50 Years After High School

It is a two and a half hour drive to Ephrata and I stopped at Walmart to get my potluck contribution. The Warden group was small this year. When I arrived I saw Linda and Evy pulling into a parking space. Evy looks so little and frail and Linda looks the same as always almost except for size. I walked up to the food table and helped Marge Crosby and Sylvia Kisler pour ice into large plastic containers to keep the cold dishes cool. The food layout at these functions is amazing and everything is homemade except for the one lazy classmate who buys her contribution.

Next I visited with Jim Prekeges and we discussed his life career job by job while I remembered I had heard it all a few years before. He looks great though he has moved into a retirement home as he would forget to eat when he lived alone. His brother, George, also visited with Phyllis and myself but I really couldn’t follow much of the conversation. He did think he remembered Palmer. The knockout at the function was Joan Steele who looks exactly like Edna with a slim figure and dark black hair. She asked that we all go around and mention any newsworthy details of former graduates but no one came forward with anything immediately, thank goodness. It would read like an illness report I’m certain.

Larry Kirkpatrick and Mary Ann were there and they looked good, especially Mary Ann. Sharon Campbell arrived, Dollie Jeske with Margaret Stevenson, finally Sondra and Philip Tucker. Sondra looks gorgeous and we talked briefly mentioning health issues mainly. I walked over to a very elderly, heavy set man to peer at his name tag, Russ Radach? Suddenly it was time to eat and after Delbert Laib said grace, I headed for the car to get my camera. I need to take a photo of everyone and then I’ll send them to Judy so she can try to identify classmates. As I reached for my camera I suddenly decided I needed to go home. I was there one hour already and I either had to get my lawn chair out of the trunk and get into a circle for lunch or get an early start for home. Who were our classmates anyway?

Survived Santa Barbara

We not only survived but came home in good shape with everyone behaving most of the time if you don’t count Miles kicking the back of the seat in front of him on the plane ride. It wasn’t very nice of that lady to let me know that she would not stand for it unless he had a medical condition. We managed to have Lucas and Miles change seats so Miles wasn’t booted off the flight completely. He did try to be humorous on two occasions when he stopped to lie down in the middle of the sidewalk in a recreation of his last year’s sidewalk nap. This year he chose the archeological dig at the museum for his napping site as he wanted to be covered with sand and have just his bones left for digging.

Claire and I tried a Segway and we were pretty good at it though we turned down the two hour ride. We went on a Pirate boat ride, touched sharks and starfish at the children’s aquarium, jumped in the ocean waves, and swam in many pools notably the Montecito Country Club which only the kids and mom attended. Lucas loved playing with his cousins from Georgia at his grandpa’s house and he kept a huge smile on his face the entire 7 days. This makes me wonder what’s going on in Spokane that keeps him from being that giddy here. They liked seeing tiny sea animals in the microscope.

So today is the Warden All-Class Reunion and since we have now been graduated for 50 years I plan to attend. Jane isn’t going to be there but maybe I’ll recognize a few old people and I know Barb, Phyllis, Sondra, and Linda Lou will show up. I think we will be discussing health care and not the general Obama type but the specific types of aches and pains. I wish my mom could go as she would really like to be there.

It was nice for you to get some family visitors. Did you recognize Michelle as it’s been a long time? Shizuo has a web cam so we will be looking at you one day soon too when he determines the time difference between Japan and Chicago.

Spokane Policemen

They came to my house last night, not just one or two but 5 squad cars with flashing lights on the gravel road beside my house. It was 12:15 and there was a knock on my backdoor which is a little alarming since I have padlocks on all the gates. An officer was asking if I could unlock the gates as it was getting to be a drag for the drunk-driving suspect and also his pursuer to leap the 6 foot fence. At this time the young man from a yellow Volkswagon was seated in the gated swimming area with a bleeding head, apparently from scaling the spiry, wrought iron gate.

Since none of my neighbors were noticing the red and blue lights I did the only thing I could think of and took a photo or six. I still have blood droplets on my sidewalk too for additional interest when I retell the story. Really I’m so glad to know the officers know the way around my yard now. At our investment club last week, Claude announced that his gated community was routinely being robbed during the night while the residents are home even. He solved any worry about an impending robbery by keeping a loaded gun on a lofty shelf. That seemed a little extreme to me because I would tend to invite the suspect in and urge her to help herself. I guess that’s because I have nothing I value that much and would be happy to share anyway. Maybe my special education teacher background would cause an inquiry as to what in her past would make her feel the need to take other’s belongings. But I know I’m not getting a loaded gun.

