Reunion, Part 2

It was about 4:30 pm when I checked into my room. The first event, an icebreaker, wasn’t set to begin for another two-and-half-hours, so I figured I had enough time to relax before getting ready.

All went according to planning, that is until I got in my truck and started towards the Kings Valley Golf Course. What I was thinking I don’t know – as I drove right by Lesina Road and continued out towards Fort Dick.

For a guy who grew up in the area and had vowed to make it on time, I was 15-minutes late because I got “lost.” I literally ran out of dirty names to call myself as I turned around and headed back to the street I’d missed.

Once at the golf-course, I walked in and thought I was in the wrong place. In my head I asked, “Who the hell are all these old people?”

Then I looked in the mirror over the bar and concluded I was in the correct crowd. I sometimes forget that while my mind says I’m 16 years-old, by body a 50-years-plus old, including my face and lack of hair.

At the door, I met Darlene Clark and Kathy Chester, the evenings official hostesses.

My goofiness continued as a “new-fangled” video recorder placed in my hand. It was Connie Brooks who gave it to me with the admonition, “Here, take lots of video but don’t lose the camera.”

The camera belonged to Stanlee Stanovich, however she was still tending bar at the local VFW Hall in town, so she wasn’t around to give me instructions on its operation.  I did my best to film everyone as I took my set of still photographs.

More about the video camera later…

As the evening progressed I saw people from Klamath I’d not seen in nearly 35 years, including Drew Anaya, Rick Norbury, Lewis Nova and Debbie Wolcott. It was nice to shoot the bull, catching up on their lives.

I also got to visit with Marvin Bowers, Kelly Cross, Debbie Ricks and Gary Clark.

Then I saw someone I thought I knew, so I went up and asked him if he’d ever been a Del Norte County Sheriff Deputy. Pat Young told me ‘no’ and I proceeded to tell him why I thought he had been a deputy.

It was a late night and my ex-girlfriend and I were coming home to Lake Earl from a homecoming football game in 1982 when I saw someone sneaking around the house. I got out of the car and raced towards the shadow and got conked on the head with a rock.

When the sheriff’s unit arrived, the deputy I mistook Pat for asked my name and was so surprised that he and his partner looked at each other in astonishment. I remember thinking, “Oh, Gawd, what did I do?”

Turns out that was the same night the water treatment facility in Crescent City burned down. I now suspect my brother Adam had something to do with it as he joined the U.S. Army shortly afterwards.

All story-telling aside — Brian Bieber, Bobby Adams, Marty Suva, Tim Haban, Stanlee and Mike Stanovich and I closed the bar down, being the last to leave at around 1:45 am.