Mon Sep 15 08:20 EDT 1997
September 12-14

NOTE: Toonerville Rook Tournament at the Manor 9/20 6:00
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On Frdiay night we had a mini-reunion of youth workers, because
Brian Bollinger and David Shaw were both at the Manor.  Brian and
his wife, Jill, graciously accepted an invitation to dinner.  Then
later on in the week, I remembered that I had committed to pick David
Shaw up at the airport.  Fortunately, Brian knew David too since we
were all together when Brian was a young teen inthe junior high group
that Dave and I led.  Brian now leads the junior high group at Wollaston.
Makes me proud as punch.

Saturday morning, we got Dave to the church late for the Sunday School
convention, stopping at a 15-family, 'round the street yard sale.  David
wanted to buy several lovelies for his wife and family but knew they
couldn't go on the plane; especially that light blue divan on which
Elvis purportedly sat.  We slowed the car down as we passed the church
so Dave could jump out without serious injury on our way to the company
picnic in Haverhill.  There was free food (hamburgers, chips, strawberry
shortcake), swimming, and miniature golf that we enjoyed before heading
over to Rich and Wendy Gonzalez' house for more free food (hamburgers,
chips, strawberry shortcake; how were they to know!?).  As some of you
know, Wendy socializes with people in the deaf community.  Well, she also
invited a couple of deaf single persons to join us for dinner.  A blind
date!  If she matches any more people, we're going to hang a shingle
outside her house.  ;-)

On Sunday, I caught 25 minutes of horizontal Z's in between other activities,
such as being nearly the only ones in a Chinese food restaurant with friends,
Brian and Melissa Andrew.  But yesterday was also one of those occasional
times where I was scheduled to sing in both the Sunday morning and evening
services.  In the morning, the men's quartet harkened back to the old time
camp meeting, singing a hand-clapping, toe-tapping, knee-slapping rendition
of "Are you Washed in the Blood?"  But in the evening, I got to sing a song
that I've wanted to sing for years but didn't have the talent to back me
up.  Jeff Adams brought in his acoustic guitar and I told him how I wanted
to sing the song.  When I was a kid, we had an old record of the Bedford-
Styverson (sp?) Choir (black choir from New York City) and one song was
a soulful rendition of "Pass Me Not."  So we met together at 4 to bang it
out.  Jeff gave the song a very slow rhythm and blues strain and I can't
tell you how much fun the two of us had doing the song.  (I used to record
my church recordings - to enjoy them later - but since the new sound
system went in many months ago, the sound going into the tape machine
doesn't match the sound that is mixed for the gathered congregation.)

The auction happens on Tuesday; I expect a crowd now that September is
here.  We're also hosting a Toonerville Rook Tournament at the Manor on
Saturday evening, if any of you are interested in joining us.  This will
be our 32nd tournament in 10 years of tournament play.  "I'll buy that."

Mark
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