Arizona to Illinois for a groovy 50th high school reunion

My lazy summer days had to be over flying from Arizona to Chicago, Illinois for my high school reunion and all plans all seemed in place.

I wrote and scheduled two blog posts for the week and reminded my neighbors about being gone with Joann there instead.  Whenever I fly I spend at least two days all ready to go and filled with anxious excitement.  Travel by camper isn’t like that.

Joann came by the day I’d leave and because of heavy rain we both left earlier than planned.

The driveway wash was flowing but not enough to stop us from getting across.

We both headed to Prescott and met up after retrieving my new glasses for the second time at the parking lot for my shuttle to Phoenix airport that evening.  Then after lunch Joann drove us to Lynx Lake where the water was actually high from all the recent rain.

Watched sunset from a hill where Bucky’s Casino offers a large view of town.  And back to my shuttle for a two hour ride to PHX.

This United red-eye flight was packed and even with a window seat and bunched coat for a pillow I didn’t get any sleep.  Thank goodness only three hours.  After a struggle to find my way out of the building my bleary eyes saw Sandee parked and waiting at 5:30am.  We both took a nap at her place and went to bed shortly after dinner.

Felt groovy the next morning and went for a short walk along the nearby Illinois-Michigan canal.  The 96 mile I&M was dug to connect the Great Lakes to the Illinois River in the 1840s.

Although there is a sluggish current, this section is mostly wetland and I saw a Blue and Great White Heron.

Later I borrowed Sandee’s car to visit my babysitter from the 50s and other than the elementary school, nothing looked familiar.

Then we met at a restaurant for Gal’s Night Out.

The next night was a casual meet at an old Downers Grove hangout, Tivoli Bowl in the basement of the movie theater.  Lots of mingling and memories and catching up.  I saw people I remembered and more I did not, plus a few far out old boyfriends.

Then in the morning was a cool tour of our alma mater, Downers Grove South High School.

Couldn’t put a person in these new tiny lockers

It’s been added onto so many times nobody recognized a thing.

Sadly, 90 students have passed out of a class of 689.  One student will be added to the school’s display of “Distinguished Alumni” for her invention of the Marilu surgical tool.

That evening was the official celebration with over 100 in attendance including students and spouses.  I even danced with our Homecoming King who is married to the Homecoming Queen and has been since high school.

Chicago skyline

The next morning I took off to meet a cousin not seen in probably 40 years.  She drove from Michigan and we met at the Indiana Dunes National Park.  We caught up like a couple old friends catching some rays on the beach, stayed the night, and went back to the dunes the following day.

#37 Junior Ranger badge

In the afternoon, we had to keep on truckin’ our separate ways but continued talking about me coming to Brandywine Lake where she still lives and I used to vacation with my parents.

On my last day Sandee and I were guided by fellow student and daughter of my Girl Scout troop Elspeth where she used to work at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.  She should have been a Park Ranger.  It was out of sight!

There’s a very good chance that Foto Friday Fun won’t show up until next week.  I’m having a blast and decided to stay in Illinois for a couple more weeks and will still be very busy.  I will post more about the canal, dunes and prairie but right now, I’m getting ready to go to the lake and everything is copacetic.