A special service

The service at St. Michael's Episcopal Church was very special - John and Mary came forward, Mary was presented with an engraved silver tray for her decades of service on the Altar Guild, The Rector enumerated both Mary and John's many contributions to the church and said a prayer of thanksgiving and blessing. The sermon was given by the assistant and was outstanding. The choir sang beautifully. All good!

St.Michael's Episcopal church - just after the service ended

Susan Carnahan Vodrey, John and Mary Carnahan, outside after the service

Me with John and Mary

The reception tent outside the church******************************************* Susan has been helping with packing and clearing out for the past week and a half! John and Mary will actually leave tomorrow (Tuesday) to go up to Randolph. They will be moving into Morgan Orchards just outside the village of Randolph. It is conveniently located right off I-91 - less than an hour and a half drive for us. We promised we would visit soon and try to come once a month. If we do, we'll actually see more of them in-person than we have here!

Morgan Orchards, from their website************************************** Monday evening, Phil McKean arrived, coming from the 50th Anniversary of the founding of Hampshire College. Hampshire announced its closing about a year ago because their liquid assets had fallen below the line required by the NEASC accrediting body as necessary for a viable college (essentially, the amount needed to assure that an entering class could graduate). The announcement inspired a rush of alumni and donor support, a new interim President was hired; the documentary filmmaker, Ken Burns, an alumnus, signed on as co-chair of an endowment fund-raising effort, $60 million was set as a goal- the amount required - and they are well on their way. So the 50th Anniversary, which could have been a wake, was more celebratory than could have been imagined a year ago. Phil saw many former students, and colleagues.

Hampshire College. We had a lovely supper prepared by Ellen with Pbil's food preferences in mind, and a good conversation Sunday evening and Monday morning. Much of it centered on the very wrenching issues surrounding Deborah, Phil's wife, who is a resident at Quarry Hill, an Alzheimer's facility in Camden, Maine. She is receiving very good care there, and it allows Phil to see her daily but also make little trips like this one, knowing that she will be ok. But one day not too long ago, he went in and she seemed to be in a coma - unresponsive. He said his tearful goodbye's, sitting with her for over an hour, and when he left he wasn't sure he would see her again. But the next day she had revived and was sitting up, eating breakfast! Hooray! But he knows it could happen any time. And what then? So we talked about that, and it was good to share that with him. We hope to visit him in Maine next month,and I hope I might get to see Deborah at least one more time.

Quarry Hill Community in Camden, Maine