In the fall if 1970, we took a trip from Lexington, KY, to Washington DC. I do not remember the exact time of our trip. We went to visit Judy and Greg first, and then spent some time at the DC zoo with Pan-pan. That had to be her first time there! We have pictures to prove the events:
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The University of Kentucky gave me my first teaching position. It confirmed my determination to continue my career in teaching. While the department was clouded with politics, my contacts with students, both graduates and undergraduates, were very satisfying. We had a party for my students at our home. They seemed to be just as happy as we were. (See pictures below.) In the Fall of 1970, Janice started to teach part-time at nearby Georgetown College. Pan-pan stayed at a home in our neighborhood. You can imagine that Janice was certainly a very busy lady, as we found out that she was pregnant with another child.
Janice’s sister Shari and her family visited us in late Fall of 1970, after they settled in their home in Vermont. They had a VW wagon, and they drove all the way to Lexington. If my memory is correct, that was the only time her whole family traveled together to visit us. So this is a very precious picture!
Quickly we found out the advantages of living in a suburban neighborhood. Not only did we get to know the neighbors, Pan-pan had instant friends. The next door couple, Lindsay and Joyce Able, had one son, Jeff. He was slightly older than Pan-pan and loved to play with her. He was the only boy around. Then there were several older girls who loved to come and get Pan-pan’s full attention. It was just great for our daughter.
In 1970, we attended a wedding of Gary and Sue. We rushed down to Johnson City and back. Gary was in our wedding in 1965. He came up to Boston from Johnson City, TN. He was one of the few friends I made when I came to the USA. He came home from Pharmacy School in Memphis for the summer months in 1964, while I was working at Great Lakes Research Company. I had quite a bit of free time and we spent quite a lot of time together in the evenings, watching drive-in movies and playing cards.
We bought our first house in 1970. It was a small 3-bedroom, one floor house with a one-car garage. It was the commitment of a mortgage for the first time in our lives that made us hesitate. The house was only $20,000, and the monthly payment was less than $200. But at the time we were not sure that we did the right thing. However, everyone was doing just that! The house was located in a nice new subdivision in Lexington, KY. In addition, we found out that our VW bug was just too small for our daily use, given our expanded family. So we traded it in for a large Ford station wagon. Another monthly commitment was made! Take a look below at our possessions.
