There's No Place Like Home, There's No Place Like Home...

The motto all Army spouses live by!

There is no place like home.  We've been so privileged to make Kansas, Fort Riley, and Quarters One our home and be a small part of the history of the First Infantry Division. As we embark on our 17th move in 30 years I can't help but think of how grateful I am for our many, many blessings.

 I chose to add sunflowers to the traditional red rose bouquet given to the outgoing commander's spouse.

Kansas is truly the heart of America. I’ve never met people quite like those in Junction City, Manhattan and the surrounding towns. These are communities that love their military families and Soldiers.  If others in our nation have let their interest in the military and the war in Afghanistan wane, that is definitely NOT  the case in the Flint Hills. Pride and patriotism are alive and very well in the Sunflower state.

Sweet farewell notes saved in a hat box, thank you! 

My tenure at Fort Riley was made all the more wonderful because of the senior spouses known as the Victory Group.  Beth, Polly, Sherri, Frances, Sandy, Andrea, Sue, and Donna. Your capacity for giving to the community, and to each other, is boundless.  Together you have over 230 years of Army experience and I have been the grateful recipient of your wisdom and knowledge…thank you for being my friends!

One of our many adventures!

Frances, my battle buddy, we’ve literally traversed the country together. We have cursed, cried, and laughed a lot. And then laughed a whole lot more. You are always up for an adventure and I’m glad to have tagged along.

You are true and loyal and there are no words to tell you what you mean to me, my friend. 

Division Change of Command May 22, 2013

 The grand old house known affectionately as Quarters One is empty, the keys no longer in our possession. The farewells have been said and the flags have been passed. We are already on our way to a new adventure in this Army life. I am definitely going to miss Kansas and all of the dear friends I've made.  
But the sun rose over Fort Riley this morning, business as usual.  Life went on without missing a beat despite our absence...
just the way it is supposed to.
When I think of our time at Fort Riley and Quarters One, I am reminded of Charles Dickens who wrote "It was the best of times, it was the...."  oh wait, who am I kidding?
It was just the best of times.
Thanks for sharing this adventure with me, 'Til we meet again...
Duty First!

1 Barry Avenue

Danger 6 (Whiskey)
Out

  

With Gratitude

A good day....the bed is made!

Wait...how did more than two months go by since I wrote on this blog?! Like so many other "things on my to do list"  this year it was put off for another day.  After many deployments I consider myself somewhat of an expert on goal setting and time management. For some reason, this deployment was different. (Having a child deployed, along with my husband, definitely doubled my anxiety.)  All the goals I set for myself like getting in better shape, brushing up on my Italian, and learning to play the guitar just completely slipped away from me.  (Maybe the guitar was a stretch anyway? )
There were too many days I was proud of myself for making the bed...ok...too many days I was proud of myself for getting out of the bed!

 The deal is, when the division commander deploys there's not an SOP (translation... standard operating procedure) for his or her spouse. In fact, there's not an SOP at all, ever.  No one lays it out and tells you what is expected of you. It's overwhelming. I have no official roll when he is gone (and only an unofficial role when he's here) and whatever role I wanted to play I had to create.  So, after I made the decision to get out of bed every morning, I decided I would just be myself.  That wasn't good enough for some people, and I make no apologies to them, but it worked for me.  I find that if you consistently play yourself you never forget your lines or miss your cues.

Every division commander's spouse feels differently about his or her place in their community. I see my role more like a cheerleader and guidance counselor than the class president. My place is on the sidelines and I let those who are much younger, and have much more energy, lead and make the tough decisions. I've been there and done that so now I choose to play a supporting part and I extend my gratitude to all. And my gratitude is sincere and heartfelt. I truly appreciate everything that is done in this community to make Fort Riley a better place to live...and wait. 

 I love to entertain and share Quarters One with as many people as possible. Any chance I get to open our home to say hello, farewell, or just thank you, I will take.  Hopefully, I have succeeded in making people feel welcome and appreciated. Even as I write this, I realize that there are so many spouses I didn't have a chance to connect with this year. I can only hope that everyone who did visit Quarters One left with a happy heart. 
I suppose if I re-evaluate and make my deployment goal a simpler one (hindsight is 20/20, after all) then it would have been to show my gratitude to everyone possible, whenever possible, and as many times as possible.
In that case, hopefully, I accomplished something after all.

If you want to know more about Quarters One you can follow us at www.Facebook.com/Quartersone.

'Til next time 

Duty First!

Quarters One Christmas Tour of Homes 2012

A Christmas welcome from the Big Red One!

