Hi Bill
Every year when the 4th of July is looming I
think of one of our more memorable July Fourth holidays. You were not part of
that holiday but I have probably mentioned it to you sometime.
As you know, Sunday, July 4th 1976 was the 200th
anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, and during the
previous year there were many festivities/events all over the country leading
up to the big crescendo. The big day was a nation-wide festive celebration, which
you undoubtedly enjoyed with your family.
Festivities included elaborate fireworks in the skies above
major American cities. President Ford presided over the fireworks display in
Washington, D.C. that was televised nationally. An international fleet of tall sailing
ships gathered in New York City on Independence Day and then in Boston about
one week later. Navies of many nations sent warships to New York harbor for an
International Naval Review held the morning of July fourth. President Ford
sailed down the Hudson River into New York harbor aboard the guided missile
cruiser USS Wainwright to receive salutes from each visiting ship and a salute
from the British missile cruiser HMS London. Britain's Queen Elizabeth and
Prince Philip made a state visit to the United States to tour the country and
attend the Bicentennial festivities with President and Mrs. Ford. Their visit
aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia included stops in Philadelphia, Washington,
D.C., Virginia, New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.
You may remember that at that time, Pat and I were living on
Parkview Avenue in Pittsburgh, while I was in graduate school. I’m sure there were
many festivities in Pittsburgh on the big day, but instead of enjoying them, we
drove to the Hallman homestead on West Plank Road on the Friday evening before
the big day. We thought it would be nice to visit Mom (Marie), Aunt Pauline, and
some others for the holiday. We also hoped you and your family might make the
trip from eastern Pennsylvania to the old homestead. Unfortunately, you and
your family could not join the Hallman festivities. However, you were extremely
lucky that you could not make it to the homestead during that very hot weekend.
You lucky dogs!
It was nice to see Mom during that “Festive Fourth.” It was
also nice to see Aunt Pauline who was visiting.
However, we soon learned that the “Two Sisters” had plans for us that
were not as festive as we expected. They informed us that they needed help with
some chores, which didn’t surprise me. That property and house was large and
difficult to maintain. In addition, Mom was not financially well off, so paying
someone to help was not always feasible.
However, Pat and I began to get a little nervous during the
Friday evening conversation with them and that feeling soon morphed into an “Oh
please I don’t want to know what they have in mind!” feeling. However, it did
not take long for them to inform us that they were in the process of “Painting
the Exterior of the House!” Hearing that put the fear of God into me. I had
previously helped Dad paint some of the house, but he had died about seven
years earlier so he wouldn’t be there to help with this job. Mom and Aunt
Pauline told us they were only painting one side of the house, but which side?
Immediately I thought “Please not the west or east side!” Those were the
largest and highest sides and I didn’t (and still don’t) like heights.
On Saturday, I found myself painting the west side of the
house and believe me, it was not fun. First, there was some fairly significant
blistering of the old paint on that side of the house and I had to scrap most of
those blisters off before any paint could be applied. Then I had to apply
primer to the bare wood where the blisters had been scraped off. However, I was
able to begin painting the top coat by midday or so. To be fair, Aunt Pauline,
and Pat helped put a little paint of the lower part of that siding. However, I
was responsible for most of the painting. The “Two Sisters” sitting in their
two lawn chairs maintained a constant surveillance of the entire painting
process, which included them pointing out areas that needed more attention. I
painted well into that Saturday evening.
Sunday, the day of the big Bicentennial celebration was surreal.
I’m sure you would have found it very amusing to see me on Sunday during the
Bicentennial 4th of July celebration, when I was painting the high
part of that side which included an area under the peeked roof. Of course we
didn’t have any scaffolding to stand on, which would have made the process
easier and a lot safer. Therefore I was hanging by a thread on a very high extension
ladder silently praying that I didn’t slip off of the ladder and break any bones
during a 20-foot fall to the ground without any parachute or padding to help
me.
Of course Pat was not excluded from the fun. She helped
paint some of the lower parts of the siding, but when that was finished, the
“Two Sisters” did not give Pat any relaxation time. Instead of allowing Pat to sit
in one of the audience chairs to help critique Clark’s painting skills, Mom and
Pauline strongly encouraged her to pull (and dig) weeds out of the very long
gravel driveway from the highway to the house. Of course Pat acquiesced and did
some driveway weeding. I think she just needed some time away from the “Two
Sisters.”
While the entire country was celebrating its 200th
birthday, Pat and I were under the control of the “Two Sisters.” They were two
assertive women, but they also could be funny, considerate, and loving. They
both had a big influence on me as I was growing up and I’m grateful to them for
many reasons. I think of them often.
Although it was not the Bicentennial celebration we wanted
to experience, when Pat and I think back to that day we find it to be very
humorous. I wish you and your family could have been there to share the labor
and the snippets of joy. By the way, I
have steel siding on my house and I am not inclined to recreate that
celebration.
Sincerely Clark
 |
| Clark and Pat 1976 |
 |
Clark with Marie and Pauline 1976 The Old Homestead now Long Gone |
No comments:
Post a Comment