Ocean City Labor Day weekend 2015

It has been awhile since I wrote anything in my blog.  It was a combination of things. Partly, I was sad following the death of my mother. Partly, it was the confluence of things to keep me busy.  Time to get back in the saddle again!

It is a recent tradition for Barb and me to travel to Ocean City for the Labor Day weekend and the following week.  It is still warm enough (sometimes even hot!) and we find the water to be delightful. This week was not an exception.



When we arrive Friday afternoon, it is typical that the beach has a few people on it.  I immediately went down and got in the water.  It was calm and warm, but that was about to change.

 Saturday and Sunday were another story.  The surf was very rough and there was a sharp undertow.  Also, the beach had suffered a strong erosion and a steep drop-off.  The beach-goers were staying very close to the shore and, although it was very warm (94 degrees), folks were reticent to get in the water.

But that didn't stop people from going to the beach.  Look at the crowds!   Everyone was trying to soak up the last sun of the summer.  The other thing we noticed was how many teenagers and young people were down at the beach.  Although the schools had already gone back into session, it was a big weekend for Ocean City, Maryland.

By Tuesday, it was a different story.  The beach was nearly deserted.  There were a few young families enjoying themselves, but mostly it was the "geezers" who owned the beaches now. And, of course, that was us!  We stayed until Thursday afternoon when we had another batch of rain (we needed it) and Barb headed to her Epworth Book Club at Bethany Beach and I headed home.  It was another great week at the beach.

Dorothy Graybeal Fishel...died May 7, 2015

Video of Mom's funeral can be seen at https://vimeo.com/127776027.

Our Mom died on May 7, 2015.  She was an extraordinary person. Mom’s story begins on September 30, 1922.

She was born to Cora Wells Graybeal and Glenn Graybeal of Rising Sun and she was raised on a farm in Cecil County, Maryland.

She was preceded by a sister…Vivian…and a brother…Paul.

Later, her birth would be followed by Edward, Ruby, and John. They were an extraordinary family.

Mom was a compassionate, caring soul which led to her chosen career:  nursing. 

She graduated from the Maryland General Hospital School of Nursing in 1944 and married a former elementary school teacher named Edward Merton Fishel on March 14, 1945. Nineteen months later, I came along. 

My parents were living in an upstairs apartment on 33^rd Street near Wyman Park.  Incredibly, I still have memories of those days…particularly a steam engine ride to Wilmington, Delaware to visit her sister, Vivian. When I was born, Dad had already been called into the military where he served in the Phillippines and contracted malaria. He would not return home until after I was born…so Mom raised me by herself.

A few years later, Pegg came along and soon Mom and Dad were building a house in Arbutus with help from my grandfather , Uncle Ed, and Uncle John. I can still remember Uncle Ed helping to put down the oak flooring.

Mom started her nursing career at Maryland General but when they moved to Arbutus, she found a job as a floor nurse St. Agnes Hospital. She was eventually promoted to night supervisor where she patrolled the halls insisting that all nursing care be up to the highest standards.

We heard stories at the viewing that some nurses were scared of her but they knew that she always had their back. Her proud career at St. Agnes spanned more than 30 years.I can still remember her carefully starching and ironing her nursing uniform in our kitchen in Arbutus and then polishing her white nurses’ shoes. She took a nap in the evening after first preparing us dinner. Long after we were in bed, she would head out into the night, returning in time to make us breakfast the next morning. She loved being a nurse!

Dad, meantime, had taken a position with Calvert Fire Insurance Company in which he was a claims adjuster. But the US Army wasn’t done with him yet.  He was re-called to help fight the “Korean Conflict” and Mom was left home to have her third child…Sue…without support from her husband. Somehow, Mom got it all done.

Among the many highlights of our childhood was the annual two week trip to Ocean City to stay at the Seaview Hotel. We made the pilgrimage with six other families and it was “heaven” for us children as we got to play on the beach and ride bikes on the boardwalk. For a few years, our little apartment didn't even have a refrigerator but somehow Mom managed to keep us fed using only a large cooler with a chunk of ice to "refrigerate" perishables.

Eventually, each of us children went away to college and Mom and Dad had the freedom to travel all over the world, even back to the Philippines to find the orphanage that Dad helped establish. 

They spent much of their final years together traveling…taking cruises…and visiting their family and friends. I will never forget our final cruise with Mom and Dad.  We sailed from New York to Nova Scotia in the remnants of a small hurricane. Before Dad died in 2002, Mom devoted herself to making his final days as comfortable as possible.  This was no easy thing!

After Dad’s passing, Mom's final chapter spanned almost exactly 13 years. She moved to Charlestown Retirement Community and embarked on a new set of cruises.  She always enjoyed traveling with someone. Barb and I were privileged to go on a cruise with her and Mary Noble to the Panama Canal.  It was a dream we could only hope for.

