As for Daniel, well Daniel was a unique personality. He was curious, studious and a thoughtful child. He loved order and logic and nature. He found others his age simply uninteresting. He gravitated toward adults. Bette had discovered that he was beginning to notice girls and the fact that their acquiring more adult features attracted him. The fall was going to be a new adventure for him. Bette and Tina had promised each other to have a more in-depth conversation about Daniel and the expectations of the onset of puberty which was in the not-too-distant future. Tina had suggested that they spend some time with Shane and Bobbie in order to get some pointers on what to expect and how to handle a teenage boy. Their objective was agreed upon a long time ago. Their objective was to produce well-adjusted productive adults who had the skills to resolve problems and pursue their own happiness without being inconsiderate or judgmental of others. Shane and Bobbie’s boys were kind and considerate and treated others with dignity and those were the traits they very much wanted Daniel to have. But both were very much aware that a boy presented a completely different set of challenges than a girl. They also knew that they could always talk to Uncle Sonny. Now that they were in California, Daniel would have both Sonny and James as role models as well as all their aunts.

Bette and Tina prepared eggs, hash browns, fruit and toast for breakfast. That along with juice and coffee and water and everyone was fueled for their morning. Mary was rather talkative at breakfast. She was enjoying the routine of the household. She really liked the idea of an early morning swim to get her day started. The heat of Arizona summer had been depressing for her. And with the news that her friends were going to be leaving her community had not been uplifting either. She was seriously thinking that a move to Los Angeles and a complete change in her life might be good for everyone. Her girls were here. Her grandchildren lived here. The weather was nicer… what did she have to lose?

After breakfast, they bid Angie and Daniel good luck and to enjoy their last day on the golf course. The housekeeping staff arrived and decided to freshen up the house next door. Bette and Mary carried water, soft drinks and coffee to the other house for their guest. Tina worked on the vegetable trays and made the dessert. Bette and Tina then set up the tables for the food service and eating and set out the chaffing dish setups. Bette prepared the grills – one for cooking the steaks and the other for heating food if necessary. They set up the drink station with glasses and napkins. They also set up a cooler for the beer and white wine should anyone want them. Then there was a cooler for soft drinks, tea and water. Bette then set up the dishes for people to serve themselves in a buffet line. Bette insisted that they use real china and flatware and wine glasses for dinner. This was a celebration which called for something more than paper plates. Tina had put the steaks into several casserole dishes and added her favorite marinate. She also prepared several loaves of French bread with a garlic butter to be served with the meal. She then prepared a spinach dip to be served with a dark pumpernickel bread as a part of the hor-d’oevres. She then took an inventory of everything that was made and the only remaining dish was the meat balls. She set out the large crock pot and decided that would be started just after lunch.