November 20, 1982: My 36th Birthday
	September 4-11, 1982: A Week in Hawaii
	Return to the Index for 1982

On the second weekend in October, I flew down to Dallas to visit my friend Greg; I had helped him move from San Francisco to Dallas last year, when he realized that living in San Francisco had not only become way too expensive, but also was taking its toll on him because of all the travel we do; a central location like Dallas or Chicago is much easier for scheduling.

The only pictures I took on this weekend visit were taken on Sunday when Greg and I were invited over to the home of Rich Olson and Rob Wicher for brunch. Rich is Greg's doctor and Rob, Rich's partner, is a real estate agent. The picture at left was taken in Rich's kitchen. I don't remember the name of the guy at the left in the background, but Greg is the guy in the light red checked shirt and Rob Wicher is just behind him. Greg is talking to someone I just met- Terry Leff. Terry is a nice guy also; he and his partner, Bob, run a small construction firm that does tile and woodworking jobs. He doesn't do the work, but makes sure it is done right. Rich's kitchen has the best of the available appliances, and two dishwashers. They entertain a lot, I am told.

Greg and I had a neat trip last year when he moved; he rented a large trailer for his furniture, and I flew out to Los Angeles, and helped him drive to Dallas. This was the first time either of us had towed something with a car, and it took a bit of getting used to- especially in the windy southwest desert. Greg has purchased a large old house over in the Swiss Avenue neighborhood (once one of Dallas' most prestigious areas) and is renovating it.

Actually, I have been to Dallas two or three times now to visit Greg or on business, and I have started to make some friends there. One is Rick Stillwell, another IST instructor, and there are also Rich and Rob. Through Rich, Greg and I have met two other guys- George Pelletier and his partner Bret Hanson (who live about a half-mile from Rich and Rob). George is a lawyer and real estate investor.

We have also met George Yarborough (of all the folks I've mentioned so far, he's the only straight guy), who is Pelletier's law partner, and they have a small office near downtown. George had advised both Greg and myself to incorporate, so that we could make sizable contributions to a benefit plan, and we have done so. It was fairly expensive to do, and the corporation requires a lot of record-keeping, so I have been introduced to an accountant who does all of that. I suppose I could do it myself, but what with all the traveling, it is probably better that someone experienced keep after it.

Both Greg and I like Rich's house a lot; it is very spacious, all on one floor, and on a sizeable piece of property in a very nice area of Dallas called Preston Hollow. The house also has this very nice, tree-shaded area by the pool.

Actually, I have considered moving down to Dallas; each time I have visited Greg, the weather has been better than in Chicago. Housing is reasonable, and the DFW airport is easier to get to and use than O'Hare is. As usual, though, I don't jump into these decisions lightly, and have contented myself with visiting down there fairly often. On this particular trip, I decided to license my car in Texas and get a Texas driver's license. Both of these will reduce my insurance costs for the car, and I actually do spend a good deal of time here.

Actually, when I was listening in on some of Greg's conversations, I learned that Rich and Rob are considering building a new home for themselves over closer to where George Pelletier lives, and they would then be putting this house on the market. Greg was commenting that it was a nicer house than the one he was renovating, and that he might be interested in it.

Now I know that a lot of things that we say are just out of politeness, but I got the impression that Greg was serious, so while everyone was conversing, I got Rich's permission to wander around the house and take some pictures. I thought that if Greg actually was serious, the pictures might be useful in the future.

This view looks out to the patio and pool area from the kitchen. There are two entries out from the kitchen, so the whole area makes a great entertaining space. The low, rambling house only occupies one end of the property, the rest is just open land.

At the east end of the house, just outside the master bedroom, Rich has build a small deck and a hot tub. The wall and a number of trees and bushes shield it from view, and so Rich and Rob have a completely private area for themselves.

The den and living room both have windows that look out onto the pool area, which takes up only a small portion of the acreage.

The hot tub off the master bedroom.

The living room, looking out to the patio.

This is a portion of the master bedroom, with the hot tub beyond.

The piece of property on which the house sits is huge, with a large open area beyond the pool to the south. I think they would like to divide their property and sell this off, but there is apparently some sort of neighborhood covenant in this area that prevents them from doing so.

I enjoyed this weekend visit with Greg, except for the fact that as we were getting in his car at his house to go to the airport, I set my wallet on the roof as I was bending in to load something, got distracted, and didn't grab it again. I did not realize until I got to the airport that it was missing. Greg loaned me some money for my parking in Chicago so I could get home. I had to replace a couple of credit cards and begin the process of getting another driver's license. Fortunately, my class the next week did not begin until Wednesday, so I had time to get a temporary one. Oddly enough, when I got back to Chicago on Friday, there was a package for me downstairs. It was my wallet, minus only the cash. Someone had found it, probably quite near Greg's house, kept the cash and dropped the wallet in a mailbox. The post office returned it to me- postage due, of course.

You can use the links below to continue to another photo album page.

	November 20, 1982: My 36th Birthday
	September 4-11, 1982: A Week in Hawaii
	Return to the Index for 1982