Nantucket

I took busses and a ferry to reach Nantucket for a week. I met up with Catharine and the Chamblees in Hyannis and we shared the Weille cottage on Highland Ave. This is the house my aunt and uncle rented every August. It is my 50th anniversary of first coming to this cottage and Nantucket. I have only missed a few Augusts in all this time.

As might be expected, there are more cars, houses, and people on the island than when I was last here in 2012. We have been to the beach, concerts, movies, etc. And played hearts and salad bowl. Deb and Jeff have been great at cycling down for donuts each morning, though today we made blueberry muffins.  Every morning at 10 am, we have been playing tennis at Jetties. I met up with a friend from St Andrew's who moved away about the same time we moved to NC. I also met up with a former colleague from NCHS in Hyannis. I have had Boston cream pie, Portugese bread, and BLT's, and sushi by Yoshi just for the record.  The last day I was there we all went to Siasconset for the walk. Then we had a sunset swim and sandwiches at Steps Beach.  Below are some pics. 

Lake Sunapee

Several weeks have past since my last blog post.  Patti and I have been having a great time with da girls.  There's always something going on. This week we have a visit from Judy, Diane, and Hailey. Hailey, Patti's great niece, is looking into colleges up here for next year. It's fun having folks from down home!

I visited my former neighbors, Mary and Ed, in Burlington and visited Ned and Royal in Mt Snow.  We had a 33 1/3 anniversary party for Patti and Jeff. We go down to the lake with da girls every day and often play Mexican Train Dominoes with Jeff's cousins. We've also been making greeting cards for special occasions, using fancy papers and circles punched from paint chips. We started off watching Wimbledon, then the RNC, and now the DNC.  I'm so proud that we have the first woman presidential nominee from a major party!  It's about time!

I'm off to Nantucket on Saturday to visit the Guiher/Chamblees. It is my 50th anniversary of going to Nantucket in August. I've only missed a handful of years. There will be pictures to follow. In the meantime here are som recent pics.

Breakfast at Wimbledon

Mary and Ed's back flower garden

Party food for 33 1/3 party

Happy Anniversary to Patti & Jeff

ice cream sandwiches and cookies for 33 1/3 party

Patti's handpicked blueberry pie

Card we made for Betsy and Willis' 50th Anniversary

Paint chip art

Royal introducing the VLOG concert in Wilmington

Hailey and Patti on the Kearsage dinner cruise

Sunset on Lake Sunapee

Hailey, Matt, Molly, Anna, Patti,
Judy & Diane

Justin & Nicole's Wedding

Sim's granddaughter, Nicole, and Justin were married on July 4th in Brookfield Vt.  It was a lovely day with sunshine and cool breezes. Nicole's daughter, Ellie, almost stole the show. All of Sim's children were there and all but one grandchild. Lee did all the food and Richard was the officiant as JP of Brookfield! We met Noah's girlfriend from San Miguel, Sol, who came up for a week. Below are pics.

Ellie

Joe and Laura walking Nicole down the aisle

Alex and Joey

Alex & Christa

Nicole ans Sim

Ellie and Justin

Ric, Amanda, Lee, Richard, Cathy, Nicole, Sim, and Sandy

Summer Progress North

On June 28, Sim and I headed north with da girls in the back of my car. We spent the evening in Greenbelt with Kathy and Don having dinner at Marathon Deli. Afterwards we went by the church to visit the columbarium which holds many friends in addition to Moody's cremains. Frank Potter, the Cahill's, Phyllis, David, Kathy, Jim, Earl, etc.  My friend and fellow parishioner, Maureen David, was on death's door up in Johns Hopkins University Hospital and succumbed this morning. I'm not sure if her ashes will be going there or not.  Maureen was carrying Lis at the same time I was carrying Mary Laurel back in 1983.  She was very helpful to Moody in setting up his outreach programs such as Safe Haven and Warm Nights. Sadly, my friend, Whitney Burnett, died after a 3-year battle with cancer. I used to sing in the Yonkers church choir with her and her first husband. She gave me voice lessons for about three years coaching me in soprano operatic arias in the early 1970's. Another parishioner, Barbara Simon, died this week as well, bringing the total to 3, as usual.  Barbara was a kingpin for Greenbelt civic programs.

Maureen David

Whitney Burnett

On June 29, we drove up to Highland Falls, NY to visit West Point, but the motel was so nasty that we just kept heading up to Ned's at Mt. Snow. Since it was Ned's birthday and Royal & Ned's 25th wedding anniversary, it was nice to drop in for an hour or so. We drove the extra 2 hours to get to Lake Sunapee so da girls would have a place to stay. The next day Jeff, Sim, and I headed back to Ned's for his party to celebrate his new 7' grand piano. It's quite wonderful. I was delighted to see Brucie Ketchum there.

Royal, Cathy, & Ned

Today, we had breakfast at Lou's in Hanover NH and dinner at the New London Inn followed by Mexican Train Dominoes at Jim & Ellen's.  I need to make some deviled eggs to take to a July 4 Eve party at Debbie & Keith's house where we can see the fireworks display. Then we are off to Brookfield VT for Sim's granddaughter's wedding - a very busy start to my summer vacation!

Before I left home, I ordered the sliding glass doors for my den renovation to be installed in late August. I also got a photograph of my lilly pond with 5 lilies blooming - a record for me.