Nice news for me - I've gradually talked with my childhood neighborhood friends from Evanston, and I will be met at the El station at Main and Maple on Thursday...
This also means I'll show up at the Duke of Perth on Friday for sure.
It is strange and wonderful to talk so easily to my fellow Secret Pine Club members fifty years later...
Creepy, isn't it? Frankly, I feel about 47-53. How could this all be that I am older than that?
My family left there in 1955...
A few of us wrote letters - those were in the years when people did write letters - for several years, and then it dwindled to two of us exchanging holiday cards, not every year but off and on, and my going back there for a wedding and that one person visiting me in LA for the better part of a day.
These were neat friends. The youngest daughter of the second biggest family across the street taught math in New Mexico for 25 years (she remains 9 years old in my mind's eye, is 60 now). The oldest of 14, I think it was, of the first biggest family, has also been a teacher, first at an Oklahoma reservation, if I remember right, and later in the Chicago schools.
Ah, all my pals of those few years in Evanston turned out to be interesting people, luck of the draw. They as themselves at seven or eight or ten, whatever, were who woke me up to much of life. They were all used to each other, but I was a very only-only child, near totally unsocialized, in a rental house, albeit a rich-seeming rental house at the time. After we left the Chicago area, I was in an outlying area from my school, in a neighborhood with no apparent teens, and in a family with suddenly no money living at a relative's for years.
I look at that all bemusedly now, but, I must say, I'm glad I still like those old friends.
Awesome news Osso! I'm so looking forward to meeting you!
Now set in stone: At the very least, O'bill, Walter, Brooklyn, C.I., RJB, Thomas, Hephzibah, Mac11, Eva, Osso and Joe will be at
Duke of Perth at 6:30 on Friday, May 5th! We'll be enjoying a Fish Fry and drinks. All are welcome. Did I miss anyone?[/quote]
Yes, o'bill, double check.. heph won't make it, for example..
I caught that before posting on the Facts thread...
Still, glad to have you aboard! It was single malt you prefer, correct?
Who would have thought? Turns out devriesj is only one person! I was wondering when Sozobe pointed out to me that she's a "definite", when I had already listed her as such. I thought she'd overlooked something. Now it turns out the oversight was by someone else.
Definitely (17 total): Cicerone Imposter, devriesj, Eva, georgeob1, mac 11, J_B, joefromchicago, justa_babbling_brooke, Occom Bill, ossobuco, realjohnnyboy, timberlandko, sublime 1, Thomas, Walter Hinteler, yitwail, Mrs yitwail.
Probably (2 total):
Smog, wandeljw
Maybe (18 total):
Coastal Rat, ehBeth, FreeDuck with Mr.Duck and the ducklings, gustavratzenhofer, Husker, JamesMorrison with wife, kickycan, McTag, Merry Andrew, Mr. Stillwater, Phoenix, satt_fs,
Probably not (19 total):
blatham, Calamity Jane, Clary, Craven de Kere, Diane, dyslexia, Dagmaraka, dlowan, Foxfyre, Francis, hephzibah, Jespah, jpinmilwaukee, Lola, Noddy, shewolf, sozobe, swimpy, Ticomaya,
Seemed interested to me, but haven't said anything explicit yet: (2 total)
Lion Tamer, Piffka
Welcome aboard, Thomas. I thought I remembered you saying maybe or probably or something before, now that you mention it.
Now set in stone: At the very least, O'bill, Walter, Brooklyn, C.I., RJB, Thomas, Mac11, Eva, Osso, Thomas and Joe will be at
Duke of Perth at 6:30 on Friday, May 5th! We'll be enjoying a Fish Fry and drinks. All are welcome. Did I miss anyone?
OCCOM BILL wrote:Now set in stone: At the very least, O'bill, Walter, Brooklyn, C.I., RJB, Thomas, Mac11, Eva, Osso, Thomas and Joe will be at
Duke of Perth at 6:30 on Friday, May 5th! We'll be enjoying a Fish Fry and drinks.
We'll have to move a couple of tables together.
joefromchicago wrote:We'll have to move a couple of tables together.
Yup. When I called over they said they don't take reservations, or even want warning for less than 20 people... and suggested that a couple folks show up a little earlier to set up the space. Will do.
30 to 60 minutes the girl said, as largely the crowd doesn't really develop until after 6:30 anyway. We just need to make sure we get enough seats in a reasonable proximity to push together. Odd policy; that 20 people thing. In my restaurants I want reservation for every party of 5 or more if I can get them, just for flow/seating planning.
OB, You need to talk to that manager to clue him in or efficiency.
OCCOM BILL wrote:30 to 60 minutes the girl said, as largely the crowd doesn't really develop until after 6:30 anyway. We just need to make sure we get enough seats in a reasonable proximity to push together. Odd policy; that 20 people thing. In my restaurants I want reservation for every party of 5 or more if I can get them, just for flow/seating planning.
It is a rather intimate place (when I suggested meeting there, I hadn't really thought of having ten other people show up). Nevertheless, it shouldn't be too much trouble accomodating our group. Like the young lady said, things really don't start hopping until after 6:30. And if the weather is good the beer garden might be open, which would make additional seating available.
In exactly one week's time, at exactly this time, I'll be boarding my plane (as seen in the pic) to Munich to start about two hours to Chicago
No worries, Joe. I'm a table moving fool! Beats the snot out of moving all the refrigeration and other heavy equipment we've swapped out in the last couple of days. :wink: (Gearing up for summer sucks.)
Hey Walter, are you sure that little bitty plane can reach
Munich?
(from a jealous McTag
)
Walter Hinteler wrote:In exactly one week's time, at exactly this time, I'll be boarding my plane (as seen in the pic) to Munich to start about two hours to Chicago
Have a safe flight -- but you want to be careful with those natives in Munich! In particular, you want to keep a low profile about any allegiance you might have to Prussian -- what do you call it? --
Leibesübungen. You know what I mean: Borussia Dortmund, Borussia Mönchengladbach, and whatever else might pass for a football team where you're from.
