MAY-B-3

THE INTENSIVE VISIT TO THE NEW DERWOOD

BY MY SISTERS SHIRLEY, MILLY AND DOUG

AND THE COMPLETION OF MUCH OF THE RESETTLEMENT DETAILS AS I GET READY TO MOVE BACK IN TO “DERWOOD REDUX;”

VISITS AT LAKES NEEDWOOD AND FRANK, AND BENNIGANS’ WITH THE AUKWARD FAMILY FOR A COMBINED MOTHER’S DAY LUNCH, AND A DINNER AT CLYDES’ FOLLOWED BY A TOUR OF THE

NEW DC MALL MONUMENTS

May 8—11, 2004

It has been a whirlwind! My sisters, each commemorating a significant birthday this year, have worked like cooleys with Doug Holtvluwer taking no back seat in this department as well, and together, we have accomplished almost all of the moving in process—despite my running off before the process is complete! From the moment of our arrival on Saturday night, we unpacked a couple of boxes to get out the utensils we would need to use for breakfast, and then from that time forward, Shirl’s target was the clearance of the packed up Master Bedroom. Box after box was opened and the stuffings of which I had rendered the contents padded were pulled out. A lot of stuff was put on the shelves of the kitchen, even before all the shelves were delivered to the new cheery wood cabinetry. We filled the pantry and the dishes and cooling ware were put out for the use of the first persons to be living in the house. Those first persons were me and my sisters, although I felt like I was more transient than they, since I simply pulled up that little cot in the basement and stayed down there where it was cool, but it is also on a foam mattress that had been sitting on the floor of the old basement, so it was musty enough to give me a stuffed up nose.

We worked for several hours on Sunday morning, then got cleaned up in the new shower stalls, and went to the neighboring Shady Grove Presbyterian Church—not only our nearest church, but one I can virtually see most of the year as the only thing within line of sight north of me—until the foliage has just come out. It was a good service, and as Mother’s Day they gave a corsage to the woman with the youngest baby and the one with the oldest child. A grandmother with a sixty two year old son won the one, and a woman who had a four week old baby won the other—it was pointed out that this was the third time she had won this award! We then went over to Lake Needwood so Shirl could see where she had often heard me talking to her by way of tape recording, and then I directed them to walk from Lake Needwood to the Lake Frank Dam, where I intercepted them by driving the Pilot over to this deserted lake. They enjoyed the green space that surrounds me here on my running routes. In the interval Joe had called, and we agreed to meet them at Bennigan’s Restaurant, which was Betty’s choice, and as a Mother’s Day treat she was free to choose. I had a later reservation for Clyde’s but postponed that to tomorrow lunch. We got there with all three kids and the Aukwards whom my sisters and Doug were happy to meet. We had a good lunch entertained by the kids and had a chance to hear about Joe’s aspirations to make it to Athens for the Olympics and possibly to have the whole family go too. We will hear later these next few weeks.

We then came back to do some more work on the house, as I emptied the stuff that had been dumped in the cedar closet in the attic and could prepare it to receive some winter clothes. Doug and Milly went after the less desirable job of working on the basement, all of it covered in the dust and plaster powder of the construction process. Even the sewing room was put together in time to receive a few of the file cases of slides. We had intended to put them all in the storage room, but the floor was wet, as it turns out, due to the lack of a conducing pipe out of the condenser for one of the heat pumps. That will be corrected and I might then put some of the metal file cases over there.

We went to bed tired on the evening to start all over again in the morning. There was a concerted attack on all the boxes of books and the photo albums. I had put together the big queen bed in the guest room, and Doug and Milly had put away the air mattress they had brought down with them. So, all day the books and bookcases were filled and dusted for the guest room. Most of the medial books went there as well as all but the current year of the photo albums in four sets of standing book cases. We interrupted only long enough to get cleaned up and go over to Clyde’s at Tower Oaks Lodge. I could take them on a tour and then we got a special history run down from the waiters who were pleased that one of the regulars had brought his family.

