I see Nancy often, because we've been like sisters for years. As only children, we adopted each other's parents, and eventually each other's children, in-laws, and friends. But neither of us had seen our friend Marlene since we graduated from high school.
Last summer I had an opportunity to see Marlene again after all these years, and it turned out she had retired from her career as a reading specialist. Nancy and I are still teaching, but among the three schedules, we finally figured out a weekend, a location, and a place for us to meet. This weekend, at the Kenwood Inn in St. Augustine, we held our own reunion, and in three days time we worked our way through the most important parts of the past thirty-some years.
Yes, that's me at the piano.
We are all three widows, and each of us has children and grandchildren, so there was no dearth of topics to cover. We are all three teachers, so we had professional discussions. We are all three readers, so the exchange of ideas and book titles and authors also kept us talking. And we are all the same age, with similar memories of high school acquaintances, so we had lots of memories to cover. The one theme that seemed to overlay each conversation is that we are all better and stronger than we were when we last met. I think we would all agree that the tragedies we've survived--and the joys--have made us more capable, more caring, more educated than the 18-year-olds we used to be.
Without a doubt, the Kenwood Inn was a wonderful part of our successful reunion. A gracious bed and breakfast, the bedrooms and living rooms of the Kenwood made us all feel at home. Even though we arrived later than planned, innkeeper Pat Dobosz met us when we arrived and got us settled, then told us how to get to Scarlett O'Hara's for dinner. Water, lemonade, and tea was always available at the Inn, and Saturday we enjoyed wine service following a swim in the Inn's salt water pool--a really refreshing treat. Breakfast each morning was delicious and well-presented, but my favorite part of Sunday breakfast was finding that the Sunday New York Times available with my morning coffee. It was fun to meet some of the other guests, including a bride and couple celebrating 55 years of marriage by going out for a rousing time at the Ice House! It was also great to learn from Pat that the restaurant we chose on Saturday, The Raintree, offered transportation to and from the restaurant, so we could leave the car parked in the Kenwood lot (and I could have a glass of wine with dinner!).
We agreed that we'd go back to the Kenwood Inn anytime, and that St. Augustine's history, food, and entertainment made it a good location for any type of gathering. We also agreed that it was great to renew our friendships as mature, adult women. We seriously enjoyed each other's company, and this reunion certainly won't be our last. We'll make sure it's not another thirty-some years; in fact, we're already thinking about next year!
Last summer I had an opportunity to see Marlene again after all these years, and it turned out she had retired from her career as a reading specialist. Nancy and I are still teaching, but among the three schedules, we finally figured out a weekend, a location, and a place for us to meet. This weekend, at the Kenwood Inn in St. Augustine, we held our own reunion, and in three days time we worked our way through the most important parts of the past thirty-some years.
Yes, that's me at the piano.
We are all three widows, and each of us has children and grandchildren, so there was no dearth of topics to cover. We are all three teachers, so we had professional discussions. We are all three readers, so the exchange of ideas and book titles and authors also kept us talking. And we are all the same age, with similar memories of high school acquaintances, so we had lots of memories to cover. The one theme that seemed to overlay each conversation is that we are all better and stronger than we were when we last met. I think we would all agree that the tragedies we've survived--and the joys--have made us more capable, more caring, more educated than the 18-year-olds we used to be.
Without a doubt, the Kenwood Inn was a wonderful part of our successful reunion. A gracious bed and breakfast, the bedrooms and living rooms of the Kenwood made us all feel at home. Even though we arrived later than planned, innkeeper Pat Dobosz met us when we arrived and got us settled, then told us how to get to Scarlett O'Hara's for dinner. Water, lemonade, and tea was always available at the Inn, and Saturday we enjoyed wine service following a swim in the Inn's salt water pool--a really refreshing treat. Breakfast each morning was delicious and well-presented, but my favorite part of Sunday breakfast was finding that the Sunday New York Times available with my morning coffee. It was fun to meet some of the other guests, including a bride and couple celebrating 55 years of marriage by going out for a rousing time at the Ice House! It was also great to learn from Pat that the restaurant we chose on Saturday, The Raintree, offered transportation to and from the restaurant, so we could leave the car parked in the Kenwood lot (and I could have a glass of wine with dinner!).
We agreed that we'd go back to the Kenwood Inn anytime, and that St. Augustine's history, food, and entertainment made it a good location for any type of gathering. We also agreed that it was great to renew our friendships as mature, adult women. We seriously enjoyed each other's company, and this reunion certainly won't be our last. We'll make sure it's not another thirty-some years; in fact, we're already thinking about next year!
Comments