If you have trouble using the email program that comes up after clicking on one of the classmate email buttons, just hold your cursor over the button and the address should be shown somewhere on your screen that you can write down and use in your own email program.
Joe Steins
Here I am, in Iceland, standing in front of one of Iceland’s
many waterfalls. It wasn’t really as cold as it looks. It was a 10-day tour with Road Scholar (formerly Elderhostel). We
had a good group of 6 couples, 7 single women, and I was the only single guy, aside from our very competent male tour guide.
I lost my passport two days before we were to fly back to the USA but didn't know it. The American Embassy in Reykjavík, Iceland’s capitol, texted me to relate that a gentleman from the Canadian Embassy had given them my passport, I was perplexed because I was sure it was in
my jacket …. Only, as it turned out, It wasn’t! So the tour guide took me to the American embassy on the way to the airport to depart for the USA, cutting it very close.
Incidentally, Iceland was a surprise — with only 400,000 people in the whole country, the 3 large cities we visited were just as busy with traffic congestion, multi-storied apartment and commercial buildings, plenty of Teslas and Mercedes Benz as in Los Angeles. And the jacket (which had a hole in the packet), I trashed. Had I known the passport was lost, I would have had a horrible last three days — but fortunately, I didn’t know it. Ignorance can be bliss!
09/06/24
Ron Watts
We are doing fine here in Indiana. My wife, Helen, had some heart problems and had to have a valve replaced and a stent put in, but she has recovered beautifully. We have a nice church we go to and have a small group meeting on Thursdays made up of seniors.
I keep up with the news from the class of '55 and hope we can get back to visiting Long Beach area.
We say "HI" and miss seeing the Wilson gang.
10/03/24
Nelda (McMichael) Gruenthal
I appreciate the class website, and I do read it often, trying to remember those who write in. My memory is not always working top speed.
As I begin my 88th year (a little ahead of most of you!), I wanted to chime in. It’s great to see this site still going strong, and I love catching up on the news of my fellow 1955 classmates.
I’ve been fortunate in life. When my husband, Frank, passed, my sister, also newly widowed, moved in with me. We’ve managed to get along better than most siblings, which I think is largely thanks to our shared, somewhat twisted sense of humor. We’re both in decent health, though we have the usual aches and pains that come with age.
The idea of a 70th reunion really blows my mind—though, honestly, my brain doesn’t need any more rocking! But I’m considering making the effort to attend. There aren’t many of us left, and it would be wonderful to reconnect with some of you.
Currently, I’m part of an art show at the Thousand Oaks Community Art Gallery, running through October. It’s a multimedia show, but my focus is mainly on pastels, which remain my favorite medium.
I’ve been fortunate to live a long, fulfilling life with very few regrets. These days, I take joy in life’s simple pleasures—watching the birds, hawks, quail, squirrels, and rabbits that visit the yard, admiring the beauty of nature, hearing the laughter of the little one next door, exchanging smiles with neighbors, and listening to the soft, happy snores of my dog Bella. Life is good.
10/08/24
Sue Ellen (Dikeman) Holleman
Hi Classmates,
Here in Coastal Carolina we missed the brunt of Hurricane Helene, but the western NC area is really damaged. My son, Lee, lives near Boone, but his house is high on a mountain and is okay. He didn't have water for a week but is otherwise all right. He just got a new generator also. The Asheville area was hit very hard unfortunately.
I recently went on a trip to Ireland with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the Univ. of NC at Wilmington. My 18-year-old grandson, Aidan, went with me, his first time out of the country.
The tour out of Dublin went to Galway, the Cliffs of Moher, Ring of Kerry, Killarney, the Blarney Stone, and other wonderful places. It is a very beautiful country and is free of billboard advertising, thankfully. We went to many beautiful estates, churches, and museums. We even found "fairy doors" in some of our hotel rooms. (I guess that is how leprechauns get in and out.). They are tiny doors hidden near the floorboards. I actually got one to have here at home!
I am getting adjusted to life in Trinity Landing, Wilmington NC. Maverick, my dog and I, walk to the dock at the IntraCoastal often and I have met many interesting people here. The activities and dining are very good. I guess it is just accepting that I am this stage of life.
I keep in touch with classmates here and in CA, and am planning on going to the Palm Springs Film Festival with Road Scholars in January.
Well, I wish each of you a beautiful October and a Happy Halloween.