We left from Clyde’s to a long standing in wait at the home Depot where I had made extra keys, which the clerk did not have the number for so could not ring up the charges. Doug got some dowels cut for the hanging bars in the cedar closet, and we also bought dustpans and other such cleaning stuff to go along with the multiple rags that Milly made by cutting my towels in two. We stopped for me to get books on tape for the long drive over the rest of the week, and to pick up all the hanging suit bags from Diane’s house. We got back to work, and continued until the library was almost fully and rationally stocked and looking good. I even had taken out the oriental rugs I had purchased all over the world and spread them around the game room. Mike McKeeson would be coming over on Tuesday and I had listed those items we had found that were missing and not working, and Sandy Shelar would be coming over with the other furniture pieces on Thursday after each of us are gone.

We got an early start on Tuesday, with me going to the Dentist appointment I had made six months ago for when I would be between tips, and then came back to see the painters and other workers swarming over the house as Doug had shown them what was missing and the last of the sewing room was cleaned up. Then we all got ready and I drove with Shirl in the car and the Pilot b behind me with Doug and Milly in it down the Canal Road to GW. Shirl got out and I parked the Audi there, and then drove them around Arlington cemetery and a few other landmarks of the city. When we came upon a Constitution Avenue parking place, we took it and then began our efficient walking tour of the monuments and memorials of the DC Mall, staring with the one so new as not to be officially open as yet.

The WW II memorial will be dedicated on Memorial Day, with a lot of the old time veterans who survived this holocaust of global proportions coming to the Mall to celebrate—for which special wheelchair ramps and other items have been installed. The Memorial is a good backdrop for photos, with a simple design, with towers of the European and Pacific Theaters, and fountains spraying and arches for each state’s contributions of soldiers. We took photos until my camera battery failed, then went to the Vietnam Memorial, passing the statue of the Army nurse, and then the Lincoln Memorial, and on to the one that they liked most—the Korean War memorial—with the photo etched reflective marble showing the support people overlooking the troops on patrol.

We then walked under the cherry trees that had been in blossom when I had left Washington to go to Taiwan thereby leaving my Cherry Blossom Ten Miler entry going begging, and we walked through the endless FDR Memorial. We then went to the Jefferson memorial and walked around the Tidal Basin. When we came out the other side, I had a plan for them, which was to go to the Holocaust Museum –briefly—and then go to the Air and Space Museum, then duck in briefly to see the Fekovyi Elephant at the Natural History Museum. That would take them to closing time at the museums which are just ahead of the summer rush of school’s out kids inundating the air conditioned museums. I had to be in Norfolk for the reception party of the “PTP” (Physicians’ Training Program”) Of Operation Smile, and that is a three and a half hour drive down to Norfolk through the bridges and tunnels. So, at the door of the Holocaust Museum spraying cold air out into the hot DC Mall, I said goodbye with the instructions for how to walk back to the car and then an easy direct drive back to Derwood. There they worked some more but went to bed early as they had an exhausting but exhilarating couple of days here. They made good time in the morning, since I called them at Somerset getting on the Pennsylvania turnpike at about 8:30 AM.

I took the Metro back to GW and dropped a roll of film and also packed up the Audi and drove off at the last known gas price of $1.79, and drove that tankfull down to Norfolk to reach the next price benchmark of well over $2.00. I made reasonable time and got there in the perfect timing of the reception for the 52 physicians from around the world and the three World Care kids with severe facial deformities who would be undergoing craniofacial reconstruction, one an 11-year old girl named Emru from Iraq, a boy from Venezuela and a girl from Morocco. For the evening, to put both physicians and patients at ease, Bill Magee danced YMCA and the Macarena, and had everyone socialize in a carefully planned relaxation time so that everyone would get to know and not be intimidated by each other—especially young patients who might have a lot to fear.

I am the house guest of Bill and Cathy Magee and we will all get to know each other much better as the week goes on. It is an ideal time and place to be doing just what I ma doing—and I am grateful to my sisters for making this all possible.

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