Cheryl

Doesn’t everyone have a friend who is very special? I have been fortunate to have several and this gal stands out as a favorite. She can be serious, emotional, witty, resourceful, creative, and has so many facets to her personality I could never describe them well enough to do it justice with just words. 

I met Cheryl about 25 years ago when she and her husband and dog “Freckles” were camping at the same place in SC at the beach, as we were. Coincidence? Nah! We were both there on our work vacations, they with their pop up camper and we with our first little motorhome (no car in tow). This campground allowed pets. Ours was a 3 pound toy Rat Terrier named “Bitsie,” theirs was a shaggy middle size mixed breed critter. A couple of times a week I walked through the campground to the main entrance to cross the road to shop at Kroger’s that was just across the highway. I passed the pop-up on my early missions when the couple was cooking their breakfast and we would wave and give morning greetings. Eventually we met on the beach and became good friends. The men would fish and the girls would pick shells read, crochet, jabber.  Every year, we would look forward to meeting again in September. They were from Pittsburg PA - on the other far side of the state! One year they camped here at the cabin in the side yard and tried our lake water for a quick swim. 

As the years passed, we got to know each other very well and communicated throughout each year via the written word. I have reminders of her craft talents right in front of me on the refrigerator and the wall. One is a little magnet of a house with protective dust bunnies and the other is a dishcloth made into bloomers with a poem attached. At Christmastime, I dig out about 20 little ornaments that she has given to me - one every year. The packages of home made goodies arrived in the mail and recipes were constantly shared at holidays. 

Through the years, she always shared her home-made applesauce and home grown tomatoes when we met yearly at the beach in September. She has had a larger camper and a Dalmatian named “Ditto.” Then a larger trailer was purchased and her dog is currently a Beagle named “Tober.” We went from a small Chieftain RV to a larger Adventurer Motorhome and had another full sized Rat Terrier named “Pal.” We both shared the times of retirements; the loss of pets;  the loss of both parents and gave support during those stressful happenings. We have both shared physical injuries and even a heart attack and then later, heart surgery for my husband. Today hers is needing extra care and we both are doing the best we can in our own way but always know the other is there if needed, even though many miles separate us physically and we no longer go to the beach. She does, and stays with another mutual friend who has a permanent place there. Times and circumstances have changed but memories haven’t. 

I was reminded of the old pictures when I called her on her birthday recently and then dug them out of my archives. There are more but these are the fun ones mostly taken at another campground in her area with activities and opportunities such as you see. The images are small because I scanned them when I had no idea about size or resolution. You’ll get the point. 

And a few of her craft gifts

Cheryl is my friend who brings out the best in me. She has tons of common sense and is a "no fuss, no muss" person. What you see is what you get and I get it!

She is my FOREVER FRIEND.