am, 60. Fun in the Great Outdoors

By 1969 there were only two of the Doucette children living at home - Eileen and Joan. Dennis had married Brenda Harper in the fall of 1969. By this time Alphy and Margurita had seventeen grandchildren - Elaine, Norman, Nelson and Dougy (LeRoy and Kathleen’s children); Dianne, Linda and Shirley (Edna and Joe Martell’s); Donald, Terry, Nora and James (Helen and Roy McKenna’s); Ricky, Blake and Rodney (Ida and Lloyd Mclnnis’); Donna, Anne and Karen (Velda and Cyrus Bemard’s).

This was a time for Alphy and Margurita to spend quality time with their children and grandchildren. During the summer the families would pack a lunch every Sunday and meet at the beach, park or river for a picnic. One of their favorite locations was Bloomfield Park. Alphy and Margurita usually brought along a Coleman heater for tea. Sometimes the family would go digging clams at the shore and then head to Bloomfield Park to cook them. Sometimes they steamed the clams right on the shore. It was an ongoing event, every Sunday after church, weather permitting. The children really looked forward to these outings, and Alphy and Margurita enjoyed themselves as much as the children did.

By the late 1960's, the couple had also budgeted their money to buy a small aluminum boat with an outboard motor! This was a real treat, not just for Alphy and Margurita, but for their grandchildren also. Alphy made sure that each child was wearing a life jacket for the ride. The family spent many memorable Sundays along Montrose and Kildare Rivers.

During the winter months, when the couple couldn’t sail, Alphy busied himself building a replica of the Titanic*. Alphy built the model to scale with precise measurements. When it was

* The model of the Titanic built by Alphy is presently displayed at the Revilo Restaurant in Alberton.

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