Chapter 13

A garage door to the shop was open and they could hear Leo working inside. With a bit of nervousness the two young men headed inside. Both looked around in amazement at the clutter yet they could tell that it was well organized and regularly used. Leo was sanding the Bondo smooth on a fender that he had recently repaired. Leo sensed someone was behind him and put down the angle grinder to see who it was. With a smile he stood and removed the respirator, earplugs, and goggles he was wearing. The dust from sanding covered his body and with the respirator and goggles off you could clearly see where the dust had settled on his flesh. The smile on his face made Brandon and Gary feel welcome.

Leo wasted no time quickly stripping out of his overalls. Using a shop vac he ran it over his short hair to remove the dust and debris before washing his hands and face. Only then would he hug his visitors.

As promised Leo took the two on the grand tour of his domain, giving brief explanations of the equipment and various areas of the adjoining shops. To say Brandon and Gary were stunned when they went into the paint shed and saw the pink and two-tone green plaid DUKW would be a gross understatement. Leo had to laugh at their expressions.

“Did you do this paint job gramps?” Brandon asked in amazement as they checked out the excellent work.”

“Sure did,” Leo chuckled. “I had a group of neighbor teens come over and do the tape up for it. I only had to explain how to do it once and they had it.”

“They must be some energetic kids,” Gary smiled.”

“That they are. In fact this is a freebie I’m working on for the neighbors,” Leo explained. “They’re the ones I’d like you to meet. They own just about the entire Peninsula here, and they formed themselves into a modern clan. This,” he said indicating paint of the DUKW, “is their Clan Tartan. So far, there’s fifty nine of them. They’re having a major impact on the way people think in this area. They go out of their way to help others. Brandon, when I learned that you’d been thrown out I tried for almost two weeks to locate you without any luck at all. So I headed over to the Clan Wells Point and asked for their help in finding you. I asked a thirteen year old girl. She’s the pluckiest person I’ve ever met. She’s been the driving force behind this clan’s formation. She’s even made the national news more than once. She had some of her friends from school, a couple of seventh graders, take the little bit of information I had on you and within a week they located you. You could have knocked me over with a feather. They had your work history, address and phone number. They also told me about how your parents sent you off to be reprogrammed. If I’d have known... I’d have come gotten you.”

Brandon and Gary smiled in appreciation.

“This old behemoth sat in a barn in need of an overhaul for thirty six years,” Leo chuckled. “A very pretty young lady who just turned nineteen in December completely rebuilt the drive train on this thing.”

Once more Brandon and Gary were impressed. “These young neighbors must be quite ambitious.”

“That they are,” Leo sighed with pleasure. “Maybe you heard about this young girl. She led her younger sisters from Cape Cod down through the middle of New Jersey heading here... on foot after their mother died. She wore herself out and got sick. She was pretty well out of it while walking down the road and she stumbled into the path of a car. Fortunately the driver was able to avoid her and then had enough compassion to bring the girl and her sisters to her home and nurse her back to health. They didn’t call the authorities because they simply couldn’t believe the tale the girl and her sisters told. The woman’s husband was detective and he checked out her story finding it was true. When the girl recovered they brought her and her sisters down here to her grandmother.”

“Yeah I remember hearing about that,” Gary nodded. “Was she later kidnaped and killed the kidnapper?”

“That’s her,” Leo chuckled. “Got shot in the process too but she’s a tough one. Turns out her father is a deputy Sheriff here and his wife adopted the girl and her sisters and they all moved in together with the grandmother out here on Wells Point. A couple of weeks later she finds a six-year-old girl hiding in some bushes at the sports Park with her family while her younger half-brothers and boyfriend are playing football. Oh, the boyfriend and his mother were with the girl and the three of them were kidnaped by the boy’s father after he killed prison guards and escaped. Anyway this little girl had been raped by her mother’s boyfriend and had fled the home and hidden in the Park for two days. Her family adopted that little girl. Then the darndest thing happened. She remembered meeting a pair of school teachers during their Odyssey to get down here and they told her about three young girls that had been taken by children’s services after the school filed a report. The oldest girl was raped by her foster father and went into a coma. The bastard got off because there was nobody to testify against him. Pissed off the girl’s mother killed him. She wound up in jail. The teachers were so upset and unable to do anything to help the girls they retired, bought a boat and began to travel. When they met the thirteen year old and her sisters they help them out but were afraid to turn them over to the authorities after what happened to the other girls. So after rescuing the six year old she began thinking about the other three girls. She contacted the same to seventh graders that locating you and they began to dig into the history of the other three girls. What they found a blew the lid off that Apple Tree Healthcare scandal.”

