Motel 6 and "We''ll Leave the Light on For You"

Back in the day, actually, about 20 years ago, when Tom Bodett of Motel 6 fame promised to leave the light on for all of us, I remember what a homey feeling his voice had and the thought of someone leaving the light on for me made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. The Motel 6 adman did a wonderful job of making me, and I am sure plenty of others, feel as though Tom Bodett and the people at Motel 6 really cared about me. I haven't thought of that campaign or Tom Bodett for many years, until the other night Chuck was due home after dark, and I decided to leave the light on for him. At one end of our circular driveway there is a lamp post. During winter months when I would arrive home from substitute teaching and running errands, I could almost count on the light being left on for me. It made me feel the same way those ads for Motel 6 did...warm and fuzzy inside, and as though someone cared about me. Only this time, it's Chuck that cares about me, not Motel 6. Wanting to share those same feelings of caring, I left the light on for him. And I started to think about my life before Chuck. In my first marriage, I don't think I was as conscious about doing those little things. I may have been before kids, but not to the extent I do those little things now. That's one of the things a second marriage does for me. It gives me a second chance to think about the things that really matter in a marriage, and to make sure I do them right THIS time. I try not to spend too much time dwelling on what went wrong in my first marriage. I have been there, and done that and I think I have it figured out enough to learn from my mistakes, but not dwell on it. But I do realize that life is short and I do not have eons to get this marriage thing right. I only have whatever time God gives me with Chuck so I need to make each day count. That means doing those little things that add up to a loving and caring marriage. It means making sure when I replace the toilet paper roll that I put it on the way Chuck likes it. ( It doesn't matter to ME mind you, but since it does matter to Chuck, I try to pay attention...if you have read this far, please leave a comment below just for fun about whether or not you like your toilet paper to come down from over the top of the roll, or from underneath)! Here's what I mean: Do you like your TP to dispense from over the roll (left) or under the roll (right)? Or does it matter?

And there are other things too that matter, and I try to remember. Like after I get water out of the refrigerator door, I try to remember to put the lever back on ice so when Chuck goes to get ice, he won't end up with a glass full of water. And to make sure I keep the door to the guest bathroom closed when not in use. Now in case you think it's all one sided, Chuck does the same for me. I don't like it when cupboard doors are left open so he tries to close them now where once he didn't pay attention and would shut them only when he noticed. And I don't like kissing him after he eats onions so he tries not to eat them when we will be spending an evening together. I think in marriage, whether first, second, or sixth...keeping track of those little things and trying to keep an eye on them to please a mate is a very considerate thing. And consideration means caring. I am doing much better at making a point of being considerate in my second marriage and not take my husband for granted. My second marriage is giving me a second chance to get it right! And for that I am grateful.

A Romantic Trip to Tanglewood in the Berkshires

This past weekend, Chuck and I went to Tanglewood. For those of you not familiar with it, Tanglewood is in the Berkshire Mountains in Massachusetts. It's the summer home of the Boston Pops. Each year, throngs of picnickers and classical music enthusiasts flock to Tanglewood to enjoy both the ambiance of an outside picnic in the summer, and the beautiful strains of classical music outside, under the stars. Chuck enjoys Tanglewood for the classical music. I enjoy Tangelwood for the whole experience...the cool green grass under my bare feet as I sit in a lawn chair and wiggle my toes in it...the taste of picnic food out in the fresh mountain air...the tangy taste of wine as I gaze at the mountains around me...the excitement of other Tanglewood fans as they share their own picnic dinners with family and friends, gazing up through the trees as I lay on my back on a blanket and gaze at blue sky and fluffy...white clouds as I listen to the strains of classical music wafting through the fresh summer air...and the enjoyment I have of being here, together with my husband, both of us full of joy and excitement and love for the event, and for each other. Yep, that sounds pretty mushy, but it's the truth. Here's the set up of our portable table, before dinner...

