Mon Aug  3 07:55 EDT 1998
Weekend Update: July 30-August 2

When four out of six us of went to Junior Camp, Joy and Mandy cleaned
the house and it stayed that way until entropy caught up to us over
the weekend.

Last Thursday, I hosted a picnic for my publications colleagues so we
dressed the place up to the nines.  On Friday, Mandy and Jessie came
back from Sr. High Camp and then hosted a final going-away party for
Alaina Martin.  On Saturday, we had company for fun and music practice
for the Sunday evening service (which I enjoyed very much!).  And
Sunday, we had guests for lunch.

This coming Saturday, there will be another going-away party for Jeff
Lane who is off to Seminary.  For those of you who are planning to
attend but haven't traveled the Rte. 113 detour yet, let me know and
I'll send you the shortcut directions.

The pool has been in good service these days with sunny weather and in
the 80s.  Our pool water has remained cool, unlike - I am sure - my
uncle Ken's pool in Texas where Dallas has seen temperatures over 100
degrees for four week straight!  Oi!  The weather has been pretty
weird here, too, though much less severe than the rest of the country,
I think.  But some crops are doing very nicely and some haven't done
well at all.  We have a bumper crop of blueberries and blackberries,
but lost almost all of our plums.  I'm very hopeful for our seedless
concord grapes.  There are other things getting ready for harvest and
consumption, too, so now is the time to visit the manor.

Sunday morning everyone but Mandy was down for breakfast.  I said,
"look around guys, because this is us in four weeks."  College looms
and we're all keenly aware of the impending transition.  Miranda has
decided to switch rooms with Jessica on Jessica's birthday (8/19).
Mandy wants to give herself time to make up the room she'll have when
she returns from college.  (It is Jessica's turn at the big bedroom
when Mandy goes to college.)  Her decision was a little jolt for me
because we would have done it after she was gone, but this is a wise
thing for them to do.  I am trying to look at all the positive things,
such as having Poppy and Grandma across the street, sitting under
Dad's ministry for a time, an Uncle who is a soft touch for borrowing
a car, refirgerator raids... she won't be homesick so much as we will
feel the vacuum of her absence, and not just the freedom of having
another driver in the house!

That's the news from Lake Wobegone...

Mark
        __________          Mark Metcalfe
     .- __   / -- -\        Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
    / <___> ___  | |\-      270 Billerica Road MS04
 .^| _---_ /   \ =   / \    Chelmsford, MA 01824
 |o |  =  / o | |   ||  |   Phone: (978) 446-6451
 =0=======0==|  |----|  |=  Fax:   (978) 446-6351
  \_\_/    \_\_/   \_\_/    metcalfe@cadence.com