From:	Mark Metcalfe
Sent:	Monday, July 07, 2003 3:32 PM
To:	Mark Metcalfe
Subject:	Weekend Update: July 4-6, 2003
The Fourth of July was warm.  Jessica and David arrived first for
the Metcalfe Clan's semi-annual gathering and cookout.  They have
been in their own home in Quincy for a week now.  The honeymoon
(proper) is over and now the "cleaving" begins to ensure that
the honeymoon continues throughout their marriage.  While she
will always be our true love and daughter, and David now our
son-in-law, they are a separate household. I think I detected
a bit of melancholy in that new understanding, seeing her
now-extended family from her now-nuclear family perspective. 
I told her again how happy I was for her and David.

Mom and Dad arrived next, with Schatzi who banished our cat to
other parts of the house.  Schatzi only wants to make friends
with Belle, but Belle isn't interested in making her acquaintance.

Russell was next, with his now-nuclear family, Nancy and Russell IV.
Melissa and her husband Jason, and Jennifer could not attend. I took
a test drive with the Russells in my Eclispse and my brother opened
tested its pickup a few times as we made a circuit around Pepperell.

Steve, Sharon, Jake, Kara (and boyfriend in tow), and Jim next,
then John on his motorcycle. Vroni got a little confused in Groton
so John mounted a rescue mission to bring in the rest of the clan,
which included Danielle and Joey.  Missing were John Jr. and Ben.

David asked me to play some horseshoes, so I asked Steve and
John to join us for doubles. I teased him that we should play
left-handed, reminding him that a year ago he beat me in a
game of HORSE with a left-handed layup to ask me for Jessica's
hand in marriage. David hadn't pitched horseshoes much before,
but as any good father-in-law should, we teamed up against
Steve and John.  They beat us handily; John carried much of
the games he played in. We shook things up in the next game
and David played with John.  Steve and I lost and a theme was
beginning to appear.  David started finding his range and I
spent my best shots in the first game, coming up shy of John's
tosses.  I insisted on staying for a third game, which I lost
again and then called it quits.

Pepperell celebrated Independence Day on the Fifth of July
this year; a decision that allowed event organizers to enjoy
the Fourth in ways of their choosing.  The Gonzalez family
joined us at noon to attend their final parade as Pepperellians.
One of the horses dropped a "land mine" in the middle of the
street which became a source of focus and enjoyment for many
as we wondered who would step in it.  There were many close
calls until one hapless bass drummer in the back of a high
school band couldn't see where his feet fell.

We enjoyed the pool together for the afternoon until Thalia
and Katia went home for a nap so that they could attend the
Pepperell Fireworks display that evening.  The Magnusons
joined us early in the evening and we went to the town
field at around 7:30 and set up a space in center field of
the little league baseball field.  The kids went roaming
around to see their friends and to play some frisbee in
the adjacent soccer field. We spread out the blankets and
chairs.  Keith MacFadgen and his boys showed up next, then
the Gonzalez', the Smiths, and Silvas, and Kristen Hunt and
her children. I said that if we got one more family from our
church we'd have to pass an offering plate.

The reputation of the Pepperell Fireworks display has grown
in the past few years.  The Longs (that Jessica babysat for)
were there, too, with friends of theirs, and they don't even
live in Pepperell.  Unfortunately, the display was somewhat
of a disappointment because someone made the decision to move
the launch location further back away from the crowd.  Last year,
some of the still burning little pieces of paper reached the
ground in the middle of the crowd.  Someone probably complained
so the fireworks were moved a distance back.  About a third to
a half of the rockets didn't make it above the tree line from
our vantage point.  The crowd was noticably non-plussed.
Richard started to get ugly and blame me for promoting 
Pepperell Fireworks as one of the finest events in Pepperell's
annual calendar.  A friend of Mandy's, however, said that he
was in Boston the night before, and despite the tree-line
obstruction, it was his opinion that Pepperell put on a better
show than Boston.  We'll have to take his word for it, but
compared to the previous five appearances on the Pepperell Town
Field, we consoled ourselves with enjoying the company of good
friends.

On Sunday afternoon, we headed up to Windsor Hills Camp in
Hillsboro, NH for a "Sending service" for teenagers who will
be attending the Nazarene Youth Conference in Houston Texas
in just a few short weeks.  Both Emily and Andrew will be
attending; they even raised their own funds to do so.  We left in
plenty of time, taking rural Route 31 through the New Hampshire
wooded country.  We hit a traffic jam halfway up and the road
was closed because of an auto accident.  After 20 minutes of
determining that the road would be closed for another 2 hours,
we turned around and took our chances to find a way around the
wreck.  Luckily, we did find a road that turned into a dirt
road, that eventually came out farther up on Route 31 and
we were on our way again.  We arrived only 15 minutes after
the service had begun.  After the service, then there
was a parents' meeting with the children who were going
to NYC.  Fortunately, they said that the meeting hall was
going to be cramped and only one parent needed to attend.
I smiled at Joy and she graciously agreed to attend the
meeting.  I spent the next couple of hours schmoozing with
people from around the district while Joy sweltered in a
hall with inattentive parents who'd ask questions that were
clearly answered in their reading material.  When they were
done, and Emily and Andrew got their T shirts and assignments,
we joined a bunch of friends at the local pizza joint before
heading home and closing out my week's vacation.

Mark