SheldonTimes

My extended family gathered near Washington at the end of May 2008 to celebrate the life of my dear aunt Barbara McClenon Clark who died on December 18, 2007, in Florida. Barbara was a playwright, author and dear friend. The service was held on Saturday, May 30th, at Davies Memorial Unitarian Universalist Church, of which she was a founding member. One of the highlights was a reading by family members of one of her plays. Unusual, surprising, but absolutely fitting and delightful.

After the service we went to lunch at Sauciety at National Harbor, arriving there under threat of a severe thunderstorm with torrential rains. We all made it to the restaurant in time, save for one young cousin who held back to take in the views of the river. The poor girl was totally drenched.

After lunch, and when the rain had ended, Paul and I returned to our campsite, which was surprisingly dry. We were able to get enough wood for a campfire hot enough to bake bread for dinner. Yes, we opted to camp that weekend, because it seemed like it might be one of the few chances we'd have to camp in 2008. The camping at Fairfax Lake is upscale from what we've become accustomed to, but still we were able to turn some heads when we unzippered the tent Saturday morning and appeared, Paul in a suit and me in high heels, to go off to the memorial service.

On Sunday my cousin hosted a cookout at her house for all the family. Some of us cousins had not seen each other in over 50 years. We reminisced, we pored over photographs and letters, and we promised to do a better job of keeping in touch.