We had a nice week. Now that we’re all retired, Circle can meet any day we want. This time, we wanted Monday. Danita and I hosted lunch. Here you see Tony and Donna Sochurek, Tina and Bill Bauman, Claire McCaig, Dwain Sabiston, and Rose Bertch. The last three are all widowed. It’s a sign of our time of life. I guess.
The trim boards on our deck need attention. I had a contractor I trust take a look. He said he would call back with an estimate. He also said his schedule was pretty full. He didn’t call, so I guess the full schedule won out. I decided I could do the repair myself, if I bought a new tool. It should be in tomorrow! (Hey, even chores can be fun sometimes!)
Danita and I spent several days nailing down the last details of our vacation in France. The only thing left is the ride to Dulles airport and packing our bags. We got a really great air fare to Paris on Air France. I checked it out pretty carefully before buying tickets. I verified the fare included a meal, a carry-on bag, and a checked bag. But I failed to check out the seats. It cost $25 each for us to reserve seats. All in all, it’s still a very good deal.
We had neighborhood parties Saturday and Sunday. Saturday was a concert — three women singing tight harmony plus a pianist. They were very good. Sunday was an ice cream social and bingo. We ate the ice cream and did the socializing, then skipped the bingo.
Our board wanted a change to our website calendar. I proposed a solution that would meet the needs of the board while also meeting the needs of the majority of residents who use our website. (Web statistics are pretty amazing.) After a month of Emails, we were at a stalemate. When we got back, I sent an ally into the board meeting to explain my plan, which was finally accepted. You can see the results if you want. Go to https://www.snowdenoverlook.com/calendar/. It’s simple and lets people do what they want — get a quick answer and move on. I can’t believe how hard it was to get the board to agree to something this simple. A couple of residents have good ideas about how the web page can be reorganized. I plan to remain neutral and implement changes after the battles have been fought.
A neighbor and friend moved and left an Emil Fischer vase behind. This was made in Hungary over 100 years ago. It’s an authentic antique. I was asked to place it on Ebay. It’s easy to post the base, but impossible to meet their expectations for what they think the vase is worth. There’s waiting and indecision. I finally announced that lacking a decision, I will post it Friday and, if necessary, donate the proceeds to charity. That at least does something good with the money and places the vase in the hands of somebody who wants it. I was able to get spectacular pictures for the posting. I used a very sophisticated photo technique. I used a blue fleece as a background and a point-and-shoot camera. The fleece was given to me for working at Assateague park. The results were not so bad, I think.
Mark returned from Physics Olympics Sunday evening. The US team did pretty well. He’ll be here a week, then fly out to San Diego for his new job next Sunday.
I hope this finds everybody doing well.