postcards from wilmington

this is a wonderful old building a few blocks from roy's house in downtown wilmington - a movie was being filmed there the morning we drove past

South of the Border, on the border of nc/sc - a drive by snapshot of americana at its worst/best

sometimes it is a good thing to leave the place with which one is most comfortable, most familiar.  as much as it tugs at the heart to pull out of the driveway and head down the road, it is a lovely thing to pull in to another gravel drive, walk through the house and back out the front door to greet one's son, who is standing out on the sidewalk waiting for his mother to arrive.  i'd never seen roy's "new" house, built in 1930 - his first address after living in college world surrounded by other college students.  sitting on his great big front porch, shaded by enormous trees, looking out to a sweet old church across the street, i was reminded of the neighborhood in To Kill a Mockingbird.  it was neighborly, with cracked sidewalks, an old eucalyptus tree growing in the front yard.  white rockers, on warped boards.  concrete front steps.  flowers growing in random spots from the long-ago owner of the house, now passed on to another place, another time.  roy is so proud of this place, and i enjoyed every minute of being there... enjoyed the fact that he wanted me to come visit, that he mopped and straightened and polished for me, and took an extra day off from work... that he enjoyed playing host to his mother who lives seven hours away, all the way across this grand and beautiful state.

  there were many beautiful moments, all strung into a necklace that i wish i could hold in my hand.  i hold it in my heart.  i hold it in my aching/grateful/loving/beaming mother's heart.
those moments shine like little mirrors.  they shimmer, and twinkle, and glow.

xo

Comments

[sandra]

What a wonderful place. And, the most beautiful ornament of all is the one held in your heart for which no price can be assigned. Thankyou for sharing this part of your journey.

[tracey]

You are walking in the tracks of my childhood memories! I grew up in Myrtle Beach and we had to go to Wilmington to Belk Berry when I was a kid to shop for clothes, because Myrtle Beach didn't have any shopping (can you imagine!) We always had lunch downtown and at Christmas that same Belk store is where I went to see Santa. When we drove to NC to visit my grandparents we always had to stop at South of the Border. Much better back in the day. I took my daughter there a few years ago for a walk down memory lane, and she was pretty much annoyed with the place :) sweet memories for me, Wilmington is such a charming place in the historic parts of town. So great that your son wants to spend time with you! As I write this, I am sitting and waiting on my own child to arrive home from college to celebrate her birthday with us. She called this morning to say she was homesick and didn't want to be at school for her birthday.... so I wait.... sigh.....

[Monica]

What beautiful photos Nina. I'm so glad you had such a wonderful visit with your son!

Seeing such beauty in other states makes me want to move from Los Angeles and be in a world that is less stressful...sigh!

[Molly Vollmer]

How wonderful that he could find a house and neighborhood like that. Wherever he lives in the future he'll always remember.

[Mary G.]

Oh, how I love Wilmington, NC! It was such an important time in my life decades ago -- my first job out of school, living in a big old house with other girls and the old couple who owned the house in the old residential area right near downtown (just a few blocks from St. Mary's church) and walking to work every day. I loved going out to Wrightsville beach, especially in the off season, and walking for miles, looking for shells. I loved the old houses and walking most everywhere I needed to go. I loved the azaleas in the spring. So glad that you had a good time visiting Roy, who decided to stay there after college. You must be very proud of the way that your boys turned out.

[Jamie V]

This makes me happy! xo Jamie V in MT

[Tina in McLeansville]

"sometimes it is a good thing to leave the place with which one is most comfortable, most familiar.".....how DO you get into my head so easily without me knowing, hmm? i must say, that place of roy's looks so comfortable, and he, like he's been there forever....that's when the roots begin to grow, m'dear. it looks and sounds like a wonderful visit was had by all...just as it should be. i am so glad you were able to go there and celebrate with him! hugs...xo

[susan]

The love you hold in your heart for your two boys shines so bright, Nina. I'm very happy you had this special visit with Roy in his new home. And, I love the photo of him on the front porch!

xo dusan

[rachelle]

I love the relationship you have with your adult sons. I have watched them leave home and to be honest, I have come to look forward to, to anticipate my sons leaving one day, equipped and able to continue their journeys. Though the time seems more and more fleeting with them, somehow I am buoyed up by these posts of your boys. (Oh sheesh, bouyed by your boys, haha, i will not delete, i am laughing instead.). Its funny how we all do it. Clean and polish for our mama's coming to visit. And one day, to think, they might clean house for my visit. Now that is a good thought to hold onto in these days when I feel like I am constantly on them about the mess they leave all over the place. Love you Nina. This is a hauntingly beautiful post yet again. And that old building is something. It sure is.

[Susan]

Just lovely, from your mama heart.

[Robyn Ayaz]

Oh Nina, this tugged at my heart ferociously. My dearest son was re-united with me after 28 years and moved to Australia with his wife and son Jacob. I was the happiest mother alive. Long story but they returned to the UK after 3 months and for some reason have decided not to keep contact with me. As you can imagine, with your love for your sons I know you will understand, every day is a mixture of trying to get past this cruelty and racking my brains to try and understand what has happened. Forgive me for blabbing on but I just feel strongly that we should treasure every moment of life and I know you do. I am so happy for you.

[vickie]

Ahhh...the love of a parent for a child and vice versa. It is so awesome. What a wonderful post.
vickie in kc

[linda]

this is so precious, it made me weep for my own sons. i too have two of them and i know how you feel.... just a wee bit older and both married now.

i also loved the photos and how you fixed them to look so old...just beautiful. thank you for sharing such precious moments... as always.
X

[Minnie]

Someday I hope to find this love for my son you have for yours

[Holly Hudson]

Nina, my son lives in Wilmington, NC too....and loves it. He hates his job, but I guess that's not too odd. At first, I found Wilmington to be bleak (visited in January) but next visits made my heart sing.....the beach is wonderful and the town has wonderful restaurants.....
Holly