2000 Second Half

We once again spent July 4 in Ocean City with the Harders. I think we tried out a different condo, but otherwise we were getting into a groove. Traditions included a carryout dinner of ribs the first night (usually from J/R’s, now closed), dinner at a small Italian place we liked (Antipasti, I think), one or two trips to the Boardwalk and some time at Trimper’s Rides. I would sneak in a round or two of golf at various courses while we were there. Otherwise, we would hang out at the beach where the kids could goof around, I would dig holes, Barb would get some sun, Ashley would read and I’m not sure what Larry did.

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Barb helped me get more serious in my hole-digging by procuring some better implements. The little orange shovel was especially useful. I also got a little more help than before from Allie and Maddie. This led to bigger holes for bigger girls (and boys). There was a dropoff, however, in the quality of the workmanship.

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Some Harder family pictures. Phil was still working on the whole concept of eating an Italian ice.

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I’m pretty sure this was our third time in Ocean City with the Harders — we also did it in 1998 and in 1996 — and the second time for July 4. We once again saw the fireworks at Northside Park but spent less time there wandering around or taking photos.

Our stop at Trimper’s on the Boardwalk was always a welcome break. Their classic indoor rides were low on thrills but high on nostalgia.

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Allie looked a little forlorn on the July 2000 cover of the Social Security Administration newsletter. She was identified as part of the Woodlawn daycare center though she had already moved to Love of Learning the previous fall. I’m not sure if the photo was just very old or if Barb shoehorned her into the CFC lunchbag donation effort.

Later in July, we threw a going-away party for Betsy, Joe and their girls before they moved to Colorado. Joe had for years worked with his brother Tom building custom houses in Virginia. I think Joe came to the conclusion that he needed a new environment to build his own life and tracked down a job with a construction company in Colorado. Betsy could transfer her teaching credentials to Colorado with some extra coursework and the girls could build a new set of friends and adventures in Colorado’s great outdoors. It was a courageous decision for them to jump into something new.

As each of our families got busier with our girls, and being an hour or more away depending on traffic, it wasn’t like we were seeing Betsy and Joe all that often in the preceding few years. I played golf with Joe from time to time and we all got together for holidays and special events, but day-to-day interactions steadily diminished. Nevertheless, we knew we would miss them and see them even less once they moved to Colorado. We wished them the best but also wished they wouldn’t go.

The going away party was held by Betsy’s choice at an Italian restaurant in Leesburg, That’s Amore (now extinct). We invited a mix of family friends and Joe and Betsy’s Virginia buddies.

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The party included lots of Betsy and Joe’s friends. I can’t remember all of them but maybe someday Betsy and Joe can fill in the blanks.

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Here are shots of the kids’ table. The little TV/video player was my contribution from work. We used it for demos in our trade show booth and I stole it for this occasion at Barb’s request so the kids would have some distraction. It was a hit.

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After the party, Barb insisted on carting the recycling back to Betsy’s house. Ann Walters volunteered her minivan. Afterwards, we retreated to Joe’s parents’ house (I think) to open a few going away gifts.

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I think Auntie Jessie also threw a going away party for Betsy and Joe at her house. I’m not 100% sure, but we have this non-Christmas photo from Betsy of “the girls and little John” at Jessie’s house, so I’m going with that guess. The photo of Kristen and Allie is at our house and likewise I don’t have a date, but I think it was from around this time shortly before they headed west.

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Back in our world, we wanted to make sure Allie knew how to swim but neither of us were much interested in getting in the water to teach her. Barb solved the dilemma by finding swimming lessons at the Y in Ellicott City near Long Gate. I became the designated driver for this activity, taking Allie on Saturday mornings. She took lessons there for a couple of sessions, and also at CCBC in Catonsville. She didn’t drown and eventually learned to swim like a fish, though it was a near thing from time to time.

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I’m not sure exactly when I started getting partial-season tickets to Orioles games at Camden Yards. I remember attending a few games at the old Memorial Stadium before they opened Camden Yards in 1992 and single games in the great new park, often with Tony, Larry or Gerard. Tony and Larry had their own season packages and I guess that was inspiration for me. I got my initial 13-game package in a cheap section (next to the top row of section 17 near first base). The seats were obstructed by the overhang of the upper deck but there were TV monitors so we could see replays and things. The seats were decent but ungodly cold sometimes since they were in something of a wind tunnel. After several years, I moved to seats in the upper deck (section 226, I think) which were much nicer and eventually got seats in the front row of that section. I felt like I owned the place.

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I enjoyed baseball and hoped to instill a love of the game in Allie. It sort of worked: she enjoys the experience of going to games and eating hot dogs. More often than not, I went to weekday evening games alone, which was fine with me. I was happy to bring Allie for weekend games. We would spend time roaming the concourse scoping out food and checking out the Orioles Kids Club play area. From time to time we would see portions of the game.

One of the highlights each season was a special chance for kids to run the bases. Nowadays they do it every Sunday, but back in our day they only did it a couple of times each season. In the summer of 2000, Allie got her first opportunity to run the bases. We had to go downstairs in the 8th inning to get a number and wait in line for the end of the game. After game was over and the crowd departed, the kids were ushered down to field level and given a turn to run from first base around to home. It was very exciting for both of us to be on the field, if only for a few minutes.

