Nostalgia’s the perfect word to describe visits back east to Connecticut. This September was for the 60th Danbury High School reunion, and memory packed days with my sister, Marlene and her family in Bethel, CT. Other highlights of the trip; A short drive to Kent, CT to visit a family friend, Barrie, an author, herbalist and ethnobotanist, and her son Chris, and a longer trip to Grafton, MA to see our first cousin Fred and his wife Rachel.
Noteworthy, both states have tree-lined highways, tree-lined back roads, tree-lined babbling brooks, quiet ponds, and towering trees on personal property with singing birds, and flittering squirrels. A deer or two might even leisurely stroll by. That’s a stark difference to Southern California with scattered palm trees, and semi-arid Mediterranean climate and land.
After the reunion, which Marlene attended with me, we planned a luncheon with close high school girlfriends, Gay, Karlene, Sally, Rosemary, Maxine, Annie, and Carolyn. It was a small high school, everyone friends at some level. Marlene graduated one year before us, but we considered her just one of the girls.
Of course we talked about the reunion at the luncheon, how much fun it was seeing so many classmates since the 50th reunion that were still able to walk, talk, smile and laugh in spite of inevitable signs of aging. We marveled at ourselves among them. It was heartwarming to share our group’s high school memories, and life happenings since our mini-reunion last year. Our promise stands firm, we’ll meet every year no matter what!
Good friend Gay has the right idea to mark our yearly get-togethers. Raise your glasses everyone. Here’s to aging well and forever friendships.
Photos Gallery
50th (2007) & 60th (2017) DHS Reunion, The Mini-Reunion (2016) & Others
Before Sundown 
Beautiful photos, Christine. I know the areas you traveled through, they are very pretty.
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Thanks Dan for your comment. I kinda knew you might know the area being a Connecticut-ite. I’m continually amazed at all the beautiful trees, everywhere! Christine
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That corner of CT is really pretty. I worked over there for a short time while consulting.
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Agree, Dan. Beautiful rivers and lakes in the area. We traveled many of the back roads to enjoy the scenery.
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That looks like so much fun, Christine. And I’m so glad you got to do all that visiting. Time Flies, huh? I love the smiles. 🙂
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Thanks, Diana. It’s always so good to go “back home” to see family and friends. We all seem to pick up where we left off, and have so much fun reminiscing about our high school years. Some of us go back to junior high school. We did a lot of smiling and laughing! 💜 Christine
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That was quite an enjoyable experience I can see from all the photos, The only one I ever went to was my 20th. Getting to take the trip to get there for you was an added bonus! I enjoy looking at the old high school photos. Where DID the time go I wonder as well?
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Thanks so much, Greg for your comment. Well, we kept saying that too. Where did all the time go? How did we get to be sooo “old.” Still we laughed a lot and had tons of fun reminiscing. And we’ll meet every year no matter what! Christine
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Wow this is lovely and you look amazing! xo
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Thank you so much, Lynn! It was such a great reunion, and a happy time meeting friends again. Christine
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Christine, I have a deep appreciation for your post…beautiful story and photos..Bravo
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Mihran, so nice to read your comment here. Happy you stopped by and liked the post. It was an incredible time with good high school friends. We’re committed to keep our friendship alive every year. Christine
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What a marvelous, joyous, purely positive post, Christine! Thank you so very much for sharing it with us. I loved all the photos too. Hugs on the wing!
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Thank you so much, Teagan. It was just that, a positive visit to the east coast. Family & friends doing well this year. Photos are such wonderful keepsakes, and I do take iPhone photos everywhere. Hugs back my friend! 💜 Christine
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See “Willow Rainbow” in Thistledown today. Hugs on the wing!
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Great post … and wonderful pictures.
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Thanks, Andrew! Happy you stopped by and liked the post. It was a fun reunion to attend and write about! 🍁🍂 Christine
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It’s a blessing just having the opportunity to attend such a wonderful event. It looks like you had a marvelous time. Wishing you many more reunions!!!!
