I haven't written you for a long time. I just keep talking to you in my head and writing these notes on scraps of paper that I have all over the place.

I finally decided it was time to get back to it. Here goes.

We went to St. Michaels this weekend for Memorial Day. It was Papa Sy's 77th birthday.



Andrew and Tracy and your cousins were there. Our friends Hugh and Mary Beth and their family rented a house nearby and spent a lot of time with us. Nice.

We did the usual stuff. Rode bikes, played baseball, saw a lot of animals, went kayaking (just me -- no-one ever wants to go with me -- I am officially "Chopped Liver"), put boats in the water and stuffed ourselves silly.

This snake was on the driveway when we came home from riding our bikes into town. He was "sunning" himself. Joe and Sam and I watched him until he slithered away.



This is a bird that Joe and I found in the batting cage at the local St. Michael's high school. We couldn't hit 'cause we didn't want to hit the bird.



The bird wasn't moving. He didn't seem like he could or that he wanted to fly. I opened up the netting to let him out and he didn't budge. It was then that I realized that the bird was staying inside the batting cage for protection.

I told Nana about the bird and she said she had a friend who "rescues" birds. I went back later on to put the bird in a box to bring to Nana's friend and the bird had died. When Joe was going to bed that night I asked him what the highlight of the day had been. He said, "the bird." I didn't have the heart to tell him what had happened.



This is a really blurry picture of the Vice President's helicopter over Papa Sy's house. I recognized the whirr of the rotors from home. His helicopter is the only thing that can fly over our house in DC and the house in St. Michaels.

The Vice President gave a talk to the soldiers graduating West Point in the morning and by the afternoon he was in St. Michaels. Mom said that he lands at the Inn at Perry Cabin and then drives up to his house. I still want to get the ride from our street in Washington to here in the helicopter. No traffic!



Uncle Andrew and I helped Papa Sy put the Tashmoo in the water. The battery was dead so I had to paddle it to the dock. We got Rulen the Waves in halfway. It is a great adventure helping Papa Sy with all of these boats. We needed a higher tide to carry the sailboat off the trailer. I felt bad leaving Papa Sy without having gotten that boat all the way in.



The pool was freezing but that didn't stop your brothers and your cousins. I was in the Broad Creek a bit and that was fine. A lot of muck and ooze but no jelly fish, so I was happy. Joe looks pretty happy here.



Tonight is Michael's birthday. He is 13. A real teenager or a Jewish man, take your pick. His other grandparents, Arlene and Harvey, are having a pool party at their house tonight. We'll be seeing everyone all over again.

Some of the notes I am keeping are just things that I want to tell you about your brothers. Here goes:





-Every morning I find an entire playground's worth of wood chips in Joe's sneakers. For the life of me I don't know how he walks around like that all day and doesn't seem to notice or complain.

-Jack did incredibly well on his tests in school. He is really smart. I am proud of him. He is way smarter than me. Yesterday he started telling me that he thinks about what happens in different dimensions. I don't even know what other dimensions there are. He explained to me that there are other universes and he thinks about what those other universes are like.



-Joe has decorated his room in pictures of athletes that he has cut out of magazines and books.

-Your brothers, both of 'em, won't wear jeans.

-Joe has the bad habit of admiring his hits in baseball. Mom explains that he is the only player who turns triples into singles because he stands at the plate after he hits the ball to watch how far it goes. He reminds me a bit of Manny Ramirez of the Red Sox.



-Jack is a big fan of comedy. He listens to Steve Martin, Bill Cosby and Monty Python.



-Joe isn't big on learning to swim or ride a bike. This frustrates me a lot but I know it is only a matter of time. Patience. He can't go through life not knowing how to ride a bike, right?

-Both guys and Mom became fans of this show called American Idol. Joe was crushed when his favorite, a guy named Blake, didn't win.

-Jack watches the Simpsons... maybe too much. The Simpsons Movie is coming out soon.



-Joe watches SportsCenter all the time. Our routine is that he comes down for breakfast and we watch the highlights together. He always asks me "Who won," and I try to teach him to read the scores and learn for himself.

