We didn't know it at the time, but our childhood was rather extraordinary. Our parents were a devoted team that quietly planned, nurtured and welcomed. Our kitchen buzzed with busy kids, home cooking, and lots of colorful relatives wishing to settle in for a cup of tea. Mom lovingly attended to it all. And Dad, well he kept the Olds always in the ready for our joyous escapes to the beach. The years teach much which the days never knew. Ralph Waldo Emerson