Retro Renovation readers’ Charlotte road trip

I have a fancy picture of this group — Retro Renovation readers who got together between my talks at the Southern Spring Home & Garden Show in Charlotte last Friday. But I like this photo better. Because you all know how we feel kind of … *unique*? Like no one quite understands our excess of enthusiasm for renovating our mid-century modern and modest homes? Well, the tribe came together for real, here. That’s us all sitting around talking about cabinets and kitchens and landscaping and trials and tribulations. Oh my, we could have gone on forever.

Here’s the official portrait of the in-between-talks-meet-up. From the left, that’s: Jane (yes: Scathing Jane from the Forum, she and Michael came all the way from Atlanta!), Michael, Linda and Hugh. (Missing from photo #1 is Audrey, Linda’s friend.) They are in front of Ted Cleary’s mini-Eichler house, built on site at the show to show off his fabulous garden design. (Yes, yes, a post WILL come with mid-century garden design ideas.) Don’t we retro renovators clean up nice? You all are such a handsome group. Who would guess you are retro-maniacs… errr, that is, I mean, leaders in a new and growing national movement to save and preserve our nation’s post-war housing, the first true American Dream Homes that actually maybe have a lot still to teach us today?

There were even more readers at the various talks. Here’s Lauren — she brought me this treasure, nabbed, as I recall her story, from a flea market where a guy had a bunch of mint-in-box Hall-Mack. This is an advertising display, and Lauren said she thought of me and grabbed it, too. It’s still in my luggage. I need to get it out, photograph it for a larger post, then hide it from Mr. Retro Renovation. He will not be amused by yet another museum piece bigger-than-a-breadbox entering the house. Lauren, you rock! Send me photos of your place!

Elaine was at both my 12:30 and 3:30 talks on Friday and would have stayed for 6:30, too, but I forewarned her it was kind of similar. She is a romance novelist! Retro Renovators are such interesting people! Gosh, I am using lots of exclamation points. Readers who drive long distances to hear me opine get exclamation points.

That’s Edwin. He is from Charlotte and said that he saw the video that I posted from the Charlotte Today TV interview and ran down to the show. Edwin, I didn’t get your house story. What’s your house story? Hey, I didn’t get Elaine’s story either. My head was spinning. I need to know!

Here’s me and Hugh (who also is featured in the first two photos). We actually met on Wednesday, when I came down to hear Suzy Coehlo, then Ted Cleary speak. He lives about 75 miles away and has sent me some photos of his house — a real beauty — to post in the future.

Taylor gets on the blog again, because she made and wore a Save The Pink Bathrooms tee shirt!

And my #1 reader: My mom, Fran, who came down from Kentucky to hang out with me in Charlotte. She also saved my behind and the big finale ending of the Save The Pink Bathrooms talk by diving for my last page of notes, which I’d left in my travel case, and running them up to me talk-in-progress. After five talks in two days, you can bet that, as promised, we headed straight for Margaritaville on Friday night. That, and some good ole North Carolina barbeque.

Did I say – margarita? Life is good.