Rhythm in the Grass 

is a Gas ... 

Baby can you dig it?

Your committee, excited to experience some island vibe, descended on Kevin Murray & Sue Morehouse's pastoral estate for some serious fun.  Nestled between the ponds, fern grotto, and the Sequoyah trees, it was hard to concentrate on the task at hand, ... to deliver to you a "knock your socks off" picnic, Saturday, August 16th  

It was a great day.  I drove with Dave Ralston, Jerrye McCalmon, and Don Frame, and on the way over, we pretty much covered all our medical issues, and we were able to give each other much needed advice for our life going forward.  I chose Don to be my navigator, to read to me the directions once we got off the ferry, as we had 5 or 6 turns to make.  I didn't know that was going to be so challenging.  Exiting the ferry, I asked Don to give me directions.  He said to turn left on Cultus Bay Rd, ... but that didn't sound right to me, so I questioned him, ... and he said to turn left on Campbell Road first.  That's what I wanted Don, the first turn, not the second or third, ... but, we made it.  

It was a potluck, so we had lots of great food.  

Su(Sue Akers, Don Thompson ( class of '66 ), Carole Bendel ( celebrating her installation ) Dave Ralson ( way, way in the background cooking hot dogs )

Our first order of business was to install Carole Bendel as our newest member.  The ceremony went ok, ... Kevin forgot the tiara, ... but Carole pledged her total commitment to the committee, and, ultimately to you.  She actually had quite a few ideas for us to think about, ... quite audacious for a first timer, I thought, ... kinda pushy.  I hope we're not gonna have trouble with her.  She seems nice.  We'll probably start her on Porta Potty operations and see how she does there.

You should be thrilled to know, we got through our 37 line item list of picnic preparations, and everything is in place and assigned, so you should expect the very best picnic experience this year.  Linda continues to improve her compound, so the picnic grounds may look a little different this year.  She said she now has a screened in porch where we are going to house the food, ... doors on either side, so the food line will enter one door and leave via the other, ... so many things we plan for your enjoyment.  We're really getting good at this.  We are having BBQ pork & chicken, plus salads and desserts.  If you are vegan or vegetarian, we will have options for you, ... Carole ( yep, that same one who has the ideas ) and Stephanie Smith, are going facilitate this.  Please let us know if you would like these options, s  For those beef eaters who have requested NY steaks, ... get real.

Sue Morehouse (class of '68), Linda Churchill, Kevin Murray, Jerrye McCalmon

Games - We're going to do Cornhole again.  So, if Don Miller is reading this, we're hoping you're planning to come again this year, as you add a certain professionalism to the administration of the games, ... plus we all like seeing your smiling face.

Steph Smith in her new summer doo

Picnic Ambiance - Yes, Lee Crary and Betty DuPree will be in charge of music again this year.   So, envision yourself, sitting in a meadow on a summer day, a group of old friends by your side, with a cold beer or lemonade, music from The Beach Boys wafting through the picnic site, and laughing at the sight of Miller and Steinmetzer's getting old car tires up and over the flagpole at MHS.   Really, it's the stuff dreams are made of.

Here it is, the major point of this email  With less than 2 months to go, it's time to make a commitment.  So, go to the survey ( top of the left hand menu ) and say you'll come.  If you do that, you will feel a sense of exuberance, knowing you've planned a special day of enjoyment for yourself this summer.  Our goal is 60-70 of us at the gathering.  This would be a new world record MHS, plus, we're going to all this work to provide this great event, so it would be a huge boost for the committee.  We're putting pressure on you for your own good.  You're going to have a ball.   Cost will be $25 each, and we'll publish driving directions to the picnic, and Jeanne Fletcher's address to send the money soon.  We broke even on the event last year, and we have $1,050 in the bank, so we're doing ok financially, but if you remember, we gave an opportunity to you to provide charcuterie or your choice of treats on one of our 6 cocktail tables which will welcome you after you register.  Here's how that works:  you give us $100, and we will spend $35 on the food for your table.  You will get name recognition, which is incalculable ( a little sign on the table ), plus helping out your committee.   So far, we only have 4 tables left.   I bought one, and Steve Favorite bought one, but he doesn't know it yet, ... I just put his name in.  Find your nametag, fill out the survey, and expect a "knock your socks off" event.