Ron in D.C.

No, we don't have any pictures of Ron and the boys at the White House, the Washingon Monument -- or even at a downtown museum. In fact, except for the trips to and from the airport on the Metro, I never made it downtown during my 2-week stay, September 17 - Oct. 1. What did occur, however, were two very significant things:

#1 - Upon arrival, Mark and I made a trip to Home Depot to rent a tiller and buy grass seed, peat moss and bags of topsoil in order to re-seed the part of the back yard that had become overgrown with crabgrass. So, as pictured, once the tilling was done and the clumps of root and grass removed, we had to smooth-things-out and prepare for the seed. After seeding and the light application of a peat moss covering, much watering needed to be done -- at least until the rains came a week later. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a before-and-after picture, but when I left Eccleston St. on the 1st of October the emerging grass was looking promising.

#2 - The most significant accomplishment during the 2-week stay was teaming up with Naigzy, Marta's Dad, to run the household during the one-week that Mark and Marta flew to Buenos Aires for an early "10th Anniversary Vacation Trip." (picture at the top was taken prior to driving them to the airport) During the week I did the taxi service, driving Daniel & Eli to school in the mornings and Micah to preschool Monday & Wednesdays. In addition, Micah had regular play time on Fridays at a church some distance away and Daniel had tutoring in math on two late afternoons during the week. It was always fun for Micah and I to drive up to Oakland Terrace Elementary School to meet Daniel and Eli's bus (#3998) at 4:10 p.m. each week-day afternoon.
Micah loved to wait for the bus and exclaim with enthusiasm, "That is my brothers' bus!" And, Daniel and Eli always seemed happy to see us. Naigzy and I divided-up the "chores" fairly well. He did all the lunch-making in the mornings and a good deal of the cooking at night.

When we discovered that Montgomery Co. Schools had a holiday on Tuesday the 30th for the Jewish New Year, we all drove across the Potomac into Alexandria, Virginia to do some hiking at a botanical garden. O yes, before Mark and Marta left for Buenos Aires, we did manage to put up the trampoline in the back yard which led to great fun for all three boys during the week. Anyway, it was all a great experience, and we trust that "a good time was had by all!" - rw