Now that I'm a senile old lady (according to my daughter who is 21 and knows everything) I can say things without embarrassment that would have been impossible 40 years ago. The reunion was magical and over far too quickly. I may not have recognized some of you, but when I looked into your eyes I found the person I remembered from long ago and far away. All y'all are my history and influenced the woman I became. I can say with a great deal of pride that I love you all and thank you for giving me the pleasure of seeing you again.
I spent the weekend with Lynne at her childhood home. After about 38 years we took up right where we'd left off. I kept waiting for her mother to pop out from around a corner to give us that "I know that you two are up to something" look that she had so perfected. I left the North County in 1975 and have been back only a couple of times since then. The changes astonished me but the old Fallbrook is still there. Lynne and I (with her sister Cheryl Phoebe Ann) walked Main Street and popped in and out of shops and felt up the merchandise and had a grand time. I was astonished to peek in the window of the old record store (where I bought the latest KCBQ hits on 45) to see that it was frozen in a time warp, complete with rocking chair in the corner. I looked over my shoulder but Rod Serling didn't step out and announce that I'd crossed the border into the Twilight Zone - but it sure felt that way!
Hearing of classmates who had died saddened me. They are missed but I'm sure all of them were there, just around a corner, taking in the joy of the occassion and smiling and shrieking with us. They know that they are remembered and still cherished. I got to thank Mrs. Bridges for being such a wonderful teacher and putting up with my eccentricities and giving me the freedom to think about things from another angle. I told Frank Ausilio of how he influenced decisions I made years after the last time I saw him - and those were good decisions. I saw old friends I thought I'd never see again and the glow hasn't left me yet. I was deposited with a thump back in Texas on Monday but I'm still remembering and smiling.
It was an amazing time and thank you all for being there!!
MJ Dumas Johnson
who found out she lives only about 50 miles from Gordon!
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This is the Cyber-Space Senior Quad (a little play on words there for us Boomers): a place where we can gather to visit, and chat, and check each other out...just like we did 40 years ago, only then "Senior" meant we were in 12th grade...now it means we get reduced rates at movie theatres and flipped off if we're driving in the fast lane.
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