THE MILLENIUM WOODROUGH STYLE

THE END OF THE 20^TH CENTURY – WOODROUGH STYLE

The Woodrough family celebrated the end of the 20^th century in grand style  The party started with Thanksgiving and continued to the end of January, and was a time of looking forward as well as backward.

Thanksgiving day was spent at 503 Poinsettia Belleair Florida, the home of Margaret and Richard Fuselier.  It is a special place since it was once owned by Annette Kaplan then by her daughter Margaret Woodrough who renovated it and then sold it to the Fuseliers.  Dinner was like a family reunion since both Annette and Margot were invited along with dear friends and next door neighbors, Owen and Lyn Schlaug .  Just the week before Thanksgiving Margot and Steve traveled to Washington D.C. and while there made the rounds visiting all of the homes they owned in Northern Virginia before the move to Atlanta in 1973.  It was quite a trip and great fun to see how the homes had survived the thirty years. 

In addition Margot and Steve spent one spectacular Sunday exploring Georgetown, Margot’s father’s home.  First they attended Mass at Trinity Church where the Ogle and Vollmer family worshiped for many years.  Since it was a picture perfect fall day Margot and Steve “scuffed through the newly fallen bight leaves of Georgetown’s bumpy sidewalks and then to add the perfect touch they spent several hours in Dumbarton Oak’s gardens.  The weather was very mild for late November, the sun was brilliant and the gardens nicely uncrowned.  Since Dumbarton Oaks is one of Margot most favorite places, this was truly a special event. 

The Washington monument was still shrouded in the delightful scaffolding designed by Michael Graves, and at night it looked for all the world like a glowing Japanese lantern.

The Washington weekend was particularly special as Margot was able to spend two afternoons in the Library of Congress and while there found a publication written by Laurie J. Blakely which she copied.  Since family stories have always declared that Laurie Blakely’s works were lost in a fire at a publishing house, this was a particularly exciting find.  Naturally, she copied the entire book for her file.

After Thanksgiving a trip to Atlanta gave us time to help Steve and Elena decorate their Christmas tree then it was back to Florida for the beginning of a very busy holiday season.  On December 20^th Annette, Jane, Laura , Steve and Margot took Jane Blakely to dinner to celebrate her 90^th birthday.  Page and Mark arrived on Christmas Eve in time for dinner at Laura Glass’s home.  The whole family spent Christmas Day at 4801 Osprey Dr reading their letters to their grand children and exchanging gifts.  Two days after Christmas Steve and Margot had a party for the neighbors at their home, and just when that dust settled the McDermott family arrived from Iowa.

The Millennium celebration centered around St. Petersburg Florida’s “First Night” event.  Margot and Steve took their boat, “Motion Granted” to a marina within walking distance of St. Petersburg.  Mick and Joan McDermott, Matt and Mike McDermott joined Page, Mark, Steve and Margot for the evenings celebration that started with dinner at the “Ovo Café”.  The fireworks over the Vinoy Basin were spectacular and the evening was mild. 

All of the out of town guest left by January 4, and Steve took off for Missouri leaving Margot to “rest” for a week.  Then it started all over again.  Steve and Elena made their Christmas visit in January and it included a trip to Walt Disney’s Animal Kingdom where Margot and Steve purchased their wonderful water buffalo carving.  One day after Steve and Elena left Margot and Steve took off for San Juan Puerto Rica for two days before joining a cruise ship for a weeks tour of the eastern Caribbean.

The cruise was very special since Larry West (Steve’s roommate from law school) and his wife Susan were along.  The trip included Barbados, Antigua, Martinique, St. Lucia and St. Thomas.  We liked Barbados and Antigua best.  The trip home from San Juan through Atlanta was an adventure for the town was in the middle of an ice storm on the eve of the Super Bowl.  Margot and Steve might have been very lucky to have been one of the last planes in and out that night before the airport was virtually closed down for weather. 

How lovely it is to be home at Dolphin Cay that certainly resembles a cruise ship that never leaves port.  We have decided that St. Petersburg Florida is the best Caribbean Island there is, and we are certainly looking forward to a lovely boring February.  Steve and Elena are moving to Chicago and Page and Mark to Germany, but that is their problem not ours thank goodness.  Already we are planning an extended trip to Chicago in July and to Germany next summer.