Has It Really Been 35 Years??

One of the things I had been looking forward to during this trip to St. Louis was my 35th high school reunion. I had been in touch with one of the gals on the reunion committee and had mentioned it would be great if it was held while I was in town, even supplying her with the dates that would be bad for me (because I’m sure their schedule would revolve around me! LOL) Fortunately they scheduled it for the evening of Sat., Sept. 19, to be held in the banquet room of Crusoe’s Restaurant not far from our alma mater.
St. Anthony’s was a small all-girls Catholic high school, and at the time I was the token Protestant. Even so I had to attend weekly religion classes and daily mass, and to this day I can still recite all the appropriate responses! There were 96 in our freshman class with a graduating class of 79 (I told you it was small). Reunions have been held every 5 years, but prior to this one I had only attended the 5th and the 20th. From what I hear usually around a third of the class attends, and this year was no exception with 28 in attendance. Tina, Joanne, (both above right) and Teri have done a great job over the years of organizing these events (even though I generally seemed to end up in the “land of the missing alumni” in spite of staying in contact with several of my classmates over the years!)

Russ had decided not to go with me as he did not want to be one of the few lone males in attendance as he was at my 20th. And that worked out for the best as he was given two tickets to attend the Missouri football game in Columbia, MO. Sure, I would love to have gone, but since I was already tied up, he and Steve drove down early that morning, coming home that night. In fact he got home before me!

As it had been 15 years since I had last attended one of the reunions, I was excited and just a little bit nervous. A few friends and I had decided to meet in the restaurant downstairs an hour early to have a drink, a quick bite, and chat before heading upstairs. Due to some miscommunication, only 3 of us showed up but had a nice visit anyway. Once upstairs, all nervousness went by the wayside as Sarah came running over, throwing her arms around me, and telling me she was so glad I came. She had flown in from upstate New York and seemed genuinely thrilled to see everyone who walked through the door.




There was a table near the front of the room with yearbooks, photos, and a graduation program I had brought. My sister had found it among her things and had given it to me when I saw her this summer. I had totally forgotten about it until I went looking for something else the morning of the reunion and ran across it. Draped on a chair next to the table was a class t-shirt and a gym uniform worn by some of our class. This had been one of the “new” uniforms and it was hated nearly as much as the one the rest of us wore. The one I had was more like a little pale yellow dress with attached bloomers. All very flattering…yuck! But thanks to Mary, her contribution to the reunion brought back many memories and laughs.

About an hour after most had arrived, we learned there was to be a trivia game based on our 4 years at St. Anthony’s. Joanne divided us into random groups and began with the first round of 10 questions. Amazing how much we didn’t remember! (One thing I personally found funny was that for the life of me I couldn’t remember the name of our librarian, and I was president of the Library Club senior year!) Even more amazing was that one group actually got 8 out of 10 right on that round! We were then reassigned into new groups for the next round, and then reassigned for the third. The randomness of the groups made it really fun with lots of laughter and gave you a chance to mingle and talk to folks you might not have otherwise. Of course, there were fabulous prizes for the winners…laminated St. Anthony prayer cards and a small St. Joseph medal! Actually everyone else also received these after the game was over.

The reunion had started at 6:30pm and by 9:30, the crowd was starting to thin. But some of us diehards hung around talking until they kicked us out of the banquet room, telling us we could go downstairs to the bar. When Dana and I left at midnight, 4 or 5 were still chatting. Dana had provided a notepad for everyone in attendance to put their contact information, and true to her word, has already supplied us all via e-mail or snail mail. Though our high school closed several years ago, some friendships remained, some have been rekindled, and some new ones are just beginning.

Our time in St. Louis was coming to an end, and one night I stopped by Drew and Linda’s RV to share some wine around their campfire. Russ had just gotten home from a golf tournament and was exhausted, and the other couple who was to attend couldn’t make it at the last minute. Drew and Linda had been helping out at the campground where we were staying, and we struck up a friendship almost immediately especially since their dog, Buddy, became fast friends with Mikey and Abby at the new doggie play area that had been installed this year. It had been raining intermittently but Drew had decided to start the fire anyway and just as it was going good, it started sprinkling again. He went inside to get umbrellas, but the rain came down harder and we ran inside. So instead we sat their rig for a couple hours chatting and sharing wine with Buddy making sure he wasn’t ignored!


