The drive north went swiftly. I almost got a speeding ticket, though: I was driving over 85 mph when I saw a highway patrol car lying in wait on the flat central plain I-5 side. Luckily, a young Mustang driver that I precautiously let passing ahead just a moment ago got caught by that patrol car. Ain't I older and wiser or what :)
Paul is a very good friend of mine in college, and we stayed at his home for the night. He's got a lovely wife, a cool kid, and a fun dog named Oreo. I had my first dog walking exercise with it and Paul. Watching the dogs play in green field, chatting with friendly neighbors, under a balmy autumn sunset.. life is picturesquely beautiful here. Paul invited a couple other college friends to his home and we all had a wonderful dinner together, chatting and laughing all the way till late night.
Saturday is a dayful of events: visit to a neat farmer's market at the piers, cruise in the San Francisco Bay with lunch buffet, sight seeing at Golden Gate Bridge and Lombard Street, while listening to these young old gals passing microphone on the bus telling fun times of the old and their careers and families after graduating from the high school. Seems everyone has a good, satisfactory life so far and will continue to have for many years to come..
Saturday night featured a dinner party at the hotel where all reunion goers stayed. However, my wife didn't buy the party ticket for me as I was planning on meeting some high school friends of mine that evening. Something disrupted that plan, though: my left foot's Achilles tendon had been bothering me since the night before, all after I took a vigorous work-out on Paul's sleek exercise machine at his home--an unwise move by a not so wise young old man after all :). I ended up staying in the hotel room watching Dodgers sweep the Cubs, USC Trojans trounce their football opponents as they usually do. Sweet!
I did have a great reunion with some high school pals Sunday, at Joseph's home, where we stayed for our last night of the trip. Joseph was my best friend in high school, and the one who got me in touch with Christianity, and tolerated and tried to answer every weird question I had about God and faith and life when we were both just 15,16,17 years old. I always appreciate and admire his patience and the loving kindness he shows me and everyone, 35 years ago and today, the same, good, old Joe. We exchanged thoughts and stories of our recent lives all night long until 1:30 in the morning.
Michael is both my high school and college pal and I met him twice on this trip, at Paul's home and at Joseph's. He has an autistic son Jefferson that we knew since he was a kid, and now he's 17 years old. He's autistic but plays great piano, and Michael and his wife take him to a nursing home every Sunday afternoon to play piano entertaining those old people. We went there that Sunday afternoon just to hear him play. Michael's other kid, Carol, a 14 year old teen age girl who excels on ice skating herself, was there too. She sits next to Jefferson when he plays, announcing the song titles, turning pages for him, while Jefferson peers at her from time to time to get hint from her so he won't play like a run-away train (according to Michael). It was such a beautiful, moving little-sister-helping-big-
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