Photo of the Day

I asked for pictures and immediately got this one from Janice McDonald '60. It was taken by Mike Taylor. Standing behind Jane Moxley and Ron Colvin are Mike Moxley, Pete McDonald, Janice Helton, Butch Murdoch. Good looking bunch, doncha' think?

AAB

And The Sun Was Shining! Part IV

Thoughts on Going Home from Going Back Home

As I drove the miles home, I thought about the day: I missed seeing a few people. I forgot to take pictures of others. I needed more time to talk with every one of them! There were so many people who didn't look like they were supposed to! It was hard to find everyone and quickly hit on a mutual memory . . . . I meant to ask . . . . It was like speed dating!

My mind raced as the sun dropped in the west.

Late in the afternoon, a small group of 59 Musketeers had pulled up chairs under the old oak which had spread shade over the day. We laughed about a lot of things and talked about a few old friends. We commented on the decaying center of the tree and I took this photo. When I looked at it later, I saw a little figure in the gnarly debris. I wondered if any of the 800 or so people passing by saw this little spirit watching over us and if, for them, the day and their memories of the 50s would be like what each saw in the tree -- creepy, gentle, ugly, lovely, magic.

I had noticed that one of the classes took a group photo. I wish we had. I hope we will another time. Not so we can get out the magnifying glass or, my favorite method, stack two pairs of reading glasses on our noses, to see the tiny faces. But so we can
-- stand together as a group united in memories of days of innocence, enthusiasm and big plans.
-- hug with abandon at the simple joy of seeing an old friend and not fear that we have mistakenly greeted someone from another class.
-- remember faces and share a poignant thought and fond memory of those who are missing from the ranks.
-- refill our spirits with who we were -- both the good and the bad -- which makes us who we are.
-- revisit those parts of ourselves long put away with other childish things like first kisses, first cars and first grade.

I thought about this as I neared the River. I realized we had indeed done all those things on this day of celebrating our Decade and its days of innocence, enthusiasm and big plans. Like connecting with distant cousins, long unseen. I ended the day with a renewed spirit, a little more comfortable with my memories.

It's what you do when you go back home.

AAB

And The Sun Was Shining! Part III

Some Great Faces

I spent wa-a-ay too much time talking with these folks and forgot to take their pictures: Olin and Ellen Padgett, Louis and Judy Linson, Cheryl and Jimmy Melton, Don Starnes and his wife, David Hurst and his delightful sister.

Here are a few others I spotted.

Wayne and Caroline LeRoy Ayers









Niki Johnson, Jill Stafford, Ed Brown, Frank Stafford









Harry Pund and David Hurst









Bob and Alma Gardner Dewitt















Donna Andrews Pittman and Helen Gnann Byers













Annette James James













Elizabeth James Roye











AAB

And The Sun Was Shining! Part II

In The Sun and Shade

I quickly realized that there were so many people whom I didn't recognize and others that I just didn't know, so I began to look for green dots.

I joined the groups greeting each other across the grass, gathering for conversation in the shade, checking out the souvenir tent and enjoying the entertainment.

And I stood in the long food line in the shade of the Murphy Pavilion where banana pudding made it worth the wait.

In the afternoon, there was a stir of excitement as our host Robert Murphy (in the "good guy" white hat) drove 'Elvis' to the show in his baby-blue T-Bird. It was so cool, that I forgot to get a picture. (Jeff Barnes and his back-up team gave two great shows. Jeff's Elvis is an annual favorite.)

Each year, as 'new' old classes are welcomed to the roster, the event is tweaked by Robert and his class committees. Judy's Volunteers make things run smoothly and let classmates just enjoy visiting.

It's a great day in the Sun and Shade. I've marked my calendar for the 3rd Saturday in October 2008.

AAB

And The Sun Was Shining! Part I

Down Memory Lane

Saturday's flurry of concerns over the black clouds was cleared away today by the blue skies and bright sunlight. After turning off the main road onto the farm driveway, I parked and caught a golf cart ride down Memory Lane.

The line of classic cars on the right started the memories pinging in my head. (The cars got a lot of attention all day so I suspect others had a few fond memories as well.)

I headed to the registration tent on the left where each class had been assigned a color and given a 'headquarters' sign representing one of 'our' drive-ins. Stopping at Timmerman's Fly-In/Drive-In, I got my nametag with the green dot and my old annual photo. I remembered how the little planes would taxi up to the fence and get their hamburgers, fries and milkshakes. I thought about some other things, too. . . . Ah, more memories. Blush.

I sat with Butch, Mary and Judy H.J. for a bit and and then made a Coke run. What a line! And some more familiar faces. Thanks to Maxie and Judy S.T., I was able to get near the head of the line and deliver souvenir cups of refreshment back to the registration table pretty quickly -- it was a lo-o-ong line.

There were so many faces and this year's trip down memory lane had just begun.

AAB