We've spent the first part of the holiday weekend visiting with cousins. My cousin Andrea (we have common great grandparents) lives in North Kingstown and is transferring to Key West (she is an FBI agent). The boys have enjoyed reacquainting themselves with her two children as well as my Cousin Bruce (Andrea's brother) who drove in from the Philly area for the weekend. Bruce and I were close as children and he and his wife Nanette had several sailing adventures with me in the pre-children 80's.

Saturday we visited them at Andrea's home and yesterday we met up in Bristol, first at our favorite park, and then we continued on to the Herreshoff sailing museum. As we enjoyed the park, a thunderstorm moved through forcing our departure for the Museum. It reminded me of a cruise on Josephine in 1988 when a line of thundersqualls crossed our path as we sailed from Cuttyhunk to Newport.

Today we were back to our usual Summer days jaunt to Goosewing Beach in Little Compton and the Wilbur School playground. Hank and Skipper are both doing well with a metal bat and hardball.

There is a howling rain storm outside. It is in the mid 40s with a windchill of 39. The same is forecast for the next few days. I just checked the records on weather.com. The last day when the temperature hit 70 degrees was Wednesday, April 20. There are no forecasted days for the rest of May where the temperature is expected to hit 70. Whether this is a record or not really doesn't matter. The whole thing is depressing.

I noticed in the Open House listings of Saturdays real estate section an open house for a condo at 106 Williams St. The asking price was $569,000. I lived at 106 Williams for over 20 years. First, for about 6 years when I was a child, and then, from 1983 to 1998 as an adult. I was paying $450 a month in rent when I left in 1998.

Description: EAST SIDE: OPEN TODAY 2-4 or call for appointment. Historic townhouse, restored to perfection. Private courtyard, fireplaces, wide floor boards, central air, 2 baths, master suite. Motivated seller. 106 Williams St. $569,900. 474-0844

Bathrooms: 2
Fireplace: Fireplace
Air: Central Air

So, on Sunday afternoon, Hank and I (Sarah and Skipper were uninterested) headed over there to take a look. The major change was that the third floor attic, previously used for storage, had been finished off to include a bed room and an enormous bathroom with a Jacuzzi and double stall shower. It all looked nice but there is a headroom issue. Short rich people might be interested.

Also, the kitchen had been eliminated from the second floor room which had previously been my kitchen-dining room and a second rate kitchen had been installed in the room leading to the lower landing bathroom. I say a second rate kitchen because the shelf and storage space was very limited.

As Hank and I came down from touring the third floor, where he was fascinated by the jacuzzi, enormous stall shower, and peculiar window looking over the staircase, we found my old girlfriend Helen and her mother standing there, about to embark on the same tour and for the same reasons that I had come. It was good to see her again after a five year interval.

I've got a couple of projects I need to work on that require the use of a drill. I have an electric drill, but I don't like to use it when the boys are around. Over the last two days I've been to Home Depot, Adler's Hardware, and Benny's Home and Garden trying to buy a hand drill. No luck. They are no longer sold! I have noted that there are over a hundred posted for sale on EBay.

Everyone is healthy again and it didn't rain today. The first weekend day in a month with no rain. Rain is forecast for tomorrow.

Skipper has had an intestinal ailment all week. A real drag for everyone. He finally went to the Doctor today. No milk and eat yogurt, he was told. "Pasta would be good too." Dr. McGookin said. Hopefully things will improve soon.

But the weekend is looking grim with cold weather and rain. We'll be spending time at the Athenaeum. We had a couple of great weekends in early April, but it has been downhill since then.

In the last month we've started to play poker. Hank is usually victorious, although I will admit to fixing the cards occasionally, because he is such a happy guy when he wins. Just in the last few days they've both figured out that they should drop out when they don't have a pair. We play five card stud and usually employ the 6-9 rule for Hank. The 6-9 rule applies to four year olds who dispute that there is a difference between a 6 and a 9. We count them as pairs for Hank.

The Derby is tomorrow. I like Afleet Alex. I'll bet him to win and box key him in the exactas with Noble Causeway, High Fly, and Wilko. Maybe even a $1 triple box key on top. Bellamy Road is scary fast, but I'll leave him out except for a saver with Afleet Alex on top.