“Yeah, I remember that too,” Brandon said. “This thirteen year old girl must really be something.”

“That she is,” Leo agreed.

“Yeah,” Gary said with amazement. “Was she one of the cheerleaders that woke up that girl from the coma?”

“She led the cheerleaders,” Leo smiled. “She got those teachers here and with the evidence they uncovered they got the girl’s mother out of prison. The teachers adopted the mother and so became the grandparents of the three girls. They’ve all moved out here onto Wells Point. Then they went after the father of the three girls who’d abandoned them which set up the situation that the children’s services took them. The father’s mother and stepfather stepped in and they found that their son had moved to Vancouver and married another woman had a child and another on the way and never divorced the first wife. The father was arrested and brought back here for trial and his parents and second wife and child moved in to Wells Point to be with the other wife and grandchildren. They formed the Clan Wells Point. While all that was going on, they had a Halloween dance in the barn where the DUKW was stored. Four boys drunk and high tried to crash the dance but the police were watching for any issues. The boys fled and rolled their truck.

“Was that when one boy lost his arm and another lost both legs?” Brandon asked.

“Yep,” Leo said. “But this girl stepped forward again. The Clan Wells Point has established a rehab hostel for teens out here. Those two boys are the first patients. Both of them now intend to become a physical therapists. They were amongst the teens that came over to tape and paper this beauty so I could paint it. But what didn’t make the news was the fact that they saved another teen’s life the night of the dance. She stopped the kid’s suicide attempt, when the father showed up to get the teen, he flipped out and punched his wife and went after his teen. The girls father, the deputy Sheriff, stopped him but the man resisted arrest. He was big, strong and had been drinking so the deputy was unable to over power him. Seeing her father in trouble, she ran down and join the fight.”

“We saw that on YouTube,” Brandon exclaimed. “She ran down there and choked that big guy right out!”

“Well that’s not all,” Leo smiled. “The school had a Christmas dance and she and her friends were there. It was the first public appearance of the two boys who’d been injured in the crash and they accompanied by the teen that had tried to commit suicide the night they were hurt. The three of them were elected King and Queen of the dance.”

Brandon and Gary exchanged looks of surprise. “We saw that on TV,” Brandon exclaimed. “There were protesters outside the school the next day protesting the fact that the Queen of the dance was a transsexual! That must’ve been why she tried to kill herself!”

“They were also protesting two gay teens were welcomed at the dance as a couple,” Gary gasped.
“But there was a younger girl who confronted the picketers. She admitted to being a transsexual too. Man, did she verbally rip those protesters to pieces!”

“That was Krista,” Leo chuckled. “She’s the thirteen year old girl I’ve been talking about. But the girl who was elected Queen of the dance was not the first transsexual she saved from suicide. The young woman who rebuilt this DUKW was the first she saved just after she arrived here. Kylie is engaged to the young man who actually saved her life. Krista felt obligated to tell her father’s family that she was a transsexual. She didn’t want to hide the truth. Larry Scott is the youngest brother of Krista’s father, the deputy Sheriff. He was shocked when Krista revealed the truth about herself but in that revelation he realized that his best friend from school, a boy many classmates felt was a sissy but who was a top-notch mechanic, had that very afternoon tried to reveal that he was a transsexual and in love with him. Not understanding and shocked by his best friends declaration of love he blew him off. It was only after Krista opened his eyes that he understood what Kyle had truly said. Fortunately he knew where to look for Kylie and saved her life. It’s just been over a month since Kylie returned from Thailand where she had her corrective surgery performed. She and Larry are going to be married this spring on board this DUKW.”

“I’m looking forward to meeting these people,” Brandon smiled.

