ShareNot a day goes by without questions about the rockers that previously lined the Front Porch. When I explain that they were sold at auction most people act devastated. I let them know that the poor chairs were in such disrepair, especially after being hurled a few times a month across Main Street and back by hurricane-force winds. They only want to know how much they sold for at the auction. While they were the items that the Front Desk received the most calls about, and even though they were the items that garnered the most attention at the auction, selling for prices I could only shake my head at, I tell them that they were not antiques, and definitely not original to the building. They just can’t believe it. I understand the dismay that they are going through, I loved those rockers myself and have many fond memories of rockin’ the evening away with a bottle of Tempranillo and the laughter of good friends. Nostalgia is a tricky feeling, and any small change can upset the course of history. But history has always been happening here, and it will continue long after the teak club chairs need to be replaced too. A whole new generation of people will wander into this Lobby to share a glimpse of their past with a Front Desk Clerk of the future, recalling a gathering of family who pushed the seating together to watch the Rodeo Day Parade. Proposals will be accepted on the love seats, fists will be bumped over a joke while sharing a cigar on the South side of the porch, and many a friendship will be started in the new seating over a cup of coffee perched perfectly on the warm wood of an arm rest. I’d love to know what lined the Front Porch before the rockers and the stories that seating could tell, and I’ll treasure forever my old rocker moments. But for now, you’ll find me lounging in a teak club chair, with my feet up, waiting for what happens next. ~ Dorothy