CHRISTMAS 2007
Merry Christmas!!! Ho! Ho! Ho! I understand Britain is looking for “slimmer” Santas this year in order to discourage obesity as a lifestyle. Kind of knocks the wind right out of me.
It’s been quite a year. It started with me thumping my cane on First Night to tunes offered by an Elvis Impersonator. The cane was a vestige of my broken pelvis in November, but it was a pretty funny picture just the same. We Elvis generation folks are getting way older – way fast!
And then Boise State University beat Oklahoma (!) in the Fiesta Bowl!!! When I was at Boise State (can it really be 30 years?), playing against Grambling was a coup. So this year they lost against U of Hawaii. I can deal. But I have my BSU license plate holder, which is an attention getter out here on Cape Cod.
We “lost” Carolina back to Chile in July, though the year with her was wonderful. She and Ainsley (and dates) attended several of the proms here on Cape this year. Luckily neither was too proud to wear the same dress several times. Carolina finished an art internship with a local artist, via the Cape Cod Museum of Art, culminating in a public show in May. She gave a wonderful speech at graduation, and has returned to Chile to take her college entrance exams. In Chile, it’s ALL exam, no experience, so we are crossing our fingers, though we know it will all be fine. She is missed here.
Chatham High School won the State Championship in the “We the People” competition – a constitutional law debating forum. Twenty-one of the fifty-one students in Ainsley’s class were on the team. It was very exciting, and the kids all got to go to DC (and so did we) for the national competition, where they comported themselves well and had lots of fun. The sponsoring teacher included Carolina in all the student events by calling her a support person, which was really wonderful. Chatham has won this competition in 13 of the last 15 years or something like that – I would hate to be in the class that doesn’t make it! It was gratifying to see so many older brothers and sisters come from college or wherever to cheer their younger siblings on in this dynasty.
She spent February vacation with her Costa Rican families. The weather was gawdawful getting out and she had the growth experience of spending the night in LAX on some re-directed flight, losing 2 or 3 days of her vacation. Still, it’s hard to feel too sorry for her. She’s become quite the world traveler.
Ainsley finally settled on American University in Washington, DC, and got a generous scholarship into the Kogod School of Business where she is majoring in International Business. She has made a new group of friends and was surprised to find that many of them also are “only children”. We were fortunate to meet many of them and their parents in October during “Family Weekend”. She was home briefly at Thanksgiving. Our lesson learned was one of making reservations EARLY, though I’m not sure she wasn’t trained in reverse, as she got the last seat on the last train (no flights left) – she “had” to come and go first class Acela Express. Needless to say, we were wiser about her Christmas reservations. She will leave Boston Christmas morning to see friends in the Dominican Republic. As she moves on in her adult life, I suppose it is time for Jim and me to make some new Christmas “traditions”. Childhood has been so fleeting. We’re sad she won’t be here for Christmas, but are glad to see her spreading her wings.
She spent the summer working both at the pizza parlor where she has worked before, and at the Chatham Bars Inn, where rooms go for upwards of $1500 – a very la-ti-da place. She was working in housekeeping, where she learned how to clean a room fit for a queen, and help with the Spanish speaking workers as well.
Jim has become very active with the Red Cross this year, although all the “exciting” trips out of town have been stymied by parents weekend at American University or by nursing me after surgery. He delivers donuts and coffee via the ERV (Emergency Response Vehicle) to firefighters when there is a lower or outer Cape fire. He’s been involved in planning for emergency evacuations of the Cape (NOT a simple problem!). He has renewed his interest in citizens band radios as a result of his Red Cross activities, and now has a police scanner which he blessedly does not keep turned on in the house. He has also spent his third (last?) year as a trustee at our church.
I spent summer and fall in various shows. At Cape Rep Theatre, I performed in “Blithe Spirit. Then Harwich Theatre called in August to ask me to play Gloucester in an all women’s version of “King Lear”. Ordinarily, I don’t like people to mess around with Shakespeare, but the woman who put this together was inspired, and the show was unbelievable. And in November I did “Arsenic and Old Lace at the Chatham Drama Guild - one of the Brewster sisters who poison lonely old men and bury them in their basement – it was way fun. My Drama Club at the Middle School chugs on – some really talented youngsters who keep me on my toes; and, of course, our resident playwright Steph DeFerie keeps churning out quality plays for the kids. When they are published (as they usually are), the Chatham Middle School kids are listed as “original cast” – so cool.
I had my right knee replaced in February. It was so successful that I decided to have my left knee replaced last week – December 3. That leaves me time to write a Christmas letter. I have put 2300 miles on my bicycle since getting my right knee done, and hope to be on my bike again late January. Life is good.
We were pleased to be able to spend some time this year with my niece, Christine, and her family in Laurel, Maryland. It’s an added bonus of having Ainsley at American University. We will remain indebted to the “Hotel Schmidt” for some time to come! Most of all, though, it’s been lovely sitting and talking to them, taking walks to the ice cream shop, and listening to the music which emanates from their home.
Jim and I took a “freedom ride” throughout southern Virginia and then north after dropping Ainsley off at American University in August. We visited Jamestown/Williamsburg/Yorktown, then on to Charlottesville and Montecello, south to the “Music Trail” and Galax, VA, where we heard awesome bluegrass, north to Staunton and the Blackfriars Shakespeare Theatre for “Romeo and Juliet”, continuing north through Harpers Ferry, WVa, and finally a couple days in Gettysburg. In Gettysburg, lo and behold, we ran into a Park Ranger who worked with me in the Office for Civil Rights in the early 70’s – surprise!
The early fall saw us drive up to Gardner, MA, where we went every summer of my growing up years – this time, sadly, for the memorial service for my aunt Jeanno. She’s the aunt who told me when I was really young that I had “great gams”. My cousin and I used to sneak cigarettes up in their attic, and that’s where I learned to slide down a cellar door. As always, it was wonderful to see cousins I haven’t seen in too long. It’s just nicer to see them at weddings.
Thanksgiving saw us at my sister Freddi’s house in New Haven as usual; her family is growing and has pretty much pushed us into a hotel. Two grandchildren now – one just 6 weeks old, and another on the way. Two sons-in-law and one long-term significant other. The feeling of family is strong, warm and welcome. Ainsley met us there in New Haven and came back to the Cape with us to work a day before leaving again for D.C.
We are wishing for all our scattered friends a wonderful, holy and peaceful Christmas, and the very best of years ahead.
With our Warmest Regards,
Karen, Jim and Ainsley McPherson