Jim’s 45th Alamosa High School Reunion

Much of this blog post is for the benefit of present and former residents of Alamosa who know some of those photographed.  For our other blog readers, patience!

September 28-29th we celebrated Jim’s 45th high school reunion. Yes, we drove there in Jim’s pride and joy, the ‘64 El Camino.

                    

The weekend started off Friday with a tour of

Ortega Middle School, which was Jim’s high school back in the day….in fact, Class of 1967 was only the second class to graduate from that building.

The building custodians were waiting for us and were so good to open up rooms for these old students to check out.  Interestingly enough, many of the men wanted to go into the principal’s office------since they spent so much time in there when students, they said.

There was a surprise waiting in the Nell Roger’s Library (she was a friend and a wonderful, fun-loving lady).

           

Inside was the class’s history teacher, Leonard King, and Betty Stevens, school counselor, both of them looking great after 45 years!

There was much laughter walking the halls and passing classrooms with comments like, “remember when we ________ in the chemistry lab that day?” and “damn, I hated being in that classroom”!

A lot of the folks in attendance must have been in a lot of the plays, choir and band, because the band room and auditorium were very popular places to visit. Hey, Beth (our daughter), remember all the hours you spent in this room blowing your sax.

Another place everyone wanted to see  was the gym…..and was the moose head still up on the wall???  Oh, yes, it still was…top right side of the wall. (AHS is known as the Mean Moose in sports.)

After the tour we all gathered at Ramada’s Inn of the Rio Grande out east of town for a little socializing.

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Saturday evening we went back to Inn of the Rio Grande for a banquet.  We were so happy they kept things simple without a lot of programmed events, a simple greeting, reading of departed classmates, acknowledging veterans in the class and a fun trivia game.  Bill Clark won for coming the farthest – Maryland; four couples married classmates and which of them got married first; and Jim and I won for having the most great-grandchildren…..we have a great-granddaughter and another one on the way. 

		45th AHS Reunion Banquet VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

There were little placards on all the tables with names of their teachers and others with names of hangouts and stores in town, many of which no longer exist, like A & H Bootery, Small Fry’s, Goal Post, Nine Nine and Ace Inn. Lots of memories spoken.

There was a very nice buffet dinner and lots of time to visit and get reacquainted.  Later on they had a DJ playing music from the 60s with a few people dancing to the likes of “Unchained Melody”, “Sherry” and “Louie Louie”.

I only knew three or four people, there but I enjoyed myself, laughing at the retelling of the antics of these mischievous 63 year olds LOL!!!  For a few hours everyone was 18 years old again and seeing all their friends through 18 year old eyes.  It was very wonderful.

Everyone is looking forward to the 50th reunion, God willing.

Remember, you are loved.
Read the story behind the saying HERE

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Lunch with Friends at Cavillo’s

 Our buddies, Roberta and Teddy, called and said they would be coming up from Espanola today to spend one last weekend up at South Fork to fish and to pick up and bring home their camping gear from their storage unit.  

We thought we’d surprise them and meet them in Jim’s ‘64 El Camino, which he cleaned up to go to his 45th high school reunion tonight.

We met Roberta and Teddy in Alamosa and went to lunch at Cavillo’s. This Mexican restaurant has a wonderful buffet with someone making flour tortillas right there in front of you.  Yes, this is the same place we brought The Meilicke’s last week.  But this time I took photos.

They have an extensive salad/salsa/dessert bar with delicious flan and rice pudding, along with pasta and spinach salads and several types of salsas.

They have a hot buffet with 16 choices from chile rellenos, menudo, tamales and enchiladas to tacos, green chili and homemade refried beans.

 

They also have a great bartender that they brought from Mexico because of his expertise in making specialized Margaritas.

It was so nice to spend some additional time with Roberta and Teddy and hear how their lives are going. 

Remember, you are loved!

Friends Visit in Autumn

We had a wonderful surprise Friday when we received a call from Mick Meilicke that he and Ann would driving through Alamosa on Saturday and wanted to meet. Yippeeee!!!

