10. Moving

After returning from their cruise the Bristols had to decide what they would do next. When Byron was offered a job in New Hampshire with the Belmar Electric Corporation, a company that made electric light sockets, he decided to take the opportunity. Though they had all fallen in love with Florida, Byron had no job prospects there, and Belmar needed someone with just his expertise. 

This meant uprooting the family and again moving to another state. New Hampshire was an interesting place, though. The Bristols joined the Lake Winnipesaukee Yacht Club and they spent their summer weekends on the lake with good friends and beautiful boats, enjoying picnics on a small island nearby. But after a few years Byron had a falling out with his employer and was once again out of a job.

The Bristol family hadn't forgotten about Florida; the warm weather of the South beckoned while the New Hampshire winters howled about them. So the family packed into a 36' trailer home, Byron hitched it up to his 1945 Ford sedan, and the Bristols began their move from New Hampshire all the way to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The load weighed so heavily upon the small vehicle that Byron couldn't even take his eyes off the road to glance at his wristwatch for fear of driving into a ditch. Esther must have braced herself for the worst more than once during the several hair-raising episodes of that over-eventful trip. One time Byron was picking up speed as he drove down the road and suddenly realized that he hadn't connected the brakes of the trailer home! Thankfully, he was able to coast to a stop before any serious damage was done. Soon they arrived safely at the trailer park, their fuel pump giving out just as they pulled in!

Byron set off on a new adventure when he purchased the Marlin Fiberglass Boat Company. The Bristols worked at that for a while but a recession hit, and they sold it at a loss. Then Byron began the Bristol Custom Fiberglass Company where he designed, produced, and sold custom fiberglass catamarans. However, due to a number of factors, he ended up selling this too. What followed their move to Florida was ten years of business failure. They were living off of Esther's generous inheritance from her uncle and so kept afloat, but it was a depressing time for the Bristol family.