-Jack had a ceremony at school where he and his classmates got their own Chumashim. What was interesting for me is that when the whole class was singing I could hear Jack's voice separate from everyone else. I guess that is what being a parent is.



-Joe is obsessed with jigsaw puzzles. He went from ones with a few pieces, to 100 pieces to 200 pieces and I think he is working on a 500 piece one. Mom helps him out, but he is good on his own.

-Jack likes the Red Sox and Joe is a Yankees fan (I am rooting for the Nats and wish they would too)

So I guess what I want to report to you Big Brother, is that your two younger brothers are doing great. Jack needs to be a little nicer to Joe but otherwise, they're cool.

Aside from Mom's trip to China... here are some pictures from that...













...there is other big news that I didn't report. First, Zhenny left us. She wasn't working enough hours, so she needed to go to a family who needed her more often. You were the one who told me to hire Zhenny. I still remember calling her from Minnesota to tell her that we were coming home without you. She had only been working with us for a few weeks at that point. That was hard. We are going to miss her - Joe most of all. They have an incredibly close bond and Joe is so tight with her husband Peter and her son Jeff. Hopefully, Zhenny can come over to babysit from time to time.

The other really, really big news is that Papa Teddy is getting married to his friend Jeri. That is happening in June. I am Best Man. I am really happy for him.

Papa Teddy and Jeri just went to Italy for a visit. Here are some pictures of their trip.







Aunt Abby, Uncle Andy, Cousin Michael, Rachel, Joshua and little Noah are heading to Italy next month. Bill and Cristina went to Italy this weekend for a few days themselves. Seems like the place to be. I told Mom that I'd like to go to Israel after we go to Spain next summer with everyone for the 10th Anniversary of Bill and Cristina's wedding. You and Grandma are the ones who made the original trip who won't be there for the reunion.

 

That's a picture of you and me on a boat from that trip.

Hey, we had 3 Israeli girls stay at our house this weekend. They are going into the army soon and before they start their service they travel to the United States for a while. I'm glad we were able to host them. They said to visit when we go to Israel. Maybe we will.

Sunday night might be my favorite time of the week. Tonight I got to sit in the bathroom and watch Joe take a shower. I tell him a number, letter or shape and he writes or draws it with his finger in the mist on the shower door. All the while he is humming "Iron Man" by Black Sabbath. Your brothers are interesting pieces of work.

We are going to Zack Klein's funeral tomorrow. He was an incredibly sweet kid. I feel terrible for his parents and his sisters. I called to see if I could sit with his body but they had enough people, which is a good thing. I sat with Grandma or Aunt Ida, and parents from JPDS sat with you. You stay with the body at the funeral home and read psalms so they are never alone.



On Friday, March 2, 2007, of Bethesda, MD. Beloved son of Greg and Cynthia Klein; beloved brother of Janie and Lily; cherished grandson of Marty and Stephanie Klein, Audrey Horowitz and of the late William Horowitz.

He is also survived by many other loving relatives and friends. Funeral services will be held on Monday, March 5 10:30 a.m. at Congregation Beth El of Montgomery County, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd., Bethesda, MD. Interment Judean Memorial Gardens, Olney, MD. Shiva to be annouced at service.

If you would like to make a donation in Zachary's honor please contact A-T Children's Project at: www.atcp.org Arrangments by HINES-RINALDI FUNERAL HOME INC., Under Jewish Funeral Practices Committee of Greater Washington.


From: parents-owner@mail.jpds.org [mailto:parents-owner@mail.jpds.org] On Behalf Of Julie Fisher
Sent: Sunday, March 04, 2007 2:44 PM
To: parents@jpds.org; staff@jpds.org; alumniparents@jpds.org
Subject: [parents] Additional information about Klein Shiva

The funeral for Zachary Klein, son of Cynthia and Greg Klein, brother of Janie and Lily Klein, will be held at Beth El at 10:30AM tomorrow (Monday).

Internment immediately following at Judean Gardens.

