1 Jul 2022 - Visit from Northern University High School Classmate Elaine Burkhart Dubray

 1 Jul

This morning we made a run to the local Hy-Vee for some groceries.  Wow, it is so nice to be back in Hy-Vee land!  AND Anderson-Ericson dairy!  Needless to say I bought some AE cottage cheese with black pepper!!  AND they had Sterzings potato chips!  You could tell people were ramping up for a long holiday  weekend.  The store was very busy.

After lunch our life long friend and high school classmate Elaine Burkhart Dubray drove up from her home south of Kansas City to see us today here in the campground.  Doreen and Elaine came through elementary, junior high and high school together at Price Lab School, also known as Northern University High School in Cedar Falls.

I did not join their group until after my freshman year of high school in DeWitt IA when my dad was promoted to Captain of the Iowa Highway Patrol and was transferred to Cedar Falls from DeWitt.  I left all my childhood friends to move to a new town and integrate into a new school in a fairly large town as a sophomore, and that was tough. Looking back it could be said that it built character.  Maybe that is why I had no problems leaving Cedar Falls days after high school graduation and heading for Air Force basic training.  Life is a challenge - embrace it, learn from it and move on!  

We have never forgotten about our high school friends though and are so thankful for them. Doreen and I have tried to stay in touch with as many as we were able.  Our class is in the initial planning stages of our 50th class reunion next summer.   Holy cow that cannot be possible!  We surely do not feel that old...  well sometimes our bodies do but our minds don't and high school days just seem like yesterday. Elaine mentioned that today and we laughed, and we laughed some more.  Then we told some stories of our high school hijinks  and we laughed even more.  We had so much fun and we did some crazy even stupid things, but we were never malicious.  

Elaine in 2003.  Has not aged one single second!

2015 - 60th birthday celebration at Clear Lake Iowa

Doreen with classmates Patty, Mike and Elaine

Today is an example of why Doreen and I enjoy our travels so much.  The opportunity to reconnect with friends, military comrades, classmates and relatives.  Elaine, thank you so much for taking time out from your busy schedule to drive up and see us!

This evening we were connected up with our grandson Daniel's baseball game in West Des Moines via the Game Changer app.  They won with Daniel closing things out on the hill.  Tomorrow we will be able to see him play at 0800 hrs.  Then weather permitting, we will be picked up at 0930 hrs for a 90 minute horse and buggy ride around town!