It was noted by Mom's first daughter, Pegg Melfa, that a change occurred in Mom when she had her third grandchild.  She never knew her own grandparents because they died too young.  Mom had always been a very serious person; perhaps even a driven person.  But when her grandchildren started to arrive, she seemed to realize that these young people were something to enjoy and cherish and she loved them all.

Easter 2015

Barb and I have had an extraordinary Easter season.  We've been to five worship services in four days!

It began with the haunting and dramatic Maundy Thursday service at Epworth UMC in Cockeysville.  That service concludes with the "stripping of the altar" and covering the altar with a black drape.  The liturgy held on the evening of Maundy Thursday initiates the Easter Triduum, the period which commemorates the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ; this period includes Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and ends on  Easter.

The Good Friday service was held at Mays Chapel UMC this year and again the three women pastors at Timonium UMC, Epworth UMC, and Mays Chapel UMC worked together to create a beautiful event.  It was highlighted by the three Chancel Choirs from each of the churches singing together.

On Saturday, we visited my mother at Symphony Manor and we participated in the Mass presented by Father Ray and his niece (picture left) which was very well attended!  Father Ray is a delightful priest...very friendly...and we enjoyed his company. Afterwards, we had a lovely dinner with Mom and her friend, Mary.   Both are in the memory care unit at Symphony Manor on the third floor.  The menu was salmon or ham.

Very early Sunday morning, I woke up to assist in the preparation of the bonfire for the Easter Sonrise service at historic Jessops Methodist Church.  Epworth is responsible for the "retired" Jessops Church and we conduct three services there each year to keep the memories alive.  The 6:30 am "Sonrise" service is a long tradition.  This picture on the right is a little misleading because it actually was a lot darker than that.  You are seeing light from the parking lot light and the picture was taken around 6 am before members of the congregation had arrived.  The service began outside (thank you for the bonfire) and moved inside where it is heated...and then conclude outside again when the sun was just breaking out.

The Easter services concluded with one of the most special events of the day.  Our lead pastor,  Rev. Patricia Watson, invited one of Epworth's past pastors...Rev. Robert L. Hurley...to come up and help her serve communion.  Rev. Hurley had recently been coming back to Epworth thanks to Herbert and Phyllis Farmer who drive all the way from Towson to Shrewsbury, pick him up, and bring him back to Cockeysville.  What an extraordinary commitment.  And Rev. Watson had the wisdom to seize this opportunity and invite this "fan favorite" from decades ago to assist in communion despite him being 90-plus years old.  As the leader of the Seniors Ministry at Epworth, it was an emotional moment for me...and topped only by the singing of the Hallelujah Chorus at the end of the service.  What a great Easter.

Royal Farms debate

I have been attending two days of appeals court hearings on the proposed Royal Farms store on Mt. Carmel Road in Hereford.  This picture "kinda sorta" shows the exterior.  The Hereford Community Association asked for architectural details (a porch across the entire front) that are consistent with the Hereford area. It would be located on the Burton property which is next to the Graul's store.

It has been very interesting to hear the attorneys presenting their case and the rebuttal. Although the project had the overwhelming support of the Hereford Community Association, the Sparks-Glencoe Community Association (located 5-6 miles away from the site) decided to appeal. They have deep pockets and generally oppose all new development.

So far, only the plaintiffs have presented their case.  The first day of the hearing before the three judge panel (volunteers, I understand) dwelled on the environmental impact of the project.  Although it already has been approved by the Baltimore County government, they are arguing that the potential for environmental damage is great. Although Royal Farms is promising to build with double-lined tanks and keep the rain water on the property, they don't seem to care.  Some of the testimony was so scary that it left us shaking our heads whether any gas station should be built anywhere...and whether the Exxon should be closed immediately.

The second day of the hearing was a trip down memory lane and was based, in part, on this book "From Marble Hill to Maryland Line".  The testimony consisted of pictures taken of the historic ("old") houses in the Hereford area and a bucolic recitation of the wonders of those old houses. Significantly missing from the testimony was any mention of the modern buildings in Hereford including the Evans Funeral Home, the new veterinary hospital, the Baltimore County Public Library building, the large expansion of the Hereford High School, and the new buildings constructed on the south side of Mt. Carmel Road.  It also failed to mention the large addition to the rear of the Hereford Fire Hall (Summit Manor).  To me, the witness was trapped in some sort of time warp and refused to see what is happening now.

We heard from additional witnesses including the owner of Michael's Pizzeria who lives in Pennsylvania and thinks his business will be hurt (Royal Farms doesn't sell pizza, by the way).  Another witness produced pictures of the Exxon gas station from 4pm until 6pm that she couldn't remember who asked her to shoot the pictures and stopped by for only a few seconds.  They were supposed to show that the Exxon gas station isn't busy at that hour but that isn't surprising since they charge about 15 to 20 cents more than anybody else.