Tomorrow (Monday) beginning around 1:30PM and continuing until 7:00PM the Kleins will be receiving visitors at the home of

Stephen and Susan Sherman
8004 Westover Road
Bethesda, MD 20814

Tuesday, shiva will be from 6:30-8:30PM at the home of Cynthia and Greg Klein

8302 Garfield Street
Bethesda, MD 20817
301-986-8662

Also on Friday, Cousin Adam and Lori had a baby. His name is Nathan Goldberg. I wanted to name you Nathan Goldberg, but Mom said "no way." My grandfather was named Nathan. I thought Nathan and Nate are good names. Mom thought otherwise -- so you were Henry.

This has been an incredibly full weekend.

Cousin Ron -- Nathan's uncle -- Diane, Zoe and Mia all came over for brunch on Saturday morning. Bill, Cristina, Sophia, James and Isabel came over too. It was crazy and fun. They all live so close in Virginia, McLean and Arlington, and we hardly see them. We made a deal that we'd all get together for brunch at least once a month at someone's house.

On Friday night, Sid, Linda, Ari, Helaine, Jake, Abby, Susan, Simon and Alex all came over for Shabbat dinner. We are truly one big, funny family. Last night we went to the Megillah reading at Adas Israel for Purim. Everyone got dressed up. I think my favorite was Jake wearing a cheerleader uniform.

Jack is in the sweatshirt, Joe is a Redskin, Max is an IDF soldier and Ari is just looking suave.




Today, after Joe's baseball practice (he has been asked to be the bat boy for the 6th grade JPDS baseball team),



we went to Georgetown for a Hope for Henry Superhero Party. It was in the atrium outside of the outpatient clinic at the Lombardi Center. There were a lot of families there. They came to the hospital on a Sunday which is saying a lot.

Mom did such a wonderful job that she definitely made it worth the trip on a "non-clinic" day for all of the families because the kids had a great time.

Here is a slideshow of the event.

March 07 Hope for Henry Superhero Party

After everything was in full swing, we went up to the 5th floor to bring some of the party to the kids who couldn't leave their rooms. While we were in the hallway, a mom and her son were walking out but stopped to introduce themselves. She said that Hope for Henry had really made a difference for her son. We gave him an XM radio. The mom told us that she and her son had read an article about you. The son was cured of his cancer, and they were leaving the hospital that very moment to go home for good. Talk about timing.

Everyone started crying. It was an incredible moment.

There was another amazing moment right after that. Mom went into the room of a kid who had just come in minutes before by Medstar helicopter. The pilot and the EMT workers were still on the floor filling out paperwork. The kid had brought a Spiderman toy with him on the helicopter, so you can guess how excited he was to get a bunch of other Spiderman and superhero toys and treats.

A nurse was in the boy's room and when he found out that Mom was your mom, he said that "Henry's spirit is truly living on through all of the good work of the Foundation." He said a ton of really nice things about you and about the Foundation.

While I was on the floor I read a quote tacked up on one of the bulletin boards. It was something that Abraham Lincoln said. And that was back when Presidents of the United States actually wrote their own stuff. He said,

"To ease another's heartache is to forget one's own."

Woke up to this story this morning on the TV. He must be in the same class as Jacob and Joey. Hard to believe they are 7. That is how old you were when you died.

Jack used to go to camp at the JCC. He did it the summer after you died. We just told Joe this weekend how we used to live right behind the JCC (and the pool where this boy died).

I feel so bad for the family. They are in shock now. They have a rough road ahead.

From: parents-owner@mail.jpds.org [mailto:parents-owner@mail.jpds.org] On Behalf Of Naomi Reem
Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2006 2:23 PM
To: staff@jpds.org; parents@jpds.org
Subject: [parents] Sad news from the JCCGW and CESJDS

Dear JPDS community,

The attached email came from Charles E. Smith JDS, following an email from the JCCGW, which informed the community of the death of a camper, Elie Scott, a CESJDS student, at the JCCGW summer camp yesterday, following a medical incident at the pool.

Many of our families may have connections to the Scott – Fishman family, a long established family in the community. Some of our students are at the JCCGW camp as well. Please let us know if your family is connected in any way to this tragedy, as we may expect that children who knew Elie or know of what happened may need some support when the school year starts.

