Pumpkin time for the Barger ladies at Kate's cottage in Higham (l-r: Emily, Mom and Kate)
Busy days for all of us as we move into the second week of November. The elections are behind us and Veterans Day is coming up this Thursday. How nice to put on a sweater at last as we enjoy raking leaves, trimming shrubs, and removing the last of the begonias and impatiens to the compost pile.
Happy News today about the arrival of Miles Tate Helfrich and the recent wedding of Charity Kimmel. Also a few notes about a delightful trip abroad despite the more stringent security procedures.
Charity Allen Kimmel and Robert F. Malkemes, Jr.
WEDDING BELLS
Congratulations to Charity Allen Kimmel of Lake Wylie, S.C., who married Robert F. Malkemes, Jr., of Charlotte on the auspicious date of 10-10-10. The marriage was announced by Dr. and Mrs. Donald L. Kimmel and Ms. June M. Kimmel of Davidson. Robert is the son of Ms. Rebekah N. Malkemes of West Pittston, Pa., and the late Robert F. Malkemes.
Charity wore a dress of silver satin and trimmed with blue brocade and silver bugles that had belonged to her grandmother. Charity and her mother, June, had found the dress in a suitcase filled with evening bags, long gloves, shoes and several outfits that June’s mother had not been able to part with. The dress provided a wonderful memory for June and her daughter.
Witnesses for the marriage included the bride’s mother, the groom’s mother, and the groom’s sister, Janet Malkemes of Charlotte. The bride’s son, Alex Wilson (14), played a flute solo for the wedding. Ms. Brenda Campbell of Charlotte performed the ceremony. Charity’s brother, Benjamin Kimmel, was in attendance with his wife, Lori, and his son, Obadiah, who is the same age as Alex. Friends of the couple gathered on Pine Island, N.C., for a celebratory week on the Outer Banks, ending with a dinner in Duck, N.C., hosted by the groom. The couple will make their home in Lake Wylie, S.C.
Miles Tate Helfrich arrived on November 2 and poses with Mom Beth, Dad Tim and big sis, Zoë!
CRADLE ROLL
Welcome to the world, Miles Tate Helfrich. Born to proud parents Tim and Beth Gardner Helfrich, baby Miles arrived on Election Day, Nov. 2, weighing 9 lbs. 1 oz. and stretching to 20 ½ inches. He arrived at 6:11 a.m. at Presbyterian Hospital in Huntersville. Big sister, Zoë (2), is trying to be a big help – most of the time!
Proud grandparents are Nancy (Granci Nancy) Gardner of Davidson, Joe Gardner of Cornelius and Tom and Mary Sue Helfrich of Cleveland, Ohio. Lots of aunts and uncles to dote on the new baby since Tim has five brothers and one sister and Beth has two brothers (Curtis and Tate). In addition, Baby Miles joins five Helfrich cousins. There are also many great aunts and great uncles and a very happy Great Grandmother, Nancy (Nanna) Smith, who resides at The Pines.
Beth will take time off from her teaching duties at Woodlawn School until after the New Year. Granci Nancy is taking time off from her high school teaching in Mooresville to help by letting Zoë “hang out” with her. Tim will soon be back to his teaching schedule at Woodlawn School. (He’s also the proprietor of Summit Coffee on Main Street.) The family is grateful to Woodlawn parents who are providing a freezer full of meals for this busy household.
A stroll in Lavenham, a wool trading center in the 16th Century (the origin, no doubt, of the nursery rhyme - there was a crooked man who had a crooked stick who lived in a crooked house...)
NOTES FROM ABROAD
Well, yes, notes from ABROAD from your correspondent who just returned from a whirlwind week in England. The frequent flyer miles beckoned and soon I was airborne from Charlotte while younger daughter, Emily, took to the skies from Atlanta. Older daughter, Kate, who is working in Suffolk, planned a packed itinerary and rescued us from our Gatwick Airport’s dawn arrival for a first day’s tour of Leeds Castle. Segway tours of the grounds were fully booked so we made the most of our Reeboks and strolled the beautiful grounds and interior rooms of the castle. Returning to London for a few days we thought we might see indications of the new austerity program mandated by the government. Well, then again, maybe not so much austerity! Crowds it seemed were bigger than usual in the city; the British pounds were flowing without pause from wallets. The Brits love Halloween now and pro-football as well as evidenced by 85,000 fun loving fans cheering the 49ers and the Broncos at a sold out Wembley Stadium for the Oct. 31 game! Seats for the “hot” shows could not be had; the Portobello Antique Market was jammed with Brits and foreigners; lines at the Eye were blocks long; restaurants were full and the Underground was packed. Even Windsor Castle had a multitude of visitors – including the Queen who was entertaining the Emir of Qatar, the proud new owner of Harrod’s.
Hedgerows and fall leaves on a country lane in Suffolk (yes, this IS a two lane road!)
Escaping London for the quiet of the Suffolk countryside was a blessing. Footpaths through the fields, hedgerows along narrow lanes, and quiet time spent carving pumpkins and catching up on family. All too soon, it was time to return to Gatwick, endure heightened security with shoes-on, shoes-off, numerous pat downs and many questions about ink cartridges. As always, travel is an adventure but this adventure brought mild weather, blue skies, friendly people, good food, a chance to see the much acclaimed 100 million porcelain sunflower seeds (Google artist Ai Wei Wei) at the Tate Modern, and a marvelous ladies’ outing! What is not to like about England in the fall?
Indeed! Frivolity and great fun abroad as witnessed by the “Barger Broads!”
Send us your news
Have news for Around Davidson? Write to Brenda Barger at hbarger@bellsouth.net.
