Subject: Weekend Update: July 22-28, 2002
Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2002 16:33:38 -0400

Jessica Rose had the rare opportunity last week of being an only
child while her siblings were off at senior high camp.  We had
even more of her attention because her beau was also up at camp.
Jessica and Joy had fun writing letters to Miranda, Emily, and
Andrew. (I wish I had some of it to share with you.)

Jessica's summer job is being a daytime nanny for a family in
the next townand by all accounts they just love her.  On Thursday
of this past week, she held Christmas in July for the kids.
On Friday, the family asked her to stay for dinner.  This left
Joy and I on our own, so we headed over to the Pape abode where
it was rumored that they were having a game night.  We played a
game called Cranium with three other couples, which combines a
number of activities from many of the favorite parlor games,
such as charades, Pictionary, and Trivial Pursuit.  It was a lot
of fun, especially the clues where you have to hum a tune for
someone else to guess.  "Margaritaville" sounded very much like
a native american rain dance to me.

Joy's final day on Andrew's Paper route was early Saturday morning,
while I lazed in bed.  We had only a few chores to get through,
so I took the opportunity to move at the pace of a country summer
day.  The Bittersweet bush that I pruned to Joy's dismay had me worried
for a while because in the day or so after my mushroom shaping,
numerous leaves began to wilt and wither.  I thought that I had killed
the bush and that I was next.  Upon closer inspection I saw that only
certain vines were cut off from below, but that the rest of the bush
was healthy.  I busied myself on Saturday morning with extracting these
dead branches, disentwining them as carefully as I could.  Joy felt
better about the bush and I breathed a sigh of relief.

Joy helped me fix the sprinkler system, too.  We had several heads
that were broken.  We had to dig down into the mud; a pleasure I hadn't
experienced in a number of years.  I thought Joy should share in
the experience so I had her put her finger in the hole to prevent
dirt from reentering the system while I shut off the water flow.
We are nearing a satisfactory conclusion to this maintenance issue
in time to still be of use for this season.

The kids arrived home from camp around noon, a-buzz with stories
to tell. It seems that Andrew's cabin mates were busy tying the
doors of other cabins shut and other sundry and harmless pranks.
Emily got a more than a dozen letters at camp because she
encouraged her friends to write to her at camp.  At mail call,
"Stretch", the camp director, droned "Emily PEARL Metcalfe" tossing
her letters everywhere so that Emily had to scurry around to
retrieve them.  Andrew got his mail called out "Andrew PEARL Metcalfe".
In adddition to the letters, balloons arrived for our children
from the Gonzalez family making camp an extrordinary experience. 

Mandy had only a short time at home before whisking off to
the church with Jessica to babysit in the nursery for Becky Hook's
wedding.  Jessica then returned but Mandy stayed behind to attend
a concert at the church.

Mom and Dad arrived for their weekly visit later that afternoon.
My parents suggested watching a movie on Saturday night so I
handed Grandma the movie list.  She decided that what she'd
enjoy is some home movies.  I selected video from 1990 and 1991.
We enjoyed a window on the past; little kids with little cousins
and friends at Christmas and birthday parties.  My thoughts ran
to connect many of their life events from then until now and what
may be in another 10 years.  Somewhere in that window, Andrew
stopped saying "aye" and started to say "yes".  We never knew
why he said "aye"; perhaps a past life in Scotland.

Sunday marked Andrew's 14th birthday, so home movies seemed
even more poignant, I suppose.  He is growing, and growing up
to be quite the young man.  He and I went for a large Coke
Slurpee before church; a favorite of both of ours.  I told him
that I was proud of the person he is and is becoming; that he
already has character that some people never have in their life.
One of these days, I may tell you about him and Joyce Hamlin
when Andrew was just about Nicolas' age (Joyce's grandson).

After the morning service in Lowell, Joy and I drove up to
the Nashua church to hear my father speak.  He said that the
church should thank me for giving them room and board for
free, and the congregation applauded.  (I jokingly remarked
to Joy that I'd submit a bill to the Nashua church, but in fact
it is a pleasure to have them up each week.) Dad preached his
familiar Emmaus Road sermon which contains his locally famous
Hayford Street Gang story.  (He would preach that every Easter
Sunday Evening.)  I was glad to hear it and in it new Truth.

Sunday afternoon was overcast with light rain; a perfect
situation for a good 2-hour Sunday nap, and Joy and I took
advantage of that.  After church in the evening, the Magnusons
joined us for cake and ice cream and presents.  Now, Jessica is
the only odd one in the family, but she turns 20 next month when
we'll all be even.  Then Joy starts the oddness all over again!

Mark
+---_-----------+ Mark Metcalfe, Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
| c a d e n c e | Manager, PCB Enterprise Publications (CAD)
+---------------+ metcalfe@cadence.com, Phone: (978) 446-6451