The funeral information is attached and shiva information will be forwarded as well as it becomes available.

May God grant comfort to Elie’s family and friends, and to the JDS and JCCGW communities.

Naomi

“It is with great sadness that we write to inform you of the sudden and tragic passing, yesterday, of Elie Scott, son of Russell and Sarit (Fishman, class of 86) Scott, who just completed 1st grade at CESJDS. Our thoughts and prayers are with Russell, Sarit and their entire family.

The funeral will take place on Friday, July 14 at 10:00 am. at Danzansky-Goldberg Memorial Chapel, 1170 Rockville Pike, Rockville. Information on Shiva will follow.
May his memory be for a blessing and may the family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.”



Boy Who Died at Camp Pool Identified

By Ernesto Londoño
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, July 13, 2006

Montgomery County police today identified the 7-year-old boy who died yesterday after being rescued from a swimming pool at the Jewish Community Center in Rockville as Elie R. Scott.

The child, who lived in Rockville, was pulled from a section of the pool that was four feet deep about 11 a.m., police said.

"As the lifeguards were scanning the activity in the pool, they observed that a child was under water at the bottom of the pool," police said in a news release yesterday. "It is believed the child was spotted very quickly."

A lifeguard dove in and pulled out the boy, police said. Paramedics reached the center, at 6125 Montrose Rd., within minutes and found the child "in full cardiac arrest," said Lt. Dorcus Howard Richards, a spokeswoman for the county's fire and rescue service.

Elie was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead yesterday afternoon, police said. Police said he was one of five children participating in a swim class with an instructor. There were also two lifeguards supervising the 15 to 20 children who were in the pool at the time.

Elie was a student at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, which is near the center. School Head Jonathan Cannon declined to comment last night.

Officer Rodney Barnes, a police spokesman, said yesterday that he didn't know whether the child had any health problems that might have contributed to his death.
Elie's body was taken to Maryland's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore, where an autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death.

Jewish Community Center officials said in a statement that crisis response workers from the Jewish Social Service Agency and the county's crisis center are offering support to staff members at the camp.

"While we all share the grief of this family, camp will continue tomorrow as scheduled," officials said in the statement.

I wonder why Fanconi patients are often really good athletes. I told you about the boy who was in the Punt, Pass and Kick competition at RFK. I know that the Frohnmayers kids are all great athletes. And there was you.



Bradenton brothers with rare blood disorder await 'miracle'

DONNA WRIGHT
Herald Staff Writer

BRADENTON - To look at Anthony Negrin, one would never suspect the 16-year-old Bradenton boy with the muscle tone and grace of a born athlete is fighting for his life.



Roxanne Negrin and her son, Anthony, 16, are surrounded by information about Anthony's illness on the table in front of them, and family photos on the wall behind them. Anthony has a rare disease which requires a bone marrow transplant.

But his bone marrow can no longer make red blood cells.

Negrin has Fanconi anemia - a blood disorder so rare that only 10 to 20 children each year in the United States are diagnosed with the genetic mutation.

Until recently, Negrin had no problems, but then, for reasons his doctors cannot explain, his bone marrow stopped producing the cells vital to distributing oxygen throughout his body.

If it weren't for regular transfusions, Negrin's red blood count would drop so dangerously low that his life would be threatened.

Now, Negrin's future hangs on finding a bone marrow donor. An international search is under way to find the perfect match.

That match, says Negrin's mother, Roxanne, must have at least seven and preferably eight of the same 10 genes as Anthony has in his blood.

The Negrins thought their prayers were answered when preliminary tests showed that Anthony's younger brother, Jonathan, was a perfect 10 to 10 match - an almost unheard-of possibility.

But their hopes were dashed when subsequent tests to prepare for the transplant procedure revealed that Jonathan also has Fanconi anemia, or FA.

So far, Jonathan's bone marrow is producing red blood cells, his mother said. But doctors have told the family that Jonathan's red blood cells could dramatically drop - and they can't predict why or when.

Then Jonathan, too, would need a bone marrow transplant.

