Sunday, 13 July 1986

Dear Mom & Dad,

Without my computer I don't know when I wrote last or what I said.

I was off Friday. We drove to the bedspread factory up in the mountains near Montecassino. We spent LOTS of money there, some for other people. We nearly filled the trunk with all we got.

We then drove to Tivoli and found a cheap hotel for the night. Then we went to Hadrian's Villa for a couple hours. Afterwards we went to the fountains at Villa D'este in Tivoli. The kids enjoyed the fountains a lot.

Angelique at the Canopus in Hadrian's Villa.	Steven with a crocodile in Hadrian's Villa.
Angelique beside a caryatid in Hadrian's Villa.	Steven and Angelique under an olive tree at Hadrian's Villa.

Saturday morning (yesterday) we went to the Sistine Chapel. We were astonished! It is impossible to adequately describe the difference where it has been cleaned. When it is all finished, the room will no longer appear as a gloomy place. The bright colors on the ceiling will give a feeling like Disney World. It is as colorful as a Disney cartoon.

We went into St. Peter's Basilica & this time found the entrance to the underground tomb chamber. It was interesting. I am more and more convinced that the Apostle Peter's bones are in the box below the dome.

After lunch we went to the Roman forum & the Colosseum, in hopes that Angelique will remember it.

We got home about 6:30 last night.

We sold the wardrobes for $450. The same people applied for a bank loan for the Fiat. I doubt the loan will be approved, but I hope it will. We have had no calls on either car. Now I am starting to get anxious about whether we can get them sold before I leave.

A few days ago I discovered (mostly by accident) that there is no MAC flight on 5 August. They changed it to 7 August. I asked them when they were going to let me know this. They said they tried to call (the clinic) while I was packing out.

Anyway, I will not get to the States till Friday, 8 August. I will fly into Memphis where Jeannie will pick me up & show me the house we will be moving into (I hope). I will spend Friday night in Searcy.

We will drive to Harrison Saturday morning (9 Aug.). Jeannie surely will not drive all the way to Harrison before I get there. She will be busy enough going back & forth to Memphis. You are welcome to go to Searcy. (Angelique is having a birthday party on 2 August at McDonald's.) Please try to understand. Jeannie does not even want to go back before me. She will be very tired & very busy when she first gets back. If Searcy were not so close to Memphis, I don't think she would go back early.

Angelique is going to have to go to Memphis with Jeannie one day and take a test at Harding Academy. There is a Harding elementary in Raleigh. If we can get Angelique into it, we will probably live in that area. They won't enroll her until she takes a test.

Back to the previous subject - I will be in Harrison sometime on Saturday, 9 August. How about some homemade ice cream & chocolate chip cookies? I will be very tired for a few days. We will probably stay about 5 nights and then drive to San Antonio to see John & Faye. (That is if Angelique goes to Harding Academy which doesn't start until 22 August.)

While in Harrison, I want to visit June and Richie & Becky. Others I will see at church. I might go talk with Dr. Hammon. I'm sure I will think of someone else after I get there.

It has really gotten hot here lately.

I wanted to go swimming today. The kids did, too, until they learned that a Care Bear movie was on at the theater. Jeannie took them to the movie this afternoon.

We sold the kids' swing set to a neighbor at what we all thought was a good price. It is beginning to get a lot of rust on it. We aren't sure we won't have to live in an apartment in Memphis. The swing set is getting a little small for the kids anyway. It is still in the front yard and won't leave until after the kids do.

Tell Becky hello. I am really sorry that I couldn't have been back in the States and gotten to see her. We found a nice baby gift this weekend. I hope Becky gets her girl. I was looking forward to spending Christmas with Becky & Andy in Harrison this year. But surely with her due date being 9 January, she won't leave home that late. Perhaps we can get together at Thanksgiving.

I guess if you are winning ribbons for your paintings, I am going to have to take your artistic ability seriously. Congratulations! I look forward to seeing your paintings.

Thanks so much for sending the checks.

You can call Jeannie at Diane's house preferably by 7 pm on 23 July.

I look forward to getting to Harrison.

Love,

Michael

P.S. All the slides in this box I want to keep except the packet from Florence ("Firenze"). You can have it. You can also have the small blue photo album. Other things of mine in this box are computer diskettes and all the negatives we took in Europe. Please just hold on to these things for awhile.

- Michael