At one point in the evening, after dinner and before the concert, I was laying on the blanket and looked to my left to see Chuck leaning back in his chair and enjoying the view, and then I looked to my right and saw the beautiful view of the Berkshire mountains surrounding a lake, and I honestly couldn't decide which view I liked better, so kept turning my head periodically from side to side to enjoy the man I love enjoying himself, and also the amazing mountains that are the Berkshires.

People who attend the concerts have a choice of either getting lawn tickets, or purchasing seats inside the shed. The shed is actually a pie shaped building where the musicians sit to perform, and three of the sides are open to the lawn. I enjoy the lawn, but Chuck loves to get seats so we can see the musicians and hear the music better. We usually compromise and go up one weekend a year, and watch the concert on a Saturday night from the seats inside, and enjoy a concert from the lawn on Sunday afternoon. Here's the shed at Tanglewood...and looking up through the trees from our picnic blanket (below)

We were fortunate to be able to enjoy a concert Friday night inside the shed, and Saturday night out on the lawn. I am a very blessed woman to be so in love, and to have the love of a man who is so wonderful, kind, honest, intelligent and considerate. And every morning, I do thank God for that.

Second Marriage Means Getting a Second Family

The thing about getting married a second time is not only do you marry your spouse, but you often get a lot of instant family members in the deal. I am fortunate that Chuck’s family has seemed to welcome me with open arms. That is a nice feeling. I think his family did a better job of welcoming me than my family did of welcoming him. Well, I’m talking about two of my three teen aged kids, and I guess we know how testy they can be. I think everyone else is happy Chuck’s in the family, and hopefully my kids will come around.

On June 1st, we went to Chuck’s grand daughter’s graduation from high school. Hannah is a beautiful girl, both inside and out and she shone on graduation day. I have included some pictures of her and Chuck and I. The ceremony was very nice, and I was really happy to be able to share in her special day. We added on our trip to Big Canoe to Hannah’s graduation so we could make sure we were able to both explore Big Canoe and make it to the graduation. The trip was definitely worthwhile on both counts. We are still working on making it to Big Canoe. The house needs a few things done before it can go on the market, and hopefully we can get those done soon so we don’t miss the “summer market” which I think means getting families into a new home before the start of the next school year. There will be more updates on this coming…

Good-Bye Big Canoe...For Now

On Friday of our Big Canoe week we had a wonderful time renting a boat and taking an extremely quiet boat ride on Lake Petit. Actually, we didn't even have to rent the boat. Our real estate agent from Big Canoe, Ryan Moledar, arranged for us to have a boat for free for a few hours through the Big Canoe real estate office. Thanks Ryan! The boat was so quiet that I asked Chuck how we could be moving even though he hadn't started the motor yet! Big Canoe doesn't allow any gas powered boats so our boat, which is a pontoon boat, has an electric motor. I was shocked at how quiet it was. It was actually on and powering us around the lake when I said that. The peacefulness of Big Canoe was once again showcased as we wound our way slowly around the lake, admiring the houses that could just barely be seen peeking through the trees. We were able to go into small little coves and it was probably the most peaceful few hours we have had together in a very long time. The boat was so easy to drive that I even took a shot at it. There's an island in the middle of Lake Petit where people can moor a boat and go for a picnic. It was nice to dream about someday doing that in our future. We even saw a family of ducks swim by which was a real treat for a nature lover like me! Here are some scenes from our boat trip:

Captain Chuck back in action driving the boat:

Here are a few of the houses tucked in the trees along the lake...

A beautiful view amid the peace and quiet of Lake Petit

A family of ducks swam by us...

The Lake Petit Marina from the parking lot

We ate dinner that night at the Black Bear Pub again. Although we were hoping to get a seat outside, there was a band playing dance music outside and they were pretty loud from every table. We ended up inside where we could still enjoy the view and have a dinner where we could hear ourselves speaking. I think it's great that they do have entertainment at the Black Bear Pub. It would have been better to enjoy a nice glass of wine in the rocking chairs on the porch because it's off to the side a bit and not too near the speakers. I will remember that as an option if we do move here and I see musical entertainment on the schedule. Here's the view seen from the rocking chairs on the side patio of the Black Bear Pub