We met Mick and Ann in Parker, AZ during the Parker 425 Off-Road Races in 2009.  We were all parked together and enjoyed some fun happy hours and a fabulous Super Bowl party, watching on an outdoor TV.

Saturday around 11:30 a.m. we drove to Walmart and there was Mick and their Mobile Suite fifth-wheel.

 

The Meilick’s were in Alamosa to pick up their mail which was sent from Escapees Mail Service.  But unfortunately it hadn’t come in, so The Meilick’s had to wait till Monday…with no where to go….no RV park in town…no place to stay….well, we can fix that! come on over to Chappy Campground.

We had a great lunch at Cavillo’s Restaurant and their Mexican buffet….very good!  Then we took a trip to Big Meadows Campground in South Fork to see the progress they have made in the renovation.  It was a lovely autumn day and the colors were outstanding.

The renovations of the campground were coming along well.  There is a new picnic area on the left side of the campground entry and a new group tent area on the right side where the picnic area use to be.

           

We stopped at South Fork Campground to visit managers, Rich and Terri Deacon, for a little bit, drove home and called it a night.

Sunday we got together with the Meilicke’s in the afternoon to watch the Bronco’s-Texans football game….very disappointing, but it was interesting to watch in the later quarters. 

We had a nice dinner of roast chicken, roasted potatoes, eggplant parmesan and home-grown tomatoes and cucumbers that Ann brought.  No, there aren’t any photos….Jim says I take too many food photos.

This morning we took Mick and Ann to Campus Café for the Café’s wonderful breakfasts with green chili.  No photos…..OK, Jim?  But here’s one Mick took of Jim and I.

After breakfast we drove to the post office and happily, their mail was there.  So once we drove home Mick and Ann made quick work of buttoning things up in their rig and they took off south.

It is so nice to have our RV family friends stop by to visit.  It was such a nice visit and we really enjoyed having the time to get to know each other better.

Safe travels, dear friends, we’ll see you down the road.

Remember, you are loved.
Read the story behind the saying HERE

Fun with a Friend

Thursday I spent a delightful afternoon with my friend, Nora.
 

Nora and I usually meet a couple times a year when I am in town. We seem to have adopted Bistro Rialto as our meeting place, as we’ve gone there for lunch several years now.

 

Owner/Chef, Kent Holtcamp along with his wife, Sharon, does extraordinary things with pizza, calzones and his lasagna is outstanding!!!  

 

 

Nora and I chose to have the Italian Chef Salad and Italian Nachos for lunch….along with a glass of wine……

Well we started off with the Italian Nachos and never did get to the salad because we were so full!  I took the salad home to lunch another day.

Nora and I hadn’t seen each other all summer so we had a lot of catching up to do and spent two hours over lunch!

Nora has always been “the Duchess” to me as she is always so sophisticatedly dressed with perfect hair, makeup and nails….she is so gorgeous and a wonderful friend.

Remember, you are all loved.
Read the story behind the saying HERE

Dinner with Friends

Tuesday after Jim’s doctor’s visit we went out for dinner with Nina and Greg at Blue Foxx at the golf course to celebrate. 

We so enjoy Nina’s and Greg’s company!!! They are interested in buying an RV to take extended trips, although not looking to be fulltime RVers.  It was neat to see Nina making notes in between taking bites of her dinner.  Yes, use Scott or Angel Soft toilet paper, Blue Ox towing products, membership to Escapees RV Club and Passport America, etc.

Here’s dinner…..crab cakes with risotto and asparagus for me.

 

 

 

 

 With the rest of the group preferring sirloin steak, mashed potatoes and asparagus.

 

 

We really must have enjoyed ourselves as we were one of the first to arrive in the restaurant for dinner and the last to leave some 2 1/2 hours later.

Thanks Nina and Greg for a great evening together!!!

Remember, you are loved.
Read the story behind the saying HERE

Jim Update - Three

For those of you who follow me on Facebook, you already know this information so continue on reading or not – your choice.