“Well, there have been two more transsexuals join the Clan since the Christmas dance,” Leo added. “My property is surrounded on three sides by the Clan Wells Point. I don’t think you two will find a better place to live and work with better neighbors.”

Brandon and Gary could only nod their heads in agreement. If half of what Leo said about the Clan Wells Point was true they knew immediately they had found a new home.

This meant they spent most of the afternoon being shown about the property. Leo whipped up a quick supper and the three men talked while they ate. Leo knew they had not discussed his offer of taking over the business and staying there but he could see in their faces they were seriously thinking about it. Brandon and Gary did the dishes while Leo dug out some paperwork. Then they all sat at the kitchen table while Leo went over the terms of his will. As he had told them at their first meeting the will was freshly rewritten with everything being left Brandon. Brandon did not know what to say. In one week he gone from being the family outcast to being offered a future and a home.

After Saturday morning breakfast the three piled into Leo’s truck and headed over to the Clan Wells Point. Their first stop was with Jane where they met her family. They recognized Krista and Leroy from seeing them on YouTube and on the news. Just as Leo had said, they were quite impressed with Krista and never would have suspected she was anything other than a genetic female. Krista led them across Wells point Lane to the barn where Kylie worked. Kylie and Ed were both there working on vehicles. They took their time looking around as Krista gave them a guided tour of the repair shop. They were amazed at Kylie’s skill and organization. Once more they found it difficult to believe that Kylie was a postop transsexual. They could tell by Kylies actions and demeanor that she was a girl. They could also tell she was a top-notch mechanic. They felt embarrassed that a person their own age had her life together so well that she could have her own business. It helped put their concerns about taking over the collision repair shop at ease.

LJ and Peter came over to tell everyone that lunch was ready. Kylie and Ed clean themselves up and together everyone headed over to the house for lunch. After lunch Krista crammed herself into the jump seat of Leo’s truck. One by one she took them to each of the homes and businesses of the Clan Wells Point. At each stop she introduced the three to the Clan members who welcomed them and gladly showed them around each property. As they drove from place to place Krista explained how the Clan operated and that the Clan owned all the land and businesses but that all the members were shareholders in the Clan Wells Point Corporation. When they stopped to see Kevin Stewart at the CWP attorney-at-law office, Kevin had Brandon sign as the beneficiary of Leo’s will and Gary witnessed the document. What really impressed Brandon and Gary was that not one person so much as blinked an eye when Krista introduced them as an engaged couple.

By the time they made the rounds it was nearly time for supper. Leo, Brandon and Gary were invited guests for the weekly CWP meal and meeting. The three nonmembers were invited to stay through the meeting so they get a better understanding of how the Clan operated. When the last order of business was announced Leo, Brandon and Gary were quite surprised. The three were offered membership in the Clan Wells Point.

“I’m honored,” Leo spoke up. “But does this mean I have to give up ownership of my property?”

“No it doesn’t,” Kevin explained. “There is no requirement in our bylaws that requires new members to sell their property to the Clan. We do however think it’s a good idea to do so. Each member of the Clan Wells Point can vote on issues that affect the clan. Everyone who joins is given one share of the Clan Wells Point Corporation. If you turn over your property, you’re given additional shares proportionate to the amount of property being turning over. If the Clan owns the property, then the Clan is responsible for updates, repairs taxes and improvements. If you retain ownership you are responsible for updates, repairs, taxes and improvements to the property. With a business such as yours it will be brought under the Clan Wells Point umbrella. You would still run the business and any of your employees are kept on. You have a vested interest in your business and we want you to keep running it.”

Leo looked at Brandon and Gary. The two nodded their heads after which Leo stood and accepted membership in the Clan for himself Brandon and Gary and said that he would sell the property and business to the Clan. Right after that Kevin brought out the paperwork and everyone signed. Leo’s Collision Repair and Body Shop became the Clan Wells Point Collision Repair and Body Shop. The Clan Wells Point was now up to sixty two members.

