It's been 50 years...

May 18 - It was a full day and a very fun day!  Bill and I left about 10-10:30. We made a lot of stops!  We went to my old house at 2185 Grimmwood Drive and it looks the same except the tree in the year is 50 years older and bigger!  Then we went to my high school, Shawnee and drove around the outside and along the road side.  I was reminiscing about my years there working in the school newspaper and yearbook room.  What windows were which rooms?  Life can’t stand still but those were great days for me.  The area was familiar yet so much has changed.  Lots more businesses!  We went to see where the American Mall used to be and now it’s just a big concrete pad.  Very sad as I had my first “real” job there in Jo Ann’s!  We looked for a house that Kam’s cousin just bought and she wanted me to take a picture and send it to her.  We drove out to the Lima Mall and it’s there but doesn’t seem to be very active. 

Then we headed downtown where we had lunch at Kewpie.  Bill had never been there or had a Kewpie burger.  They are hand made fresh and best with standard mustard and pickle!  Bill went with ketchup!  We shared an order of REAL French fries cut fresh as well.  Yum!  Then we stopped at the ONLY post office in Lima for some stamps and to mail some cards.  It’s an OLD building but at least the downtown was clean and the buildings that were open or not looked maintained.  I used to work at a bank kiosk in the heart of downtown and we took walk ups and drive thrus.  It was a fun job!

We stopped at 2 bookstores and Bill didn’t want to leave the second one.  It was all used books and there were thousands!  They were pretty well organized but just so many!  I think he left with 8 books.

At 3 we arrived at my friend Pam and her husband, Dave’s house.  She was the first friend I made when we moved across the street from her when I was 14 and entering high school.  We used to babysit across the road from each other every Saturday night.  We each had regular customers but if one of us was not available the other would sometimes be able to cover.  The babysitting was good but it was nice that we could be in the yard across the street and visit while babysitting.  Her parents were also good friends with my parents and the moms took golf lessons together.  We knew it was only because the gold pro was a “hottie”.  The dads and our neighbor Rex played cards together.  It was a great neighborhood to have landed it for sure.

Anyway, we visited with Pam and Dave (well Pam and I were catching up, the guys were probably talking sports) until it was dinner time and the 4 of us headed to a very nice Mexican place where they had a HUGE menu.  The food was delicious and the staff was great.  I think we all were well satisfied with our meals.  It was getting late and we had to drive back over to Wapak so we were going to leave from the restaurant until Bill remembered Pam baked a Rhubarb Cake and so we followed them home.  The guys talked outside and Pam and I went in to get the cake and ended up talking more as well!  I think I’ve convinced her it’s time to make a trip to Sunny Florida this fall!!  So good to see such a good friend.  We also spent hours at the Quija Board in my room and it worked its message while we just talked away.  It was AMAZING!

Traffic was light getting back to our campground!  We were pooped but I have to say it was so good to spend time with my friend.  It’s like we’d seen each other every day!  Miss you Pam!!