I am blessed with many friends and while staying at my parents’ house in Clarksville, VA the last 7 weeks, I was able to reconnect with friends and family making it a very nice visit indeed! Early in our VA stay, we took a trip to Raleigh, NC and spent time with the Douglass and Stover families, and also saw Terry’s sister Betsy & husband Bob. It's always nice to hang out with the Douglass family, and this trip we got to meet new puppies Duke and Sandy. They didn't really make best friends with Rocket, but we enjoyed their enthusiasm! Next in MD we saw niece Jenna Warren graduate Rockville HS, and we stayed with Terry's sister Barbara. We are so proud of Jenna who graduated with honors and is in the top 5% of all MD seniors! She heads to McDaniel College in the Fall. We enjoyed graduation, the lunch afterwards with Maureen, the Warren family, Romey and Timmy, Amanda and especially Barbara's rendition of the happy graduation song in the restaurant (restaurant had emptied by then, but the wait staff joined in and gave Jenna a free desert). We spent a few days with Barbara in Annapolis and had a lot of fun with her and the ‘madman across the water’ (Ross) on their new boat. I also marveled at the ospreys nesting and the fox and her kits frolicking on their property. We also had a lot of fun with niece Kiki and her kids (Wyatt, Nolan and Abigail) at Barbara's pool! One day I drove into DC to visit with dear friend and former coproducer of several documentaries - Eleanor Grant. We enjoyed some fish tacos in Adams Morgan and got caught up while walking her dog Mika - always nice to visit those two! That afternoon Terry and I also had a quick visit with dear friend Kevin Charles and his doggy, Morgan.
My next trip was to friend Patti Devlin's cabin in WV for an overnight of relaxation, kayaking, tubing and enjoying the Shenandoah River plus spending some time with her sister Donna. Patti and I have been friends for about 30 years, meeting because our husbands grew up together and becoming life-long BFFs. Patti is a wonderfully compassionate, strong woman with a joy for life. The next day we returned to her home in Rockville to celebrate her birthday at a party thrown by husband Joe and neighbor Lori - it was a fabulous, fun night, and I got to see other old friends Melissa and MaryBeth Rizzio, as well as Joe and son Tommy. Next morning, on my way to Richmond, I stopped at my college roommate’s home - Kathy Phillips Stablein - for muffins and conversation. What a joy to catch up with someone I spent 2 years living with in college - someone I adore and am always delighted to see. It was a bonus to meet her daughter Emily and their crazy dog Henry, even though he jumps exuberantly and slobbers a bit, I found him quite interesting. From Springfield, VA I drove to Richmond and lunched with two sorority sisters (Sigma Kappa) Rebecca Sullivan Cox and Carolyn Ackerman Meyer. We had Mexican food together, and then Rebecca and I went shopping. These are two of my sisters that are part of a group of 6-7 of us that get together every year or so. I treasure the friends I made in college, especially my sorority sisters with whom I shared many good times. I'm so glad I joined Sigma Kappa as a freshman and had 4 years to get close to some wonderful people, friends for life. In Richmond, I spent the night with my niece Heather and was able to visit her classroom (she's a middle school teacher). She and her cat Olive were good hosts and companions, and we had a nice seafood dinner and drinks with her friend Sam at East Coast Provisions, within walking distance of her apartment. Also near Richmond, my mom, dad and I visited dad’s twin, Rucker. His health is ailing but, he made some jokes and enjoyed the visit. |