Sunday the three newest members joined the rest of the Clan heading to church. It had been years since Leo had attended a service. For Brandon and Gary, they hadn’t set foot in a church since they were confirmed in the eighth grade. They had been afraid their sexual orientation would create issues. However, they had met Dwayne and Phil the previous night. They invited Brandon and Gary to join them at church explaining that the congregation knew the younger boys were a gay couple so having an older gay couple attend would be a non issue. Although a little anxious about how they would be treated they agreed to give it a try. The threesome was surprised by the warm accepting welcome.

After church and lunch, Brandon and Gary followed Leo to the paint shop and the DUKW, They watched in amazement as the skilled old man effortlessly sprayed a second layer of epoxy clear coat on the inside and outside of the behemoth. As before, the paint job was still flawless.

Monday morning Brandon and Gary made reservations at a nice gay friendly hotel in Boston for the following Monday. After lunch they returned to their apartment to pack and end their month to month lease. Tuesday morning the loaded all their belongings and returned to the Clan Wells Point.

Wednesday, Leo put the third coat on the DUKW. This time Brandon and Gary were with Leo as he explained his painting technique. After that he showed them how to take out dents and apply Bondo. By the end of the day, the guys were tired. Even though they were in the prime of life, a man three times their age out worked them. Leo assured them they’d adapt.

Saturday morning, Sandi was excited. She, Krista, Pat, and Leroy were going to pick up her Aunt Buffy! They arrived just before noon and Krista had her hands full trying to keep Sandi busy while the adults processed the paperwork for the release. Sandi squealed with delight when she saw the three adults walking out of the prison.

“Aunt Buffy, Aunt Buffy,” she gushed as she ran to her birth mother to throw herself in her open arms. “Mommy and Daddy got you set free!”

The fears Pat and Leroy had secretly harbored that Sandi might abandon them for her birth mother evaporated. Sandi firmly believed she was their daughter. Buffy was somewhat saddened by the same action, but also understood that Pat and Leroy loved Sandi so much they worked to get her released from prison. She also understood she was on parole and work release at their mercy. She had already admitted she had failed as a mother due to her addictions, but now given a second chance, she’d be the best aunt she could.

Krista spoke as they climbed into the Explorer. “Aunt Buffy, I’ll sit in the back so you can sit with Sandi. My little sister has been looking forward to this day so it’s only right you sit together.”

Buffy was a bit confused at first, but quickly realized that Sandi and Krista were indeed sisters. So if she was Sandi’s aunt, she was also Krista’s aunt. The concept amazed her, that this family would so openly accept her as one of them was beyond her experience.

The ride back to the Clan was filled with Sandi going on and on about her other sisters and brothers as well as everyone else in the Clan Wells Point. Buffy’s amazement at the scope of the Clan and their willingness to accept and help others nearly boggled her mind. Her life experiences had never included such open concern for the welfare of others.

Leo put the fourth and final clear coat on the DUKW while the trip was made. The Saturday night Clan dinner meeting went smoothly. Buffy was stunned by the openness and acceptance of the Clan and humbled to be informed she had been voted in as a member. Larry and Kylie led Brandon, Gary and Buffy over to the music studio to watch the teens practice. The newcomers were surprised not only at the skill of the teens, but also that the Clan thought enough of the teens to build them a studio. Buffy didn’t object when she was told she’d be living in house down on Wells Point with Ed and Lisa Nelson and Ben Reese

Sunday afternoon Brandon and Gary left for Boston, checking into the Hilton Boston Back Bay Hotel late that evening . Monday morning they applied for their marriage licence. Since there was a three day wait they toured the Boston Navy Yard including ‘Old Ironsides’. Tuesday they explored Concord, Walden Pond and Lexington. Each night they dined at a gay friendly restaurant. Thursday morning they picked up their marriage license and by noon were married in a civil ceremony. Friday they slept late and spent the day walking around historic Boston. They checked out Saturday morning and headed back to Maryland.

When they arrived home they joined the Clan for the normal Saturday night meal. They noted Rev. Giles was present but thought nothing of it. After they ate everyone gathered about the couple as Rev. Giles held a service to bless their union and marriage. While the Methodist Church had not yet approved same sex marriages or in church same sex blessings, they did allow a pastor the discretion to conduct a couple’s blessing service outside the church.

