|
Robyn (Jane) Cholerton
I tell you, amid the news headlines, everyone's personal crises, and frenzy on the streets and in the stores, our classmates do restore my vision that there are still very pleasant spaces in the universe uncluttered by flights of egotistic fancy, alcoholic excess, and wrapping paper. Sharing the conversation, the company, and the food at yesterday's December birthday lunch were Jerry Goffe, Marty Glantz Farmer, SusieStrong Neuschwanger, Neal Kloepfer, Helen Stambaugh Williams, Karla Irwin Cates, Marcy McVay Cates, Hank and Anna Nusbaum, Rhonda Beauchamp Blech (celebrating her birthday on the 25th with grandchildren and other family), Mary Ann Simanek Villarreal, Sandy Stewart Smallwood, John Criswell, and me. A few others were kept away by health considerations, travel, or other obligations, and although we missed them, we wish them well.
No one admitted to having any hot gossip, but Jerry Goffe asked if there was interest in another excursion to play with raptors (or be played with by), and got an enthusiastic response for the January 2018 dates that he suggested. Most enthusiastic were the five of us present who made the trip last year, since we know just how much fun it turned out to be. We encouraged Jerry to put the question to everyone who reads this forum, and I hope he'll do that before we all get booked for January.
We all had the chance to share a couple of Gold Bars, which I've recently learned are available at the 66 Diner. These confections were not a part of our mutual educational experience, but apparently there are hordes who came after us, who remember this feature of the APS cafeteria system repertoire with misty eyes and drooling mouths. Unknown to them, they have our classmate, Elaine Weinshenker Keaton, to thank. And now we've had an opportunity to see what all of the excitement's about.
And seasonal thanks to Helen Williams, who brought her homemade spritz cookies to share. I think that most of us took one "to be polite", and on subsequent passings-around, quite a few of us took quite a few more, thus saving Helen from the fate of having to sit at home and eat the whole batch herself. (Such is the dilemma for those of us who live alone, but can't resist the occasional impulse to bake.) Delicious, Helen!
Neal, Susie and I had an informal meeting about the January birthday lunch, and it looks as though "later in the month" will work best. I'm certainly looking forward to it!
I hope that each of us has just the holiday that we want to have!
Robyn
|
Mark your calendar for Sunday, Jan. 21, 2018 if you’d like to join a small group for a field trip to see and experience raptors such as Harris’s Hawks and Aplomado Falcons. We will leave from the north end of the K-Mart parking lot at Carlisle and I-40 at 7:00 AM sharp. We will travel to San Antonio (New Mexico), have breakfast and meet with Matt Mitchell, a HHS graduate. We’ll then drive out about 12 miles east and have a few hours of fun, excitement, learning and photography. Total travel round trip distance will be about 200 miles and we should be home early afternoon. Please be sure to dress appropriately and bring a hat and a camera. Matt is doing this for us as a favor, so please bring gratuity … his birds will be very appreciative. Any questions should be directed to me, Jerry Goffe, at 385-3333.
