Cabin in the Woods

Duane's 50th reunion weekend was so much fun that I can't say enough about it.  One of the most entertaining evenings was spent at the pre-reunion party the night before the reunion.

 

What a gorgeous setting!  An authentic log cabin built by the owner, Jim Schomberg, who was nice enough to open his home to classmates from 50 years ago.

 

 

The furnishings fit the house perfectly, and here are Duane, Jeff and Kathy enjoying the ambiance.

 

 

I was fascinated by Jim's skills as a taxidermist.  The animals are all shown in natural poses.  I especially liked the elk and the mountain lion up above.

 

 

 

 

 

In the backyard was a spa, and ponds in a garden setting.

 

 

 

Even the bathrooms were rustic.

 

 

The jukebox was also authentic and held every 50's and 60's hit we could ever ask for.

 

 

 

Everyone took pictures, and a good time was had by all in Jim's cool basement.  

 

 

 

Many of Jim's 28 acres are mowed and are just breathtaking.  I hope we are invited back next time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What Were The Chances?

Duane and I met when we were in our 50's.  He grew up in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, and I was born in Chicago, Illinois, then moved to McHenry, Illinois when I was eleven.  These two places were less than 100 miles from each other.  I have always believed in Fate.

 

Duane was actually born in this house in 1945, and lived there until he left to join the army.  He tells me that it was much prettier when there were two large elm trees in the front yard.  The house is on Green Bay Court in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin.  I think his street name is fabulous considering the amount of Packer Fever in that state.

 

 

 

Charlotte, who was born in 1946, wasn't born at home, but lived in this house on Woodard Street in Chicago until the family bought a new house in McHenry, Illinois.  That might be an elm tree in front of the house.

 

 

Duane graduated from Sheboygan Falls High School in 1963.

 

 

 

Charlotte graduated from McHenry High School in l964.

 

 

 

After enlisting in the army for 3 years, Duane met Mary Jo Briley.  They married, moved to Southern California in 1967, and had two boys, Scott and Pete.  Scott, the oldest is in the middle of this photo, and Pete is on the left.  When they were born, they lived in Chino, California.

 

 

 

Charlotte married Dave Armit, and moved to Southern California in 1969.  Their two children, Heather and Adam were born in San Dimas, California, only a few miles from Chino.

 

 

 

By the grace of God, somehow we met in 1999 when we were both widowed.  We married in the year 2000, and blended our families.  Here we are on our wedding day with Scott and his wife Kim.

 

 

 

We each had a house. His was in Chino Hills, and mine was in San Dimas.  Since the San Dimas house had more land, we decided to sell the one in Chino Hills, tear down my house, and build a new house.  That was an experience I'll never forget.

 

 

 

We have truly been blessed.  Our family enjoys many holidays and good times together.  We are so proud of our grandchildren, Amanda, Valerie, Madeline and Reese.  Fate has been good to us.

 

 

 

 

50th Class Reunion

July 25th we set out on a journey to Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin to attend Duane's 50th Class Reunion.  Duane had never gone to the other reunions, and had a blast reconnecting with his classmates.  Amazingly enough, I had just as much fun.  Everyone was so friendly and welcoming.

 

Starting with the plane ride, everything went smoothly.

 

 

 

The first stop after arriving in Sheboygan Falls, was "The Point" where Duane had spent lots of time as a boy.  He couldn't wait to have a double bratwurst on a hard roll. 

 

 

 

The town of Sheboygan Falls is adorable with its old buildings and cute houses.  I could have done a blog on the architecture alone.

 

 

 

Duane remembered each building, and which business that was housed there when he was a boy.

 

 

 

Big Jimmy's Bar has been in the same building (unchanged) longer than any other business in town.  It was owned by Jimmy's father, then his brother, who was a classmate of Duane's. Now that Jimmy owns the bar, he is famous for his Elvis and Johnny Cash impersonations.

 

 

 

Jimmy only performs at midnight, so after the reunion some of us went to see the show.  He chooses the Elvis tune "Viva Las Vegas" for his show.  Everyone sings along, and we had the best time ever.

