Reunion ’17 — St. Augustine
Photos by Marianna & Ron, Suzie & Peter, Jenny & Walt, Melon, Pat, and Julie.
Hello / Goodbye
Around Town
Dining
Castillo de San Marcos
Flagler College
Museums / Tours
Mount Dora
We found ST. AUGUSTINE full of history, sunny weather . . . and a few raindrops!
Attendees included
Class of ’65: Jenny & Walt
Class of ’66: Crackey, Pat, Barb & Tom, Suzie & Peter, Ellie & Ed
Class of ’67: Marianna & Ron, Mary Ann & Dan, Kay, Julie
Class of ’68: Melon
Class of ’69: Mim
We gathered for Reunion Week 2017 from May 22–28. Once again, the our Reunion was filled with joy, gratitude, and the happy chatter of sharing, remembering, and catching up on each others’ lives!
St. Augustine is rich with history — 500+ years of it — that we explored by Trolley and on foot: a magnificent fort, museums, art galleries, great shopping and restaurants. The best part was our wonderful B&B, the Bayfront Westcott House, where we stayed in comfort, always within just a few feet of each other, enjoying gourmet breakfasts and abundant Happy Hours in the spacious common areas, continually looked after by the gracious hosts and staff.
Crackey’s recent hometown of “Mount Dora — Someplace Special,” was our next stop. Most of us continued on to another lovely B&B, where we enjoyed more fellowship, more shopping, a boat tour of Lake Dora, and more great restaurants.
Wherever we went, we were laughing, reminiscing, and soaking up the love of sisterhood, feeling transported back to those happy days at 709 Comstock Avenue when our adult lives were just beginning. Reunions are an opportunity to celebrate marriages (four of them at or near the 50-year milestone, because Walt, Tom, Ed, and Ron were also a part of our Syracuse days as well!), families, careers, achievements and challenges, and to share the joys of retirement and the dreams still ahead. We may not pack as many activities into each day as we used to … but we all agreed that this was the BEST AGD reunion yet! Everyone felt truly blessed to be a part of it. Missing sisters, especially dear Marilyn, were lovingly remembered.
SPECIAL THANKS to Crackey and Pat for planning and organizing our week so well!
Tidbits from Pat...
- We take time to remember Marilyn and Howard.
- We meet to discuss our next re-union. Where to go? With our fearless leader in command we take on assignments to prepare for our next re-union.
- Crackey already checked into our room, so I dump my luggage and head for more hugs. What a joy to see everyone again.
- Where to sit on the porch? Someone pulls out a chair and says, “join us.” And the talking begins.
- Where to go for dinner? We don’t want to leave. Crackey to the rescue, ordering pizza and salads. The B&B staff set it up for us.
- The happy hour is always generous and they provide drinks to go with our dinner or anytime the office is open.
- Everyone asks Kay about Rich. We miss him.
- When we finally head up to bed, Crackey and I stay up chatting and catching up.
- Breakfast may be my favorite part — just head down to find a table of friends and delicious food to start the day.
- We divide into smaller groups and head out. I catch up with Mary Ann and Danny.
- When we return, we crash on the porch. The staff offers us refreshing drinks. I could get used to this!
- We discover the luxury and fun of riding as a group to dinner using the $3/person vans. Were they singing in the van behind us?
- Singing is always a part of our re-unions. We break into song, just for the fun of it.
- The next day it rains; undaunted we head out anyway. Danny shuttles some of us to the pirate museum. How can such vicious creatures be so much fun?
- We hide under the awning of a gift shop to avoid the rain, then scurry to an outdoor café for lunch. We end up a little bit damp, but walk home under clear skies.
- Back at the B&B we share our day and head out for another delicious dinner.
- What to do our final day? Some opt for the museum or winery. Julie, Crackey and I go for the chocolate factory tour. Julie brings back chocolate-covered cherries, a reminder of our Seattle re-union.
- Luckily Harry’s gives us our own room the final night — we’re just a bit loud.
- Kay and I meet at our gate at Dulles. Melon joins us at the Jacksonville Airport. We drive to the B&B, trying not to get lost as we are chatting all the way.
- We spot Marianna and Ron parking right behind us, the hugging begins.