Summers in Perquimans County
Often we would have extended stays on my Grandmother’s farm. My mother and my aunts would help clean and maintain while us kids would help a little and play a lot. We always looked forward to the coveted invitation to my aunt Lois and uncle Henry’s home on a Saturday evening. We would clean up after a hot sweltering day on the farm and drive over to their house on the edge of the river. We would walk own the sloping back yard to the wooden dock. With the river lapping against the bulkhead, we would board their pontoon houseboat and head out on a river cruise. Out on the water, a welcome calmness would soon set in and the summer coolness would erase the toil of the day. Uncle Henry would steer us around the edges of the river dodging the cypress knees and stumps. Eventually we would pick out a quiet cove and anchor in. As the sun dipped lower, out would come the summer food – real southern fare. Fried chicken and homemade potato salad, cool moist tomato sandwiches (yes, on white bread), fruit, fresh from the garden vegetables and gallons of sweet tea. Stories of yesteryear would fill the air as would laughter and vocalized memories of time and people past. The sun would drop below the horizon and the dark would rise. Time to pull up the anchor and motor in. The end of a good night.
