When you are married sometimes you find yourself doing things that you really did not want to do. When my husband, Tink, had finished up his degree at the University of Virginia in Physical education, we found ourselves needing a better position. He put in applications for jobs all over the country, but somehow the right job did not come along as easy as we would have liked. It was getting along the summer after he received his Masters Degree and he had not found a job as yet. Don't worry he said, I'll find a job just before school starts up. Trusting in blind fate we packed up our boys and the family dog, Cedar, and headed out to visit his parents in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
He had posted his request with his undergraduate school Springfield College. They were checking out positions that would work for him. While we were in Wisconsin, a call came from Springfield saying that there was a position at Lyndon State College, in Lyndonville, Vermont. Would he come out, check out the college and talk to the head of the P.E. Department, Dudley Bell? Vermont sounded like a dream to Tink, who was used to cold weather, ice, snow and lots of skiing. Not so much to me, but we needed a job, and he had worked so hard to get this education. The pay was pretty good too. So we packed the car and headed to Vermont. That drive took us across the entire state of New York. It kept going, and going. I thought that we would never make it across the state.
We finally arrived in Pittsfield, Mass. Dudley was acting as tennis coach for the summer at the Country Club there. We pulled up to the house where he was staying, an old converted pony barn. They had graciously offered to let us stay the night. With our funds running short this was a real bonus. The barn turned out to have been a studio for Caulder. I imagined him working on his mobiles here. As an art major this was really exciting, Alexander Calder had actually worked there.
Dudley had also gone to Springfield College. He and Tink really hit it off. He offered him the job if he would like. It starting almost immediately. We left and headed north to check out the school and talk to the administration there. Lyndonville itself was not much. It was not as picturesque as the New England villages and towns further south in the state. The college itself consisted at that time of an old Mansion that had been donated to the state as well as some modern buildings. President Taff used to visit, and there was a chair where he had sat next to the fire that was extra large to accommodate his girth.
Tink was truly enchanted the answer to his dream. He would be the gymnastic and soccer coach as well as teaching anatomy and physiology. He could stay in a college apartment, until we were able to find a place. Then the boys and I could move up to be with him. He really wanted it. I was scared of the snow and the cold winters and being so far from home. I remember hesitating and then relenting. Yes, he could take the job and we would move to Vermont. Oh, me.
We headed home so he could get ready to return to Vermont and start teaching. I remember worrying about having enough money to make it home. We must have had a Visa, but it was not as easy to use as it is now. Somehow we made it back to Charlottesville. That was when my work really began. There were ends to finish on the house that belonged to my parents. My brother was still in school at U.VA and he was living with his new wife Ellie in the basement apartment. A neighbor had expressed interest in the house if we ever wanted to sell it. We called them and they decided to purchase the house letting my brother stay in the apartment.
My mom and her best friend, Betsy Martin, came up to help me organize and pack. We even polished silver and wrapped it in saran wrap. Years later on my move to Williamsburg, the silver finally came out of the wrap. We got things ready for a garage sale. This helped us fund the move. A month later, Tink arrived, to drive the family to Vermont. We had all the boxes packed. There were some loose ends left to finish: however, Tink was stunned. He had trouble getting a handle on doing anything, he was just too disorientated. Some how we did get everything together. The last thing was trying to catch the family cat who was scared by all the confusion. We lured her in with a piece of a hamburger.
On the way to Norfolk to drop my Mother home, we were stopped by the police because a light was not working on our car. A fuse was replaced and we were on the road again.
After a nights stay in Norfolk with my folks, we left to head north across the bridge tunnel to the Eastern Shore of Virginia. When we made it to Vermont, I was amazed at how the yards were all decorated with pumpkins and scarecrow people stuffed with leaves. We stayed in the College facilities until the moving Van came with all our stuff. It had already started getting cold in early October.
We shopped in St. Johnsbury, Vermont for a winter ski Jacket for me. I was shocked when at 4:00 pm it was already beginning to get dark. Life was about to be a lot different than what I was used to in Virginia.
That first Sunday we started going to the church in East Burke, Vermont. An older lady who reminded me of some of my grandmother's friends greeted us after Church. She made a strange noise. Ah-yup. It sounded like a belch to me. I mentioned this to my husband. He laughed at me saying that was their way of saying yes. Well, I guess I did have a lot to learn.
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