The next day was Easter, a warmer late March day that let everyone know it was now spring. After church, the Clan gathered for a picnic down on the Eastern end of Wells Point. With the Nelson home nearby facilities were available. They spread blankets just outside the walled cemetery. Everyone paid their respects to those buried in hallowed ground, with special attention to Carol O’Brien. Most of the people present never knew Carol, but all understood that without her death, Krista, Lyndi and Teri would never had made their Odyssey. They knew that she had been a fine woman and mother and that she’d instilled in Krista and her sisters willpower and an enormous desire to help others. Carol was also Jane’s estranged daughter, who fled home when she was a teenager discovered she was pregnant. Leroy was Krista’s father and had searched for Carol for years. Pat had been Carol’s best friend and had married Leroy after Carol ran away. Everyone understood that the impact Krista had on all their lives was a blessing which would not have happened without Carol’s untimely death. So in effect, everyone in the Clan owned their present situation to Carol via Krista.

It had been less than a year since Carol’s death, and this was the first Easter. The day of Christ’s resurrection which signaled the eventual resurrection of anyone who died in the Lord. As Krista had previously told them she missed her mother greatly but was glad that she graduated into the next life and now sat by Jesus’ side. Krista had instilled in everyone that the death of a loved one, while painful, was merely a temporary separation and that when their time came they too would graduate to the next life and meet their departed loved ones once more in eternal life.

The picnic was not all solemn, not by a long shot. It was the day Freddy debuted his prosthetic legs. While still learning how to handle his new mobility, he was able to walk freely about the uneven ground. The smile on his face let everyone know the expense of the prosthetic legs was well worth it. Frisbees were flying, games of tag were being played, and even croquet was being played. The younger kids had a great time as did the teens and the adults. It was simply a day of relaxation accepting the gift of everlasting life that Jesus gave to all who believe in him on this remembrance day of His resurrection.

*****

Things for the Clan really picked up at this point. Larry had spent the hours he’d normally have spent with Kylie while she was in Thailand putting together the plans for the digester and with his father Robert’s help and legal assistance from Kevin. Drawings and blueprints had been made and the necessary permits filed. With everything in order and the reputation of Scott and Sons Construction, now CWP Contracting and Construction, approval was fairly quick.

At the same time, Serena and Misty began coming over to discuss their knowledge of organic farming with Larry and Bill. Together they visited every nook and cranny of the Clan land.
Again the women were amazed at the open reception they received as well as the willingness of the men to listen. They exchanged ideas on how to upscale the green practices the women had perfected in their extensive vegetable garden to the farm.

With spring in the air, construction began on the manure digesting system. There was quite a bit of excavation needed as about a third of the plant had to be underground to maintain constant temperature. However, the water table in area was about the same as the water in the bay so digging was limited to about eight feet. Earth berming would shield against cold or hot weather. The site they chose was three hundred feet northeast of the main farm, but hidden by a hedgerow that bordered the fenced pastures of the farm. It was placed in the southwest corner of the large field northeast of the pastures and accessible from Locust Neck Lane.

While that was happening, CWP Fabric and Cloth Enterprises received a large shipment of the Clan Wells Point Tartan, ten rolls of polycotton fabric twenty seven yards long and sixty inches wide, five rolls of polyester ribbon twenty seven yards long by 1 inch wide with finished edges. Five rolls of heavy polyacrylic fabric twenty seven yards long by sixty inches wide. With their fledging business just starting, Marjorie, Norma, Maureen made Tam O’Shanter’s for everyone from the polycotton fabric with ribbons attached for the females. They used the heavier fabric to make a custom awning for the DUKW, which they carefully waterproofed. When Leo had completed the paint job Kylie drove the DUKW to the barn so the women could install the awning on the DUKW.

With Kevin’s help, Kylie was able to obtain a vehicle license for the DUKW. The most difficult aspect of getting the DUKW roadworthy was obtaining motor vehicle insurance. Fortunately they were able to license it through the business insurance that the Clan Wells Point has set up for all of its businesses.