On Saturday, we went to Hannah's graduation (Chuck's granddaughter) and we were down in Dallas, Georgia all day and into the evening with that. This day was to be our last day totally inside the gates of Big Canoe. I found myself growing sad that we would need to leave the peacefulness and the wildlife that is such an integral part of this wonderful community. And I will miss the indoor pool so much. This year on our cruise and here at Big canoe, I have really begun to enjoy swimming as a form of aerobic exercise, while Chuck still prefers the exercise equipment. As I swam almost every day during our stay, I was imagining how wonderful it will be to have access to an indoor pool to exercise in every day. They say swimming is one of the best exercises people can do, and I am ready to start that on a daily basis. And it would be great to be able to go together and work out because the gym and indoor pool are housed in the same building.

More Adventures in the Mountains of North Georgia

I have been remiss in keeping up with this blog and for that I am sorry. The day after I wrote this we met with the real estate agent that we had toured with last year. Unfortunately, because we are a bit picky, he only had three homes to show us that were in the price range we wanted, and had all the amenities we also require ( at least a 2 car garage for Chuck and a mountain view for me, among other things.) The prices of homes in Big Canoe runs from about $200,000 for an older home, all the way up to the millions. The homes are all varied, and one can get anything from a simple log cabin to a beautiful mansion. We enjoyed our tours of the homes very much, and I found 2 I could live in quite easily. But our current house is not even on the market yet, so I guess I can't put the cart before the horse. We will be getting the house ready to get on the market soon, and hopefully, when it sells, we will have more than a few choices of houses at Big Canoe.

The day after this exciting day, we headed down south to Atlanta to visits with Chuck's children and their families. We met his daughter and her two teen aged girls and had a wonderful stroll down the quaint streets of Dallas, Georgia.

Above is a picture of Chuck, his daughter and her girls...and below is a picture of Chuck's son and 3 of his 4 children, all of whom visited us at Big Canoe on Memorial Day weekend...

My favorite shop was "Somewhere in Time", a small but stuffed to the rafters little place filled with antiques and candles. It was a great place to browse because there was an interesting find at every turn. We had lunch in a cute little restaurant run by Charlie, a jovial man who greeted us at the door! It was a very down to basics place that served breakfast or lunch which meant doubling our options of good home made food. Later we met Chuck's son at his office, received a tour, and went to lunch with him and some of his office mates who had been waiting to meet Chuck...being the NDT Icon that he is!...Someone once called him that and so I love to tease him and remind him of his unofficial title! After a late lunch it was off to see his 2 grandchildren participate in a swim meet. By the time we left it was getting dark and we came back top the condo to relax a bit before heading off to bed to prepare for another exciting day at Big Canoe!...Tomorrow is our day on the lake here at Big Canoe. We are really looking forward to getting on a boat and being out in nature.

