My Memphis State Roomie

Before we left on our Retirement Tour 2010 my roommate at Memphis State University found me on FaceBook.  I'm usually the one who searches and finds people, so that tells you that this roomie is special.  We promised to stop on our way through Arkansas.

Now Joe and I had been through Arkansas several times.  As we entered Arkansas this time we each realized we had specific memories of the terrain, sites, cities in AZ, NM, OK, TX, MS, LA....even MO, but neither had a memory of anything in Arkansas.  Nothing.  Zilch.  Best we could come up with is that all of those surrounding states are unique to an East Coast eye.  Arkansas is very much like the mid-Atlantic--Virginia and Tennessee where we grew up.  Must have been that; but this time we found the heart of Arkansas.  A beautiful state with lovely people.

Kay Rose Shurgar was the best roommate I had in college.  We met in a 3-girl room the first semester and moved to a 2-girl room the second.  I had mono the first week of school and Kay, who not surprisingly became a nurse, helped me through that first semester and literally nursed me the through a myriad of maladies that second semester.  She stayed up one night thinking she would have to give me an emergency tracheotomy during one bout of the flu or pneumonia that second semester.  Did I say she "became" a nurse...she didn't know a thing about traches then but she was going to help no matter what!! : )  She still has that same spirit.

After almost half a century, it was like we had not skipped a beat in our mutual admiration since our first meeting.  We regaled Joe and her husband Jerry with some of our crazy, stupid funny, funny antics and winked a couple of times when we knew we could tell more, but some secrets need to be kept.

It also developed that Joe and Jerry, who is retired now, had similar interests and the most incredible thing was talking to someone who had different life experiences but the same understandings of the world around us.  Jerry is a fly fisherman and promised he'd help me the next time we get together.  [To Jerry:  even though we know that I have a terrible memory--Kay was always my memory bank--but this is one promise I will not forget!  PS  Thanks for the flies.]

Their cabin is absolutely perfect and in a beautiful setting with a year-round creek running into the Cadron River at the bottom of their hill.  We met their next door neighbor who was their architect and builder so he could hear first hand the many compliments we had on the innovative features he employed--like corrugated tin and a wonderful metal roof that I kept praying we would be able to enjoy in a storm; first time I've prayed for rain on a vacation.

Occasionally you meet someone who gently tweaks your life and you carry a bit of them with you.  I'm not talking about big changes that come from big events or people.  Just the quiet admiration of a person, or in this case a couple, that after meeting you feel like you have changed a bit for the better.

That's what this visit was like.  The best part of a wonderful vacation.

[To Kay:  Did I summarize the visit?  Didn't even mention that you guys almost froze to death sitting with us outside!! ha]