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Thank you so much, Dr. J., for your visit and comment. Hoping to attend a few more organized high school reunions. Already have a mini-reunion planned for next year with my high school girlfriends. Christine
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Now that really a mile stone
Thank you for visiting
Support & encouragement
As Sheldon Always
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Happy you stopped by, Sheldon. Thank you for your comment. It really is a milestone, and I’m hoping for a few more. Christine
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Good for you-going to your 60th reunion! I don’t go to the big ones but five of us college friends meet every year at a different state to celebrate making it through each year. We are from Alabama and Massachusetts and Long Island and Florida and Pennsylvania. Making the effort to still meet up and play together is another sign of staying young. Love your photos. That area of Connecticut is gorgeous.
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Thank you so much for your visit and comment. Our girlfriends group will meet every year too for a mini-reunion. It does keep us young, we’re getting up there to the 80 mark. We probably should plan something wild and wonderful for that year! Connecticut has beautiful scenery, I love going back for my yearly visits. Christine
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How remarkable to still be in touch with people from High School after 60 years! yes! Here’s to aging well!
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Thank you so much, Robert. I’m all for aging well! 💜
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Me too.
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Amazing! And you look wonderful, C.
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Thanks so much, Diana, for your visit and comment. It was a fun reunion, and many of my friends have aged well too. Christine
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It is encouraging to read of your pleasure at meeting old acquaintances……..
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Thanks so much, Michael for your visit and comment. We are forever friends, and plan to meet every year to keep in touch. Christine
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Hi Christine. Don’t know why it took so long to find this, but I finally did and am sitting here with tears in my eyes looking at those old photos of our dear DHS. Thank you so much for sharing them. It was such a thrill to see you once again at the 60th. And I meant every word I said!! I may have screwed up my life royally back then, but YOU were always my mentor that I looked up to!! HUGS! Nancy
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Nancy, I’m so happy you found this blog post and commented. Our 60th reunion was so much fun, and I’m thrilled too you were there and we talked. I do remember you were battling troubles back then, and so glad I helped in some way as a mentor. Let’s look forward to the next reunion, I think maybe it will be in less than 5 years as we are all “getting older.” I do make the trip east every fall (September) to visit my sister, cousins, friends and classmates. I’m keeping busy as a full time writer. A writing-in-progress book, Sunset Inn (Wish you were here), is at the half way mark, and the first draft will be finished by summer. Having fun in retirement! Hope all is well with you. Thinking of you. Huge hugs back! Christine
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Nancy, if you’re interested, the Sunset Inn book Synopsis is on the Welcome Page Menu as a permanent page. Don’t know if you’re a book reader, but I’ll be posting a few chapters here and there as I go along with the writing. More huge hugs, Christine
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Must have had a wonderful meeting after years. I have been in one of our old school class reunion. Funny to find this post, because my wife just left to meet a friend she has not seen in 50 years.
Have a good day!
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Thanks so much for your nice comment on this post! I can imagine your wife’s excitement meeting a friend after 50 years! Memories & life updates shared! 😊🎶 Christine
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I looked at these photos with great pleasure. I imagine the past walking on his feet in the present. wonderful
🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺
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Thank you so much, Ahmed! It was a wonderful time connecting with old high school classmates. Many memories shared! 📚🎶 Christine
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🍁🍒
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Christine, I cannot begin to imagine what that would be like. In my four years of high school, I attended five different schools. Being an introvert didn’t actually help in making friends and I just wanted to turn 18 so I could escape foster homes and everything. Unfortunately, too much often follows one on their journey. 📚📚
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Léa, that’s so sad you didn’t have a carefree, fun time in high school. Not good memories for you. Your journey so much happier today. 📚🎶 Christine
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There were many different schools in life. Not memories but nightmares which I left behind me. C’est la vie. How do you think those children in cages along the border sleep, go to school and one can imagine they are learning about America from all this. The strong ones will grow up and come for answers… I do hope they , too, become survivors and as happy as I am today. Sorry, sometimes that soapbox just happens. 📚📚
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Agree, Léa! Hopefully the strong ones will survive. I’m glad you found happiness! Thank you for your thoughtful comment. 📚🎶 Christine
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Christine, I was fortunate, too many are not. Hiding in books gave me solace and information. 📚📚
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