Subject: Weekend Update: June 29-July 5 1999
Date:    Tue 7/6/99  9:56am

Bring on those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer!  Please, the lazy
ones for a while!

After Dad and Mom's marathon retirement last weekend, it was marathon
moving week, packing up 22 years of ministry at the Wollaston church.
I took the day off work on Tuesday and Joy and I went to help pack up
a few rooms in the house.  The temperatures outside were in the 90s
and humid.  As Dad and I walked over to the church to pack up his
study, "Stretch" (the youth pastor) stopped and asked if we could use
some help.  Dad hemmed a little, not wanting to put someone out, but I
said, "Yes, thank you!"  And it was very good for me to have the extra
body to get a lot of packing of two studies (home and church), tools
from the basement and other miscellaneous items boxed and taped up.
Loretta Fish also stopped by in the afternoon... "Can I help?"  "Yes!
Thank you!" I said.  ;-)

On Thursday, the movers came and from the report I received, most of
the stuff was moved with the remaining stuff to follow in dribs and
drabs.  My brother Stephen is house sitting for the church for the
next month.  

While Mom and Dad moved, my family went with the Shaw family (our
guests for the week) to the Basin in the White Mountains of New
Hampshire and spent the day in the cold mountain water.  Having
company with us for the week had several added benefits because David
used his carpentry skills to frame a new door for me, tightened an old
hinge that I never got to, and erected the basketball hoop that I was
having trouble getting to, too.  I am very grateful.

The Shaws left in time on Saturday morning to give us a couple of
hours to straighten up before my family arrived for our annual 4th of
July get together.  Russell's family didn't make it, but the rest of
us enjoyed the pool and fireworks display on the Pepperell Town field
later that evening.  For a small town, we put on a nice show.  Nina
C. brought her two girls for their first fireworks display and they
gave it two thumbs up.

On Sunday, we had all-American hot dogs after church and the evening
service was canceled so that some familes could enjoy fellowship and
fireworks in Lowell.  We headed home to relax for the rest of the day
along with several other families.  Some of them liked it so much that
they returned on Monday to continue the fun in the water and cookouts.
I intended to trim my hedges on Monday, but the heat pushed me
poolside for the entire day.

This morning, I received a phone call at 4:44AM.  My daughter was
calling to tell me that the van broke down in the UPS parking lot.  At
quarter to five, it sounded to me as if she was describing a blown
engine or transmission; we're talking four figures in repairs; cheaper
to roll it off a cliff!.  When I got to the van at 7:00 (after trying
to get one more precious hour of sleep), I think the problem may be
the alternator since she later described circumstances as losing
electrical power.  I drove the van from UPS to Cadence and think I can
limp it home to our local garage this afternoon for some diagnosis.
Miranda took the car.

In two weeks, I'll be this tired again as I embark on another tour of
duty at kids' summer camp as a counselor.  I hope the craft this year
is a hammock1

Mark


     /\      /\      Mark Metcalfe, Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
____:^)-----<__L____ 270 Billerica Road, MS04
     \/      \       Chelmsford, Massachusetts 01824
              \_     Phone: (978) 446-6451  Fax: (978) 446-6351