Deck the halls with boughs and boughs of birch and cypress branches! Coming on the heels of a wonderful RandR, and Thanksgiving with all of my children, I was hard pressed to be motivated to decorate for Christmas. I really just wanted to make like Rip Van Winkle and sleep away the rest of the deployment. But...instead of wrapping myself in Christmas lights and drinking vodka while crying to Christmas tunes... I enlisted the help of my friend, Rob and VOILA!  A Christmas decorating miracle! It's amazing what can be done with  birch branches and fresh greenery.  Imagination, along with zip ties, wire, and ribbon held it all together. We used everything fresh outside and fabulous faux greenery inside.  

This sweet reindeer was just passing through but he was a great touch to  our decor!

 The outdoor light fixture was stunning!

Another view of the porch light.

This was really my excuse for not wanting to vacuum on this side...

Everything on the porch got touch of fresh greenery.

 Naughty or Nice, I'm still trying to decide...

Our theme this year was Woodsy Glam.
lots of natural elements mixed in with silver, velvet, and crystal.

 I love to decorate with these old snow shoes.

We had the same Christmas decor on our stairs for the past 7 years, it was time to change it up and we did! The birdhouse added a touch of whimsy and accentuated our outdoor theme.

One of the five fireplaces in Q1...this tile came from Italy and symbolizes our much loved 173d Airborne Brigade.

This fireplace is reserved for Santa!

A little angel reading a "book" we added a few pages of our own to make it a Christmas story.

Italian stockings made by my friend, Aly. The painting is a Rembrandt reproduction found at a market in Italy, he reminds me a little of St. Nick!

A snapshot of our collection of snowmen and Santas from all around the world.

'Tis the season to be Joyful! We decorated both sets of dining room chairs.

 Found these great reindeer candle holders at Tuesday Morning one year.

We staged the dining room table to look like a New Year's Eve buffet!

The dining room sideboard.

An ornament given to me by a German friend.

My very favorite room! An antique corbel makes a great centerpiece and the oyster shells are votive holders.

Over sized sugar bowls serve as mini soup tureens.

We've used the "Duty First" ribbon a lot! It came from StationaryStudio.com.

 More corbels (I love them!) act as bookends for our favorite Christmas books.

This is the island in the kitchen and it is where we always eat when it's just the two of us. The Big Red One glasses belong to Quarters One.

We moved this desk into the kitchen from the living room, it really "cozied" up the big space!

We had over 200 visitors on the Tour of Homes, our Historical Society did a magnificent job!

There goes Leigh, our HASFR president and the head docent for the day at Quarters One. I loved the period costume she wore, it added a great touch to the event. For more Christmas pictures of Quarters One visit us at www.facebook.com/Quartersone!

'Til next time....Merry Christmas!

Duty First!

A Ghost Story



Quarters One shortly after construction in the late 1880s

Every evening she wanders through the large and lonely rooms of Quarters One, softly crying in the dark, waiting an eternity for her true love to return from the war...
Eek! Brakes... record scratch, wait a minute...that would be me, wrong story...sorry!
Now, let me start again...
You can not live in 123 year old quarters on an old Army post in the mid-west without there being many tales of ghosts. I've heard first hand accounts from my neighbors who have had some very unnerving experiences in their own quarters. Windows and drawers opening mysteriously, beds shaking, and angry banging of doors and stomping of feet. I hope, as I write this, that these ghosts don't have migratory patterns! I'm not sure about my own beliefs in ghosts. I do believe, however, that if an idea seeps into your sub-conscious it can manifest itself in some very strange ways.
I'll share some stories with you...
 When we first moved in, our dog Camy, would jump up in the middle of the night, (I was never sure what she heard as she was nearly deaf) run down the hall, down the stairs, and then race around the dining room table. After several nights of this exhausting behavior I asked out loud, to no one in particular, that this stop and it did.  As I mentioned in my previous blog, the night I brought Camy's ashes home I heard the pitter patter of her paws down our hall and it was so startling I jumped out of my chair to investigate.  
One afternoon, when my daughter was home alone, she heard someone calling Bill's name. We all thought it was her imagination until a few days later when I heard the same thing! It turned out to be a lady on tv calling for "help" not "Bill". At least that's the story I'm sticking to. Once during a dinner party our dining room chandelier faded on and off each time I denied the presence of ghosts in the house. We discovered there was an electrical issue, but, I'm still not sure how the timing was so exact?
 
I've never seen the "night watchman" who is supposed to guard the grounds between Quarters One and Two. The detached garage was built in the 1940's so I'm not sure if that has interfered with his path or it just blocks my view of him. Once or twice I have seen a shadowy figure on the front porch, could this be the watchman in search of a better spot to keep watch? 

The detached garage at Quarters One was built in the 1940s

One of the previous occupants reported that pictures had mysteriously been switched from one location to another. When we first moved into Quarters One, I was told by an interior decorator  that I had "excellent picture placement" and the next day my neighbor had 4 pictures randomly taken off her wall and placed on the floor. So, maybe ghosts do roam once their purpose is served?!

