American Dream

Thirty-seven years ago, a young college graduate along with two other friends hit the shores of our country from Great Britain. They bought a horrible Ford Pinto and drove west to begin their new lives. They already had jobs lined up: One in Oklahoma City as an architect, one in LA as an engineer, one in SF also an architect.

We knew all three:
While traveling, we have stayed with Anthony in Oklahoma City. It was fun to listen to him speak with a British accented punctuated by a southern twang. He owns a huge, very successful design firm there.

Space Mirror Memorial

We are invited to an annual Christmas Party in a beautiful mansion along Golden Gate Park with the family of the SF architect. Paul died of colon cancer 10 years ago and Michael makes sure the magnificent cars he left behind are in good shape for his wife and children. He owned an extremely successful firm in the city and was awarded the job of designing the Space Mirror Memorial to the Challenger's crew.

Then there is Don. We met Don and the other two when he and his family moved into our area. His daughter and William are the same age. After his divorce, he moved into a very hip loft in the city but our relationship with him grew even deeper. He is now one of our best friends and he even became a citizen a few years ago. He still has his lovely British accent and when people ask him where he is from, he always replies, "Arkansas."

Today is the anniversary of the first day they landed in the United States. Tonight, we have 9:30 reservations at Roy's Restaurant to celebrate this event along with the owners of our favorite restaurant, Chez Papa.

In effect, he and the others are the quintessential American dream. They came. They worked hard. They became successful.