December 1994

WITH ALL BEST WISHES FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON

Dear

One of the tricky features of aging is the unpredictable duration of time. Small units such as hours or days stay fairly constant, but the larger units are choreographed to a different rhythm which is geared to trip one up as one gets older. I have the uncanny feeling that maybe a week or so has elapsed since we toasted the arrival of the past year. Whatever became of it ? Is there some time-related black hole of Calcutta that gobbles up slices of time or must we blame the old villain "Memory" for the defect ? Indeed much of the past year was spent looking for misplaced objects. Things are quite mischievous, and one of the functions of the retired state is to search the universe for objects that one is sure of having relegated to a "safe place". If things can vanish, why not events ? As soon as I understood that the barely started 1994 was prematurely coming to an end I realized that a number of people out there were anxiously awaiting our fascinating annual message. I hate to disappoint you but I have plumb forgotten what we did through the year. Fortunately Janine is not only a dedicated photographer but also a careful archi- vist who records and preserves happenings relating to the family. Thus we can spare ourselves a lengthy search of lost time and find innediate relief in beautifully decorated and care fully inscribed albums to be found in most rooms of our much too big house.

With the aforementioned help I recollected that we joined a Christmas cruise to the Caribbean last year. We had visited some of the places be fore - but at different times of the year. We also had the good fortune to enjoy stimulating company and interesting table mates. A very successful trip, indeed ! The following May we spent a few lovely days in Atlantic Beach, a small resort on the North Carolina coast opposite the southernmost tip of the Outer Banks. The nearest place was called Emerald Isle which in a way prepared us for our next travel goal - Ireland, I had always hankered for a glimpse of the old sod, and in July we joined a Grand Circle tour that took us to Dublin, Galway and Killarney with diverse excursions from each town. The landscape is fascinating, the natives charming and the weather - well, the weather is Irish, meaning unpredictable and subject to sudden change. You just must be suitably prepared. Once again we were fortunate in finding ourselves among a most congenial group of fellow travelers. Finally we completed our time away from home in September when we visited daughter Eleanor in Northern California and let ourselves be overwhelmed by the rough grandeur of Yosemite National Park. We also crisscrossed vine-growing Napa Valley and explored the fog-bound coastline, an amazing contrast to the sun- drenched region right behind it. Although I continue to have my owm reservations concerning California, I can understand the attraction and Eleanor's attachment to her chosen homestead.

On the other hand we are very much chained to Richmond. It is hard to believe that this is our twenty-third year hef in the sane house, although we are not even attached to town or state. Objectively, Richmond has many attractions, and Virginia ís certainly beautiful. But we have not been able to take root in the place probably we were already too old for that when we came here. I suppose that one needs a whole lot of personal memories in order to feel truly at home in a location. Our own cover too vast an area by virtue of frequent moves and by now relate more to people than places. Unfortunately we are at the stage of life when persons of our past are vanishing. and we had our share of sad news during the past year. But there is also much joy in the present which helps us carry on. We are grateful to have one daughter in town and our son with family not far away. Shirley is very busy revamping Blue Cross to meet the needs of health care. She often joins us for lunch because her place of work is close to our home. We get to see Ralph and family about once a month Either we drive up to Arlington or they visit here. The grandchildren grow by leaps and bounds. Evan, soon to be six, started Kindergarten this Fall while Magdy, almost 4, attends preschool. To us they appear amazingly advanced for their age and quite gifted. At least we reserve the privilege of seeing them through the eyes of doting grandparents. I must not forget one other family member who has been with us for twelve and a half years, our faithful, very noisy Cairn terrier Monty. He too loves the grandchildren and takes advantage of their company when they visit. At other times he is quite languid and lazy as befits an elderly gentleman. He does come very much to life as soon as Janine tries to operate his old foe, the dishwasher. We have never found out why, after all these years, certain gadgets arouse his ire.

Our own lives continue on the same track although we have not been entirely spared some problems of old age. Janine continues her volunteer work in the local Botanical Garden whereas she more or less gave up her Museum activities. I still visit the Veterans' Hospital one morning per week to see a few patients. I notice that some of my remarks echo previous communications which is probably inevitable, Perhaps this is not even so bad - the alternative strikes me as rather unpleasant.

As always we hope to hear from you all and wish you the very best for the new year and many more to come!!