   Almost everyone who has slept in the guest bedroom at the top of the stairs has reported hearing footsteps coming up the stairs or from the rooms above. Although, I haven't heard them personally, I have noticed on some occasions that the bedspread on this bed sometimes looks as if someone has been sitting on it when I am the only one home.

This is a beautiful staircase but there is another back staircase used by servants in the early days of Q1.  Our pup refused to go up and down the back staircase and I never use them either.

Several other residents of Quarters One have reported seeing a man sitting on this bench that looks out towards Forsythe Ave. and the Cavalry Parade field. Maybe he chooses to pause here before he makes his way up the stairs at night?

Great spot for reflecting on a beautiful Kansas evening

Music and rustling skirts has been reported coming from the third floor "ballroom" of Quarters One, but contrary to popular belief, there was never a ballroom on this floor of the house so I don't think these reports are accurate. This floor was designed as servants quarters in 1888 and serves as bedrooms for us today.

We made the common area on the third floor into another bedroom.

As imposing as Quarters One seems, it is truly a lovely home. It is full of 123 years of love and happy memories.  While occasionally the sheer size of the house makes me feel like I should look over my shoulder, most of the time I am not afraid when I'm in Quarters One alone. I feel blessed to be a small part of it's rich history. 
If you are in the Fort Riley area be sure to check out the Ghost Tours on October 28, 2012 from 4-7 sponsored by the Historical and Archaeological Society of Fort Riley. 
And remember, you shouldn't believe everything you hear...
or should you?
For more about Quarters One follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/quartersone. 
'Til next time...Duty First! 

UPDATE: While looking back over this post, I wanted to add that shortly after my husband re-deployed we BOTH began hearing footsteps coming down the hall on the second floor…can't explain it but we did hear them!

Brown Dog

Camy

She came tumbling out of a box of six small puppies on the front lawn of Campground Methodist Church in Fayetteville, NC. Some blond, some black, and one feisty brown and red.  She couldn't have been more than 4 pounds of fluff. Her owner said she was almost 6 weeks old, a mix between and long-haired Dachshund and a Pomeranian. They named her "Juliette" but we called her Camy. An acronym of sorts for my children Chas, Andrew, Margie. (The 'y' came later since all names seem cuter with a 'y' at the end.) For some reason, Bill always called her "Brown Dog".

We brought  Camy home and she quickly won us all over...except maybe our black lab, Tinley, who was not quite sure what to make of this ball of energy. Camy ruled the roost. I think she firmly believed she was also a black lab and acted accordingly. Chasing much larger neighborhood dogs and other creatures, she was fearless. She was also full of joy. She loved the woods, the ocean (she was a great swimmer) and kept up with her much larger companion with out a misstep.  She always seemed thoroughly  mortified if anyone picked her up. She would get this look on her sweet face that said "You know I'm a black lab, right?"  We even started to tell everyone that's what she was!

She loved to swim

Always looking for the next adventure

She was a great traveler, as all Army Brats are.  We moved with Camy and Tinley to Newport, RI then to Vicenza, Italy and next to Stuttgart, Germany.  We lost Tinley in Germany. She went down quickly which I guess was a blessing. We mourned for her...all of us, including Camy, who seemed to looked for her everywhere.  

When we moved back to NC Camy was 10 years old. Her little face starting to gray but mind and body still behaving like a puppy. She would run for golf balls, leap after squirrels, bark at the doorbell, and welcome anyone into the house with unconditional love. 

The children went to college, Bill deployed, and she was my constant companion. She would jump happily into my Mini Cooper and we would take off to visit friends and family.

In February of 2012 she turned 14 and I could tell her hearing wasn't as sharp but her spirit was going strong. Bill  deployed again and I was grateful to have this pup here at Quarters One.  She was a small dog but she had enough energy to fill up  9,000 square feet of old house.

Ever watchful on the porch at Quarters One

For Camy, the end came quickly, too. Our veterinarian, Dr. Casey Thomas, was caring and kind.  To be alone and have to make the decision to let my old girl go was the hardest, and saddest, decision of my life. The final day of summer I said good-bye.

 I miss her boundless joy and her happiness for just being alive. I miss her companionship and devotion. I spent more time with Camy in the past 14 years than I have with my husband. I literally walk around  Quarters One crying shoulder shaking sobs. My heart is broken and my soul is bruised. Her bed sits empty, I can't bear to move it since it still has the imprint of her little body the last time she lay there. Her ashes are tucked safely in a small box and someday, when we go home, we'll free them unto the places she loved the most.
I  swear the night I brought them home I heard the tip tapping of her little paws on our hardwood floors, ever so briefly, just to say goodbye before she ran off after a new adventure.

My sweet friend, I will always miss you I feel blessed to have loved and been loved by you

Thank you to my amazing group of neighbors, friends and family who understand what it means to lose a pet who is so dear to your heart...I sincerely thank you for your support.
'Til Next Time...Duty First