Larry also had his hands full at this time. Nearly all the teens would be helping on the farm during peak times so it was decided that they should all be taught how to drive the tractors, the flat bed truck and pick-up trucks. The boys who would be working on the farm regularly also learned how to hook up and utilize the different farm implements. Nearly everyone in the Clan was also taught proper procedures for milking cows. While there wasn’t much need as of yet, once the herd increased more hands would be needed and having qualified backup was also important. The cows had to be sanitized before the milking apparatus could be attached. They also had to be cleaned up and tended to after milking.

While the teens were delighted to be able to drive, they all understood they could only do so on the Clan Wells Point property. Horseplay and speeding was absolutely forbidden.

While construction of the digester began, the barn and chicken house at the main farm was readied for expansion. The eighty by fifty feet main barn was extended east by seventy feet linking it to the second barn performer large ‘L’. The forty by seventy feet second barn was extended twenty five feet north and twenty feet east. In the new area between the older barns a new milking system would be installed. A fifty degree herringbone design was selected. In this design, a center pit has automated milking stations behind each stall. Thirty five cows enter on one side heading into feeding stanchions with their butts facing the pit at a fifty degree angle. Workers in the pit are at belly level with the cows. They wash and disinfect the teats, then apply the milking tubes. While doing this, a second group of thirty five cows moves into the second side. It takes about five minutes to milk a cow so by the time the first group is done, the second group has been prepared so as the milking tubes are removed from a cow on the first side, the operator crosses to the opposite side of the pit and attaches the tubes to the opposite cow. The entire cycle of entry, clean, milking and exit takes ten minutes with thirty five cows entering and exiting every five minutes. With this set up, three workers in the pit could milk four hundred cows in a bit over an hour. The entire milking parlor would be sealed concrete, stainless steel, or plastic. Every part can be cleaned with a high pressure hose. Once the additions and renovations were completed the current dairy herd of fifty cows would be raised to four hundred head.

The original sixty by twenty feet chicken house wing was attached to the west of the shed that housed the second floor music studio. This was expanded by adding a second twenty by sixty feet wing to the north of the shed. The area between the ‘L’ formed by the chicken house wings would be fenced in and over to give an outside chicken yard sixty by sixty feet so the birds could get outside to wander around in safety. Once the construction was completed, the number of chickens could be doubled to two hundred.

The current steer herd of fifteen was located in the triangular pasture south of Wells Point Lane northeast of Dougherty Lane and west of Johns Cove Lane. The steer herd would be moved across Dougherty Lane to the barn at the intersection with Wells Point Lane. Utilizing the pastures of that barn the herd would be raised to eighty head.

The barn and pastures at CWP Landing currently housed eight horses. The Clan was already in the process of creating a non-profit organization, The Clan Wells Point Horse Rescue, that would provide shelter, care, rehabilitation and adoption services for abandoned, abused, neglected or unwanted horses. The triangular pasture vacated by the steers and it’s small barn would be the receiving point for incoming horses. Up to fifteen horses could be treated and nursed back to health in that area Once healthy, they horses would be moved to CWP Landing barn and pastures which would also serve as the adoption center. They could handle up to thirty horses at a time in the barn and pastures down there.

Heather volunteered to head CWP Horse Rescue with her daughters Jasmine, Holly, Ivy and Jimmy assisting. Dwayne and Phil came on board to help with the CWP Organic Farm, Sam and Jenny would work at the CWP Landing.

The manure digester was designed and built to handle much more than all the waste from forty five horses, eighty steers, two hundred chickens and four hundred cows the Clan planned on having. Regulations for cleaning up farm waste and returning the Chesapeake to a more pristine existence were becoming increasingly strict especially for areas such as the Bay Hundred area since no area of the peninsula was more then two thousand feet from the water. Manure that had previously been spread on fields was being restricted to require larger areas for less environmental impact. This meant that many of the farmers and those who owned horses would have to pay to have their manure hauled to mainland sites. Larry had designed the Clan digester to handle all the manure the Bay Hundred area could produce. Notice had already been sent to the local farmers that a for a fee of one dollar a ton, the Clan would take their manure waste at their government licenced disposal unit. If they wanted the Clan to pick up the waste, the fee would be fifty dollars for a four ton load or portion of a load plus the dollar a ton disposal fee. All the waste would be processed by the manure digester. The Clan would have a steady revenue source from the farmers since the Clan fees were much less than mainland disposal charges. In addition, now that the Clan had a record of their electrical use, they knew once the system was up and running, they’d be producing a great deal more electricity than they consumed.