Inherited disorder

Life for the Negrins has been turned upside down since learning two of their four sons have FA.

But their optimism has not wavered, sustained by a deep faith and the support of their friends and the boys' teachers at Bradenton Christian School, who help the family navigate the mind-numbing complexities of dealing with their sons' serious medical conditions.

The Negrins' story really begins years ago when Roxanne walked into a tiny Cuban restaurant in Miami with her mother. Roxanne took one look at the handsome man in the tiny kitchen window and grabbed her mother's arm.

"That's the man I am going to marry," Roxanne said. "He doesn't know it yet, but we are going to get married."

Six months later, Sergio and Roxanne Negrin tied the knot. It would have been sooner, Roxanne said, but they had to wait on an open date for a church wedding.

Little did the happy couple know that their union would join more than love.

FA is an inherited disorder. For it to be passed from one generation to the next, both parents must carry a mutated FA gene. Even when that rare genetic combination occurs, the couple's children have just a 1-in-4 chance of developing the disease.

"What are the odds," Roxanne asked, "that I would pick a guy who had the same defective gene as me?"

Refusing to be pessimistic about their fate, Sergio jokes that what united them was the Fanconi Anemia Attraction.

United in their struggle, the sobering diagnosis has strengthened the family even more.

The Negrins feel blessed to have discovered the problem in time to do something about it.

Unlike most children afflicted with FA, brothers Anthony and Jonathan have been very healthy their entire lives and are still free of symptoms. Avid athletes, they master every sport they try, their mother said.

Typically, FA shows up in early childhood. Many patients develop acute myelogenous leukemia, according to the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund.

Anthony is not troubled by his FA diagnosis. Instead, he sees it as a sign, almost a mission.

"I feel I have been blessed," he said. "I think I have this disorder so I can bring people to Christ. I have already brought others to Christ because there are people praying for me who have never been to church before."

"We are waiting for a miracle," his mother said. "We know a miracle will come."

The signs may have already occurred, beginning with the events that led up to Anthony's diagnosis.

Fate intervenes

Last month, Anthony tried out for the tennis team at BCS. While signing up, Dawn Cotrone, the mother of one of Anthony's friends, pulled him aside. Cotrone had been taking care of her sister who had been diagnosed with a rare form of anemia. She knew how to spot the subtle signs.

Even though Anthony looked perfectly healthy, Cotrone noticed a certain cast to his skin that she thought should be checked out by a doctor.

"I blew off her concern," said Roxanne, who shares the same olive skin tone as her son.

But then one day Anthony and his friends stopped by South Philly Cheese Steak restaurant on 34th Street West. Anthony had no more than walked through the door, when a stranger walked up to him.

"Excuse me," the woman said. "But you need to tell your mother to take you to the doctor. You are anemic."

At first, the family laughed about the coincidence. But today the Negrins would love to find that woman to thank her for spurring them to action.

The Negrins called pediatrician Dr. Frank Davis, who had taken care of their boys for years.

The warnings from Cotrone and the stranger proved correct when blood test results showed that Anthony's red blood count had dropped to 4.1, his mother said. A normal reading should be around 14.

"Dr. Davis could not believe it at first," Roxanne said. He couldn't believe Anthony's count could be so low without the telltale signs - throwing up, fainting, nausea and dizziness.

But although Anthony seemed fine, his doctor knew he wasn't. He ordered the Negrins to take their son immediately to All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg.

There, all of the tests for the most likely problems - including leukemia and aplastic anemia - came back negative, Roxanne said.

As a last resort, the All Children's team considered FA, even though Anthony showed no symptoms.

But there was one final clue to be investigated - children born with defective FA genes are often born with double thumbs on one or both hands.

At birth, Anthony's right hand had a double thumb, a tiny protuberance that was removed while he was an infant.

Absent other symptoms, the doctor who delivered him never suspected the double thumb could indicate a serious medical condition, Roxanne said.

The news that Anthony had FA stunned the Negrins. Friends from BCS - Evelyn Magley, Lisa Judge and Judy Barber - flew into action, culling the Internet for information on FA and finding resources to help the family deal with the challenges ahead.

