Scottish folk revealed

One of my friends from our "lawn bowling" club is a retired elderly Scotsman named Jim McRanor.  Normally on the "greens", Jim is quiet, pretty much keeps to himself - yet, he is a very good, accomplished lawn bowler.  But tonight I learned something very special about Jim and his wife Ellen - every Thursday evening they both teach a traditional form of Scottish country dancing next door at the old Municipal Auditorium.  So a group of us, from the "club", ventured over after our afternoon "bowls" to hear and watch their group of some twenty dancers, perform to traditional "reels" and a very slow form of Scottish dancing called "strathspeys".

Jim in his dance "ghillies".

dark chocolate pudding

What a mess.  My first ever attempt to make chocolate pudding.  It called for 6 cups of cold whole milk, an electric whisker on medium speed and all blended in a large mixing bowl.  Well, the wet powered mix flew everywhere - on the counter top, the back splash, the floor and all over the front of my clothes, up and down.  And boy, did I get into trouble.  Eventually it was all cleaned up, which took longer than it did to make.  But now it's good enough - and only wish there sat a cherry on the top.

the future

While stopping inside at our popular McDonald's, on a quick run across town, I see my possible future - an elderly gentleman reaching for his bottle of aspirin.  One day it could be that skinny me, heading down that same road.

Margey & I

with the ghost of Chamberlain smiling in the background.

the Out-of-Door School

Fifty years after graduating, I decided to return once more.

Got invited to an alumni gathering for the Out-Of-Door School on the island that I grew up on, where I attended Kindergarten through the 8th grade (1955-1964). I was reluctant to go back, I even refused on several prior occasions to take-up their annual invite. But this time, I finally went on a mission to find something on the old school grounds, that today, I thought I could find - my old inscribed stone block.  The riding stables were long gone, the Gulf "swims" were gone - and my dog, once sitting under my classroom desk, was gone.  The short visit turned out to be mostly memories - just blurred fond old memories.


In the old auditorium, I photographed a B&W print of the original sign & entrance off of Ocean Blvd.

The front entrance of the island school, now celebrating it's 90th year.  Today, it is the remaining historic portion of the lower school campus.

The math and science room as I remember.

Student murals in the old office.

The stage in the auditorium is today, pretty much as it was way back when - minus the plastic chair.

For show-and-tell, I brought in my old stool from the original Gulf side "dining hall", that as young students we each had made by-hand.

1957 - Riding "English" at the annual ODS 'Horse Show' (Out-of-Door School stables)

1964 - The year I graduated from ODS - as the "quiet one".  The year my mother died.

Upon arriving at the reunion, surprisingly, they handed me a name tag since there were not more than twelve ex-students (alumni) in attendance.  And, in all ages ranging from, a spry 93 year old - to a young 21 year old. (The "school" today is now referred to as the Out-of-Door Academy).

I did find one family inscribed stone below.  My son Matt had made this, while attending "ODS" nearly 30 years after my time.  My stone, which I initially went back in search of - now scattered amongst the others, and once forming the walkway to the front office - was elusive and still hidden, somewhere on the grounds. 

socializing - pregnancy & skeet

Saturday afternoon, at an outdoor party, I met, Nahmi.  A young and beautiful mother carrying her second child.

The following morning, I went out to the gun range to watch my old high school friend, Muffi, shoot some "skeet".