Subject: Weekend Update: October 25-27, 2002
Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 14:50:32 -0500

Rich Gonzalez came home from extended work in Texas on Friday
night. Miranda agreed to watch the Gonzalez girls while Wendy
and Rich's brother Louie picked him up at the airport.  Wendy
found a lion's costume and intended to meet Rich at the gate
in same, but Rich's brother wanted the honor and Wendy was
only too glad to take pictures.  They arrived an hour before
touchdown so Louie entertained little children.  Can't wait
to see the photos!  ("Yunn and Bow" also returned Friday night
from their month-long excursion to Arizona with friends and
family. We are looking forward to reconnecting.)

Emily invited some of her friends for an overnight at the Manor
on Friday after they played in the marching band, but their
schedules were booked up.  Instead, she stayed out late with
her friends after the football game.  So, Andrew invited three
of his buddies to stay overnight to play video games and football
in the dark.  Joy and I played couch jockeys for the evening.

The outdoor chores were nixed on Saturday as a nor'easter
blew in and out of town.  This gave me the opportunity to
get some errands run later in the day.  But in the morning
we took Emily over the Rands for Lizzie's 16th birthday
party. Despite the rain, it was a lovely ride to New Ipswitch,
NH, and we saw all the work that Mike and Stella had done on
renovating their home in rural New England.  Compared to
New Ipswitch, Pepperell is a booming metropolis!

Joy held a Tenderheart Treasures party later that afternoon
in Lowell which is when I went off on my own. I stopped in
to welcome Rich home, and he gave me some bacon. I then went
to Nashua and got my oil changed, bought a new mouse for the
home computer, bought a couple of DVDs (Koyaanisqatsi and
Powaanqatsi), an air filter, and a couple of gallons of
windshield washer fluid.  How exciting. (yawn) But I didn't
mind since there wasn't much else I could do at home.  In fact,
by the time I got home, Andrew's friends had gone so I decided
to take Andrew out for a Coke Slurpee, heading back again to
Nashua. (How many groups of 14-year old boys can you trust to
leave home on their own?  Good friends, Boy!) Unfortunately,
we were disappointed at 7-11, so we headed north to another
7-11 (I know where they all are in my area).  Andrew hadn't
noticed that they were dispensing Vanilla Coke Slurpees when
he went in and got us each a 40-ounce brain-cramper.  Although
it says Coke, it just wasn't the same.  However, I had another
lovely ride through the countryside with a stand-up young man,
so it wasn't a total loss. 

Eric and Linda joined us for a roast chicken dinner on Saturday
evening.  There were only six of us, including Michael and Andrew.
Miranda was dressed up in Joy's Renaissance costume and went to
a costume party in Malden with the Young Adults.  She looked real
good, but I forgot to get digital photos. :-(

Jessica completed her sojourn with the Registry of Motor Vehicles
this week; or so she thought.  She obtained two new license plates
but noticed that they had two different numbers on them, so back
she had to go again!  I don't know what wedding plans they've
been up to. After all, I am just the check-writing father-of-the-bride.
I'm not complaining, mind you.  I just hope that I'm on the guest list
and that my brother John will play Baseball's favorite melodies on the
organ at appropriate times during the ceremony.

Joy and I took a walk on Sunday afternoon, and the shock of it was
that I suggested it.  We strolled down Groton Street, stopping to
take some pictures at the covered bridge, and the Mill Street bridge.
We walked up Brookline Street to a favored meadow that I like but the
sun took shy on us before I could catalog its pastoral scenery.
Time with Joy is always time well spent.

After church Sunday evening, we invited Diane Adams back to the
house for some refreshments and had a nice, long talk while
Koyaanisqatsi played in the background. Good friends such as
we have are worth millions.

Mark