A few evenings back Bill and I had the pleasure of hosting our new neighbors now living at 333, Molly and Dale Castle. Over a glass of wine and some crumbly cheese we were privileged to learn about the couple, their children, animals, and plans for their new forever home.
Dogs? Why Yes They Do.
Of course we need to cover the most important subject first: pets.
Dale and Molly have two dogs. The senior, Kiowa (pronounced key-oh-wah rather than ki-oh-wah) is an eleven-year-old greyhound the couple rescued when she was two. Dale says she is slowing down a bit now that she’s older, although she can still put up a fight when she decides she will NOT go on a walk.
The junior dog is a one-year-old pure Corgi named Kinai (pronounced ke-ni) whom they adopted when he was just a baby.
Perhaps you are scratching your head now and thinking, “But…I heard they had four dogs.”
Well they do, and then again they don’t. As you have also probably heard, their two adult children, 26-year-old Clara and 22-year-old Nicholas, also live in the house. Clara has the other two dogs.
And a chinchilla.
Clara’s first dog is a four-year-old Blue Heeler named Cleo. Corgis are herding dogs, but Blue Heelers are herding dogs. With smarts. Here’s what the AKC website has to say.
The compact but muscular Australian Cattle Dog, also called Blue Heeler or Queensland Heeler, is related to Australia’s famous wild dog, the Dingo. These resilient herders are intelligent enough to routinely outsmart their owners.
Outsmart their owners? Hmmmm. If you’re walking on campus and see a blue heeler who has slipped her leash and is now sitting in the sunken garden helping undergrads with Calc 1 homework, you know whom to call.
Clara’s second dog Scout is a six-year-old Corgi-Blue Heeler mix. Molly assures me she is not the result of an ill-fated romance between Kinai and Cleo. In my defense I didn’t know it would have required time-travel when I asked the question.
And then there’s Snow, the chinchilla.
“How did Clara come by a chinchilla?” You may ask. Apparently by scamming her poor mother.
As Molly tells it, the chinchilla used to be a classroom pet while Clara was in school. The poor creature was being harassed by some of the children, so had to be given away. Clara volunteered to give the animal to ‘a friend of hers,’ and Molly agreed to act as the middle-woman in the exchange. Only after the chinchilla was dropped off did Molly learn that Clara’s ‘friend’ was Clara herself.
Gotcha!
Tell Us About Your Early Years.
Dale lived in Lockport NY and moved here early enough to attend High School at Walsingham Academy, where he met Molly. They weren’t High School sweethearts, but they did know each other. As Molly tells it, “Dale and I met in our History class when we both forgot to put our names on our tests.” A charming plot device worthy of a Hallmark Christmas movie.
Molly lived in Yorktown and went to Walsingham for elementary school. She was an army brat, and when duty called, the family moved to Germany, spending several years in Heidelberg before returning for her Junior year, again at Walsingham. Just in time for that fated history test.
Fate took a hand again, because Dale decided to take a gap year before attending UNC. He lived with his family on Goodwin St. while Molly attended W&M. Had he not taken that year, or had Molly not decided to stay in Williamsburg and attend W&M, the two might never have started dating. But date they did, and remained together even after Dale went off to Chapel Hill.
He proposed to Molly in the Goodwin house, and they were married in Yorktown after she graduated.
If you think that is a sweet story, Dale has another that’s better.
You see, Molly works in finance and spent years as an auditor before moving into IT. She kept an eye on the family finances, so it was difficult for Dale to surprise her with gifts because Molly would see the charge or the withdrawal and connect the dots.
But Dale had a cunning plan. He would give her that surprise gift after all!
Just as banks don’t report international transfers under $10,000, Dale figured Molly wouldn’t question cash withdrawals of $40 or less. “I would spend that much going to lunch in Charlottesville,” he said. So little by little, one fake lunch at a time, he paid off the gift, much to the amusement of the store proprietor.
And Molly never suspected.
Where Did You Move From?
This question has a complicated answer. it’s arguable the family moved from Charlottesville in 2019 where Molly and Dale worked for UVA. Molly as an internal auditor and Dale in IT. 2019? Aren’t they new neighbors? We’ll get to that.
Fun unrelated fact: When I went looking for more information on Molly and Dale’s time at UVA, I discovered a famous Dale Castle in Wales. I assume the two are not related.
It is also arguable the family moved from just down the road near the outlet mall. Again, more on this later.
And finally, it is arguable that Dale and Molly didn’t move from anywhere. They both worked for W&M, Molly in Student Financial Services and Dale in IT. Then they migrated temporarily to Charlottesville where Molly was an internal auditor and Dale a System Admin.
And now they’ve returned from their visit to UVA. Molly currently works for the State Corporation Commission. Thankfully, she doesn’t have to drive into Richmond every day. Dale works as a System Admin for NASA, and plans to specialize in forensics.
You tell me. Did they actually move here, or did they simply return after an extended visit to Charlottesville?
Why Return Now?
Dale’s parents live here in Williamsburg and Molly’s parents are in Newport News. Now that all four parents are getting older, and both children are self-sufficient adults, Molly and Dale decided it was time to come home.
Why Burns Lane?
Actually, Burns Lane wasn’t their first choice. Dale and Molly may get the award for the shortest distance moved. The couple had actually purchased a modern open concept house near the outlets when they returned from Charlottesville. It had working heat. It had working plumbing. Its electrics were up to code. It probably had reasonably-maintained landscaping. The kitchen was functional, and I bet the refrigerator worked just fine. (More on these points later.)
What it didn’t have was space and privacy. When Clara returned from Mississippi, the open concept modern house simply wouldn’t do. The family had to move.
Dale’s parents had lived on Goodwin, so the couple was familiar with the neighborhood. And 333 ticked off many of the boxes, with enough space for each child to have their own private suite of rooms, and a large yard for the four dogs. And of course, the location couldn’t be beat.
Plus, Molly and Dale have the third floor all to themselves.
Do You Have Plans For The House?
The couple has both short-term and long-term plans for 333. Or perhaps a better list would be, ’emergency repairs,’ some renovation, and a lot of titivating.
Emergency repairs? When they moved in, the house had no heat, the plumbing often clogged, the electrical system was not properly grounded, and the refrigerator was broken. As Dale put it, “I knew we had to do some work, I just didn’t realize it would have to be right away.” It was clear the home had been a neglected long-time rental with minimal maintenance and no loving care.
That last is true not just inside the house, but outside as well. The garden is an overgrown mess and needs professional intervention. Luckily the Castles have pictures from when the gardens were tended. Molly has plans to make them flourish once more.
Dale and Molly agreed the only serious renovation the home needs sooner rather than later is the kitchen, which Molly says is awkwardly placed and poorly planned. They also need to replace the rotting windows.
The rest of the house requires some sprucing, some refinishing, and perhaps just a bit of updating. For the foreseeable future, home improvement will be replacing salsa dancing as the couple’s primary hobby.
Do You Have Plans To Retire Soon?
Molly said she will probably work for another 15 years or so.
As for Dale, he said NASA actually allows people to work there into their 80s, so as long as he’s enjoying his job, he sees no reason to leave.
Final Thoughts?
“Thank you for the warm welcome.” And, “Thank you in advance for your patience with our dogs.”
Chris Gareis
Cyndy Huddleston