1987

Seasons Greetings

It has been a long time since we last rounded out a fading year with a "canned " letter to tell friends or family about more or less significant events in our lives . This year has been somewhat exceptional and we very much like to share our own excitement with the recipients of the season ' s greetings . The high point of 1987 was Ralph's marriage in April to Margaret Clark, a delightful young lawyer who is sharing his workplace as well as the home . The festivities took place in Washington and were memorable affairs. The marriage ceremony and the following dinner-dance were designed and arranged by the young couple. The respective families stayed in the same hotel and celebrated before and after the wedding. A great time was had by all! Following a honeymoon cruise on a "Windjammer " in the Caribbean Ralph and Margaret moved into Ralph's house in Arlington, which had been enlarged and refurbished .

As to our girls -- Shirley continues to work and live in Richmond , while Eleanor maintains her devotion to the West Coast . She spent much of the summer in Mexico and Guatemala to improve her Spanish. The old folks returned to the Midwest in May, first to Chicago for the annual Psychiatric Meeting followed by a nostalgia journey to visit old friends in Missouri .

In August we joined an AARP tour of the Soviet Union which included Moscow, Yerevan , Tbilisi , Yalta , Rostov-on-Don and Leningrad. It was an ambitious under taking that spanned three weeks and left us pretty exhausted. Intourist is quite compulsive about showing the country, and so we skimmed the surface of numerous attractions without ever plumbing their depths . Having to return to one ' s Hotel for all three meals meant several bus rides a day. Travel between cities was by plane (Aeroflot) an experience in itself because amenities in the S.U. are kept to a minimum. This is especially true for hotels and restaurants where one never knows what is for show and what for real. The natives accept shortcomings with equanimity . Unfortunately we had too little contact with them, largely because of language barrier. There were no movement restrictions , and some times we played hooky from the tour and went our own way. Public transportation is plentiful and inexpensive and one always finds someone ready to explain the intricacies of a fare machine or to direct you. We do not know if it was the result of the new spirit or our naïveté -- we never felt watched or coerced . Soviet bureaucracy of course shares the lack of imagination and obstinacy of its brethren elsewhere which may be annoying at times . But there also exceptions whose patience has given way to resignation and a certain humor. I (H.) am thinking of an elderly security guard at an airport who quit in dismay when the electronic gate continued to ping after my third passage through it . At the risk of generalizing we can say that the people in the South (Armenia and Georgia) are far laid back than their counterparts in Moscow.

We have been back for over three months by now, and our daily lives have reverted to their routine . I keep busy with consultations and related activities while Janine devotes much time to the League of Women Voters and the Council of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. We still occupy the same far too big house and always welcome guests.