So many things had passed that I found it difficult to keep up. Every now and again I would have a flash back, that would help me to remember how I came to my present place in life. Slowly the gaps filled. Strangely though, none of the memories were negative. There had to be some things that had happened in the last sixteen years that were not so great. I knew myself too well enough to know that I don't learn the easy way. Tribulation is what eventually makes a marriage strong or tears it apart, we were impenetrable even. All of the hard times had paid off, but where were they in my memory. I dismissed this at last, believing that eventually all of my memory would fill in and I would be whole again. There were so many private jokes between us, numerous games we played in our affection. There were understandings and so many things that didn't need to be spoken, just because we knew one another that well.
I spent the greater part of Monday morning exploring our yard, all five acres of it. Much of the area was wooded and I discovered that there were eight other buildings on the lot. Among the eight were five well kept cabins, a stable, a chapel, and an other garage. There were cobbled roads and trails everywhere through out the estate, with a nine foot cast iron fence about the perimeter. The main gate where we had entered the night before had two great stone pillars on either side of the drive, and a large metal “M” for MacGregor in the middle. There was an intercom for visitors and a key pad for us on the other side for opening the gates upon arrival. Once on the other side of the gate you had the choice of heading straight to the main house or you could go either right or left. Turning to the left would bring you past three cabins, evenly spaced apart, with parking and foot paths between them. Each cabin was different, but all were of about the same size. Turning to the right would take you to two more cabins, then a small stable with a shed on the back. Between the cabins on the right and those on the left was a wooded space about as big as two football fields, with a couple of foot paths dividing each of them and a driving path between the two sections. Everything looked well planned and neatly kept. The three roads all came together on a lane before the main house, and a ten port parking area was at the back of the main carport. Two octagons, one just the inside of the main gate and the other directly before the main house were connected by the center drive.
Beyond the extra parking area was a hill with a small chapel at the summit. The back yard of the main house was a flat grassy yard, wide and long. From the top of the hill I could see the whole yard, a lot of trees, and my house. On the back of the house was a sizable deck with an above ground pool at one end. The pool was set exactly outside our kitchen window. Also on the deck was a large table with comfortable looking chairs and an umbrella. A red stone path from the bottom of the stair down from the deck, ended at a twenty by twenty foot pavilion. The floor of the pavilion was of the same red stone as the path from the deck. The structure was of sturdy metal with an attractive olive colored cloth covering the top and sides. The wall cloth could be pulled back and tied like curtains, or pulled together by hidden zippers to completely enclose the square. In the middle of the pavilion was a footed fire pit, with table edges around it. There were also tables and chairs, a small wet bar in one corner, and a couple of chase lounges. It was not crowded, but comfortable and relaxing.
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