Micro South Meck Reunion, 7/17/2016

Fifty years ago, John and classmate, Vicki-Ann, met in their senior year at South Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, NC. They graduated in 1967 and I graduated from the same school four years later, 1971. John and Vicki-Ann were casual friends their senior year and connected on Facebook several years ago. She and I also became friends on FB, but I had never met her until today.

Knowing that we would be in Spokane on our way to Glacier National Park in MT, Vicki-Ann invited us to her house for dinner. Her primary career (as she has had several through the years like most of us!), was as a chef and caterer. And the meal she served us was fantastic...really exceptional!

But I will digress for a moment. Vicki-Ann moved into her new house just three months ago and is now living near her two daughters and their families (three and four kids each). She has a beautiful vegetable and flower garden in four large raised boxes. 

There is a wide variety of vegetables and flowers happily growing here...

In addition she has planted multiple fruit trees and various other flowers and vegetables in large pots. We had such fun enjoying the outdoors and catching up with each other on our lives, families, beliefs, thoughts, and more. Basically, we are like-minded liberals!

Here are some photos of us plus one of Vicki-Ann's friendly neighbors, Sonny. We all had fun feeding him carrots and apples. 

For dinner, Vicki-Ann prepared zucchini strips with seasoning (delicious) as an appetizer and served lasagna (fresh made pasta) that was honestly the best I have ever eaten! In addition we had a fresh salad from the garden and crusty bread. 

For dessert we had freshly baked cherry pie (she and her grandchildren had picked the cherries) topped with vanilla ice cream. OMG, it was divine (and I am not usually a big desert eater). 

Following dinner, we took a short drive to her daughter's property (located behind the beautiful new home they are building). They raise goats, two sheep, chickens and ducks. We had fun seeing them all. 

it was a lovely evening to be outside.

John took the photo below of me, Vicki-Ann, and her daughter, Lisa. The house that is under construction can be seen in the background. There's no question Lisa keeps busy with their four children (ages 7 and under) and all of the critters!

Vicki-Ann packed us some leftovers (yum) and some fresh eggs from the chickens. We had so much fun, she invited us to dinner the following night. And who can turn down such great food and company, we said "Yes!"

The following night we had green chili soup, cornbread, collard greens (as a good Southern boy, this is something John loves), and a delicious pork roast. Seriously, this woman is a very skilled chef. For the second night in a row, we left with full stomachs and happy memories. We can't thank Vicki-Ann enough for her warm hospitality. We all really had a blast.

Our stay in Spokane reminds me of an old Girl Scout song we used to sing, "...make new friends but keep the old; one is silver and the other's gold." We had fun seeing Mike and Trini who we met just this year twice during our stay AND Vicki-Ann from 50 years ago! Perfect.