When we first moved to Florida in 1999, two total strangers took our family into their home while we waited for our house. They gave us a place to sleep, and fed us for at least a month. The kids all slept in curious corners and places in the living room. I still marvel at their hospitality and the love that they demonstrated to us. They are still dear friends though Sally is now teaching biology in the local high school and Donn drives a school bus and we do not see them often.
Sally and Donn had no children of their own except for Max, their rescued dog, and Beeker Bird, a cockatiel. They also had three horses. Deedee, on whose back I am perched in the photo, was a Percheron. I was familiar with the Clydesdale style of large horses, but Deedee introduced me to her breed. We went on a trail ride that day, and before I got back to the barn I was wishing for a cushion upon. I had to climb a stepladder to mount her.
Sally and Donn spend their summers in the UP, and I took care of the horses. The most exciting moment of that summer was the morning I found Deedee lying on the ground; she had colicked. Anyone want to help get a Percheron up on her feet?
The Portugal Years 