April 1, 2008. Chevy Chase, Md. More Blossoms.

Come now!! The cherry trees in Kenwood are at their peak. The day was warm and sunny and every bud had opened. I snuck home from work early today to take a walk with Ken. Of course the streets were crowded with people and cars and children. I have never understood the desire to take hundreds of pictures of the cherry trees, but the cameras were in force today too. Many poor folks were waiting with their camera on the tripod, waiting for the cars to stop driving down that particular road, or waiting for the sun to come out at the same time as the street being clear. It would be a long wait because there many many cars and many many people and many many children. We just kept walking.

Now I do not have the whole story. I have a bit, and the bit I know is interesting in an American kind a way. Regina, like the rest of us had 8 great-grandparents. Two of those 8 great-grandparents were black. Either just before or after the Civil War, some ancestors were given land in North Carolina. The offspring of the owners of that land still own that land. With the migration out of the South after the Second World War, all the generation of Regina's parents and their siblings moved to New York city, where they got good jobs driving buses. The older generation stayed down south and farmed the land. The decision was made by all that when they retired, one by one they would return to their home town and live the easy life. And they did. One by one they built themselves a house on the same land they were given after the Civil War. Even now, Regina,though she dearly loves New York, expects that when she leaves Maryland will go to North Carolina, to Hendersonville. It is an interesting story.

When Regina first came to work with me, at holiday times, Regina's Father would hire a bus, and drive that bus himself and pick up all the relatives on the way to Hendersonville. So bit by bit all the relatives visited with each other as they headed home for Christmas. They had a good old time on the way. It seemed like such a good idea.

Tomorrow we are going to celebrate, and have "Cocktails with Ken" at the Hard Times Cafe in Bethesda. The agents and staff were so helpful and supportive throughout his surgery and recovery that we wanted to have a party to say thank you. Ken still fades a bit in the evening, so the time for cocktails is from four to six. We are going to celebrate. But I told you already.