LA Adams View: Alone and Included

Monday, February 5, 2024

Alone and Included

Alone

Sunday started out with a homemade Sunday Service. There were friends that my siblings had made on the cruise and they had been invited to our short Sunday meeting.

The night before it was decided that we would wear our "Bath" costumes. The girls had brought Austin wear - long dresses, gloves, and crowns to wear to a tea in Bath. But since were weren't going to Bath, it was decided we would go to the old Portland castle and have tea and take pictures there.

I thought the girls said we would wear our costumes to church and then go on the bus.

Hey....

I dress up in my long dress, sleeves and collar, put my cape on, and also my tiara and head on up to Sunday meeting. When I get to the board room....NO ONE else looks the least bit dressed up. Ok, I live in an extrovert family of which sometimes I don't fit. Bad enough looking up at the ceiling so I don't encounter anyone's eye climbing the stairs to church.

After our meeting (with friends) I express my feelings and Susan and Laura whip off their coats and they do have their long dresses on. Laura has her tiara in a bag and puts it on. Then she pulls out a banner (like they wear in a beauty pageant) that says "Lady Laura" and slips that over her head. She hands me a folded banner and I make an about face and stomp out the door. That's it, I said.

I go back to the cabin and cool down.

Inclusive

After putting my own coat on, I go up to the top floor cafe to meet with my siblings. Laura assures me no one is wearing the banner (of which all the girls have been given one) and Sharon gives out embroidered crowns TO ALL THE BOYS. And they wear them. Donald's is white, John has a tiny gold crown on a comb which he sticks into his hair on top of his head. David reminds me of the elf in a movie, even the twins each put one on. So we all sit there in front of people passing by and it's ok.

Then off we go to the Portland Castle. The bus runs a circle around three stops and you can jump on and jump off. Two of my sisters are on scooters so it is tricky to maneuver, but the boys do a good job and off we go to the castle to have tea. We were given a Castle Tea and I realized why scones are so highly valued. They were yummy. We took the pictures and some went through the fortifications that King Henry III put up because he annulled his marriage and the Pope took it as a personal insult. Wikipedia here. Of course different war times have meant different things to this area.