I knocked on the door and didn't know what to expect. I had to knock a 2nd time after no answer. A modern homeowner greeting of "Hello" followed but you can feel and sense the annoyance of "why is a stranger at my door?" in his mind.

See the Uber dropped me off a few doors up earlier that day for my stay with a group of friends from Louisville at the house they booked in Saratoga. I knew it was close but it was 2019 the last time I was near this spot. After a few times in and out of our rented house on Wednesday, I went the opposite direction of all the prior entrances and exits. I was headed to the "Market" as they called it. Two houses up from the one we were in, I saw it across the street. 36 Franklin. A little yellow house. They said it was the oldest house in Saratoga.

Uncle Bill had invited me in 2019 to stay Labor Day weekend with him at the house JB rented. I did as I've said before.

After I walked up to the expensive little grocery store to buy a few items, I walked back and made up my mind to knock.

"Hello."
"Hello. Are you the owner here?"
"Yes."
"I was friends with Bill Spillane and he stayed here when it was rented for several years. Do you recall him?"
"Yes."
"I didn't know if you knew but he passed away."
"Oh wow. No, I didn't know. I loved that guy. We got along so well. He was welcome to come and stay Anytime he pleased. He knew that. How long ago?"
"Just a few weeks."
"Man, I'm sorry, I liked him so much."
. . . . Series of memories about Bill are discussed and some details. A Transition in convo leading to . . .

"Is this really the oldest house in Saratoga?"
"Yes, but someone has a legitimate dispute across town but Yeah, it's oldest." (A wry smile ensues from the Owner proud of it).
"That's cool. I stayed here with Bill for a weekend."
"Oh wow. I just can't say enough about how much I liked him."
. . . Leading to . . .
"Thanks so much for stopping by, I really appreciate it and I'm really sorry."
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(I'll post the rest which is finished when I figure out why the site won't allow normal English prose to be posted even if just one paragraph in separate posts. Frustrating as this has been an issue for a while since the board features have been limited. I might need some assistance again but will have to be later this week.)