Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Week!  It's a celebration that never ends.  It looked like a big Mother's Day barbecue down in DC, with David and Paula visiting Jeff and Melodie who hosted Sean and Erin, as well as Margaret and Andrew and Leonor, Joe and Thomas.  One of Mary's best Mother's Day gifts was to see Thomas in a little play pool at Jeff and Melodie's.  She went out right away and bought him the latest infant Speedo racing suit and goggles.   Look out Michael Phelps.  It looked like a fun afternoon.  A prequel to the Poconos in July.  I think it got even more fun for Andrew and Margaret who were later seen by the paparazzi at a David Byrne/Talking Heads concert in DC.  

Sean and Erin had come down for the weekend, that must have been a sorely needed rest for both of them.  They spent the weekend with Joe and Leonor, and were able to get around and see some DC sites.  Later, we saw that Sean's big, terrible murder case returned a guilty verdict.  Congratulations Sean on justice served.  

What was your Mother's Day like?  We had a barbecue, too, and went for a bike ride, punctuated by a deluge of phone calls.  Or should I say a trio of calls.  A trio is a deluge for us, except for around supper time when the robo-calls start coming in.  We took a trip to a local nursery to start our garden planning, and, with warm weather finally, it does seem like we're almost there.

There have been a couple of birthdays - Sean's and Elliot's.  Big days.  And probably before our next letter, Matthew will mark another year.  Congratulations to all.  

I neglected to mention in the last letter that Annie had attended a conference in Chicago and she made a point to check in on her good friend from Mexico days.  She had kept up with Nicole for a few years, and thanks to Facebook she has been able to maintain the thread of her relationship.  Speaking of Facebook, we're seeing photos of Oliver in track meets and Tina growing!!

Since our last letter, Mary and I have concluded our spring fling trip down to DC and Daytona.  We had a great visit with John and Marilyn and went to a baseball game (Reds farm team) and the beach every day there. Good waves meant hours on the boogie board. They have a nice new home, with guest bedrooms!  They, by the way, are off on a cruise to Cuba this week.

We also checked in with Charlie in North Carolina on our way back.  He had been in Gabon with us this past March, so we rehashed those experiences, including a memorable trip back to the village where he had been posted in the 1970s,  On the way back, we had lunch with our friend from Seattle who was in DC for a few days.  Valerie is volunteering at a school for refugees and immigrants, so we shared stories.  I have been drawn into the Peace Corps refugee project a little more, so you'll see more, probably too much, from me on that.

Mary stayed a few extra days in DC, hanging with Joe and Leonor and Margaret and Andrew.  And did I mention Thomas?  Anyway, she saw first-hand how full all their lives are, working and studying and doing errands and daycare and commuting and exercising.  I'm sure it's the same for that whole generation.  I'm exhausted just thinking about it.  

I missed all that as I drove home in order to attend a meeting where we handed out the funding for the first Community Preservation projects in Pittsfield.  This was the first slate of projects since the referendum passed in 2016.

Speaking of projects, Margaret and Andrew are having their back yard done over, with a new fence and patio.   

Finally, it's allergy and tick season, so we're popping all the pills and spraying ourselves up here.  At least, we're not shoveling snow.

Love from up here.