Big Canoe, Georgia

Driving through the gate of Big Canoe on Sunday afternoon, May 26th, 2013, I felt myself falling in love. We are spending the week here to see if this is a place we would like to move to from Connecticut. Chuck has family within 90 minutes of this beautiful gated community. As we drove through the pine trees that bordered each side of the road, I felt myself relax and breathe the stress of the life I had left behind out of my lungs. We wound around wood lined roads, curving around corners with glimpses of golf greens peeking at us through the woods. When we got out of the car, from the parking lot we could hear a waterfall which we later discovered was the rock slide area where people can actually slide down part of a river on a man made rock slide. We entered the condo to an afternoon of discovering the nooks and crannies of our home for the next week. We roamed around the one bedroom condo finding new corners including an outside porch outside the living room and an inside porch outside of the bedroom. The living room holds and amazing brick wood fireplace with a hearth that can provide extra seating. And besides the bathroom attached to the bedroom with a queen sized bed. We immediately went to the fitness center sow e could work out before they closed at 6. We got a 1 week membership. Chuck used the work out equipment but I was too excited to be here and to see the place so I headed outside to find some hiking trails that I had been given a map for by the woman behind the desk at the fitness center. I started out on the lake trail which ran .6 miles behind the center. On the way, I watched some young people going down the rock slide which looked like a lot of fun. I headed out onto the path and was immediately surprised at the quietness of the trail. I missed my dog Reeses and imagined how much she would have enjoyed walking on the trail with me. The trail wound up and down along the edge of the lake through the trees. It was shady for most of the trail and although the temperature was about 80 degrees it was cooler under the trees. I came to an area where I crossed a floating bridge which had been built by volunteers and reached across the lake. I saw a turtle sunning on a rock, and must have surprised either a few turtles or fish or frogs as I could hear them jumping into the water before I got there, and saw the ripples in the water that were evidence of where they had been. The trail intersected with a wildflower trail which I followed for a bit but then when I realized that the trail did not go around the lake, but just continued on to another trail, I followed that wildflower trail for a bit, then turned back. After our workout, we went out to eat at a place called, ‘Forno” which was in the Foothills Shopping Center which also includes an IGA. The pizza we had was delicious and was made from home made dough. I was glad I had read the review online about Fornos before we needed to find dinner somewhere. After dinner, we went to the IGA around the corner but in the same shopping center. It was small, probably the same size as a dress barn store. It had what we needed for the Memorial Day picnic tomorrow with Chuck's family..... Monday, 5/27/2013 Today we woke up and had a cup of coffee on the back porch area of the condo. We sat and watched the groundskeepers mowing the greens and watched ducks swim in a nearby pond. I can’t believe how peaceful and quiet it is here. We hardly hear any voices, and since there are no lawn mowers and lawns allowed, it adds to the peace. The rock slide is behind where our condos are so we can hear the water that sounds like a waterfall. After breakfast we went exploring and tried to find some of the homes we were interested in by following streets. It was really fun exploring the roads at Big Canoe. After 45 minutes of that, we went to the fitness center. I did laps in the indoor pool while Chuck worked out. I started a conversation with a very nice lady who has lived here with her husband for 6 or 7 years. They really love it here. They moved here from Atlanta. After working out we went back to the condo and Chuck's daughter and her family arrived. Shortly afterward his son and his family also arrived. We headed down to the Swim Club which is where we decided to have our family picnic. At the entrance, guests pay a fee to use the swim club amenities which included the rock slide, picnic area, pool, lake and canoes and paddle boats. None of the adults swam but the kids had a ball. After the picnic, about 5 p.m., most everyone left except a few family members and we sat on the back deck and drank wine and watched the golfers. We also saw two deer wind their way across the golf course, and chipmunks and squirrels, and geese. It was so amazing. I love the wildlife here. After everyone left Chuck watched TV and I just felt the need to get out there in nature. So I left the condo and walked along the golf course path. It was so beautiful I just needed to be out in the wild. I saw a deer on the edge of the golf course, but I scared her so she ran across and back to the wooded area. I noticed she watched me from the woods. I followed the path up and around a hill and found a sheltered area with rest rooms and Styrofoam cups with ice cold water. I was hot from my walk so the water tasted good. On the way back to the condo, I saw Chuck coming toward me so he met me halfway and we walked back together. It was so peaceful and beautiful. I am falling in love with Big Canoe!Here are some pictures of what we see from our back deck: Tuesday, 5/28/2013 We woke up and enjoyed a cup of coffee together on the back deck again watching the squirrels play. We planned on exploring Dahlonega and Jasper today. Jasper is the town closest to Big Canoe that has most of the grocery stores, pharmacies and a Walmart. We took off around 11 a.m. to head to Dahlonega. It took us 45 minutes to drive there, and it was a beautiful drive with mountainous twists and turns the whole way. Dahlonega is the town in which the first gold rush in the u,S, was started. If you would like to read more about Dahlonega, I have written an article all about it for HubPages and you can find it here: http://karenhellier.hubpages.com/hub/The-Delights-of-Historic-Dahlonega-Georgia On our way back to Big Canoe, we decided to head into Jasper to check it out. We had heard that is the closest town where we can grocery shop and where the drug stores like CVS, and Rite Aid are, with a Piggly Wiggly grocery store nearby. We were really happy to see that there is a CVS, Walgreen’s and Rite Aid all on the same corner, and one mile away there is a Walmart, Kroger and IGA to grocery shop at. I timed it on the way back and from the Rite Aid to the main gate at Big Canoe, it took us 16 minutes. Now of course if we buy a house here, it will take longer to get to our home, but 16 - 30 minutes is not bad at all, when there's an IGA for emergencies not too far from the gate. We would just have to plan our trips into “town” in advance. I sounded like Laura Ingalls Wilder right then! We returned to the condo and took a nap, and then went to work out at the Fitness Center. Chuck did his usual routine of biking and using the weight equipment while I swam for 35 minutes continuously and then sat in the hot tub for 10. I loved being able to just swim as a workout and was imagining how great it would be to be able to have a heated pool available to me every day to swim in. I started to feel healthier already! I spoke to a recently divorced man who was also in the hot tub. He has been leasing a home at Big Canoe for a year and his lease is up in June. He enjoys it here so much he is looking for a house to buy. He told me he loves it here at I asked about the cost of the extra and he didn’t seem to mind it too much. On the way out of the Fitness Center, I stopped to ask how much it would be for a membership for Chuck and I for the fitness center and the indoor pool, For the 2 of us as a couple it costs $55 a month which I thought was great. Cheaper than in CT. at Chuck’s fitness center. We came back to the condo, had a glass of wine on the outdoor deck as the sun went down and I watched a deer meander across the golf course looking for food. We had leftover pizza for dinner, then watched TV, used our computers and I read all the brochures I had picked up in Dahlonega earlier in the day. What a life huh? In case you can't tell, we are really enjoying it here in the North Georgia woods of Big Canoe! Here's a picture of Dahlonega...

