My daughter Bailee started a blog in college a few years ago and her thoughtful musings inspired me to start one for a number of reasons. Hopefully, some will find our effort of value and maybe it will help me gain some focus in this busy world we live in.
Usually when someone says “to make a long story short” the story goes on and on. I’ll try to do better. Here is the who, what , when, where, and why.
WHO?
Ric Bowman and Susie Bowman, born a while back, grew up in Colonial Acres, Overton High School, Memphis State, and Memphis College of Art. Susie worked part time, did volunteer work, sold real estate, and raised 2 children, Kendall and Bailey, now 29 and 22 years old. Ric worked in the newspaper business until going full time into real estate. He opened BenchMark Realtors and BenchMark Mortgage in 1999. Raised 2 kids, Bailee and Tyler, now 25 and 21 years old. Yes, that’s correct we both have kids named Bailey(e)!
In 2009 we got married, blended our families, bought a house, and purchased a Weichert Realtors franchise. In 2010, just before our first wedding anniversary, we were in a boating accident which left Susie in a wheelchair. Incredible how a split second can change a life. This event lead us in many directions. This blog is one of them.
WHAT?
Hopefully, our blog will be a literary vehicle to share information about the real estate profession, our travels, our country, and info that other real estate professionals want to share. We are a part of 450 Weichert offices nationwide (hence the corporate yellow) and have learned a great deal from other broker/owners in the network. We want to further connect with Weichert offices and share what we continue to learn for the benefit of our agents and clients. A mobile conduit if you will.
WHEN?
It starts now and will continue as long as we feel it could be a benefit. We have had a travel vehicle on order that is part RV, part tailgate vehicle, part limo, and part accessible van. I think Susie will pack it with survival supplies so I suppose it could be our bug out vehicle should that become necessary! Check out midwestautomotivedesigns.com. They build some incredible vehicles and were the only company willing to take on our special build.
WHERE?
September 25th, we are heading to Destin, FL for a stay at the beach with all the kids (we hope). On from there, we will head to the Weichert National Convention in Orlando Florida. After that, we plan to take trips to Weichert offices across the country as we have time and money to take off work. We will start in Tennessee, Alabama, and Florida.
WHY?
5 years post accident with airline travel and conventional cars not practical for long travel distances, it is time to get out of town! Time to see new places and meet new people. We also see this as an opportunity to contribute to our profession. Sure we could have volunteered or run for positions on our local board, but we thought we would try something different. Sometimes I tend to overdo things. We’ll see how this effort turns out!
I learned a long time that the hardest part of doing something new is taking the first step. Then you have made a commitment and things snowball. I guess we just made a commitment.
I assume this is the evidence or our failing economy over the last decades. Even so, there was evidence of renovation and reinvestment in the areas. Hopefully, those markets will see continued recovery like our own but it looks like it will be much slower.
The following youtube video seems to fit especially this close to a presidential election!
Mississippi river rushing below. And then they lit the new bridge. What a sight. I still enjoy the feeling of coming back from any trip west of Memphis, driving across that bridge, seeing the Memphis skyline, and knowing I’ll be back home soon.
downtown Memphis. A grand place then and now. Roof top parties, the march of the Peabody ducks, Chez Phillip restaurant and 2 story suites. Then the Pyramid arena was built, Peabody place, AutoZone Park. The FedEx Forum eventually replaces the pyramid for basketball and concerts leaving it useless. It was purchased last year and turned into one of the largest Bass Pro shops with indoor lake and an observation deck offering an entirely new view of the bridge.
High end homes with river views, the monorail from downtown to the amphitheater for outdoor concerts, and the river walk. a duplicate of the river done on a small scale in the sidewalk that the kids can follow all the way to the swimming pool made to look like the gulf of Mexico.
Miss Polly’s Chicken and Waffles, Rum Boogie Café, and Doe’s Eat Place. 
The “Mid America Mall” added cobblestones and a trolley to main street many years ago and now serves as a path to restaurants, Beale Street, condos, and South Main art galleries, and the Loraine Motel and Civil Rights Museum.
On the personal side, 2015 brought Susie’s daughter, Kendall, her husband, Mark, and grandson, Coleman from Nashville back to Memphis, her son Bailey is moving up in the restaurant biz, my daughter Bailee landed a big job in Atlanta, and my son Tyler and Kendall got their real estate licenses.
and Kyle Beard. Tyler had a listing that sold while we were gone and Kyle is close to taking his test. These young guys got a lot of attention at the convention. Tyler spoke to Jim Weichert twice! What a trip they had! A beach house, 4 days at a golf resort in Panama city, Weichert convention and the Alabama Arkansas game in Tuscaloosa on the way back to Memphis. No flats, no running out of gas, or lost keys…which if you know these guys that is a successful trip!
We visited with Brokers and owners from Connecticut, Michigan, Nashville, Knoxville, Huntsville, Miami, and Houston, just to name a few. It is always great to exchange ideas with others that reinforce Weichert’s ongoing efforts to support our owners, agents, and clients.
On the Yellow Brick Road 