Summer (and Fall) of '89 - Home in Overijse, the Netherlands, England, and Bavaria

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As Linda was in her last trimester over the summer, we decided not to have a summer vacation. I don't know why that would have stopped us traveling except perhaps the last month, but I have no record of having taken an extended trip. My desk calendar for 1989 shows that I canceled a trip to England and Scotland from 13 to 29 July, and that I was very busy at work during the timeframe. We also had frequent visit to the doctor as Linda got closer to delivery. I did take at least one day off each week over the summer so I guess we visited a lot of local sights.

Will was born on September 15th at the SHAPE Hospital. The maternity ward was being renovated, so they had set up a MASH unit in the gymnasium. We had just been to see the doctor as he was eight days late. The doctor said that it would be soon, so we drove to the PX at Chievres, about 20 minutes from SHAPE. Linda's water broke while we were browsing in the Stars and Stripes bookstore, so we drove back to SHAPE only to discover another mother about to deliver. A nurse frantically calling the doctor who was on lunch break. We were concerned that they would send us to the Belgian Hospital in Mons as they could only deliver one baby at a time. However, as soon as the doctor returned from lunch he delivered the baby, and then turned to Linda. Will was born in the weightlifting room and I cut the umbillical cord.

Right after Will was born Mom came to help us out with Will and the girls so that Linda could recover. When Linda had regained her strength, and felt able to take care of Will by herself for a couple of days, I took Mom, Tamara, and Rosanna to Kent for a few days. We caught the ferry from Calais to Dover on Saturday, 30 September 1989 and returned on Monday, 2 October 1989. While in Kent we stayed at a Beefeater Inn outside of Canterbury and visited the surrounding area to include Caterbury Cathedral, Leeds Castle, and Rye.

In mid-October I took a quick trip to London for the MILCOMP Technical Working Group. The flight there was terrible. We descended onto Gatwick Airport in the middle of a hurricane. The plane was rocking violently. After almost getting to the ground the pilot had to go back up and divert to Stanstead Aiport. At Stanstead we were advised that the train service to London was stopped by trees falling on the track. Four of us passengers got together and shared a cab to the nearest tube stop, where we went on our merry way. I got off at Trafalgar Square and was almost hit by flying construction debris as I crossed to Cumberland House where my contacts in the Ministry of Defense had offices. The only good thing about arriving in London in a hurricane is that there were plenty of no shows for the theaters. That evening I saw "Miss Saigon." Coincidentlly, I sat next to the owner/founder of Hard Rock Cafes.

On 18 November the Netherlands representatives invited the Infrastructure Committees and their families for a one day tour of the waterworks where the Rhine River empties into the North Sea, and for a dinner of moules and frites. I took Tamara and Rosanna while Linda stayed home with Will. The girls were somewhat unruly, but it was a family affair.

So by Thanksgiving we were ready to go somewhere. We had been invited for Thanksgiving dinner at Mike and Betty's home, and since his committee met on Thursdays, our dinner was on Friday.

On 25 November 1989, a Saturday, we drove from Overijse to Garmisch where we checked into the AFRC's Von Steuben Hotel for a couple nights. On Sunday and Monday we sent sledding and toured the town and local area; enjoying the heavy snow.

On Tuesday we drove the Romantishstrasse to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where the town was having its Kriskindelmarkt...or Christmas Market. We loved seeing Rotherburg in all seasons, and remembered the first time we had come here in 1977; but now we had three kids. We didn't stay with our farmer friends, who we had stayed with the first time and many times since, as they no longer were in business perhaps because of advanced age. We missed visiting with them...the end of an era. We toured the town on Wednesday and shopped at the Christmas Market.

Thursday, November 30 we drove back to Overijse.

The following Monday, 4 November 1989, President Bush visited NATO headquaters. All the U.S. Mission families got to meet him. The President and Mrs. Bush posed with all the children. Rosanna somewhat disrupted the pose as she was saying "Baby...baby...baby" to someone's baby. President Bush bent over to look at Rosanna and said "What a pretty girl."

On 9 November 1989 the Berlin Wall came down! Life was about to change drastically.

On December 19th we celebrated the 1500th meeting of the Infrastructure Committee. On my way into NATO that morning, I was stopped just as I was making a left turn into the complex. I waited as a convoy of black limosines entered ahead of me. The first limo had a red flag with the hammer and cycle. It was Soviet Foreign Minister Shevardnadze.

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