NEWS

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It was 1976, and Ginger and I moved to Burlington, Vermont, to open a Booksmith/Musicsmith franchise. In 2018, we moved to Davidson and The Pines. For six years we have straddled the “boundary” between the two states, spending seven months in Davidson, four months in Vermont, and an odd month in Florida.

Whether it was the thought of cooler summer weather up north or just the fact that we covertly think of ourselves as Vermonters (the locals would consider us “flatlanders”), it was hard to give up home. The reader has to consider what Coolidge stated, “Vermont is the state I love.”

Up north, Vermont is considered a way of life. Who could avoid laughing when an old timer said he was “going to see his liar” (lawyer), manure is pronounced “menurr,” the state bird is “jeezzum crow,” yes Is “ayuh,” “fahmuhs have kywos,” “Norwich is either Nawitch or Norritch,” and everything is “just down the road a piece.”

Approaching 50 years of living in the Green Mountain State and living near and on water, one can only understand that a state with 600,000 people represents, “a brave little state” that has contributed two presidents, a great many humans, and is self-professed “Vermont Strong.”

But, North Carolina is our home, too, and it has been for six years. We love Davidson, we love Lake Norman (although not as pretty as Lake Champlain!), love the mountains, and especially the ocean. We have made many friends, and in many ways, lasting friendships with people from varied backgrounds. As we age, we don’t always remember the names when we have been gone four months, but we quickly recall them.

Walking downtown is a treat because we always seemed to be driving somewhere when in Vermont. Ginger claims she can talk southern now, saying “BYE” and drawing the sound out. I have my doubts since we both grew up in the Midwest, the land of homogenized accents – and milk. We still debate the pronunciation of Concord and Appalachia; I suppose both are correct!

So, as we sell our cottage this summer, we wonder what it will be like to be full-time Davidson residents. Will we tolerate the summers but relish the other seasons? Will the maples be as beautiful? Will we give up Vermont green for Carolina blue or Davidson red? Will we find a great place to swim in Lake Norman, as we have done up north?

Life is truly full of little questions. When we take our last ferry trip across the lake, soon to catch the Northway to Carolina, I am sure we will look back and say our sons were raised there, our really great years were there, and it was a “way of life.”

Our years dwindle, our memories fade, but the future still looks promising!