The last witness, Ken Bullen Jr., the manager of the Graul's Supermarket, was in my view the most compelling because he lives behind the Subway building on Mt. Carmel Road and had severe problems with a drain pipe that fed onto his property from Mt. Carmel Road.  It took three years, but the county government eventually ordered changes made by the Subway building owner.  He also has concerns about runoff from the Royal Farms project, but they have maintained that there project will trap all of the rain water on the project.

I'm still waiting for my opportunity to testify in support of the Royal Farms project.  It really upsets me that Exxon charges so much more than the other gas stations.

(Addendum:  the appeals judges approved construction of the Royal Farms project, but it is expected to be appealed again.)

Extreme Weather in West Virginia

Each year, we go to the Land of Canaan Resort in Canaan Valley, West Virginia for two weeks...one in August in the summer...and one week in January when the ski slopes are busy.  We were introduced to "timeshares" by my cousin Gerry Lessey Pas and her husband, Dick Pas, many years ago and we are forever grateful to them.  Canaan Valley is a four season state park that is a seven mile long transplanted piece of Canada only 4 1/2 hours away from our home. At night, the state park makes artificial snow (shown at the left) so that the skiers can enjoy the slopes each day.

Our resort consists of 2 bedroom townhouses that have frequently upgraded, two full baths, a full kitchen, hot tub, thermostatically controlled gas fireplace, beds for six people, and very nice furnishings. Although we are not skiers, we enjoy the change of scenery and spend the time reading, solving jig saw puzzles, spending time on the computer, and traveling to Elkins, WV to see movies.  Oh, yes...a lot of time watching CSI and NCIS on the television. We are just relaxing.

This year, however, saw some wild gyrations in the weather.  When we arrived, it was a balmy 57 degrees and no snow on the ground except for the ski slopes.  We passed through fog banks on the highway on our way to Canaan Valley and it was surreal. However, within a day, an arctic cold air mass moved in and we were facing "below zero" temperatures.  The snow machines (shown left) were hard at work and one day later we got hit with four to five inches of snow and high winds that never stopped. We got what we came for:  real winter.

Each year, there is "something new". This year, it was the seven dollar "spa sessions" that were offered by a woman who travels from Elkins to meet with large groups (mostly women).  It actually is a sales pitch for the products, but we didn't care.  The various lip balms (seen here), exfoliants, salves, and creams gave us a little feeling of luxury at a very modest price.

Yes, even I participated and shot pictures.  I think it was the foot cream that I liked the best.

November and December went too quickly!

I have much catching up to do on my blog!  The months of November and December went by very quickly as I finished my physical therapy for my bionic left knee, scrambled to get a lot of firewood split for my many customers (including a couple new ones), and attended a bunch of Epworth United Methodist Church events.  Oh, yes!  And we celebrated Christmas.

It is the church events that I am going to write about the most. The Christmas season at Epworth begins with the family style dinner at Friendly Farm Restaurant located in the middle of farm country. It truly is a friendly farm that started doing meals many years ago and it has become a tradition for us at Epworth.  A couple hundred folks turn out for terrific fried chicken and roast beef with all of the fixin's and celebrate with prayers, contests, and prizes. And Santa!

This year, we were blessed with the addition of a new choir director, Elaine Gradowski.  Even though she arrived quite late in the year, she was able to expand the choir and perform a lovely Cantata.  The children's choir sang also. It was truly a highlight of the Christmas season and it dovetailed nicely with the theme selected by our clergy to tell the background stories behind traditional hymns.  It turns out that quite a few of our favorite hymns have very meaningful back stories.

The children performed a family service at 5 p.m. and they told the Christmas story through a narrator, songs, and drama.

And at 11 p.m., we had our traditional candlelight service with communion and we added pre-candlelight service music for 30 minutes featuring several members of our congregation.  We have some very talented musicians in our midst and this was an opportunity to hear them.  The sermon focused on the story behind "Silent Night" which,  if you have never heard about it, has to do with a broken organ...a poem...and the need to have special music quickly for Christmas night.  What a great story.

Finally, on Christmas Day, we went to visit my mother who is in a memory care unit at Symphony Manor in Roland Park.  The care they provide is impressive.  Mom can't remember much these days including that she had been visited by Pegg and Sue earlier in the day, but she was in good spirits and had a ready smile for us. Symphony Manor had a musician with a guitar perform for the clients and a good time was had by all.


But the real highlight of our Christmas was the opportunity to spend time with Matt and Mary Louise and Rob.  And we are hopeful that we will have the opportunity to spend time with Rob's fiance, Vera Alcorn, this summer!