The remainder of our time in St. Louis was spent with one more stop at Lombardo’s, one more stop at the San Bar, seeing the new movie Julie & Julia with Patty, going to visit friends, or them stopping by our place.

It was time to head on down the road towards Florida, spending Fri. night in a Lowe’s parking lot in McDonough, GA, and arriving Sat. afternoon at Lake Magic RV Resort in Clermont, FL, just outside Orlando. We carry with us so many wonderful memories of an exceptional summer spent experiencing the wonders of nature and sharing good times with family and friends…times we hope we never forget.

Friends & Family

It’s been another busy couple of weeks in St. Louis with Russ playing golf a couple times, another visit to the American Legion Fish Fry, a trip to Lombardo’s Italian Restaurant, and a couple more visits to the San Bar. Owners Carmen and Angelo were both working the day we visited Lombardo’s, and while the Cardinals game played on the TV in the background, we enjoyed lunch in the bar, visiting and chatting with the guys.

On the way to the San Bar Wed. we picked up lunch from Steak n’ Shake for us and Bob to enjoy while watching the Cardinals game on TV washing it down with a couple beers. Bob had called a couple other guys to let them know we’d be coming by, and soon Mike showed up with fried chicken and what he called “jack salmon”, otherwise known as whiting. Every time we come to town, Mike always shows up with a ton of food! Soon the other guys arrived…Bob K., Terry, and Harold. These guys are always fun!

The week before last I met Denise for lunch at the Boathouse Forest Park (http://www.boathouseforestpark.com/), a place I'd never been. It’s a casual restaurant, bar, and boat rental facility located on the Post-Dispatch Lake within Forest Park. We sat on the outdoor patio watching the cutest baby duck and its mama scour the ground for tidbits. This is a dog friendly restaurant, and just inside the main entrance is a bin filled with treats and several water bowls. Denise and I decided to try the daily drink special, Peach Petal Punch, and despite our server telling us the ingredients, I don’t really think there was any liquor in it! (Tee hee!) We had a wonderful lunch, chatting and catching up, and then walked around the park a little before finding it time to head home...another great visit.

The next day Rick came by after work, the first time we’d seen him since we got into town. He was only going to stay a couple hours, chat and have a couple beers. He knew our friends, Randy and Michelle, were coming over at 8pm for a late dinner, and Rick said he’d be long gone by then though we told him he was more than welcome to stay since he sort of knows Michelle (they were both in our wedding). Well, time flies when you’re having a good time, and Rick was still here when they arrived. It was a beautiful night, and we sat outside for awhile chatting before going inside for pizza, salad, and a yummy dessert Michelle had made.

Sat. John joined us at Steve and Patty’s to watch the pay-per-view Missouri Tigers football game. We got there early to watch the end of the Cardinals game and enjoy some libations before kickoff. Cards lost but the Tigers won. (Do you see a sports theme running through our visit here?) This was a real laid back get-together, simply enjoying munchies, sub sandwiches, the games, and each other’s company.

There were also visits to see family. Aunt Dori has lived at Autumn View Gardens, an assisted living facility here in St. Louis, for the past 9 years and has her own little apartment there. We spent a couple hours visiting with her, and since we already had lunch plans, we simply joined her in the dining room continuing our visit while she ate. Though she’s physically slowing down, she’s still sharp and just another one of those amazing 87 year old women!

