A certain something in the voice

I can’t deny getting homesick now and then.  The Delta feels like a place in which I could live for the rest of my days, but there’s something in the cadence of a Midwestern voice that appeals to me.  

This afternoon, I spent a few hours in the home of Skip and Judy Vandeventer.  Though twenty years here, and more than that in California, they come from Michigan.  The crinkle of their eyes has a familiar cast.  Judy’s spunk and her blue hair; Skip’s wide smile; the burn across their open, candid faces — these remind me of days when I walked the streets of Kansas City with my toddler in a buggy and the dog pulling at his leash.

I’d taken many pictures from in front of their house before I met them.  Mt. Diablo sits on the horizon directly across the river.  She wears each crimson sunset in their evening view.    I interloped on their turn-out to shoot from my car window, hoping for leniency or a friendly indulgence if the owners of the house happened to see me.

Then they came to the Delta Life Art show at the marina, and I no longer need to trespass.  

Today I walked around their wide living room, ogled their amazing decor, and staked a claim in the Penguin-themed guest room.  I marveled at Judy’s sewing center which sprang whole cloth from a void in the air beside their house, construction abandoned by a builder on the lam from his bank.  How lucky they were to snag this place for a song in a short sale!  Now their roots sink far into the silt of Andrus Island, and by happy chance, I get to call them “friend”.

It’s the twenty-first day of the sixty-ninth month of My Year Without Complaining.  Life Continues.

One thought on “A certain something in the voice

  1. Judy Vandeventer

    We so enjoyed our visit today with our new friend Corrine. Her life is amazing and can’t wait to hear more . I love the fact that she lives in a tiny house. We look forward to showing her more of the delta, by boat and car❣️

    Reply

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