Magley called an FA hotline and got the names of the three specialists in the United States who know how to treat the disease.

The Negrins left messages with all three, even though it was Memorial Day weekend.

Dr. Richard E. Harris of Cincinnati Children's Hospital returned the call immediately, even though he was on a scouting trip with his son.

Within 24 hours, the Negrins had an information packet sent by overnight courier to Bradenton and an appointment with Harris, who began blood tests to see if one of the family members could be a donor match for Anthony.

When the match with Jonathan was found, Roxanne, Sergio, Anthony and Jonathan flew to Cincinnati for more than four days of preliminary tests and procedures.

Now that his brother Jonathan has also been diagnosed with the disorder, those preparations must be done again once a new donor is found.

Then a another trip north will be necessary for the bone marrow transplant, which will require the Negrins to stay in Cincinnati for three months during the recovery period.

The challenges don't end with a successful bone marrow transplant.

Anthony faces several months of recovery once he returns home. His parents face the challenge of making their house as antiseptically clean as possible to ward off any exposure that could prove disastrous for Anthony, whose immune system will be compromised.

But through it all, Roxanne has not given up hope. Her husband, Sergio, she said, is the family's anchor. Her son, Anthony, the optimist who helps her cope.

"My Anthony charges me up like a little wind-up doll," she said. "Whenever I get down, he tells me, 'Come on Mom, God already knows who that donor is.'"

Donna Wright, health and social services reporter, can be reached at 745-7049 or at dwright@HeraldToday.com.

Bone marrow donation

To register to become a donor, contact the National Bone Marrow Donation Program at (800) 627-7692.

What is Fanconi anemia?

Fanconi anemia is one of the inherited anemias that leads to bone marrow failure (aplastic anemia). It is a recessive disorder, meaning if both parents carry a defect (mutation) in the same FA gene, each of their children has a 25 percent chance of inheriting the defective gene. When this happens, the child will have FA.

Extremely rare, FA is diagnosed in only 10 to 20 children in the United States each year.

FA occurs equally in males and females. It is found in all ethnic groups. Though considered primarily a blood disease, it can affect all systems of the body. Many patients eventually develop acute myelogenous leukemia at a very early age. FA patients are extremely likely to develop head and neck, gynecological and/or gastrointestinal squamous cell carcinomas, again at a much earlier age than in squamous cell carcinoma patients in the general population.

Patients who have had a successful bone marrow transplant and, thus, are cured of the blood problem associated with FA, still must have regular examinations to watch for signs of cancer.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

© 2006 Bradenton Herald and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.centredaily.com

We went to St. Michaels for Memorial Day. We are very fortunate. I don't take any of this for granted.



Mom and Joe tubing!

We spent a lot of time at the pool and on the water because the weather was perfect. Uncle Andrew and Aunt Tracy and Emma and Sam were there.



This is Isabel and Joe at the Maritime Museum outside the Crab Claw.



Here is a picture of Jack and Cousin Sam.

Uncle Bill and Cristina and Isabel and James and Sophia stayed over too. We also had a visit from Cousin Catherine and Tim and their little girl, Sarah. She is a total cutie. It was nice having all of those people together. We had other visitors come by.



Don't Mom and Jack look happy.

We had dinner at the Crab Claw. All of the kids went and checked out the live crabs before they were dumped into the boiling water.

We also went tubing and bike riding and I went for long kayak rides. Joe doesn't want to learn to swim or ride a bike. He kinda let on that he doesn't think he'll be able to keep up on bike rides and is scared of being left behind. I told him that I'd never leave him behind. Then he told me that he doesn't want to fall. I told him that everyone falls and usually you just get right up and start riding again. I explained how I had a big wipeout - on a pollen covered driveway - when we were in St. Louis but didn't get hurt and just jumped right back on my bike.



Aunt Tracy and Uncle Andrew got a new dog. His name is Vasco. He is a Portuguese Water Dog. Papa Sy named him for the Portuguese explorer, Vasco De Gama. He really doesn't like the water much, though.



