2001

Out on the "Airline", or Route 9 on the way to Calais

  This was a monumental year!  Hollie will move in to her "own" place, I will retire from the City of Brewer and the world as we know it will begin to crumble (or continue).
  Things on the home front were just miserable to start the year, when we "finally" got word that Hollie would have a house of her own there was much relief.  We love her dearly, but a large, agressive person is hard to "like".  We'll write move about the move tomorrow.
  Jon got married in 2001, the wedding was out west without guest at the request of the happy couple.  Darlene is a wonderful person and they both love their "children", which currently consist of three dogs and three cats.  True dog lovers, cats too, who take great care of their charges.  The first time they came to visit, before they were married, Darlene had never met us (of course).  It was just after the Dallas Cowboy coach had been found with a gun in his suitcase at an airport; and Jon and I had a running gag on the phone about "do you have your gun"?  Well he brought Darlene in to the house and they were sitting at the kitchen table when I came in from another room; I asked Jon "did you bring the gun?"  He replied that he had forgotten and left it in the bathroom at home.  My reply (carefully watching her face) was; "Great!  The grandchildren are coming, and now they have nothing to play with!".  The look of disbelief was priceless!  Darlene is a gentle soul who has no use for guns.
  In February I submitted my resignation and plans to retire, the City Manager said he wasn't surprised, and heaven knows I wasn't surprised either!  I retired on June 30th, the next day being the first of the new fiscal year so taxes wouldn't have to be re-committed to someone else.  I always liked to read the committal document because if refered to me as "Lawrence S. Grant, Esq."; now back in the 1700's and 1800's being a "squire" was a big deal, it was reserved for Judges, Attorneys and for some strange reason Tax Collectors, I cannot imagine why.  The tradition has continued so at lease once a year I was a squire.  Before I left I wrote and illustrated a guide to everything the job entailed, both on paper and as a "power point" presentation.  It was very detailed, right down to what key to push on the keyboard, they still paid me to come back and do the tax bills!  I almost couldn't believe it!


Jon and Darlene



At the Special Olympics

Hollie at Hampden Academy (high school) in front of the Hampden Bronco.
she was a Freshman.