Carter Grace Oglesby
By Brenda S. Brown
Marcia Murrah Payne and Melba Jamieson Burrell have always been my friends; our
journey together began before we started the first grade at Richland Elementary
School (kindergarten was not offered) and has transported us through sixty plus
years of our lives. We have faced all kinds of challenges, shared countless
periods of sorrow and enjoyed times of laughter and joy; and although we have
not always lived near each other, we have managed to remain close confidants.
Needless to say, their friendship is priceless to me.
Now days, because of our choice of cell-phone providers, we can talk anytime,
anywhere, and for as long as we choose, plus e-mail and Face book makes
exchanging messaging easier than ever before. As I have mentioned previously,
Marcia and Melba know my flaws but continue to love me in spite of my
shortcomings.
Our earlier lives were even more demanding because of family, church, school and
employment, so we decided that our preferred mode of gathering was to determine
a date, and meet at an interesting destination for a few days of camaraderie.
We have been seen frequently hanging-out at Hilton Head Island and Panama City
Beach, but on this occasion we accepted an invitation by the Oglesby family to
escape to their beach home located near picturesque Carrabelle, Florida.
Once Bruce and Tori assisted with our luggage and belongings to include food
items and supplies, we toured the amazing compound and then settled into
enjoying our reunion. They agreed to let their precious toddler, Carter Grace,
Marcia's granddaughter, spend the night with us so we were in grandmother
paradise.
Amazingly, Carter Grace enjoys such food offerings as organic green beans,
avocados and diced carrots. One of her favorite play-toys is a dooder, also
known as a paper towel core. She is such a precious and happy little girl, and
entertained us during her entire visit.
The picturesque Gulf of Mexico seemed different because of the dense fog that
moved off and on the coastline but odd weather cannot dampen a visit with your
lifelong girl friends. We toured historic Apalachicola, enjoyed a shopping
experience, ate seafood galore and even drove over to St. George Island. After
years of paying a toll to take that excursion, it was good to make the scenic
ride for free.
We enjoy the beach, but unfortunately the mysterious fog remained during our
entire visit. There were times that the heavy, wet mist nearly dissipated, but
in time, it reappeared. It was translucent at times but not being able to see
oncoming traffic was distracting, not to mention, dangerous, and although the
sunsets were obscured, it made the sunrises interesting.
One evening Helen Moore Blanton, who now resides in Carrabelle, joined our group
and we discussed at length our memories of elementary and high school days in
Richland. It was delightful to catch up on the news and before we realized it,
hours had passed and we still had recollections to share.
Happy 1st birthday Carter Grace Oglesby.
Click here to return to Brenda S. Brown main page.