WASHINGTON DC, LOUD PARTIES and a NANNY NAMED AMERICA and her husband GEORGE...Part 1

                                                                                                                                                                           OK,  here is where we start to get specific and hope my memory is working. As I have previously mentioned I was born in Columbus Ohio in early 1946. I was soon moved to Ashland Ohio, then on to Dayton Ohio. From Dayton we moved to Huntington West Virginia, then on to Richmond Virginia. Richmond was where my sister was born so that puts us in Richmond at the end of 1950 and on in to 1951. I have mentioned that I really do not have any memories of any of these places other than we had nice homes, big yards and lots of trees. I don't have any memories of my sister being born but if I close my eyes....I can envision my mother carrying Jody into the house followed by my grandmother (her mom) and my dad. I don't think this is so much a memory than it is just what my mind wants to see. OK, here I am at about 6 years old and within a year or so we move to Washington DC. Actually we lived in Chevy Chase Maryland on Lynnwood Lane. We were very close to the Chevy Chase Country Club, Rock Creek Park and Bethesda Navel Hospital. I mention these places because I have vivid memories of getting into trouble at all three.

Memories of living in Chevy Chase, not in any order. First, the neighborhood we lived in was full of people who worked at lots of the foreign embassy's in Washington. The Swedish Ambassador lived directly across the street and his son Stephen was my best friend and I think one year older. The German Ambassador lived right next door (his name was Albert and her name was Honey...a beautiful woman...I have pictures). They didn't have any children so they kinda adopted my sister and I so when they wanted kids around...they would ask my mom if we could come over for lunch or to play games and the like. My mom couldn't have said sure...take them, any faster than she did!! Of course, when they got tired of us, they sent us home...probably putting a crimp into our mother's plans. I guess we could have been called the "Rent-A-Kids"!

I remember that both my mom and dad were VERY, VERY social and there were parties all the time. Loud music, everybody smoked, lots of food and drink and lots and lots of alcohol!! I don't remember about my sister but as for me, I was allowed to hang out with all the party guests and I think that's where my outgoing personality was developed. But when my mother said it was time for bed...off I went....and that's when the parties would get down right crazy. How do I know this...because after I was put to bed, I would sneak out of my room, sit at the top of the stair case and spy on them. These parties would last well into the early morning and I saw things that maybe a 7 or 8 year old shouldn't have seen. I knew when the adults were going to start acting like children because my dad would put the Rusty Warren LP's on the record player...Rusty Warren is well known for her off color songs and spoken word...her albums were called "Knocker's Up" (my dad had all of them, about 12).....so you get the idea. I remember lots of neighborhood guests but I also remember couples who arrived in big, black cars because they would line the street on party night. My guess, now looking back was the these couples were Washington types if you get my drift!!. I remember that there was a house down the street and I think it was owned by a major Airline (TWA I think) because living in the house were four TWA pilots...I remember my mom saying that they were all single and my dad would invite them to the parties he threw because of the dates they would bring. Yes, I do have some pictures of these parties. I assume the pictures were taken by my dad because he is in very few of them. He sure zoomed in on the pretty women at these parties. Enough about these parties....at least for now.
I know you are thinking how in the world could my mom put all these huge parties together....well, she had help!!

Here is where I will introduce the dark evil in my life (no pun intended)!! My parents, on both sides were use to growing up with, for the lack of a better term, servants. So it was only natural that when my mom and dad married, they would have servants too. I don't think they had any early on but I think they hired their first in Richmond, after Jody came along. When they moved to Chevy Chase...it wasn't long before they hired a housekeeper, a nanny and the nanny's husband as a driver, handyman and yard keeper.
I don't remember the housekeeper's name but the name of my sister and my Nanny was AMERICA (yes, America) and her husband was named George. Yes, my Nanny's name was America and she was a proud, black woman who took absolutely no shit off of me. Since my dad was always working and my mom was doing her "social" thing...that left the parenting to America and George. This is where I think I will stop for today but let me be clear.......at about 8 or 9 years old.....MY MISSION IN LIFE WAS TO DRIVE AMERICA OUT OF OUR HOUSE AND OUT OF MY LIFE......to be continued!