Subject: Weekend Update: December 4-8, 2002
Date: Mon, 9 Dec 2002 16:23:41 -0500

I made a lightning trip to southern California last week;
flying out on Wednesday and back on Friday.  It snowed at
home on Tuesday and Thursday so I got lucky to dodge the
snowflakes.  I packed everything into a backpack; just a
couple days' change of clothes, my laptop and accessories,
and a book that Julie white had lent me.  I even drove myself
to the airport early on Wednesday morning to leave Joy in bed
and save her from another trip to pick me up. This time I was
travelling alone; no colleagues in tow so I had the time all
to myself.  It was 14 degrees F when we took off from Manchester,
New Hampshire.  Chicago's O'Hare airport was my stopover and
a great place to people-watch.  There were a lot of paunchy
businessmen (made fat by fine dining - I know!) and businesswomen
in genderless garb, many holding cellphones to their ears,
making connections to remain important to someone on the
other end.

Through the magic of timezones, I spent nine hours travelling
to my destination and still got into San Diego in time for a
full afternoon of whatever I chose to do.  I made my way to
Point Loma Nazarene University where I was to meet with
Professor Charlene Pate later in the afternoon, and then
later to dinner with Carl and Rhonda Winderl.  I used the
couple of hours before Charlene was finished with her
responsbilities to make my way to the beach.  The university
sits on a high hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean.)  At the
bottom of the trail, there was another eight feet of ledge
to climb down.  I wouldn't have found the footsteps myself
if it was not for a few dogs that came eagerly down the trail
followed by their master who showed me steps in the rock
just large enough for my feet to step in.  I snapped a bunch
of digital photos, and took joy in the comfortable 68-degree
sunshine.  The tide was out and coming in, and students took
an afternoon break to put their surfboards in the water.

Near my appointed meeting time, I made my way to the Bond
Academic Center to meet up with Charlene.  Carl Winderl
spied me through his classroom window and asked me to come
in.  He was teaching a composition course and introduced me
as a professional writer.  I spent a little time telling
wide-eyed students what writers and editors can make in high
tech positions if they do well in school.  I also told them
about some corporate philosophies about technical writing,
versus say, creative or newspaper writing, but think they were
more interested in the salary talk.  I told them that I wasn't
in the top of my class to which Carl quickly added, "you weren't
at the bottom either" encouraging the students to focus on
their academis goals. It was a great bit of serendipity for me
and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Charlene was a great host and extensive tour guide around campus
and San Diego.  She and her husband Paul welcomed me to spend the
night and I gratefully accepted.  Carl and Rhonda have adjusted
favorably to the moderate climate, coming from ENC just last year.
I understate that a bit.  Charlene remarked that they know no
strangers.  After breakfast the next morning and before departing,
Charlene gave me some persimmons to take back home.  Neither Joy
nor I had them before, and I daresay that I shant, it being of the
vegetable kind, but a gift is a gift! :-)  Joy will make something
of it, I am sure.

The business part of my trip took place an hour north of
San Diego and though I can fly right into Irvine, I do not
mind the scenery I pass during that hour or so.  Serendipity
followed me because I was able to be there on the day that
two of my colleagues were being let go, and to support the
colleague that would remain in the office.  The four of us
went out for a final lunch together and I hoped to encourage
them in this difficult time.  After work, I went to dinner
with my writer and his son, Dylan.  The steak was huge and
I shouldn't have eaten so much lunch - something about paunchy
businessmen, I think I said.

I would have returned to the Pate home that evening but I
lost my window of cancellation on the hotel room and would
be charged anyway.  Jet lag gets to me on the second day
on the west coast, so I went to bed early and didn't set
the alarm.

The next morning, I was given the once over at the San Diego
Airport. I cooperated good-naturedly. After I got on the plane,
I reached into my backpack to retrieve my laptop and books but
the laptop was gone!!  I nearly panicked and made my way through
the aisle of people boarding the plane telling every flight
attendant along the way that I left my laptop at the security
check-in station!  A runner was dispatched and before long she
appeared in the jetway with my laptop in hand; a crisis averted.

On the ground in New Hamshire, I had to clear my van of snow,
and brave the chilly teen temperatures once again, but I was
back again to hearth and home.  My parents were at home when
I arrived; Dad had come up for a meeting and they stayed overnight.

On Saturday, we all pitched in with varying degrees of help
for Joy, cleaning the house for its part of Pepperell's First
Annual Holiday House Showing that was set for Sunday from
1 to 4 PM.  Area real estate agents sold tickets to benefit
the Pepperell Senior Center and the bearers were able to tour
six selected old houses in town.  We were given free tickets
because we were one of the families who was showing their house.

Joy, Emily, and I went home after church for a last minute
walk-through.  (Andrew was more interested in the Patriot's
football game than house tours so he went to Michael Magnuson's
house. Miranda went to lunch with friends.)  Five minutes before
the first guests arrived, I decided to hide a shrivelled palm
tree plant that was left out in the cold spa room.  I grabbed it
by the trunk and carried it across the floor of the barn when
the pot came loose, spilling a mound of dirt in the middle of
the floor. Agh! We quickly cleaned up *my* mess and put the vacuum
away just as the first guests were arriving; and they arrived in
force. Several hundred "strangers" passed through that
Sunday afternoon.  We excused ourselves at the first part of the
afternoon, letting the real estate agent host conduct the tours,
and went to eat lunch at a local pizzaria.  Then we made the circuit
ourselves.

We visited a 1745 Colonial, the John C. Ames house.  It displayed
a lot of its old world character.  It had a fireplace with a
brick bread warming chamber.  Next was an 1896 Colonial Revival,
the Andrew Jackson Woodward house, which was very nicely
appointed with wide open spaces, but they allowed us only on
the first floor. That house tour was over quickly.  A few doors
down was an 1824 Colonial, the Luther Tarbell house.  People
were asked to remove their shoes.  We were able to tour both
floors and the highlight of the Tarbell house for me was the
guest suite and bath that seemlessly melded the new in with the
old.  Onto Main Street for the other two homes, we first stopped
at an 1875 Gothic Revival, the Samuel W. Fletcher home.  It
was another shoe-remover and blocked access to the upsatirs
but the house was spacious and elegant, perhaps the most elegant
house on the tour.  Next was an 1885 small Victorian, the George
Shattuck house with gingerbread decorations on the eaves.  Two
small tour guides, grandaughters of the owners, gave the tour added
charm by reading some of the history of the home occupants.

Last on the tour was an 1860 Victorian home on Groton Street
originally known at the Ford Estates.  It had been the in the
Ford/O'Toole family for 129 years before passing to Brian and
Loryn Bagby who restored much of it.  The Metcalfes bought the
house in 1997, decorating and adding things.  Loryn informed
us that the tin ceilings in our home were reproductions that
Brian installed, which answers a mystery we'd had for nearly
six years. All three floors were open to the public to ooh and
ah through.

People complimented us by saying that the home felt inviting
and welcoming; the very things that we strive for in our home.
Several said that they drive by the strangely-colored house all
the time and have been dying to see inside it - and they weren't
disappointed.

After church Sunday evening, we unwound with the Hamlins
at Friendly's.  Miranda invited a group back to the house
for pizza and games.  We all got to bed after midnight.
Another busy, but rewarding week to commit to our memories.

Mark