Walk Down Memory Lane

We see the end of the year coming soon, and although we live in somewhat of a paradise, it’s been a very hot year weather-wise. Hotter than I ever remember, but our winter will feel pretty nice compared to Alaska. What more can I say? We were one family who didn’t look for property in Florida, we came here because our baby had been very sick, and finally pulled through, so we came to show my husband’s parents their newest grandson. They lived in St. Pete, and we traveled with another couple who helped with the driving from Cleveland. They wanted to stop a while in Florida to see a place called Naples before leaving. I didn’t want to stay, with the sick baby and all, and just wanted to get back to Cleveland where our doctor was. My husband said “We’re staying ONE MORE DAY, and then we can go home. While packing up to finally leave, he said “What are you doing?” Packing up to go, I said. Nope, he replied. You stay here! I’m going home. I’ll sell the house and the business. You stay here, find yourself a house and buy it, then come back! There I was with the very sick baby (he lived by the way and is a terrific guy) trying to buy a house, pick the colors of the roof and walls and house, and struggling to buy passage flights back home with this poor little guy. I kept asking God why He was doing this to me? I didn’t want to leave my home and my family members! But there was no question. Later on, I found out why! “He” had other plans for me, but that is another story for another time. So I bought a home in a brand-new community called Lakewood. I was the second person to buy a home, none were built, only five model homes. I STILL live in that same house now and have lived there since June 12, 1974!!!  When I bought, there wasn’t a tree or house in the whole community, just five model homes in one small area, none of the clubhouses or pools, etc. Just dirt/sand and a few lakes. There were about 20,000 people in all of Collier County. It was almost like being pioneers! What a treat! We never realized it would grow like this. I don’t think anyone really did. The City of Naples had already started to grow, and lovely little homes were there, plus many “nightclubs” at that time. We don’t have them anymore, but they were terrific, with wonderful food, great music and dancing and live music! Ahh, what a place it was!!!  

When we left Cleveland with our four children, I had been working for United Airlines, and that was the only business I knew, so I looked around the area and noticed a small plane flying overhead, found the airport (which was just a Quonset hut at that time) and went to the ticket counter and asked if they needed help. No they didn’t, but go down this street, see the little shack? That’s the owner’s office. John VanArsdale lives here, so talk with him. I went to his office and found a man in a rumpled blue Seersucker suit that looked like he had slept in it. Later I found out he was the most down-to-earth guy, no pretense about him. Anyway, he said he didn’t need employees, but where had I worked? Once he heard United, he invited me in, we talked airline, codes for cities, etc., and before I left, he had created a new position in the airline for a Reservation Supervisor. I worked for PBA (Provincetown Boston Airline) for the next 13 years. What a great airline, what a great boss, and the people he had working for him were tremendous! Some still live here! A few pilots are still around. I went to lunch with a few of the guys a little while back who worked in Aircraft maintenance. We all became a family. We grew into the largest Commuter Airline in the World! Well, enough history for the day.