The World of Grandpa Don  

Sunday was a glorious as Saturday had been. The perfect weather was a bonus to everything else. There were two young men who served a cantors at the 10:30 Mass. They both had marvelous voices. I later found that they were college students and would be with us for the entire summer. After exchanging greetings with many friends and having several conversations on my way out of church I made my way back home for a bit of heaven in the gazebo before having a lite lunch. After lunch, I found a surprise amongst  my email.

I had set up the Packard Family Mysteries page in the hope that some Packard Family researcher would find it and have some pieces of the puzzle that may help us to trace the parents and grandparents of our Shepard Packard. In addition Peggy (brother Jim's wife) was interested in getting more information about the "Michigan Packards" thinking there may be some clues there. Well, Jean Dean found the Packard page. Jean lives in Michigan and her mother was a Packard, Her ancestors include an Abiel Packard, born in  Maine in 1826 who resided in Onterio and married there. His Family later moved to AuGres, Michigan. Jean has found the graves of her grandparents there and is going back to do more research in a week or two. The name Abiel Packard keeps popping up in our research and we know that our ancestor Shepard Packard was born in Massachusetts in about 1818. But Maine was part of Massachusetts until 1820 so it is possible that our Shepard, and Jean's Abial may have come from the same family.  I of course sent the information to Peggy who will be greatly interested.

The Halfords arrived about 4:00. Dick was bent over and moving slowly, carrying a cane and a pillow. He had twisted his back and strained a muscle after a shower on Saturday.  I suggested that Jan and I could go to dinner and bring something back for him but he said he was perfectly capable of going to the restaurant with us. And so we went to Hollywood on 159th St, arriving about 4:30 to be seated in the totally empty room. After receiving our before dinner drinks, I ordered the Saganaki and their cheese platter. The Saganaki was served with great flourish and abundant flame. It was as delicious as it was festive. The cheese platter was huge and included samples of about eight different cheeses festooned with slices of a variety of melons, tomato, strawberries as well as sliced hard boiled egg. This was followed by our salads which were made with a variety of greens, not your plain old common lettuce. As usual Dick had a well done filet which he said melted in his mouth. I opted for the small cut of prime rib and Jan had a chicken dish. We all took some of our dinners home and I left with some of the cheese tray. The decor was delightful as was the background music. Our stay was marred only by the presence of a family with a screaming child over which there was no attempt to control. Blessedly their stay was short. While there, only three additional tables were occupied although there were a number of people in the bar aria and on the pattio. I asked our waitress if it was always that empty and when she said yes, I asked if they thought it may be a result of the reputation of the former establishment in the building. She said the the manager thought that could be the case. It was previously the location of Fire & Ice, an establishment which had been shut down after problems with their late hour - and often rowdy bar and which had over served a patron who was responsible for a traffic death. I am sure I will be back there - if they manage to stay open.

Returning home we enjoyed a tour of the garden and several hands of pinochle before selecting a date, a month's hence, when my friends will host "Dinner & Cards". It was a truly delightful weekend. It just doesn't get any better than this!