All the construction projects were done by the CWP Contracting and Construction. The reputation Scott and Sons General Contracting had established in the contracting and construction industry was rated at five stars before they rolled the family run business into the CWP. So despite the downturn in the economy, the business always had work outside the Clan.

Once the basic excavation was completed for the digester and the footers poured for the barn and chicken house expansions, the heavy equipment went to work extending Bills Road west past his home. They followed the tree line around the northern cove at the end of Balls creek and through the forest to link up with Almost Nevitt Road. This gave the Clan Wells Point internal roads to every section they owned.

Dr. Wanda Sykes and Rev. Miles Giles had grown into a dating relationship during the last several months due to their involvement with the Clan. Being dedicated professionals, neither had ever had time for seeking out relationships so their being drawn together by their involvement with the Clan eliminated a lot of hassles. When the couple announced their plans to marry the Clan Wells Point offered membership as a wedding gift. The couple eagerly accepted and the Clan began looking for a suitable home within their boundaries.

Kevin and Jane had set their wedding date for the Saturday after Easter. They asked if Wanda and Miles would like to make it a double wedding. Jane firmly shut down their objections they didn’t want to steal Jane and Kevin’s spotlight. Unable to resist Jane’s insistence, they agreed. The weddings were to be simple small church weddings with a joint reception for the Clan and a few select guests at the CWP B&B. Certain Change played, by this time they had added ten new songs to their repertoire.

Kevin moved into the big farmhouse with Jane. There were now ten people living in the home. Kevin’s small quarters in the house near the intersection of Wells Point Lane and Dougherty Lane were vacated. CWP contracting and construction promptly began enlarging the forty by twenty feet building to eighty feet by thirty feet and adding a second floor. Kevin’s law offices, CWP Attorney at Law would remain there and CWP LLC, accounting, would also move in. A centralized office would also be established to handle the paperwork aspects of all the clan enterprises. Sheila Scott already the office manager for CWP contracting and construction, would step up to become general office manager. All facilities would be shared. Payroll, billing and invoicing, record keeping and personnel functions would be handled there.

The final job for the heavy construction equipment was to reopen and repair the lane and launch from the Jane’s barn to Steves Cove so the DUKW would have access to the open water. By the time that was completed, the construction on the digester had been completed so the heavy equipment could backfill and erect berms about the storage and processing tanks. All the construction work was completed by the end of April.

An additional expense was the purchase of a one thousand gallon manure tank wagon that could be towed behind the heavy duty F350 Ford pickup truck. Tony, Dwayne and Phil, the regular teen farm workers were taught how to hook up the tank, load the tank at the barns and offload them at the digester.

Freddy spent time each day working with the therapists on how to use his artificial legs. Soon he was able to put them on and take them off without help. He was able to sit, stand, and walk with relative ease. As they had told him, the flesh of his stumps thickened and the tenderness grew less every day. He’d only spent ten days as an outpatient at the Requard Center, then moved on to the Rehab center in St Michaels for two weeks. After that it was therapy in the CWP Youth Rehab Hostel. Soon they would allow him to try walking outside.

Kylie and Ed showed Krista how to operate the various vehicles that came into the CWP engine and mechanical repair shop. Since she had learned to drive in Jane’s old Ford van, she quickly became quite adept at driving almost any vehicle. She considered learning to drive the DUKW as her biggest accomplishment. Kylie and Krista took the DUKW into Steves Cove to practice handling it in the water. Since the cove was surrounded by the Clan Wells Point they didn’t need to be officially sanctioned. The 6 wheel drive behemoth had a number of quirks but with practice she easily mastered all of them.

Frank Spade and Gilligan Evans already had commercial boating licenses. As such they began to prepare Kylie and Krista could take the tests to obtain boating licenses. Krista could have a junior licence. Gilligan also had the local commander of the Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) come to inspect the DUKW so it could be properly re-licenced since the old licence expired thirty five years ago. There were quite a few legal issues involved in getting the DUKW legal for water use but once everything was ready, the sea trials began.

*****