Today school is out and Lucas is now a first grader. His year was culminated with a special evening program for the parents and grandparents. See if this song makes you cry. Lucas has the light shirt next to the two striped ones in front. His mom was beside herself and without enough Kleenex to help at all.

Summer is great. Everything has slowed to a crawl I’d say. My yard has a new sidewalk and no driveway in front so I’m happy. Maybe in a few weeks I’ll think about adding plants and then I’ll send a photo for lucky you.

Jill and Jessica made a good call to visit Chicago. I know you will show them a grand time and Jessica is at the perfect age to get the most out of all the wonderful museums, parks, and sights. You will be busy. Sunday we are heading to Santa Barbara for Anna Marie’s family get-together. I’ll be keeping you posted so you’ll know if we are able to keep Miles under our thumb.

Summer in Sumner

Cyd’s area is warm and sunny and I’m enjoying the twins while Cyd recuperates from some minor surgery. She is off work the rest of the week but I think I’ll head back home soon. Some nice neighbor is taking out my front driveway for me and in its place will be a sidewalk. I just got a wild idea to do something different and now I wonder why. The sprinklers never quite cover all the area so my goal is sustainable, drought tolerant plantings. I’m always fussing about our obsession with green lawns and their continuous upkeep so I’m bringing in the cactus and rocks to remind me of the Columbia Basin.

Last weekend Miles and I attended the monthly kid’s build workshop at Home Depot. He was very good because his instructor was a teenage girl and he was eager to please the instructor. He made a hardware sorter for his dad for Fathers’ Day and his favorite part was putting the stickers on as the final touch.

Walker and Peyton have been very busy since I arrived. They love to ride their bikes around the driveway, just stopping every five minutes to select a different wheeled toy for a change. They require lots of pavement for their maneuvers. Walker likes to move ahead with different toys while Peyton sticks with one item for a longer period. Walker is mostly in charge and Peyton follows until he’s had enough and then he rebels. It must be weird to be so closely involved in day to day activities with one brother. They are sweet boys.

Dave drives two hundred miles a day now to manage several plants in Burlington which is near Betty and Brice’s home. The traffic is horrendous which I’m sure you realize after your weekend in the area. They may end up moving there but right now the housing business is shaky so they are waiting to see what happens. Maybe the Russians will order a few homes soon and I’m confident in a few months Barack will get things turned in a positive direction. I am thankful for the $250 gift he sent my way just because.

Are you up for flying back out for the Thirty-second Annual Summer at the Cabin weekend? We will float down the Leavenworth River again and it will be much fun. I know you would attend for sure if they could promise lawn mower races. Thanks for the donation on my ALS site. I have given a donation twice and my Mastercard account is showing “pending”. I’ve contacted the head director and still am not having a good time with this software. How did you do this?

Dorena's Dynamos

So the easy format of signing up for a team at the ALS site did not prove to be a fulfilling task for me. I wanted to get in and edit the source page and I was not able to do that. I did not want a personal page only a team page but I couldn’t delete that line. I need a few more email addresses if anyone has any to send me. I wonder if you are ready for your hike next weekend. Can you get a photo? Is Hank walking with you?

Really I am excited about the walk and the ability to think of something nice to do for Dorena. She took care of my two children for six weeks one summer so I could go attend classes for teaching visually impaired kids. That was no small undertaking to watch Cyd and Brett for that long. She is constantly helping out with some one somewhere.

We have been swimming one day so far. The boys are crazy around the pool and everyone who has active kids should have a pool to keep them entertained for hours. I suppose by September the novelty will be gone but right now it is a great activity. I’m inviting anyone to come and jump in anytime.

Miles spent the night Sunday. He should have been tired from jumping off the diving board 50 times but no, he went to sleep at 9:30 and woke at 5 a.m. I’m sorry his mom has to deal with his tired brain today but one day he’ll catch up again. I hope you’ll get to meet him one of these years.

Today was our Lind Cookie Baking Day and Barb phoned last night to tell me Phil Tucker had a heart attack. After our cookie baking frenzy of dozen and dozen of cookies we went to visit him in the hospital really hoping to cheer up Sondra. She had gone home and he is waiting to do that tomorrow so all is well so far. You know you’re old when the daily whereabouts of the boy noted in your 1955 diary is now in a Cardiac Care Unit. That and the fact that I received the special room preference at Memorial Day for being the oldest who spends the entire weekend can really start to weigh on a person.

Are you ready to buy a Prius yet? I can’t believe you only used 4 gallons of gas during your car rental from Seattle. Everyone should drive a Prius.