High school reunion

[George Shirley]

We drove over to Orangefield, Texas this morning and back this afternoon. The High School has an annual reunion for all years on the second Saturday in June each year and today was the day.

The organizers order up the smoked brisket and the rest of us bring a a dish or two. Lots of good home made grub and a lot of it from home gardens. We took lemon chess pie and a big tray of freshly picked, peeled, and sliced sweet chilies and cucumbers. None came home with us for some reason.

In my class there were two, my best friend, a girl, from high school days and, no, we never dated, just have been lifelong friends and she befriended my wife the day they met in 1961. Neither of us have any idea where the other 30 graduates in our class went. We know several didn't come home from Vietnam alive but the rest have just moved elsewhere over the years.

The eldest graduate was from the class of 1939, my birth year. Figure it out, I will be 77 in September and this guy graduated before I was born. He had to be at least 17 when he graduated, I don't know if I want to live to be 97.

Met some "kids" from the few years behind me, mostly women or, should I say, widows mostly and we had a nice chat. Something like, "How was your life, how many grands and great grands do you have." One gal trumped us, she has twelve great grands but she also had more than two children. She won.

We drove over in a long two hour drive with thunderstorms dropping rain on us. Came home with sunshine and, as soon as we turned into our subdivision, the bottom fell out for about ten minutes. At least the gardens go watered well and we had a good time.

George

[songbird]

George Shirley wrote: ...

sounds great George, i have not returned to any of my HS events since i left, not that i hated all the people, but it was a place i was glad to move on from when i went off to college.

glad you got some rains, we're still very short on rain here. none of the past few storms have actually made it to us. i was hopeful the other night when there was what looked to be a strong storm coming at us. went to sleep with it about an hour away, expecting to wake up with everything watered for a change. nope...

again today, storms to the north of us, but no rain in the forecast. next chances wed-thu... we'll see... going out to water soon. then pick strawberries. some friends may come by and pick, but i may just do it for them so i can water.

i think everything planted is doing ok so far, but i am behind on further planting.

songbird

[Frank]

Reunions can be fun or boring. I've been to both. My Catholic all boys high school has been holding an annual lunch for the past few years for guys only. Fun but sad to see those in wheel chairs etc. Wife went to my 25th many years ago and could not understand why I did not remember a lot of these guys. Problem was, e.g. that the skinny little guy with black hair was now a fat little bald guy with a mustache. Wife never went to hers but when she saw a picture of one said she could not place these people.

50th college, stunk, college was a PITA making major effort to get donations for the college. I figure I spent today's equivalent, a quarter mil to educate my three sons there and that was enough. Class photo was a joke. They hired a professional photographer but only gave us a 4X6 photo. HS for our little outing gives 8X11 with far less people at lower cost.

Rains enough here on the east coast that I seldom have to water anything. Wife says toilets look cleaner as aquifer is getting plenty of replenishment. 1st tomato about 1 inch.

[George Shirley]

Our class of 1957 was 32 people, mostly men. Most of the men are gone now and I have seen very few of the women come to the reunions. I guess

59 years down the road not only our class has gone mostly but some of the younger ones have too. Some of the classes behind us were prime meat for Vietnam, even going back to kids who were in grade school when I graduated. I was lucky, got in, got out before 'Nam. Also lucky in getting recalled to active reserves when the Cuban missile crisis came along. They kept me to my get out date in June 1963 and, Lo! a few years later the Vietnam Veteran GI bill came along. If you served one day active duty in '63 you got the bill. I took it up and made enough money off the bill plus my wages at the chemical plant and from my gunsmith shop that wife got her last two years in. That's pure luck.

I loved college, started in 1971 at age 32 and managed to graduate in

1976, had to lay out a while when I had Hep A that knocked me down.

Wife's siblings are in Maryland, they complain of not enough rain too. It rained .91 inches today and more for the rest of the next two weeks. I am so grateful we picked out a house when we moved here that is high and dry.

George

[Frank]

I got deferments, not because I did not like what our country was doing, but to pursue my education as a chemist. College freshman class had a high predominance of Korean vets. One of my best friends was one. He got drafted in the army and as a Greek Catholic they figured they would make him a cook and sent him to cooking school and by the time he finished the war was over. Almost went into national guard but there was a summer camp requirement and I had to work to pay for college. Friend had to go in during the Berlin crisis.

I live on a hillside where there is no danger of flood damage. Some at the bottom of the hill have gotten it from creeks overflowing.

Maryland is only a few miles away but is spread out enough that rain is different in different areas.