road as much as possible! Both sing in the choir at their church, Mobberly Baptist, and often take trips with their choir members. Jamie now lives is Roswell, NM, having married a wonderful man, Eddie David, who she actually went to high school with at San Marcos Academy in Texas, but just reconnected in recent years. Jamie and Eddie just completed building a lovely home and Jamie is having fun decorating and furnishing it. Jamie is also a very gifted artist and I have 3 of her beautiful masterpieces hanging in my home. I have enjoyed them for many years. They are constant reminders of a very special person.
 
I hope you have enjoyed meeting Jamie and Betty via cyberspace. Here are a couple of photos from that memorable time spent with two very special folks: Betty Zager Anderson and Jamie Leslie Evans. (Betty and I grew up together and used to make playhouses together among the roots of the trees behind her house, and we did lots of other things growing up in rural East Texas … another story, another time!).

Below left to right, outside the Dillard House in Dillard, GA: Velta and Betty; Velta and Jamie (note horse standing on my shoulder!)