Mon Jul 8 07:58 EDT 1996 Long Weekend Update (either way) July 4-7 Miranda and Jessica were away at Family Camp working this past week so it was just us and the younguns until last night (Sunday). On Thursday, Independence Day, we cleaned the garage and planned to laze the rest of the day away by the pool. We postponed plans to go to my brother John's home until Saturday because of the threat of rain, but the day was mild with about 50-50 clouds and sun. I phoned a friend who was stuck at home alone while his wife went to work (exchanging the 4th for another day). I rescued him for the afternoon until his wife came to get him. They had evening plans so we were left alone again. Undaunted, we called the Desrochers (of the Gerry and Sharon type) who live near the stadium where the fireworks display was to be put on or go off that evening. Having the idea of parking at their house and going with them worked out very well. It did sprinkle on us a bit but all-in-all we got by without getting really wet, and our spot on the lawn behind the stadium was directly under the fireworks. Friday was another lazy day so I called Judy Matton in Quincy to see if her family wanted to spend the day with us. They did, except Pat had to work (what is it with you spouses?) so we enjoyed the company of Judy, Heather, and Julia. Saturday was the Metcalfe get together at John's home in Framingham. The weather was very cooperative and it was good to have exchanged the days. I took note that the Metcalfe clan is getting older when some of the conversation centered on what medication or treatement everyone was having. We got to see Steve's impression of Festus, too. He wasn't kidding. The three oldest grandkids were missing, off performing some duty or another, which made Melissa the oldest of that generation. Steve forgot the bottle rockets so instead, John brought out his potato gun for our entertainment and amusement. For some of you who may not know, this was not a potato that was shaped like a gun, (similar to those potatoes we saw in the Herald of Holiness several issues back - what was that, Mark Graham?!), but an amalgamation of PVC pipe and a spark switch. Hair spray is sprayed into the back end of the pipe after a potato is shoved in, the lid gets screwed on, then the spark swtich is pressed sending potato salad into the next county. Nurse-a-Roni assured us that it is not considered a firearm in Massachusetts. I think Joh ought to check out the velocities of other fruits and vegetables and report back to us if there is anything that will fly farther than a potato. Fortunately, Dad, who is on his way to Switzerland today and won't get this email until he gets back on the 18th, didn't break anything on the RV next door when his trajectory was far and away too high. (We think he was aiming to bring the potato down into the pool. On Saturday night, we hosted a coupe of ENC college girls who made up two-fifths of the college camp team called Simple Faith. I have a sister-in-law on this distribution by that name. (he he he) On Sunday morning, the camp team did well and it was good all around to be in the house of the Lord. That afternoon, at MPC (Metcalfe Party Central), Brian Wallace, The Bickoms, Stephanie Smiley, and Danielle Morano made for a pleasant afternoon - except the times when Dave would incite Brian into wrestling into the pool. Sunday evening service was even better with the Spirit of the Lord keenly felt by everyone there. Some old-fashioned testimony time brought the "family" very close last night. We made arrangements for Miranda and Jessica to be picked up by Ray Walters, who was dropping Jeremy Scott off at camp that afternoon. We also asked him to bring Kara White home to our house, also, and Pastor White could pick her up at our home after church. When we arrived home, we discovered that Ray had understood me to say that he should take Kara home (to her house). So we got home after church and there was no Kara. Ah well, the Whites stayed for a burger and stuff anyway (sorry Kara), along with Tom and Pam Quattrociocci, the Bickoms, and Eric Pape. This was an anniversary of sorts for Pam because she was introduced to our home on a Sunday evening after church the year before, where we waited to pick up the girls from camp. Getting up this morning was tough. I'm holed up in my cube for the day! Phew! This week is already planned for every night so the beat goes on. Praise God! P.S. Joy still has the pains. She sees the doctor again in August. However, I think she is coping better than she had been. I read a piece in the Herald about spouses, especially men, wanting to "get it fixed" where patience and understanding is needed. We're both trying. (Of course that's what everyone says: we're both trying.) P.P.S. The house is for sale by owner (again). Got a few inquiries but no showings yet. That's about as good or better than our real estate agency experiences. Mark Metcalfe ______ ______ "He has showed you, O man, Cadence Design Systems, Inc. _/ Y \_ what is good. And what does 270 Billerica Road, MS 04 // ~~ ~~ | Micah \\ the Lord require of you? Chelmsford, MA 01824 // ~ ~ ~~ | 6:8 \\ To act justly and to love Tel: (508) 446-6451 //________.|.________\\ mercy and to walk humbly metcalfe@candence.com `----------`-'----------' with your God." Mon Jul 8 09:44 EDT 1996 be-day-duhs >PS It WAS a good 4th on the 6th-- and YOU shot the potato gun, too--- It's true. They handed it to me, like passing a cigarette. Go ahead! Try it! So I lofted a spud projectile halfway to Texas. So after yielding to temptation, making me culpable, now they want to rat on me because I may be more Nazarene than the rest of the lot. At least two of them are unabashedly going to Baptist churches. To be sure, those Bos' did their work over a half century ago on the Padre. Yeah, I pressed the trigger, but I never inhaled. Say, do any of your Southern Nazerenes (Texarenes) go to the movies? \\ \\ \\\\\\\ \\\\\\ \\\\ \\ \\\\ \\\\\\\ \\\\\\\ M\\ \\\ M\ \ \ M\ \ M\ \\ M\\\ M\ M\ \ M\ \ \|/ ____ \|/ a\\\\\\ a\ \ a\ \a \a \\ a\ a\ \ a\ \ @~/ ,. \~@ r\\\\\\ r\\\ r\ \r \r \\ r\ r\\\ r\\\ /_( \__/ )_\ k\ \ \\ k\ \ k\ \k \k\\\\ k\ \ k\ \ k\ \ ~ \__U_/ ~ \\ \\ \\ \ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\ \ \\ \\ \\\\\\\ \\\\ \\\\ \\ \\ \\\\\\\ \\\\ \\\\\\\ metcalfe@cadence.com Cadence Design Systems, Inc. Phone: (508) 446-6451