In March. 1978, we were reassigned to Indian Head, Maryland. We traveled across country in our 9 passenger Buick station wagon. The camper had been sold since it wouldn't be needed in Maryland. It was quite a trip with 2 adults, 2 kids, 2 dogs, a hamster, and a jar full of fish! We moved into the apartments on base, and Frank, in second grade, and Ami, in Kindergarten, finished out the school year at Indian Head Elementary School.

While we were staying in a temporary apartment until our permanent place was ready, we noticed that Odin wasn't doing well. He was taken to the vets where he died a few hours later. It seemed that, during our cross-county trip, he had gotten into some antifreeze that had spilled into the snow cleared from a parking lot. It was a sad end for a lovely dog. Awhile later, we got War (Golden Warrior of Shendai). Schnitzel, an older gal by now, was missing her buddy, and we were pretty used to having a "DOG" around.

This dog wasn't a show dog though. With 2 children in school, and Mom now teaching at Indian Head Elementary as well, there just wasn't time for the training and traveling.

After a year on base, we decided that it was time to get a home of our own. We moved into our home in Bryans Road, Maryland, in the November of 1979

On the first day of school each year, we took pictures of Frank and Ami by the front door. The idea was that if you looked at the series of pictures, you would see how much the kids had grown over the years.

         

The move back to Maryland made it easier to see family. Dad married Grandma Lois and we got to visit fairly often and came to love her very much.

Another change was the advent of the metalmouths. Both Frank and Ami wore braces on their teeth for a year or so. I know it was a pain at the time, but it paid off at the end of the treatments in much better teeth.

One of our best friends is Tom Short. Tom taught fifth grade with my firend Anne Murphy and me. He was Ami's fifth grade teacher, and later became godfather to Ami's first daughter, Amielia.

This picture was taken at a German dinner we gave. Ami acted as hostess, wearing a dress that I brought back from our tour in Wiesbaden.

On November 17, 1983, my father passed away. We continue to visit with Grandma Lois whenever we go to Pennsylvania.