Yesterday Jim had his first follow-up appointment from his surgery.  The Doctor was very pleased with the progress Jim has made.  The incision is healing nicely.  Doc asked “How’s your stamina?” Jim said “By 2 o’clock I’m done for the count”.  Doc asked “How’s your appetite?” Jim answered, “none existent”.  Doc mused, “Well that’s all normal then.  Those will both change in time.”  Shhhhh, alright then!!!

Jim can now lift 10-15 pounds….so he can pour his glass of milk once again LOL.  He can drive also and happy hours are back on the schedule!!!

Doctor wants to see Jim one more time before he’ll allow him to leave on our winter trip.  Doctor said two weeks, but when we went to make the appointment we found out the doctor is going to be on vacation the second week, so we have to wait three weeks to see him again.

Oh, well, we enjoy “Chapman Campground” overlooking Mt. Blanca and the price is right so we’ll stay the three weeks and build up Jim’s stamina for driving long distances again.  Better safe than sorry, right?

We walked around Wal-Mart today as well as City Market to have Jim out and around a little more and it did tucker him out.  We’ll do a little more each day and get him ready and get on the road October 9th.

Remember, you are loved.
Read the story behind the story HERE

 

Lazing Around

Sunday has always been my “lazing around” day.  Stay in jammies most of the day, watch my fav TV show, CBS Sunday Morning, eat when we want without any set time or what we eat, watch NASCAR, baseball game….just laze around.

Jim has been doing a lot better.  He hasn’t had to take any Percocet since Friday….so he was only on it two days…but he still isn’t driving or having any happy hours.  His color is better, he walks more upright, appetite is still small but he is eating.  He goes back to the doctor’s tomorrow so we will see what he has to say.  We postponed a trip down to Santa Fe because Jim still isn’t comfortable with long drives…the bouncing around really bothers him.  So we’ll wait till we are ready to head out to OK and TX before we schedule a couple of days visit with the family in Santa Fe.  Jim just needs more healing time.

Remember, you are loved.
Read the story behind the saying HERE

Another Jim Update

We’ve been playing with the idea of driving to Pueblo next week, just for a day out in a bigger city.  However, Jim needed to get out of the house so we drove around town a bit and then we drove to Blanca so I could get some kielbasa at the Red Rock Grocery.

I’ve written about Red Rock Grocery before as the owners Andy and Mark are from Poland and missed their native food when they moved out here.  So every two weeks they air freight in 300 pounds of authentic kielbasa from Chicago.  They have to drive to Colorado Springs to pick it up.  The grocery store carries a large selection of Slavic items from Bulgaria, Poland, Hungry and Czechoslovakia.  They include wonderful jams, sauerkraut, several types of perogies, beets, horseradish, pickles of all kinds and today I picked up an eggplant spread from Bulgaria I can’t wait to try out. 

When we came home and Jim eased himself out of the Jeep, he remarked, “I don’t think I’m ready for a trip to Pueblo any time soon”.  He was tired and sore.  The sometime bumpy road and confines of the Jeep made for a rough ride for him.

Jim’s color is better, he continues to walk the dog a couple times a day, drinking more liquids and behaving himself…..what else could a wife ask for???

Remember, you are loved.
Read the story behind the saying HERE

Jim Update

Since Jim is taking Percocet, he has to eat something before he can take it.  So when he woke up yesterday morning and wanted a pill I needed to come up with some food quick.  Well, Jim had his first smoothie ever.  I used milk, peach and a banana.  It did the job and soon Jim wasn’t feeling any pain. 

I enjoyed a leisurely lunch at May Wa with my bud, Salai.  We hadn’t seen each other since Salai came up to Park Creek Campground to help me out in July when Jim went on his four-wheel trip to Ouray.  We had a lot to catch up on. 

Jim began to walk the dog again some and is walking around the neighborhood also.  During the day he winces when he coughs and has been hiccupping a lot for some reason. He takes 10 seconds to sit down in a chair……gingerly easing himself down slowly.  And today he gets to remove his incision bandage and take a shower. Whooppie!!!

It’s time for me to replenish some items in my wardrobe, get the dogs’ nails clipped and go visit my girlfriend, Naomi, in the nursing home.  That’s my day’s plan….what’s on your days schedule???????

