We Must Be Getting Old!

It took a card from Allan to reminder us that we were celebrating our 48th wedding anniversary. The guys (got to stop calling them the boys) remembered by calling us. But we didn't remember! Well, we had lunch at Applebee's and called it a celebration (met the Kneebones there so that constituted a public gathering to honor the occasion). We're both planning to remember the anniversary two years hence - if someone will remind us with sufficient lead time to prepare!

The 4th at Coolidge Festival

We intended to spend the bulk of the day watching the parade and viewing the various sites at the Coolidge farmstead on the 4th of July. However, the ever persistent rain changed our plans and we settled for lunch at the Pot Belly. Janet did get a chance to greet a "friend" at Coolidge.

Papa Pace on Facebook

Trying to keep up with the "social" networking stuff that seems to abound now, Ralph created a Facebook page for anyone who is interested. It can be directly accessed via www.facebook.com/papapace. When you get there, you can also access a TW3 (That Was The Week That Was - TV show) page by searching for "TW3" or clicking the TW3 button. I guess this is progress.

Gathering to Honor Allan's 70th

Janet and I met Allan along with Herb and Shirley at Chez Albert in Amherst (MA) this past Thursday to honor Allan's 70th birthday. Over some fine wine and a very pleasant lunch, the old timers enjoyed good company, discussions of future activities (Allan is planning a two-week train ride to the northwest which will be highlighted by a Vancouver to Toronto trip), and, fortunately, very little about our health. We forgot to bring a camera - which at our advancing ages was probably a benefit.

Garden Club Holds Plant Sale

The Ludlow Garden Club held its annual plant sale May 30 to raise funds for some of its operations throughout the town. Janet contributed both annuals and perennials to the effort. Not sure how many people purchased plants but there were certainly quite a few garden club members active, as may be seen from the above photo.

Janet Receives Flowers from Boys

On here return from her visit to Georgia to visit Douglas and Veronica, Janet was welcomed home with a gift of flowers from Stephen, Jeffery, and Douglas. It was a Mother's Day gift from her three "boys".

Birthday Trilogy in VT-MA-GA

It all began with a "surprise" birthday gathering at 1 Whispering Pines as friends honored Janet and Ralph for their birthdays (technically, May 14). It was a fun evening with the usual suspects that made the 75th birthday bearable. Some of the crowd at this festivity may be viewed by clicking here.

Following this celebration, we journeyed to Springfield where we had dinner with Marge Baker, Herb and Shirley Pace, Barbara and Jim Boland, Arlene "Smithie" Haeseler, and Allan Nelson at the Storrowtown Tavern. It was great to see my siblings and friends again.

Following our get together in Springfield, we then commenced our drive down to Athens, GA to visit Douglas and Veronica in their new home. Enroute to GA, we managed to take the time to drive part of Skyline Drive in VA and tour the Luray Caverns (quite impressive). When we reached Athens, we were treated to a special dinner with Douglas and Veronica that was a treat from all three boys (men!). We enjoyed a second party where we met some of their friends from Argentina along with our fantasy football member, Jack Frost, aka Scott.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit in Athens - and even managed to make a positive connection with their dog (after a bitting start).

During on return trip to Vermont, we stopped at the Natural Bridge in VA and took in the evening performance of the Universe's Creation. The next day we stopped at Gettysburg to view the battlefields and the magnificent film outlining the history of that three day battle.

Due to an "act of God" following this - a stone cracking the windshield, we had to head back to VT. The entire GA trip is photographically captured here.