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In August, Laurie came down from Philadelphia to spend a long weekend with us exploring the Eastern Shore. We based ourselves in Chestertown at the Brampton Inn and focused on the northern part of the Eastern Shore. I remember several pleasant days exploring the historic district of Chestertown and the riverside where we found the big red watercycle, and driving around to Tolchester Beach, Rock Hall and the Eastern Neck Wildlife Refuge. We had several good meals in Chestertown as well, though I can’t recall exactly which restaurants. It was a nice little break.

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We found a roadside sunflower field and couldn’t resist the photo opportunity. The dress Allie’s wearing was a purchase I brought back from Nice, France, where I’d been for a week-long conference.

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In close proximity to the Chestertown pictures, we have these with Laurie watching TV with Allie at Grandmom and Grandpops’ house in Singer Island. I guess we must have gone there in the summer as well. These photos were taken at their Sugar Sands condo where they moved after selling their Powell Drive house. No more boat in the back yard or pool, though the boat was still docked very close and the community pool was a bit further away.

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One of Allie’s best friends at Love of Learning was a girl named Katie, here with her little brother, Colin. Katie and Allie were in Miss Hema’s class together. Barb remembers that we gave Katie’s mom our Nordic Track exercise machine that had been gathering dust in our guest bedroom for a number of years. Also, here’s a shot from a random summer gathering, probably some other kids’ birthday party. We lost track of these people, but we include evidence that Allie made friends during these years.

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At some point over the summer, Barb and Allie went with Stephanie and Kristen to Toby’s Dinner Theatre production of “42nd Street“. Toby’s was a Columbia institution for many years; I believe I went there once but can’t remember the show. Barb and Stephanie were looking for something to do with the girls and thought they were going to see a Charlie Brown musical but got their dates mixed up (we’ll blame Stephanie). Since they were there and all dressed up, the decided to see “42nd Street” which may not have been exactly age-appropriate for 5-year olds but I believe everyone enjoyed the snappy tunes.

In August, Betsy sent a thank you note for their going away party and included some photos from their trip out to Colorado.

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Shortly before leaving, Betsy took Sara and Kristen for one more goodbye at Fred’s tree. There’s even a memorial plaque if we ever find it again.

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I believe the Embreys drove 16 hours non-stop to Kansas City to spend a night with Barb (O’Neill) and Brad Douglas and their kids. Then they drove another 9 hours to Denver. Photos from the trip are mostly credited to Kristen and the captions are from Betsy. A highlight was discovery of Sonic, “a fast food place that serves grilled cheese sandwiches, too (Kristen’s favorite). They also serve the food like the old ‘Tops’ — on trays at your car window,” notes Betsy.

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Once in Colorado, they took their first trip into the mountains to Vail and Pike’s Peak.

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At some point, we went on a farm outing with Maddie and Phil. I can’t remember when or where this was, but it looks like I was there. It might have been at Larriland Farm in Howard County. In any case, there are some good shots of the kids.

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As October came, so did the birthdays. Now that Allie was an accomplished swimmer, we planned a party centered around the pool at the Columbia Gym in River Hill. Barb remembers getting invitations out to the kids at Love of Learning a few weeks ahead in September only to find that another kid, Chris, was going to have a party on the same day and time. Frantic negotiations ensued and fortunately Chris’s mom was able to reschedule their party for a later time in the afternoon. Crisis averted, thanks to Barb’s work. I, of course, was clueless and didn’t remember any of that.

The Columbia Gym offered a birthday package that included time in their gym, a birthday cake party area and the pool. We started with activities like scootering and parachute time in the gym, supervised by the staff so we didn’t have to get involved.

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Then we moved into the party room for birthday cake.

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And then it was pool time. The gym’s pool had a cool play area for kids.

Allie video, October 8, 2000, Birthday pool party (3:06).
Everyone in the pool. Very noisy.

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From Allie’s party, we and some of the other Love of Learning kids went straight over to Chris’s party at a different gym.

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A week or two later, it was another party for another Love of Learning kid, Kendall. This one was at Build-A-Bear in the Columbia Mall. It was the first Build-A-Bear party we attended, but would not be our last.

Allie enjoyed the whole process, including the storytelling and production the staff made of it. You started by picking a character from barrels of furry bear bodies (I called this part Pick-A-Pelt), coming up with a backstory, getting the bear stuffed with fluff from a scary looking machine, inserting a “heart,” getting the bear sewn up, picking out accessories that were the profit margin for the store and then finish up with community show-and-tell. It was pretty smart marketing, in an insidious, regimented way — specially designed for suburban parents and kids with little actual imagination. We loved it.

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Ann Walters sent a nice note requesting input for a scrapbook she was putting together for Fen and Haya Babcock’s 50th wedding anniversary. I’m pretty sure we contributed a letter…wish I could find it.

