As explained, Wisconsin was a bust. While we reevaluated in Indiana, Elsa submitted several applications again and was accepted at a smaller hospital in Lumberton, North Carolina. It was halfway home, and we rented an apartment through a realtor. That involved activating water and power with the municipality, getting internet service and everything else related to property rentals. Another lesson learned as it took forever to get our deposit back from the city. The town’s main claim to fame is that it is situated about halfway between Florida and New York, boasting 4 off-ramps on I-95 for hotels in a town with 19,000 inhabitants. It is infamous for flooding the whole town in extreme weather when the Lumberton River overflows its banks.
In general, Lumberton is a typical southern town steeped in slavery and civil war history. It was also a shipping point for lumber used by the navy to get logs floating to Georgetown, South Carolina. Elsa enjoyed the hospital, and I landed a part-time job at a wholesale outlet as a shelf stocker. Our doggie, Zaillee, was deteriorating fast from old age and we knew a goodbye was soon.
We did experience cotton fields and seasonal changes for the first time, learned about a reservoir rather than a lake and had southern food in abundance (fried everything) and Mexican (hot everything). One highlight was Pier 41, a seafood restaurant where owner Steve embraced us, and I joined his weekly bible study. The three months there took us to the end of 2019 with a few days at home before the next adventure.
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