Meeting cousin John

My friend Helen and I drove to Columbia SC a week ago, to see an exhibit of M. C. Escher's works at the Art Museum there. I'll be sharing my photos from that trip over on my art blog "Alchemy in Clay."

Yet I also knew that a cousin lived there and taught at U of SC...music department. His sisters had shared information on FaceBook about some of his compositions. I'd listened to them at that time. But I hadn't been in touch with him for many years.

Actually I hadn't seen John since he was just a boy, a year older than my oldest son. We camped with his father and next older sister when John was about 12...and they were in a camper trailer, while I was in a camper van with my two older sons, somewhere in Wisconsin. We (my sons and I) were beginning a summer of travel all over the west of the country. We started in FL, where we ended up after putting 10,000 miles on the van (and new tires I think.)

John's family lived in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. His oldest 2 sisters had already married and left home. But since then, I've shared comments back and forth sometimes with the 3 sisters who are my friends on FaceBook...but John doesn't do social networking of any kind.

So I timidly asked his sisters if they thought I should email John and see if I could get together or at least have a phone call with him. Since it was already June, I didn't know for sure that he wouldn't be teaching classes. My email was answered positively and we met for lunch.

It was great to spend two hours getting to know this talented young man (well, in his 50s, but young to me!) 

Here is one of Helen and myself after we had a good lunch, and were about to head home again.

We enjoyed our visit, and have continued to email with John since then, making sure he knows we'd love to have him visit Black Mountain NC.

Today's quote:

Real life most often happens during the in-between times, when we are not celebrating a special occasion.