Hello, summer! I am writing this column at the end of another winter of erratic weather that caused so much destruction from coast to coast. I am hoping that neither you nor your families were negatively impacted by any of the storms, and summer is bringing you sunshine and clear skies.
On the first Monday in December, the “ladies of ‘62” gathered at the Harraseeket Inn in Freeport for our annual lunch. As it happened, that was the day of the first surprise Maine snowstorm, so our numbers were down a bit. However, snowy roads did not dampen the conversation or the friendship. The highlight of the luncheon was Millie Simpson Stewart’s recounting of the “outstanding” trip she took to Iceland with the UMaine Alumni in November.
“No Blue Lagoon because of the possible volcano activity and no Northern Lights, but we experienced most of what Iceland offers on the southern coast, including spectacular waterfalls and many ponies.”
Tales of shopping for appropriately warm, waterproof clothes, getting to know the people in the group, and forming lasting friendships had us all smiling. That group of travelers is planning to have a mini reunion this August. Millie has offered her camp in Phippsburg for the event.
As you know, the Harraseeket Christmas luncheon has been a ’62 tradition for over 20 years. We always welcome newcomers. Please contact either Millie or me for details. We’d love to see you there, and yes, spouses and/or male classmates are welcome!
Last winter Ron Price had a delightful story published in the Strut + Axel, the quarterly magazine of the Owls Head Transportation Museum. Entitled “The Blue Bug,” it chronicles Ron’s love of anything having to do with cars. It all started when at three years old he got his first pedal car, and by the age of 11, Ron and his dad constructed a soapbox derby using the engine from a neighbor’s Briggs and Stratton powered lawn mower. A few years later when the family was living in New Mexico, Ron asked for a motor scooter and his father replied, “No two-wheels! It’ll be four wheels with a body around it!” That is when a 1950, pale blue and cream-colored Ford coupe came into Ron’s life. Too young to get a license, he learned to drive the stick shift on the back roads of the prairie. In the spring of 1956 Ron’s dad was transferred to Maine and Ron, still unlicensed, was the one to drive the “Blue Bug” across country while his father drove the family car. For those of you who knew Ron and Trudy on campus, yes, that was the same car!
On March 3rd, class poet laureate, Pat Smith Ranzoni ’76G, was highlighted in the Arts and Entertainment section of the Portland Press Herald. Her beautifully written poem “Provenance” tells the poignant tale of a memory box lid, carried place to place. So appropriate, I think, for those of us of a certain age with memories to treasure and thoughts that perhaps those who find our “treasures” when we are gone will not have a clue why such things were saved. To read the poem in full, go to Deep Water: “Provenance” by Patricia Smith Ranzoni. It begins:
“I’ve carried and propped it house
to house since rescuing it from
the trashcan in the garage where
we rented, starting out, on that yacht-
ing road out of state. How could they
have thrown it away? The top of a
lacquered cigar-size box, tiny-hinged,
unhinged, one corner chipped a bit.
Black shellac lined.”
Since moving to North Carolina, Don Harnum and wife, Jane, have been very active members of the Art League of Sandhills. Both Jane and Don had their work prominently displayed for the art show at Campbell House in Southern Pines this spring. Don emailed a photo of one of the paintings he had in that show, which was of Monument Cove in Acadia. Having visited the Cove on foot and seen it via sailboat several times, I can tell you his painting really captures the way the sunlight plays on the rocks of MDI.
As for Frank and myself, at the time of this writing we are getting ready for a trip to Europe. We will spend most of April away, starting in Madrid where our granddaughter is finishing up a semester abroad from American University. After Madrid we continue our travels on Spain’s northwest coast, Paris, Normandy, Bruges, and Amsterdam before heading home. I will put details in my next column and would love to hear of your travels as well! Until then, be well, and please stay in touch.