Fri. found us heading to Russ’ brother’s farm in Wentzville, MO, about an hour from us. As you may recall, Ron and Jackie have about 120 acres and for many years Ron ran a baseball camp with his own "field of dreams" right on the farm. For those who don't know, Ron Hunt is Russ' half brother who played major league baseball for a number of years. When they ran the camp, Jackie had a separate industrial kitchen built on the property since her kitchen in the house was too small to cook for all those boys when they attended the camps. Now they raise cattle, fish in the stocked pond, and Jackie tends her beautiful garden where she enjoys spending lots of time. She has dozens of gorgeous rose bushes, a couple tomato plants, mums, and some of the largest dahlias we’ve ever seen. After catching up for a spell, we joined their friends, Helen and Gary, at Stefanina’s Pizzeria & Restaurant for some yummy food and lively conversation. (Unfortunately the photo taken of us by our waitress was blurred so I can only share some photos of Jackie's garden.) After returning to the farm and visiting awhile longer, it was time to head home.

A couple weeks ago I met Rosemarie for lunch at Longhorn Steakhouse. Rosemarie worked with my mom many years ago and was one of her best friends. She has remained a friend of mine as well, and the last two years we’ve enjoyed getting reacquainted and spending time together. Unfortunately, the time always goes too fast.

Last week I visited Bill and Alice Riley, parents of my friend, Linda, and people I have known since the 5th grade having lived next door to them. After meeting Alice at her house, we visited over lunch at Steak ‘n Shake, and then headed over to the nursing home to see Bill. We arrived just in time for their group exercises. I had time to visit with Bill for a few minutes before the exercises started, and then Alice and I actually got to join in! All are done from a seated position, nothing really strenuous, and I figure I can always use the exercise. The strokes Bill had a couple years ago have not affected his mind, and I always enjoy spending time with such wonderful people.

It's hard to believe we only have another week here before moving on. Time has flown by, and we've so enjoyed having the opportunity to once again spend time with friends and family. Tomorrow is my high school reunion so watch for that report in the next post.

Another Missouri Victory Over Illinois!

The alarm had been set for 5:30a.m. so we could pull out of the campground at 6, but the rain began around 2a.m. making it difficult to sleep. Something you may not have thought about is that rain on the roof of an RV can be rather noisy. Since we were wide awake at 10 after 5 we decided to get up and get going, wanting to be extra cautious driving in the rain. We pulled out at 5:45, making a stop for diesel and ice before heading downtown, arriving about an hour later. Once we got situated in our spot and ate some breakfast, we began to formulate a Plan B for the tailgate party should the rain continue. We couldn’t really complain too much because the last two years the weather had been absolutely beautiful. But Intellicast weather indicated it would probably rain off and on all day. The awning only protects so much, and if all 45 showed up, we’d never fit everyone inside the RV. Plus not knowing if everyone would show, how much of the food do we prepare? We decided to wait for John and Steve to arrive and get their input. John was the first to arrive, said he had a rain poncho in his car, and offered to cook in the rain. It was decided that we’d cook up half the brats and Italian sausage and could always throw more on the pit if needed. As luck would have it, around 11a.m. it stopped raining for the rest of the day with only one short outburst around 11:30. Steve took over grilling duties and around 12:30 we had everything else out on the tables ready for the feast. Only about half the people showed up, and though we had plenty of leftovers all seemed to enjoy themselves.































Around 2p.m. Russ and I changed into our Mizzou Gold Rush t-shirts and joined the group heading to the stadium. John had sold his ticket planning to remain at the RV with the dogs, watching the game on the outside TV. As usual, the streets were packed with folks walking to the Edward Jones Dome from several parking lots with Mizzou and Illini chants filling the air. There really isn’t a bad seat in the dome, and our seats were about 1/3 the way up near the corner of the endzone but unfortunately on the Illinois side! However there were quite a number of Mizzou fans on this side as well, so we held our own against the cheering Illini fans. But wait…there really wasn’t a lot for the Illini fans to cheer about because in front of a crowd of 64,215 the Missouri Tigers mauled the Fighting Illini 37-9!!




























After the game several folks headed back to the RV to drink, eat, socialize, and watch the Cardinals game on the outside TV while waiting for enough vehicles to leave so we could get the coach out. We arrived back at the campground around 10pm tired but happy. Good food, good game, good friends!