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Later in October, Patti invited Barb and Allie to her house to check out the new addition and renovation they completed. I think we may have actually spent the night which was part of Patti’s grand plan to make it easier for people to stay. Photos are of Allie and Christine breaking in Patti and Lee’s new bathtub. We didn’t end up staying very often, but the addition gave everyone more space to play cards and do things on Boxing Day and other occasions.

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In late October, despite being deeply involved in Hekimian’s acquisition, I attended four days of the President’s Cup golf tournament at the Robert Trent Jones course in Gainesville, Virginia. I had bought the $800 tickets back in March and wasn’t going to miss it. It gave me the second chance that year to follow Tiger Woods and my favorite golfers for four days, pretty much filling my need to attend any more golf tournaments, ever. But I reveled in the atmosphere while I was there and the USA team won in a blowout.

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In retribution, in late October, Barb went on a girls trip to Las Vegas with Nancy, Joanne and two other friends. I’d been to Vegas a number of times for business conferences but I think this was Barb’s first time. They stayed three nights at the Paris Las Vegas hotel, did a lot of wandering around, a little bit of gambling, a fair amount of eating, toured Hoover Dam because they had a free coupon and did some shopping. Barb was hoping to get some sun at the hotel pool but it was cool and cloudy the whole time. Barb hasn’t been in any hurry to go back.

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Allie was our little princess for Halloween, first at our house and then with Dayva and Bobo at their house because their neighborhood still had better candy.

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The National Zoo in DC ran an annual “Boo at the Zoo” event. Allie went down with one of her friends and got her picture posted.

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This seems as good a place as any to mention that these were rapidly growing years for Allie, nowhere more so than in shoes. We were part of the Hess Shoes Stride Rite frequent buyers club, as shown below. We were soooo close to getting that free pair of shoes. Alas, either the store went out of business or Allie’s feet stopped growing. Maybe both.

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In November, with the Hekimian acquisition largely put to bed, our little family unit took a weekend trip to New York City. The big highlight was a tour of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. In all my years in and around New York, I had never been to the Statue of Liberty. I was glad to get the chance with Allie and Barb, even if it was a chilly, blustery day.

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We stayed for maybe an hour on Liberty Island and were able to go in a small visitor center in the pedestal but we were not able to go up into the statue. I think it’d be cool to go up to the crown someday, but it takes more time, a special ticket purchased months ahead, and a climb up many steps.

After the statue, our group went over to Ellis Island where we had a good tour of the immigration facilities. The National Park Service does an excellent job of maintaining the buildings as a museum and interpreting their history for tour groups. I wouldn’t mind spending more time exploring the exhibits there.

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We took advantage of photo ops looking back at the Manhattan skyline. These have become some of my favorite pictures of Barb and Allie, not least because they include the twin towers of the World Trade Center less than a year before they came down on 9/11/2001.

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While in New York City, we went to see the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall with the Rockettes. I do know we visited the ice rink at Rockefeller Center where construction was underway, possibly for the Christmas tree. I think we also had brunch at one of the restaurants that surround the rink. I’m reasonably certain we also made a pilgrimage to the F.A.O. Schwartz toy store on this trip as well, though I have no photo evidence.

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Back home, the bubble bath with Christine was such a hit we decided to recreate the event in our tub with Katie and Devayani.

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Here we have three random photos — I think they’re from Love of Learning, one clearly from around Halloween.

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More photos from the Year 2000 box, specific context and locations lost to time.

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Christmas season kicked off with a Nutcracker performance. Barb and Allie went with Stephanie and Kristin, I think to the Meyerhoff in Baltimore. Barb’s wearing one of Stephanie’s fur coats.

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Allie’s Love of Learning class had a holiday party.

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On Christmas Eve, Allie got dolled up for some proper photos by our tree at Paddington.

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Then we headed down to Reston, Virginia for Auntie Jessie’s holiday party. This was our first Christmas without the Embreys and the tradition of seeing Barb’s extended family at Auntie Jessie’s became more important than ever. By the end of the evening Barb nearly always got into a teary conversation with Jessie. I’m pretty sure that happened this night.

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We celebrated Christmas morning at home.

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Allie wrote the following thank you card to Barb. It’s hard to read but says, “Dear Mommy, Thank-you for the Pearl Necklace and the Artists Books. Love, Allie” I think the pearls were an especially big deal (direct from Rupeipei in Beijing, no doubt). Allie didn’t usually write thank you notes for Christmas stuff. It’s also not like there wasn’t a lot of other Christmas stuff.

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We have a random photo of a panda so I’m guessing we went on an outing to the National Zoo in DC between Christmas and New Year. Then we have a couple of photos of Marcus Christ in a red tux in our house. I’m guessing this was for New Year’s Eve though you’d think I would remember the circumstances of that tux more clearly.

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Betsy sent some photos updating us on their new life in Colorado.

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Visiting the Garden of the Gods near Colorado Springs, a beautiful rock formation and park about an hour south of Denver.

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Kristen had a ballet class recital just before Christmas.

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Visiting Zoo Lights in Colorado on Christmas Eve.

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Christmas Day in Colorado.

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