Mt Springs - recap

Fun, fun, fun.  

That's the only way to summarize another weekend in the Poconos, by the lake, reading, walking, running, fishing, playing guitar, singing happy birthday, playing games, chatting, and of course, eating and drinking.

I hope on your drives home, that you did what Mary and I did.  Review the weekend, relive its highlights, forget the downlights (rain), and talk about how to make it even better for next year.   

Mark your calendars, by the way.  Last weekend in July 2018 - July 26, 27, 28.  We've signed up for three nights, Thursday through Saturday, with the possibility of adding a Wednesday night for one or more cabins if there's interest.

In the what-a-difference-a-year-makes category, consider this

-- Donald is now walking, running, talking, playing on screens and laughing heartily

-- David and Paula are in a new house

-- Sean is in a new job, and has a caseload in his first year that would fill up its own mini-series on tv

-- Margaret has a new job; Andrew has one year of MPH program under his belt and they're off to Oregon in a few weeks for well deserved vacation

-- Annie has moved to Cleveland and is now leaving for San Francisco in the next couple of weeks

-- Peter is working his way through a transmission line case, and replaced the transmission on his Saturn (the two may actually be connected - one paid for the other)

-- Janet has sold her Solara 

-- Johanna has a new job with an office in the "flatiron" building in New York City

-- Matthew continues to make progress with his mobility, and it shows.  He has a new car Kia Soul

-- Oliver is heading toward a quantum physics summer program - enough said.

-- Erin made a nice, happy new addition to the weekend retreat

-- Jeff and Melodie have a new house, and so do Andrew and Margaret

-- the rest of us are happily plugging along.

We missed the Dundee Dicksons and Joe and Leonor, who called in to say they were happily, anxiously awaiting the first signs that it's time to get to the hospital.  So are we all.  When Joe called, we all immediately thought he was on his way to or at the hospital.  Soon come.

We are unpacked but still have some reminders of the weekend - photos to organize, bagels in the freezer, Paula's broccoli recipe, a few extra pounds on the scale. One way was for me to start my walk on the Massachusetts portion of the Appalachian trail - we ticked off 7 1/2 miles yesterday in 5 1/2 hours, and I can say one thing - it's not like walking in Pittsfield State Park.  Rough and exhausting. Steep and scary in parts. But I got to sleep in my own bed last night, and not in a tent.  It was a good reality check.

We're off to Vermont for a couple of nights today 

Love from up here.  (our panorama photo had some glitches, sorry)

Say it Ain't So

A whole month slipped by and no weekly letter?  Lots of interpretations, I guess.  Old age comes first to mind.  Too much on my plate, but only as a distraction, not that I didn't have time.  Time flies would be the best explanation, though, especially when you're having fun.

And we're having fun.  It's summer.  Sandals and t-shirts, lettuce from the garden, sitting on the porch, walking in the woods, mowing the lawn, Tanglewood, and the list goes on.

So a lot to catch up on.  Father's Day!  In DC for the weekend, we celebrated with Joe and Leonor, Margaret and Andrew.  Barbecue and brunch and time to hear about their work gossip, their studies, their travels.  Annie was in Cleveland celebrating, but also pondering her next move to San Francisco which is now official.  She'll be moving shortly after our get-together in the Poconos.  We also crashed Melodie's birthday party celebration at their new house, which they have set up nicely.  

And, happy birthday Melodie and Leonor and Matthew and Andrew and Marilyn, and happy anniversaries to David and Paula, Peter and Janet.  Who did I miss?  See what happens when more than a month goes by without a weekly letter?

We had a week down memory lane, with visitors here who joined the Foreign Service in the same class as us, the Dickmeyers and the Nealons.  Both men are still working, and the question came up how our lives would have been different if we hadn't been selected.  Well, we found out a few days later when we went to a retirement party for our colleague from the Deerfield NH school where we taught in the 1980s.  Paul had stayed on to become principal in the same school, retiring after 39 years there.  We saw a number of teachers who we worked with, as well as our landlords from Claremont NH, who were also both teachers, one of whom worked at Deerfield after we left.  A lot of fun, and really wonderful and inspiring to see them at the end of a career where they had such an impact on so many people.  I am confident I made the right choice, as teaching was just too hard, especially the classroom management side of the work.

We went from there to the Rhode Island beaches for a weekend with Marj and Lew, and a drive by our summer rentals, Trustom Pond, the market and East Matunuck beach.  We even passed the famous Moonstone Beach, and relayed our favorite story from there.  You know the one.  And, we reflected on another case of what could have been, since we might have offered to buy that summer house if we had known it was up for sale.

But then there might not have been mills in town to write about.  Speaking of mills (notice how the topic gets around to my projects?), my historic images book came out this week.  Nice to hold the final product in my hands after many hours huddled over this keyboard and in the archives.  

Oh and did we mention July 4?  Where were you?  Andrew and Lur were at Green Lake, on a boat, and we assume Danny was up there, and Claire was at the nearby camp.  We saw lots of Facebook entries from Washington and New Jersey and upstate New York, with young Donald attending classical music concert.  I know Peter and Janet didn't go to the Jersey shore, since the beaches were closed, except for their &##$*@* governor.  We were enjoying the parade and later lobsters and smores with Maura and Steve and Elsie who were up for a short visit.  

We also missed this month Canal Days in Fairport, that David and Paula had a front row seat from their porch, with 200,000 visitors to the village.  I would have liked to have the ice cream concession that weekend.  

What else?  Leonor is doing well, though tired, updating us on her doctor's visits with good news.  Johnny landed back in the hospital with an infection from his neck surgery, but all is cleared up, and they are getting ready for a cross country driving trip coming up.

And we're getting ready for the Poconos.  Can't wait. 

So, I have now set a reminder on my phone so I won't forget making my irregular twice a month submissions.  And, it goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway, that anyone can post their own letter simply by writing an email to popsweeklyletter.bubba@blogger.com.     

Love from up here!!  

 

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