We Leave for Big Canoe Tomorrow!!!

Tomorrow Chuck and I leave for a one week trip to Big Canoe, Georgia. Two of his three adult children and their families live nearby. This 8,000 acre gated community is 80 miles north of Atlanta. We are staying in a condo inside the gates of Big Canoe for a week to try out the community and to see if we can picture ourselves living here on a full time basis. We went last year for a day and met with a real estate agent. We fell in love with the area, and the peacefulness of this mountain community. I am not sure that I want to live in the South, being a born and bred New England Yankee from a long line of New England stock. I am a Yankee through and through, but do want to get out of Connecticut and have wanted to for a very long time. So, we have an appointment set up with the same real estate agent as last year and I have been researching homes that are within our budget and that we can imagine us actually living in. I originally came up with a list of 22 homes, trying to leave no stone (or home...LOL) uncovered since this may be the only chance we have to see some homes before buying if we do decide this is the right place for us. After sitting down with Chuck the other night, the list has now been whittled down to JUST 11!!! But since right now we only have one day scheduled with the real estate agent, I sent the list to him to whittle down further. He has our list of requirements and there are some things about these homes that only he has access to, such as do these homes all have mountain views, the square footage, etc. Based on those details, we have faith that he will develop a list of what will work for us, and we look forward to touring some homes. On Monday, Memorial Day, Chuck's son and daughter and their families will be coming up to spend the day. We are going to have a cookout and enjoy some of the facilities. The kids are especially looking forward to enjoying the natural rock slide on the property. One day, Chuck and I are going to explore a nearby town called, "Dahlonega" which is supposed to be cute and quaint and a nice relaxing place to spend a day. There are also some wineries in that general area which may be fun to check out. About seven miles outside the gates of Big Canoe is a state park with a beautiful waterfall so we are looking forward to seeing that too. At the end of the week,on Saturday, June 1st, Chuck's granddaughter Hannah will be graduating from high school. We will be attending her graduation and the party afterward, and coming home the next day. Once we get home we will be processing all we heard and saw about Big Canoe to decide if it's the place for us. I will definitely keep you all up to date! Here's the link to an article I wrote about Big Canoe when we went to visit in 2012: http://karenhellier.hubpages.com/hub/Resort-Living-A-Review-of-Big-Canoe-Georgia