Tuesday, June 07, 2005
MAY.....1992
We were short-handed at work all month due to several people being on vacation. That always meant whoever was left had to pick up the slack. It was tough getting past Mother’s Day and mom’s birthday that year……the first year she hadn‘t been with us. By the 21st of the month we left for a few days as well….it was Bear’s 50th High School Class Reunion at Newman Grove, NE. and he was excited about attending.
We packed, closed the house down, took kitty to the vet for boarding and got away by noon. We had a nice drive to Shawnee where we planned to stay over night with George and see his new home. He was there when we arrived and proudly showed us all over his house and yard. It was in very good shape and he had a large yard and good grass…..a good selling point for me. The house was two doors down from good friends of ours who lived there while the children were growing up. It was a good “homey” feeling for George and we were happy for him.
Later that evening an old classmate of George’s (that he went all through school with) and who lived a few doors down, came to say hello. Dennis and George had been buddies from mid-first grade and Dennis had married another of their classmates, Kathy. Dennis was like one of the family and it was good to see him again. We enjoyed cold drinks on the deck and George grilled hamburgers. It was a very satisfying evening. Going back to the old neighborhood is always pleasant for me. We had good neighbors and everyone watched out for each other. We literally saw the town fill in around our suburb as most of us had been there long enough to remember a fence at the bottom of our street which kept cows within the pasture. Little by little over the years the vacant places became houses and businesses and our pristine little neighborhood became an oasis in a growing city.
Before we left the next morning, Becky called to tell me a good friend of mine back home, had been taken to the hospital for breast cancer surgery. Naturally, it was upsetting news. As we left, George went on to work, and we would see him on our way back again. We drove on northwest, to the Nebraska line, past Lincoln and Omaha, on to Newman Grove, in northeastern Nebraska. We arrived at Bear’s cousin’s home around 3:30pm and she was waiting for us. Bear and Alta were very close as they were almost the same age and had gone all through school together with Alta’s twin sister, Alma. Bear’s maternal family were all very close and warm, loving people.
We had dinner at the Country Club that evening where 50-some class members and spouses gathered before the all-school banquet the next night. It was fun to watch the joy of best friends greeting each other and laughing over how they look now. There were lots of squeals and laughter…….an overall feeling of good will even for those of us who were there simply because we were married to a class member. At the close of day, we returned to Alta’s where we watched the last show of Johnny Carson. Nebraska is proud to be the State where he was born. For Nebraskans there is no one other than Johnny. (Date: May 22, 1992.)
The next day was spent with family and a great deal of visiting. Bear showed me the whole town, pointing out special places of meaning, we bumped into a couple of old teachers of his and he had a wonderful time reliving days gone by with them. That evening we assembled in the gym of the old school where we were fed a catered meal. We sat across from a cousin on his paternal side, Lowell Rosenbaum and his wife, Doris. Lowell farmed his family’s old farm property and was a large, robust, pleasant man. The German/Irish heritage gave him a pleasant personality and he was a strong, hard worker.
Bear’s Class of ‘42 was honored at the dinner and they held the stats of being the largest graduating class before or since that year. After the dinner and honors, the Class of ‘42 assembled in the new gymnasium for pictures. Most of the men of his class went right into the Service after graduating and many never made it home. There were moments of silence for those lost so long ago. As for Bear, he joined the Navy later that same year of graduation and served his time as a submariner, until WW11 was over.
The next day we went to church in the little Methodist Church where Bear went as a small boy. The squeaky floor, stained glass windows and varnished pews spoke of the years it had been in existence. After the morning service we then met at a restaurant to honor aunt Martha’s 94th birthday. She was a delightful woman who had worked hard on the farm ever since marrying the brother of Bear’s mother. She had to be strong to survive 94-years on the harsh Nebraska landscape. Later, we went to Alta’s for special birthday cake and ice-cream….and visited with family members until late.
The next day we woke to cloudy skies and strong winds. It was Memorial Day. Bear and I drove to Albion, NE. to visit cousin’s on his father’s side. We had dinner with them and the men went to the cemetery after the meal but it was too cold and miserable so the women stayed home and visited. Later in the afternoon we drove back to Newman Grove and visited with the King cousins.
When we left the next morning, we were to meet still more cousins at a restaurant on the highway where we were treated to breakfast. Later, there were hugs and goodbyes……..and then we were headed South for Blair where we had lunch with my aunt Phyllis and uncle Roger. We stayed and visited as long as we could and then drove back to Shawnee where George fixed a good supper and we stayed the night once more.
The next day we visited friends in the old neighborhood and that evening four couples of us, and George, went to a steak house for dinner. We celebrated my 60th birthday in fine fashion. It was the last time we were all together. One couple was moving to Emporia, (back home) after retiring, and it never worked out on later visits to go again. Sometimes, things happen once…..and once only. It was a wonderful night of friends and visiting. The next day we took time to visit other friends before leaving for home. Becky had taken Jennifer to the airport in St. Louis to catch a flight to stay with John and Barbara again that summer. She was going to work with mentally challenged kids at camp again. It was wonderful experience for her.
