1942

The Ed Stafford Saga continues: "In '93 there were several great house-sitting episodes for good friends on travel with homes, pools, pets, and gardens in need of TLC, and the next year an even luckier break when an old flying friend took off for six weeks in India and turned over his rambling and flower-filled estate in Mallorca, Spain.

"In '94 there were two idyllic weeks with two of my children and their two four-year-old sons in a 42-foot catamaran out of Marsh Harbor in the Abaco chain of the Bahamas. Then, late in the year, it seemed time for a home without wheels, and it turned out to be a two-bedroom, townhouse-type apartment on this barrier island (Melbourne Beach, Fla.) halfway between the ocean and the river, where the weather is almost always benign and there is a large pool 50 yards away. But the best thing about the apartment is that it is being shared, as was the Marsh Harbor charter, with a lovely lady whom I have known for almost exactly 45 years. And last April, after we had determined that the truly fabulous way we got along was real and not an illusion or wishful thinking from the past, we were married on a balmy moonlit evening by the captain of a cruise ship off Miami."

Ed's wife's name is Peggy, and we welcome her warmly into the '42 family. Don't miss the next exciting chapter of this tale in the next DAM!

Sid Bull writes: "After attending our mini in October, where Dicky and I had a great time, we returned to Cape Cod just long enough to pack our bags for a trip to Hawaii—spent our 48th on a plane over the Pacific. One week each on Maui and Hawaii. From the latter tried to contact Dick King only to learn he was on a lengthy cruise to somewhere....Played golf on Maui and Hawaii, where the courses were beautiful but soon learned that it is tough to putt on a mountainside. Incidentally, I have golfed in Kenya and Scotland. None of the experiences helped my handicap." Sid also expressed appreciation to Wally and Barbara Farr for having a surprise cocktail party at the mini for those who arrived early at Lake Fairlee.

From Dick and Dot Baldwin's Christmas letter: "We celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary on November 11....Our four children and Dick's sister Shirley from Connecticut created a surprise supper party at our home for lots of family and close friends. They converged from as far away as Michigan and New Hampshire. Looking back over the year, we started on a high note in March when Paul and Linda DiDario returned from China with new China doll granddaughter, Amylin—born June 25, 1994. She immediately bonded with our family and has been an exciting little girl to be with.

"It was fortunate that Amylin arrived in the middle of March since we had planned a Caribbean Islands/Panama Canal cruise for the last ten days in March....We had clear sailing on the Royal Princess all the way from San Juan, P.R., to Acapulco, Mexico—our first sailing adventure. What an experience!"

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