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The staff at White Oak Manor pulled out all the stops to give us a great Luau last month. First was a super big tent erected on a level parking lot on The Hill, then a great meal catered by Mountain View BBQ and music by Hula Carolina.   

Apartment Manager Rita Motter met us as we arrived; she put a lei around my neck and gave me a peck on the cheek and a big smile. She and her Assistant Patricia Fisher and driver Christy Rowe took boxes of stuff and a ton of white tablecloths to the tent while I was waiting for my lunch.

One of the ladies at our table did not have a lei around her neck, so I asked her whether she missed getting “leid” as she came in. She did join in the laughter that ensued. I noticed later that she was wearing a lei, too.

One of the ladies at our dining table today said when I asked that the luau was “awesome.” When I then asked her why, she mentioned the decorations.

Rita and Christy took a busload of our folks to Myrtle Beach today for several days. The luau and this trip are but two examples of the entertainment provided by White Oak management for us to enjoy. Fran and I enjoy living here.

I attended the Veterans’ breakfast at Tryon Presbyterian Church. There were no veterans there when I arrived at the appointed time. I had checked the Church web page for the time, and the gathering was not listed there. I had seen their ad in the Tryon Daily Bulletin.

One of the many ladies preparing and serving asked us how we liked it, and I told her I had not found the breakfast listed on the church web page. She told me that they had listed it on a veterans page, but she would see that it would be on the church page next year!

There were soon three tables of vets. My table was entirely Air Force men and one wife. We enjoyed scrambled eggs, bacon, link sausage and pancakes. Some guys went up for seconds, but I was given plenty the first time. I enjoyed meeting new friends and the great free breakfast.

After breakfast I went up to Tryon School to see Dr. Maneen, principal. She was principal of the Saluda school when I tuned the piano for Pam McNeill. Dr. Maneen came out of her office and into the auditorium to bring my check to me. That was unusual; the check usually arrived in my mail a few days later.

I wish I had gone into the auditorium for the 100th-anniversary celebration. For some unknown reason, I just strolled back to my car and came home! I did not go near the auditorium, so did not see the folks gathering there. . .

When I saw the write-up in the Bulletin I knew that I had made a serious mistake! So many friends that I would have liked to see! I might have been the oldest alumnus there!

I had left my mark on the school even as it was leaving its mark on me. The senior class built the forms for a sidewalk and I chiseled “Class of 1947” in the concrete in two places. The letters are not as sharp now, but they are still there. I hope they will still be there long after I am gone; they should endure as long as the sidewalk is there!

Garland would like to hear from you at 828-859-7041 or garlandgoodwin7@gmail.com