 

 

At the reunion Duane hung out with his best buddies from school.  Some of the guys were his friends from Kindergarten through High School.  Here is Duane with Kenny Allen, Jeff Deeley, and Donny Peloquin.  Listening to them, you couldn't tell it had been 50 years since they had seen each other.  Incidentally, all of them served in the armed forces during the Viet Nam War.

 

 

 

Oh yes, he also reconnected with his old girlfriends.  Here with Suzanne Hefling who was a cheerleader who married the star quarterback Jim Mattek.  Have we heard that story before?

 

 

 

More girlfriends----I said that between he and his friends Kenny, Jeff and Donny, they must have dated every girl in their class.  The girls couldn't have been nicer, and I felt that I had known them all my life.

 

 

 

Jim Schomberg, another friend of Duane's opened his house to all of us for a pre-reunion party on Friday.  In addition to owning a very successful heating and air conditioning company, Jim is a hunter and taxidermist.  This bear was a spectacular example of his work. 

 

 

 

The pre-reunion party was probably more fun than the reunion itself.  We danced more than we had in years---to our favorite tunes from the 50's and 60's, played on Jim's antique jukebox.

 

 

 

Back to "The Point" for breakfast the morning after the reunion---here we have Duane, me, Kathy (Jeff's wife), Donny and Jeff.  I feel that I have some wonderful new friends, and can't wait to go back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grandpa Beats the Heat

It's been a scorching summer, and we all try to find ways to keep cool.  Cool drinks, air conditioning, and swimming are some ideas.  However, Grandpa has some suggestions:

 

Use a hollowed out log, and relax in a beautiful garden (in Mendocino).

 

 

Take a stroll through the woods (in Sheboygan Falls).

 

 

Hang out on an ocean pier (in San Simeon).

 

 

You go to Senor Frogs in Mazatlan (Mexico).

 

 

You have a glass of wine on your hotel balcony (in Santa Barbara).

 

 

You have brunch with the boys (Ritz Carlton, Laguna Niguel).

 

 

Or, have a cold beer down in Dana Point.  Whatever it is, Grandpa does it in style!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just Summer II---Gardening

Summer is a fun time to take photos.  There are so many facets to summer, that I had to continue my last blog.  Much time and work in the summer has to do with gardening.

 

I'm almost embarrassed to post this picture because of how awful our backyard looked when Adam was about two.  But, how could I resist a picture of him trying to take a sprinkler head off of a hose.  As we all know, he now has a career in landscaping, so this may have been the beginning.

 

 

Just to redeem myself, here is a summer picture of how the same area looks now.

 

 

Here we are back in time again posing by a row of sunflowers that we grew.  Adam helped a lot to plant and water the flowers, and was very proud of his accomplishment.

 

 

We are still growing sunflowers, but this time to cover up a hole in the fence.

 

 

Here's another shot of Adam (age one) adjusting the sprinklers.

 

 

When I was small I used to pick my Grandmother's flowers, but she loved me anyway.  This is my paternal Grandmother, Pearl, in our backyard in Chicago.

 

 

Heather followed suit when she was at Grandma Armit's house in Illinois.

 

 

How lucky I was to have met and married my husband, Duane, without whom our yard would have still looked like picture #1.  Thanks Honey!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just Summer

 

Nothing says summer like two air mattresses in a pool.

 

 

Or early morning at the beach.

 

 

Or a stroll down a pier with your best friend.

 

 

It could mean your plumeria is in bloom.

 

 

If you are really lucky, you could be at the Ritz Carlton in Laguna Niguel.

 

 

You could also be at the Grand Canyon with your beautiful sister.

 

 

You could be enjoying Father's Day with your son.

 

 

Or, you could be enjoying your birthday.

 

 

Hunting for beach treasures is always fun in the summer.

 

 

One of my favorite things to do as a child was to visit Lake Zurich, Illinois.

 

 

Summer weddings are are lovely.

 

 

Especially if they are in exotic Belize.

 

 

But summer is best when you are with people you love----especially Mom.