Remember, you are loved.
Read the story behind the saying HERE

Jim’s Hernia Surgery

Jim had a 10:00 a.m. appointment for his hernia surgery and he only had to wait a few minutes before they brought him in to be prepped.

The anesthetist and doctor came in and explained things and come 11:05 a.m. they wheeled Jim away.  That is a terrible moment…when they wheel a loved one away….fear….will he come back???  I know it is unrealistic to think that way, but the slight fear is there nonetheless.

About a half-hour later the surgical nurse came out and said they tried to do a laparoscopic procedure, but Jim’s previous appendectomy scar and the large size of the hernia prevented that.  So the had to make the normal cut and Jim has both incisions to heal from.

Doctor came out after the procedure and said everything went as normal, but that Jim awoke in a great deal of pain so he was immediately given a Percocet. By the time he was removed from the recovery room and back in the prep room it was 2:00 p.m.  

Jim’s blood pressure (BP) wasn’t recovering as fast as the nurse had liked.  When he first came in his BP was 121/73 and after the operation it was 75/45.  The doctors came in and checked him over and since Jim didn’t have any symptoms of low BP (like dizziness and nausea) they gave him more liquids via IV and he could go home.  The doctors figured Jim was just dehydrated and he was instructed to drink mega amounts of liquids, but no beer LOL. So when his BP got to 90/54 they released him, which they did at 3:30 p.m.

After being confined in their pet taxis for six hours, Poncho and Chorizo (also known as Beanie and Wienie) were very ready to go outside and to see us again.

Since Jim doesn’t drink a lot of liquids on any day, getting him to drink “mega amounts” was going to be a challenge.  Jim is a big milk and coffee drinker and sometimes iced tea, but never, never water, which is what he needed.  So I went to Safeway and bought four 64 oz. bottles of various cranberry drinks…cran-grape and cran-raspberry.  Now to get him to drink it all………..

Jim has a follow-up appointment with the doctor in a week and from there we can figure out better how long we will have to wait till we travel again. 

As long as Jim is taking the Percocet he can’t drink alcohol and can’t drive.  Also he can’t pick up anything over 5 pounds or even pull the lever to dump our holding tanks for F-O-U-R  weeks.  Ah ha, that means he can’t even pick up his beloved gallon of milk….it weighs over seven pounds!!!  Pretty funny when a grown man has to say, “will you get me a glass of milk, please” because he’s not allowed to lift the jug!

I’ve never had to “take care” of Jim from an illness….he has had to “take care” of me through a few operations.  Now the tables are turned and he isn’t liking it one bit.  But he doesn’t have much choice in the matter.  He gets to be “babied”.

Jim’s OK with climbing up the stairs into the fifth-wheel and up to the restroom (although Jim said it’s a toss-up who walks slower him or Tim Conway’s and his shuffle). I’m now in charge of taking out the dogs…which I found out occurs even at  3-4 a.m.!!!  Ugh!!! Hard to go back to sleep after being out in the cold night air at 3 o’clock in the damn morning!!!!!

So it looks like we’ll be sitting tight for about a month, but it all depends on how Jim heals and the time that will take.  We’ll take it one day at a time and see how things go. 

We both want to thank all of you for your prayers, phone calls, comments on my Facebook page and text messages.  Jim was completely overwhelmed when he read everything…."I didn’t know so people cared”.  So “thank you” for caring about my man!  You are so appreciated.

Remember, you are loved.
Read the story behind the saying HERE

Pizza & Beer

Last night we met Angela, Kaitlin and Heinz for dinner at the San Luis Valley Pizza Company. 

They make an extremely delicious pizza and I especially like that they really cook the crust so it is really brown and crispy.

We all got a kick out of the waitress when she began carding everyone when we ordered a beer.  Surely she wouldn’t card me…I’m obviously over 21!!!  Oh, oh, but she did……

We enjoyed chit chatting about our winter plans and also hearing what the Bergann’s have done towards their desire to go fulltime RVing in the future.

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This morning I take Jim to the hospital for his hernia surgery.  Please keep him in your prayers.

Remember, you are loved.
Read the story behind the saying here

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