As 2005 got underway, we were in the midst of constructing the Pfefferkorn house, I was taking personal finance classes online and Allie was in fourth grade at Glenelg Country School.
On January 13 we did something or other with Chris Garwood and her dog, Tallie. It’s possible that at this point Chris and Gerard Keating decided to separate and later divorce…or maybe there was something up with Tallie. Maybe eventually I will figure it out; for right now, it’s a mystery.
Two days later, on January 15, we celebrated Chris’ 50th birthday by taking her to one of our favorite (short-lived) local restaurants, the Rooster Cafe in Elkridge. Tallie, came over to babysit Allie for the evening.
Late January brought a snowstorm which gave us the opportunity for a fine snowman on January 30.
The same snowy day was a good time for an indoor project: Allie painted a miniature tea set to use for real or with her dolls. She was a very serious artist…for one weekend.
Waiting with Harry for paint to bake 
The finished products 
Barb hunkered in with Harry on a Saturday, February 5.
Later that week, on February 11, Harry decided he was ready for a ride in Allie’s old car seat.
We (just Allie and I?) took a President’s Day break in Florida to visit Grandma and Grandpop. Grandma started to teach Allie to knit. Allie was a willing student for a little while. I’m not sure exactly what she was trying to knit. These photos are from Friday, February 18.
Susanna dropped by on Sunday, February 20, I think in transit between Gainesville and the Keys. We dressed up to go to dinner somewhere, maybe to see Aunt Helen.
We got more snow on February 28. Time for Allie and Paige to take Harry for a walk.
Manny admiring Allie’s dance trophy
Allie’s dance career continued in 2005. She was on the Competition squad as well as Jazz and Ballet. This year’s competition dance was a cute version of “Be My Guest” from Beauty and the Beast. They did well enough to win a High Silver trophy at the Thunderstruck competition. I’m pretty sure that’s where these pictures were taken on March 5 at Bowie State University.
I’m sorry I can’t remember the names of Allie’s dance partners or coach other than Caroline from the previous year. Maybe someone else does. Their moms were nice, I remember that much. I’m not sure whether to blame this on a lifetime of systemic racism, sexism or my enduring social awkwardness. Probably all of the above. Sorry to all the ladies.
Allie at left, Caroline at right, apologies to the two in the middle
On March 11-12, Barb and Allie took an overnight journey to the American Girl Cafe in (NY? Chicago? Tysons?). For several years, American Girl was a juggernaut in our house. I think Allie was introduced to them by Blair. Barb encouraged Allie to learn about the backstories of each girl through their books, which started out tied to American history but slowly morphed into various lifestyles. I don’t know how many of these expensive dolls we ended up with but it’s probably worth cataloging. The American Girl company, owned by Mattel, was (and I guess still is) a formidable marketing presence, tying in the dolls, clothing, furnishings, books, retail outlets, cafes, hotel promotions and goodness knows what else.
Allie and her American Girl doll buddies at the cafe 
And these dolls are…? 
The overnight stay in the hotel included a bed for the dolls 
Package included a special edition of the American Girl magazine 
A happy customer!
A few weeks later, on March 20, we took a Spring Break journey to Spain, our first time in that fine country. Allie, Barb and I saw Maggie in Madrid and headed off to Cordoba, Granada and Toledo. It was a great — though very brief — introduction to Spain. The more complete story of our Spain journey is here.
Madrid 
Cordoba 
Granada 
Toledo 
At the (closed) Prado in Madrid 
Flamenco dinner with Maggie
More or less while we were in Spain, Laurie went on a 10th grade field trip to Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Back home in mid-April it was time for more springtime pictures for Grandma.
Allie wrote a very nice (and insightful) poem for Grandma which we sent to her along with the pictures. The poem had a place of honor on Grandma’s fridge for many years.
Barb had a work colleague who painted portraits and one way or another we asked her to do one of Allie. We provided a couple of photos and she produced this oil portrait. It has had a place of honor in our homes ever since.
On May 1 these photos happened with Allie, an unknown girl and hats. Until proven otherwise, I will say it was a yard sale at (Diana’s?) mother in Dundalk and the other girl is one of Diana’s nieces.
The time came to get our Paddington Court house ready for sale. We got the house as cleaned up as we could. Someone suggested it was a good idea to get photos of the place not only for memory’s sake but also to catalog things before we moved. I’m glad we did. The full set of photos are here. The interior shots were taken on May 12. The house only stayed on the market for a few weeks before we had a buyer, a nice Indian family eager to move into the Centennial school district.
On May 20, Barb and Allie threatened Harry’s life from the banister at Paddington, one of the final shots there before we moved.
By May 21 the house at Pfefferkorn was nearly complete. Electricity on and lights working; front door lock not quite installed. Almost time to move!
On May 22 we went with Dan (and presumably David) to the National Zoo in DC. The pandas, as always, were a highlight. These two were Mei Xiang and Tian Tian. As it happens, Mei Xiang was pregnant and on July 9 gave birth to the Zoo’s first surviving cub, Tai Shan.
Dan and Allie at the Zoo 
We also sought out the Fisher-Duncan tile we dedicated to Allie at the tiger enclosure (I think).
Allie’s Brownie troop had its bridging ceremony on May 26. I was a somewhat active parent member of the troop. I was there for many meetings. I’m still not sure what bridging means. Moving from Brownies to Girl Scouts?
Time for another annual dance recital on May 31, culminating another season of dance classes and competitions. I’m not sure if photo with the white outfit was from the same year but I’ll stick it here for the time being. I don’t remember the dance or costume.
Barb and Allie were called to the principal’s office at Glenelg Country School on June 1. I’m not sure what the occasion was, but mother and daughter seem happy about it. Maybe it was celebrating the end of fourth grade.
By June 12, the move to Pfefferkorn was underway! We used the occasion as an excuse to miss Mom and Dad’s 65th anniversary.
Barb’s officemates had their annual picnic at Amy Hunsberger’s house on June 29. Check out the complete set of photos.
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