ECUADOR - My June/July 2003 Trip Journal -- by Donna R. Carter
Page Five
~^~ The Beginning of the Class Reunion ~^~ Sunday / Monday ~^~ June 29-30, 2003
Well, I didn't write anything yesterday because I just slept the whole day. I guess I needed it! Last night I did get on chat and got ahold of my dad, told him someone wanted to chat with him and to guess who. It was Dave Findlay, whom dad hadn't been in touch with in about 30 years or more. That was fun to see him react to realizing who it was after Mr. Findlay gave him a few hints.
Today I got up around 6:00 in the morning, and about 10:00, Anne-Marie came by and we went to her in-law's house to clean up since they left last Thursday.
We went to Anne-Marie & Michio's house for lunch and Michio came home with Ned (Tom) Thomas whom I haven't seen since high school. We had lunch outside under a patio umbrella, in the rain. It was kind of cool, actually, until it got to raining too hard and we all started getting wet, so we just hurried back inside.
This afternoon, Anne-Marie had to go to the hospital to get some blood tests and asked me to tag along. Dad used to be assistant administrator of the hospital, so it was interesting to see how much it had changed inside since about 25 years ago. It was obviously different outside with so much expansion, but the layout inside it was quite different as well. I would hardly have known my way around in there anymore.
It was quite a bit later in the afternoon after Anne-Marie had her blood drawn, and we drove up to the Alliance Guest House. Matthew Hess and his wife and kids let us in. Shortly thereafter, Tim & Ruth (Erdel) Stuck and their kids came by, and Michio and Ned Thomas, (all classmates) and we all looked at slides of "the old days," and some of Capernwray where a few of them had gone to college together. We were laughing at '70's haircuts and old memories.
Leti Hess was making some popcorn in a pan in the kitchen and used a lid that was too small that ended up getting suctioned into the pan. We were all trying to figure out how to get it unstuck because the lid handle had also come off and the lid was stuck fast. About half an hour (and a variety of manipulations) later, Ned finally started banging on the bottom of the pan, holding it upside down over the sink, and the lid finally popped out (with soggy popcorn flying everywhere.)
We planned to meet the next afternoon for a soccer game, and then for pizza at the OMS dorm, with all the alumni we could get ahold of in the area.
My cold was much better, so I was encouraged. Just the sniffles and a few sneezes.
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