skip to main |
skip to sidebar
LAKEWOOD, New York - As the photo with today's blog attests, I wasn't the only one who took to the water at our class reunion.
Jim Lindell went tubing on Saturday while I was out trying to upend the sailboat on which I was racing in the Chautauqua Lake Yacht Club Regatta. At least Jim meant to get wet.
Growing up - and living right on the shore the lake - meant that any day the weather was even halfway decent it was time to drag out the waterskiis and find someone willing to pony up some money for gasoline so we could zoom around for hours.
Today, while out test-driving a new auto (Do not get me started on that fiasco!) I drove past the twin of the boat I owned as a teenager - a 14-foot MFG with a 50 HP Mercury hanging on the back. Was it a sign from the heavens? Was it a hallucination after seeing the sticker price on the cars I was test driving? I think the second hypothesis is the most likely.
The last time I was on water skis I tried to do one of the few tricks I ever mastered - putting the tow rope between my knees while skiing on two skis. I made it about 50 feet before I crashed, all captured in living color on the video camera. We used to fall a lot when we skied - part of the fun, I suppose. Now, well, it can hurt.
The new technology of tubing looks like it's a lot of fun, particularly with the speed of boats today. While we were content with 40 mph, even jetskis can hit 70 now - and pull a tube I've noticed.
Jim wasn't alone tubing (hard to drive and tube at the same time). Among the other suspects with him was Louie Acquisto, though no photos of Louie crashing about the waters of Lake Chautauqua have made it to me yet.
Louis Acquisto enjoying the water
JAMESTOWN, New York - I never played golf (the real kind, not the miniature version) largely because I didn't own golf clubs as a kid and the nearsightedness limited my ability to whack the little white pill very far.
I learned early what a divot was and my brief tryout for the golf team ended very quickly and with a lot of shouting on the part of Dick Shevalier, if my memory serves me.
So, I didn't get involved with the golfing Saturday at the reunion, instead I went down to the Chautauqua Lake Yacht Club and quickly hooked a ride on a sailboat as crew in the charity regatta going on. The whole club was buzzing with racers and if you haven't seen the yacht club in recent years, they have installed a large in-ground swimming pool. Very upscale.
I landed on a boat owned by Geoffrey Bond, who lives in the old Bootey house (we called it the Bootey mansion, when I was a kid) next to Lakewood Beach. We had two great sailing races (took a second and a fourth) and had I not almost swamped the boat in the second race, might have done every better.
Whatever. I did get a world-class sunburn on my face, which was exacerbated by far too many glasses of Pinot Grigio Saturday night during dinner and after in between dances. That song "Hot, Hot, Hot," is still stuck in my head.
Fitz & Captain Geoffrey Bond (center)
While I was getting ready for the race, I ran into Sharon Ticknor (Class of '69) who was crewing in the regatta also, but on a large cruising boat. My boat was about 16-feet long, a little tender and we forgot the cooler with the drinks.
No wonder pirates say Arrrrrgh - it's when they run out of beer!
Sharon Ticknor & her daughter
I've received several more reunion photos - thanks Randy and Allan - so I have an excuse to keep typing and avoiding the writing deadlines I have the rest of this week and next.
But if you didn't take a close look at the golf photo of Jack Eckdahl at the top, look at it again. What a great grin - at least before he takes the shot.
MAYVILLE, New York - A few more photos have trickled out of my photo file from the Class of '66 reunion, including this shot of Dan, Ken and Steve at the dinner.
All three guys are clearly the people we graduated with - even Dan who is arguably a foot taller than I remember him as being! Steroids - or a late bloomer?
Ken Sonne is retired after a long and successful teaching career. Steve and Dan are still among the ranks of the employed, Dan with his own company (if I remember what he told me correctly) and Steve has a security clearance, I believe. You'll have to email Steve about what he does, I don't have a high enough clearance. In fact, as a journalist, I probably have a negative rating when it comes to security clearances.
I also found this shot of Craig Fransen, who was one of my closest friends growing up. In the early 1960s, Craig, Gary Shenkle, Tom Short, the late Ron Hurlburt and I would lift weights in his basement (Craig obviously kept at it and it shows) and then go upstairs to feast in his family kitchen.
One summer we all bought sweatshirts and used a Magic Marker to write "Fransen's Gym" on the front of them.
On the back we wrote "Bigger Biceps for '64"
I really wish I had kept that sweatshirt.
That winter I bought my own set of barbells to have at the house. It should have been a sign that I had to have someone carry the box from the store and put it in my car.
Craig Fransen
And lastly, here's yet another dance shot - nope, not Shelley Kales and I again (though I do have another one to post). This is another group shot, but of a circle dance... (As opposed to a square dance? Sorry.) And what exactly is Linda Davidson doing/saying in this photo?
MAYVILLE, New York - The well is almost dry, but not quite, of contributed photos from the SWCS Class of '66 Reunion, held more than a week ago. In the top photo, Sue Guertin-Chandler (on the right), Marianne jim (seated next to her) and Gloria Boutelle Olson are all pretty recognizable.
I believe the blonde head belongs to Linda Davidson, but I can't be sure.
I spent a good part of today trying to figure out what to put on the memorial brick for John Rupp. I have space for three lines with 15 characters each, which is barely room for me to say hello, let alone craft a snappy brick-eulogy.
So, I'll take any suggestions. Limericks are ok, too. John would appreciate a funny ditty on his brick.
There once was a lad from Lakewood... (won't work - too long).
I finally watched the video of the dancing, by the way, and, well, mercifully enough the lighting is pretty bad. In other words, we all look pretty good dancing! I'll see what I can do with it when I try to import it into my movie program.
In the meantime, here's a few dance shot stills that I'll incorporate into the video.
Doing the stroll
Fitz & Shelley Kales
Kathy Lindstrom shows real style
