University of Massachusetts
Dartmouth, Massachusetts 

June 12, l994

Some alleged wise person concluded that when a body reached Elderhostel eligibility, they suffered some memory loss. In the case of this Elderhostel, forgetting would be for a blessing!

Of course, I could not forget that part of the reason I went here was to be close to the scene of the birth of Grandchild Number One, Samantha Anne Kessler. She saw the light of the world on June 13, l994. I wanted to be close to the scene, as her parents, Lara and Perry, live in Brockton, MA. That was one of the best aspects of this trip, but it had to do more with logistics and geography than with Elderhostel.

There are other elements of this week that I am trying hard to remember to forget:

__The live-in coordinator whose information consisted of whether it was raining or snowing. I did not trust the accuracy of her telling us the time. "I don't know" was her name.

__The clever organizer who housed me on the same floor with three lovely women and a tiny bathroom. Oh, yes, it was friendly.

__One of the many "helpers" who bragged about how kind he was, as he arranged to have prunes served to us in the cafeteria. A delicacy for Seniors!

__That invisible "helper" who did not arrange to bring a bus to us for an announced trip to Newport, RI. As a result, we waited about two hours in the heat for a "Trip to Nowhere." No bus, no trip.

__The anonymous person who did not inform us that the distance between the apartments where we were housed, and the cafeteria and the lecture hall was over a mile. A few handicapped people should have learned about this before arriving. Fortunately, EH people are kind, and we helped each other car pool, especially when the lectures were at night.

__The President of Elderhostel at the time, since retired, who answered my complaints about eight months later with a referral to the New England Regional Office.

__Oh, yes, did I remember to tell anyone reading this? Forget going to this place if any Elderhostel is offered there. I am trying to forget this myself…except for the time and place of the birth of Samantha Anne Kessler, Grandchild Number One.