We packed a lot of family and friends into 10-days and for Bear and me…..it was always returning to our roots when we “went home” to Nebraska…..sentinel of the Great Plains………
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
We packed, closed the house down, took kitty to the vet for boarding and got away by noon. We had a nice drive to Shawnee where we planned to stay over night with George and see his new home. He was there when we arrived and proudly showed us all over his house and yard. It was in very good shape and he had a large yard and good grass…..a good selling point for me. The house was two doors down from good friends of ours who lived there while the children were growing up. It was a good “homey” feeling for George and we were happy for him.
Later that evening an old classmate of George’s (that he went all through school with) and who lived a few doors down, came to say hello. Dennis and George had been buddies from mid-first grade and Dennis had married another of their classmates, Kathy. Dennis was like one of the family and it was good to see him again. We enjoyed cold drinks on the deck and George grilled hamburgers. It was a very satisfying evening. Going back to the old neighborhood is always pleasant for me. We had good neighbors and everyone watched out for each other. We literally saw the town fill in around our suburb as most of us had been there long enough to remember a fence at the bottom of our street which kept cows within the pasture. Little by little over the years the vacant places became houses and businesses and our pristine little neighborhood became an oasis in a growing city.
Before we left the next morning, Becky called to tell me a good friend of mine back home, had been taken to the hospital for breast cancer surgery. Naturally, it was upsetting news. As we left, George went on to work, and we would see him on our way back again. We drove on northwest, to the Nebraska line, past Lincoln and Omaha, on to Newman Grove, in northeastern Nebraska. We arrived at Bear’s cousin’s home around 3:30pm and she was waiting for us. Bear and Alta were very close as they were almost the same age and had gone all through school together with Alta’s twin sister, Alma. Bear’s maternal family were all very close and warm, loving people.
We had dinner at the Country Club that evening where 50-some class members and spouses gathered before the all-school banquet the next night. It was fun to watch the joy of best friends greeting each other and laughing over how they look now. There were lots of squeals and laughter…….an overall feeling of good will even for those of us who were there simply because we were married to a class member. At the close of day, we returned to Alta’s where we watched the last show of Johnny Carson. Nebraska is proud to be the State where he was born. For Nebraskans there is no one other than Johnny. (Date: May 22, 1992.)
The next day was spent with family and a great deal of visiting. Bear showed me the whole town, pointing out special places of meaning, we bumped into a couple of old teachers of his and he had a wonderful time reliving days gone by with them. That evening we assembled in the gym of the old school where we were fed a catered meal. We sat across from a cousin on his paternal side, Lowell Rosenbaum and his wife, Doris. Lowell farmed his family’s old farm property and was a large, robust, pleasant man. The German/Irish heritage gave him a pleasant personality and he was a strong, hard worker.
Bear’s Class of ‘42 was honored at the dinner and they held the stats of being the largest graduating class before or since that year. After the dinner and honors, the Class of ‘42 assembled in the new gymnasium for pictures. Most of the men of his class went right into the Service after graduating and many never made it home. There were moments of silence for those lost so long ago. As for Bear, he joined the Navy later that same year of graduation and served his time as a submariner, until WW11 was over.
The next day we went to church in the little Methodist Church where Bear went as a small boy. The squeaky floor, stained glass windows and varnished pews spoke of the years it had been in existence. After the morning service we then met at a restaurant to honor aunt Martha’s 94th birthday. She was a delightful woman who had worked hard on the farm ever since marrying the brother of Bear’s mother. She had to be strong to survive 94-years on the harsh Nebraska landscape. Later, we went to Alta’s for special birthday cake and ice-cream….and visited with family members until late.
The next day we woke to cloudy skies and strong winds. It was Memorial Day. Bear and I drove to Albion, NE. to visit cousin’s on his father’s side. We had dinner with them and the men went to the cemetery after the meal but it was too cold and miserable so the women stayed home and visited. Later in the afternoon we drove back to Newman Grove and visited with the King cousins.
When we left the next morning, we were to meet still more cousins at a restaurant on the highway where we were treated to breakfast. Later, there were hugs and goodbyes……..and then we were headed South for Blair where we had lunch with my aunt Phyllis and uncle Roger. We stayed and visited as long as we could and then drove back to Shawnee where George fixed a good supper and we stayed the night once more.
The next day we visited friends in the old neighborhood and that evening four couples of us, and George, went to a steak house for dinner. We celebrated my 60th birthday in fine fashion. It was the last time we were all together. One couple was moving to Emporia, (back home) after retiring, and it never worked out on later visits to go again. Sometimes, things happen once…..and once only. It was a wonderful night of friends and visiting. The next day we took time to visit other friends before leaving for home. Becky had taken Jennifer to the airport in St. Louis to catch a flight to stay with John and Barbara again that summer. She was going to work with mentally challenged kids at camp again. It was wonderful experience for her.
We packed a lot of family and friends into 10-days and for Bear and me…..it was always returning to our roots when we “went home” to Nebraska…..sentinel of the Great Plains………
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
