Awake: 12:42am Temp 65 dark of night 1st our land-line phone rings….then our cell phone @ 12:42am. Kathy is out of bed before I can get my toes moving. It’s a call from Kevin: Melissa is having contractions (1) minute long….every (4) min. Kevin would like us to get there ASAP.
(22) miles & 40 min later, we arrive @ the Foote mansion & talk only (2-3) min with a very pregnant lady who, with Kevin, waste no time in rushing out to their car & heading for the hospital. Meanwhile, Kathy quickly & quietly approaches the stairs to bed with Matthew & Andrew.
“What am I to do” I ask Kathy as she nearly disappears while climbing the stairs. “Sleep in the upstairs bedroom” she whispers. Well, I give that idea a (2) sec thought & decide to return to my own comfortable bed back in the bus. I figure somebody needs to get a good night’s sleep.
Lights out again: 2:35am
Awake: 8:02am Temp65 sleep: 6+32 cloudy overnight @ Nicktown, PA.
Shortly after 9:00am Kathy calls with “Congratulations to us,” on our 4th grandson.
Nathaniel Kael Foote was born @ 4:02am weighing 8 lbs 7 oz & measuring 19 ¼ inches with lots of dark hair. Mother & child are doing well.
When talking with Kevin the other day, I mentioned that if by chance Melissa would deliver on Sunday, I would attend the St. Augustine picnic regardless if they would be able to make it there or not. Our friends, Gary & Rosemary C., are in charge of running the picnic this yr & I am very curious as to how coordinated everything is & how tasty the dinner meals are. I let Kathy know that I’ll bring the dinner food from St. Augustine sometime after 2:00pm.
A lot of autos & a lot more people as I approach the picnic buildings & booths; I stand in the dinner line for (15) min & we move maybe (5) feet. This line length has to be (100) ft long or better; @ this rate I’ll be late for my own dinner I thought; besides that, the area is surrounded with dark clouds. I did bring an umbrella & my camera just in case. The couples in front of me were attending for the 1st time; the couples in back visit every yr. I ask the back couples if the line is always this slow. “No” they say & point out the “other line” that I couldn’t see thru the crowd & tell me that line is for take-outs. They also reveal the plan on how I can visit the kitchen & see our friends, Gary & Rosemary.
I pass up the short line for take-outs & find my way into the busy, busy kitchen. Sure enough, there’s Gary, with his rubber gloved hands deep in the coleslaw. 1st I announce the arrival of our new grandson, Nathaniel, with a few details; then I ask their OK to take a picture for evidence that the boss also works alongside the workers. Gary has little time for my visit but takes me into the dining room to see Rosemary. She too, is working with the workers. I was lucky to get yet another picture because these guys are all business; then I join the short take-out line that has grown considerably since I passed it a mere (10) min ago.
My umbrella came in handy while waiting for the take-out meals to be available; small waves of light rain would come & go & later, I heard via the grapevine, heavy rain eventually moved in & shut the picnic down quickly before its time.
Apparently the noodle makers had some trouble with the narrow noodle machines & ended up making wider noodles; thus when heating up those noodles for take-out & in the main dining room, extra time was necessary.
Picnic meals arrive @ the Foote house a little after 3:00pm. The boys were not hungry but tired Kathy & tired Kevin definitely were.
Fried chicken with mashed potatoes, green beans, wide noodles in chicken broth, rolls & a cupcake for dessert went over very well for us. In fact, K & I ate 1/2 of our meals & brought the rest back to the bus for later. Hungry Kevin ran out of time & only had a few bites of the dinner meal before we all go visit Melissa & Nathaniel @ the hospital.
Nathaniel is a good & healthy looking boy & Melissa is already perky & quite happy to see us. She will spend the night @ the hospital while Kathy & Kevin care for Matthew & Andrew overnight. Again I return to our bus in Nicktown & will drive back to the Foote home tomorrow morning.
My sister, Mary Jo, calls from the Lilly Pad; she & Jenny are now in PA having flown from CA.
Katrina calls while driving to house & dog sit in Parker, CO. We chat for 20 min.
Kathy calls: the boys are in bed sleeping as is Kevin (a night of NO sleep & a full day of baby excitement and big brother visits to the hospital have done him in!). Kathy has the kitchen & dining areas cleaned up & diapers washed & hung to dry; now at 10:30, she is tired & going to bed herself.
Late movie for me: “Air Force” with John Garfield, John Ridgely, Gig Young, Arthur Kennedy, etc. Archetypal WWII movie, focusing on archetypal bomber crew; tough to stomach @ times but generally exciting & well done. 1943. Surprisingly good aviation story.
High temp=71 Lights out: 12:44am
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