A REUNION, A COMIC NIGHTMARE, A BUMPY RIDE, AND A MEMORY

Right at the end of September I headed to Chicagoland to attend my 50th high school reunion....the first one I've ever attended. Bob Brink and I  ( friends from Cub Scouts through the A Cappella Choir ) had agreed to go and stayed with my sister. I was a bit slow on the draw finding my camera, but if you can imagine a couple of male deer pushing each other around in the sunny spot on the left, you will be seeing the view that accompanied morning coffee one day.  You can see how I might like staying there.

Both my sister and her husband also graduated from Oak Park - River Forest High School and had events to attend pertaining to John's 55th reunion, so, on Friday night, the four of us headed off to the same neighborhood to two different Irish Pubs. The Irish should figure out a way to regulate the use of the word "Irish".  Ours had all the charm of a small town bus station turned into a bar by people who like to drink too much: black walls and floors; fluorescent light over the pool table; the few bar stools occupied by lingering late afternoon regulars casting a suspicious eye on each new arrival; and, worst of all, cheesy plastic glasses for everything but beer ( I had a Guinness--or so).  It was the first time in a long time I had been to an event where interaction between people begins with staring at their chest, but, after 50 years and in a class that graduated 780 or so, name tags are definitely necessary.  I really did enjoy an albeit tenuous re-connection with several of the people who were there that night and look forward to more time with them in the future.

Here's what I looked like in 1964

My senior yearbook autographs provided some fun and a few surprises.  The worst was from a fellow choir member saying how much better this year was than last now that he knew I didn't hate him.  The funniest was from another friend from Cub Scouts. In the full page ad from a local bank reading "Congratulations to The Class of '64" he crossed out the "Cl" and signed it. The most intriguing finished like this, "You were a nice little boy until I corrupted you." Who was this person? He wasn't in our class. How did he corrupt me? Nobody I talked to over the weekend could quite remember him either. The one which evoked the most vivid memories read something like "After this year we could write our own Tropic of Capricorn." and made reference to another boy whose name was Peter Scraper. ( I've said it before, "You can't make this stuff up." )

Saturday we had a great tour of the high school in the morning The guide began by telling everyone that  "No, the boys don't swim naked anymore."  They still send over 90 % of the year's 700 or so graduates to college. There are facilities for every imaginable activity. Of interest to me were the three ( THREE! ) theaters. A black box, a small theater that seats 350, and a big one that seats 1700! There's a TV studio where daily announcements are produced. There's a room with appropriate decor dedicated to teaching Latin . There's a pottery workshop. On and on. So the kids there today are as lucky as we were lo those many years ago.

When I groused to Bob about the dinner at the Oak Park Country Club, he, whose life in politics has included a lot of banquet meals, said, "Well, at least it was warm." On the way home he told me that the woman across the table from us had asked if he thought that the woman seated next to me and I would make a good match. I don't know if he laughed as he assured her in the negative, but I sure did when he told me. 

Back in Maine

Here's few seasonally adjusted pics of a blueberry barren which is on the way to groceries in Maine.

Early Spring, newly torched.

The day I headed south.

A thrice told tale

Paul was able to come up for the beginning of October and we three had agreed to do some entertaining of year-rounders.....which proved most excellent at both houses.  The husband of one of the couples, an historian by profession and inclination, gave us some very interesting information about Blue Hill as it changed with the arrival of "the people from Cleveland" ( early Rockefeller investors, etc. ). He told the story of the wife of a local couple who had been to tea at the home of one such family and had been invited to come, bring her husband and have an evening meal. The husband demurred, saying something like " There's no way I going to hang around with those ......." When she arrived, the hostess greeted her with a distressed look. "My dear, the serving girl didn't show up. Would you mind putting on this apron and serving?"

I tell that story because the very next night we were invited to the very charming cottage of a very new acquaintance for a dinner with several other men, all year-rounders and well known to each other. I hung up my coat and headed into the kitchen....OK, I was looking for the bar. "Well, what are you cooking up?" was greeted with "I want you to help me serve and clear tonight........if you don't mind." I remembered where the bar was. I would allow you to think me being a little too sensitive were it not that when I returned with my 12 oz martini, the next line,delivered with palms together and shoulders slumped a bit forward was,   "I've never been quite clear about your relationship with Art & Paul?" If I hadn't still been reeling from the last encounter I might have offered that Art gets me on Monday and Thursday and Paul on Tuesday and Sunday. He insisted, against my stated reluctance, that I taste his soup and tell him what it needed. When I told him that the chives that he had ready for garnish would probably brighten it up, he replied, "No, it needs lemon juice, cut me a lemon." There are more annoying details, but you get the picture. After refilling my milk shake glass, I repaired to the fire to find that Paul, unaware of all that had transpired in the kitchen, was retelling the story of the local woman at the dinner party.  Luckily, when I have extra cocktails, I'm not one of those people who exhibits anti-social behavior and the evening finished itself in due time. The next day one of the other guests stopped by the cottage while I was in heaven under a blanket on the front porch glider enjoying the warm sun and cool breeze, and offered,  "That was really horrible the way he treated you last night." Me, "Well, yes it was annoying." " I know him. He's like that."  

The next day I ran into the couple who had related the story in the first place. I gave them my update from the previous evening.  Caroline asked in an indignant tone, "Wait, who asked you those questions?!"  I replied, " Well, I'm not going to name names. Let's just say there's nothing more pretentious than a pretentious gay man." We all laughed and then laughed even more when Bill said,"Oh, no! I've got guys that can go up against your guys any time!"

Arizona on my mind

Donald and took advantage of some existing reservations to stay at the North Rim and at El Tovar on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, where it often takes a year to get a reservation. Despite the fact that both of us were having journey-limiting issues with our backs, it's always amazing to be there.   Sitting in one place you can hear a dozen languages in 20 minutes while admiring this view.

We were able to identify the French hikers by their fashion before we heard them speak.  We interviewed the servers and critiqued the dining experience. At the North Rim Lodge, the servers were a bit unkempt, including one open-mouthed gum chewer, and all had plans for the next six months while the North Rim is closed. At El Tovar there was not a button out of place.and our favorite server had worked there year-round for 15 years!

Crossing the Colorado at Marble Canyon

Along the way

8500 ft above sea level

Also on my mind is the party to mark the sale of Garland's Lodge after 40(?) years. It's worthy of a whole post of it's own. I worked there 1986-1993. It's where I was given the title "Captain Vacation". I can't attend but I've been looking through old photos and sent some along for the party. I'll finish this post with me as the "Kachina from Hollywood" at one of our mid-season troops ( employees ) parties...this one called "Come as your

Favorite Deity"

Til the next time.  Turkey Mayhem in the Mid-west. 6-Day Bahamas cruise. Road Trips, etc.