Papa Sy has a new boat. It goes really fast. The cousins, and Mom, did a lot of tubing behind it. Your cousin Sam had the biggest smile on his face. He couldn't get enough.

Sam and Jack and I rode to St. Michaels and back to the house a few times over the weekend. Joe rode on the back of my bike on this trailer thing. It is like a one wheel bike connected to my bike.

We have included a new detour on our bike route. We now turn down Mt. Misery road. The Secretary of Defense lives in the house that is known as Mt. Misery. I think I may have explained before that the house and street are known as Mt. Misery because that is where they used to "break" slaves. Jack asked me to explain "breaking" slaves and that was hard for me to do.

I started saying that it was a place where "inhuman" things were done to black slaves. Then I stopped because I realized that all of slavery is inhuman.

I then said how Fredrick Douglass is a famous slave who was sent to the owner of Mt. Misery by his "owner" because Frederick Douglass didn't want to be a slave and wouldn't submit to his master. Basically, Mt. Misery was a terrible place where a terrible person did terrible things to black slaves.

The fascination for Jack and Sam is the Secretary of Defense. He is a guy who works here in Washington and he is in charge of wars. Not a great job. Jack and Sam wanting to ride past there kinda reminds me how Aunt Jen and I and all of our friends used to go over to Denny McClain's house when we were kids. Denny McClain was a pitcher with the Washington Senators, and he lived a couple of blocks away from us in Bethesda. He had been a great pitcher for the Detroit Tigers - he was the last 30 game winner in baseball. Then they lowered the pitcher's mound and no-one ever one that many again.

Denny McClain fell on hard times and started taking drugs and selling drugs. That was after he left Washington. All I remember is him handing us and the neighborhood kids baseballs. That was so cool. He ended up in jail.

Well yesterday after we all rode to town, Joe and I went off and had a really nice ride, just the two of us. I like spending alone time with him and with Jack. I asked Joe to rhyme words.

I said, "Pool," and he said "Albert Puljos."

Then he said, "how about 'Fart,' which he then rhymed with 'Pop Tart.'" He is a funny kid.

We rode up to the "poopy cows" as Joe calls them. The Vice President lives next-door to the poopy cows now. Here is a picture of him in the back of his house in St. Michaels with his dogs. It is an interesting coincidence that he lives next door to us in Washington and in St. Michaels.





This is a picture of the Vice President and the Secretary of Defense at the Secretary's house on the creek in St. Michaels. I paddled past it in the kayak.

Uncle Bill said he saw helicopters overhead when he was sitting at the pool. It must have been either the Vice President or the Secretary of Defense.



This is Joe passed out on the couch in the breezeway from having too much fun.

He is also going through a not-so-fun stage where he either doesn't listen to what we say or won't do what we ask him to do.

Last night on our drive back home Mom asked him to be very careful with the snow globe that he brought with him on the trip. It was a snow globe that Mom bought for you at the beach. Two seconds later he had broken it and was covered in liquid and glass.



This is a photo that Mom took of Joe. It was taken the same day as the next picture.



This is a photo that Uncle Andrew took of Joe. He looks different in this than any other photo I've seen - and totally different from how he looks to me. He looks more grown up.

We were sad for so many reasons. The biggest one is that this snow globe had special meaning. Mom told me how she had bought it for you back in August 2002. After you almost died and were hospitalized at Georgetown, Jack went down to the beach for a few days with Aunt Abby so we could focus on you. Mom didn't remember what we did with Joe.

When we felt you were going to be okay, Mom went down to the beach with Val and picked up Jack to bring him home. It was then that Mom bought the snow globe for you - and a stuffed whale for Jack. There was a penguin in the snow globe.

It is now sitting all drained of its snow with a very cracked glass globe. Of course, we were also sad because Joe could have hurt himself with the broken glass, and because he broke it right after Mom asked him to be extra careful.

It was Memorial Day and we learned of an interesting tradition they have in St. Michaels. They fire cannons. It was LOUD!





We went and visited with Aunt Alice and Uncle Peter at their new house. Wow. I wish you could have seen it. It is spectacular.

What was nice about this trip is that we ran into and saw friends and family all weekend. It felt like we were home.