MelHigh 1973-1978 Reunion

Senior pictures...(not the best...they didn't put the one I chose in the yearbook...but that's the way it goes and the photos were kind of dark in the yearbook...but you must admit...David was pretty cute!)
The shack in Gainesville....my Uncle Dave once said "I can only enter this house under cover of darkness" hahahaha
Ellen. Judy and Leonard chatting out back... by our lovely view of the empty lot next door..hahaA Halloween party none of us will ever forget...in case you can't tell...we had FUN.
This past weekend there was a Melbourne High School Reunion. The guy who organized it was smart...he included the classes of 1973-1978. I always thought more than one year should be included, since most people weren't just friends with people in their graduating class. He planned the event to coincide with the August date of Melbourne's downtown "Friday Fest". John was fishing, so I was on my own. Luckily my friend Lisa told me she would go with me...otherwise I don't know if I would've gone...I don't like walking into a bar by myself...never have. Lisa, her husband and I met up at a little after 8pm on Friday night. The get together started at 7pm. Well...we did not see anyone we really knew. Ha...except for people we always see...and we were hoping to see others! well...Lisa and Bill left and I decided to stick it out a bit longer
because I knew my brother David would be there eventually and our friend Charlie and his sister, Debbie were there somewhere. I ventured in and found Charlie (who was having a grand old time...he knew lots of people). I got a glass of wine liquid courage and sat down with Darlene McGee and Debbie and an old friend Lindy Yotti. We had good seats...it was cool and inside for one thing, and we were right in view of anyone coming or going to the bathrooms...so sooner or later most people would be going that way. I spotted another friend (of my brothers) Mike L. and said Hello. He told me David was very excited because a friend he hadn't seen in 30 years was going to be there. Leonard McGill! OH MY GOD! I hadn't seen Leonard either...and then and there decided I was staying at least until I talked to him! Leonard lived up the street on Oak Ridge Drive...so we all went through Jr High and High School together.... As a matter of fact I then got many rides to and from Gainesville (UF) in Leonard's (in)famous van! Our third year he actually was one our roommates (Ellen, Liz and Judy & I) in a ramshackle house downtown near the Public Library. Over the years my kids have heard stories about Leonard...and I told him he was somewhat of a legend around my house. we both laughed about that! It was great to visit with him after all these years. He came with another old friend...Brian Raun. Brian was a classmate, friend and fellow catechism student. (there were several adventures with Brian over the years including a trip to the local biker bar with Brian (who weighed about 98 lbs), our friend Mark McCormick, my friend Karen...who assured me if anything happened...Mark and Brian would "protect" us. HAHA...I probably could take some one on better than them haha) (Luckily no protection was needed and the band who played cover songs of Jimi Hendrix tunes was really good....come to find out that's how the 4 of us wound up there...Brian had a friend in the band...all these years I couldn't remember how that unlikely combination of the 4 of us wound up not only together...but at The Bamboo Lounge!)
Leonard and I posing for a photo...so I could show Ellen, Megan and Brenna..........hahaAlso spotted Kim and Robin (formerly Richards) and Kim's husband in the crowd. I always enjoy them. I believe Kim was David's first "girlfriend" (he was a senior...she was a couple of years younger)and to this day they are still good friends...as are Kim's parents....they come to various Art events, etc...always pleasant...alwys nice to see them.
I talked to several others...Charlie Burklew, Nancy Schultze, Ellen (no Jane) Owens, and was warmly greeted by someone...she threw her arms around me "ANNE!"...for the life of me I couldn't figure out who exactly she was......kept asking questions...trying to get a clue...I think it was Barbara S......not sure she seemed so glad to see me...I didn't have the heart to ask her who she was....which reminds me of the song I heard the next day..."Whatsername" by Green Day. If I was in charge that would be the signature class reunion song....." She went away and I took a different path...I remember the face by I don't recall the name...now I wonder how Whatsername has been. Seems that she disappeared without a trace...did she ever marry old Whatshisface" etc, etc haha That was pretty much how the night went..haha Charlie M said he was talking to one girl for 5 minutes before he realized it was one of his old girlfriends...ha.
Now this post will not be complete with one of the legendary Leonard stories. He had a blue van...( I have no clue the make and model)and it served him well. As time went on the weather and wear and tear took it's toll. On one trip back to Gainesville he and I were driving along when we heard a snap.....we wondered what it was...then I noticed the passenger's side window slowly sinking down into the door...it had rusted out.....I held it for a few minutes...then decided there was no way I was going to continue holding it up for the next 1 1/2 hours...we just zipped up/put our jackets and rode along.(The temperature difference between Indialantic and Gainesville could be 10 degrees in the winter) But the best story was the time Leonard was driving Me, Ellen, Mike Penn and Liz Carty(?) I think... it must've been Thanksgiving...and were were riding along when it started to rain. Well...there was part of the floorboard missing on the passenger side...so water was splashing up on Mike. Next water started coming in in a few spots in the back....which we plugged up...welll the rain got harder and pretty soon it was like we were all in a sinking boat! hahahahahah...there was no stopping the water from coming in...I think the only one who was dry was Leonard! However...we all laughed and we were happy to have a ride (3 hours) home for the weekend. From past experience at class reunions...I have always found that other than the usual people that I always enjoy catching up with...there is at least ONE person who shows up unexpectedly that is worth whatever the cost of the get together was... and this year...that would be Leonard!
*One note...it was HOT and HUMID that night and we were outside...everyone was feeling pretty damp and droopy..I swear I could feel my hair growing flatter by the minute.....so by the time we got around to taking photos....no one's hair looked too great!...but luckily...I really wasn't out to impress anyone....so it didn't matter! haha