While a group of Hiliners61 classmates gathered for a lunch bunch in Nome, North Dakota, two other 61ers enjoyed their own "Lunch Bunch of Two" in Ft. Mill, South Carolina. He didn't arrive in a Yellowbird Mustang like our nationwide classmate traveler, Dave Johnson, but John Manstrom's brand-new Acura MDX wasn't too shabby. What a cool car with a navigation screen that would rival one of my tv sets! (John is pictured above on your right, I'm in the red shirt)
My son, Dave, dropped me off at our luncheon spot, Hobo's on Ft. Mill's historic Main Street, where we dined outdoors in super-pleasant Carolina weather and reminisced about our mutual days of yore at Valley City High School. We also covered anecdotes from our work and family life. His career seemed more exciting than mine, given his landing planes on aircraft carriers during his Navy days and many years in his "office in the sky" as a Delta captain. I could tell him about corporate life in my ground-based office (somewhat boring!) and my years in media (more interesting at times). At any rate, we had plenty to talk about during our three-hour lunch. John is a great conversationalist and, fortunately, both of our memories are still working. Praise God!
We also visited about our kids and grandkids. After the high school graduation ceremony for our granddaughter, Olivia, here in Ft. Mill on Saturday, JoAnne and I are heading up to Durham, North Carolina, to see, in-person for the first time, our first great grandchild, Luke. Capt. Manstrom was heading out on a winding route back to Atlanta and, one never knows, he might run into that Yellowbird Mustang along the way!
(Triva about Ft. Mill: Not all that far from the town's historic Main Street. where John and I were lunching, Jim Bakker and his wife, the late Tammy Faye, founded and ran Heritage USA, a "Christian-themed" amusement park. It began operation in 1978. At its peak and before a federal judge put "Rev. Bakker" in an orange jump suit, it was the third-largest park in the USA behind Disney World and Disney Land, attracting almost six million visitors annually)
Submitted by Larry Gauper, 5-26-2023
2 comments:
I introduced Larry to “half and half” ice tea. Half plain and half sweet. He chose Diet Coke.😀.
Thanks, John, for your attempt at educating this ol dog with a new trick. The older I get the less adventurous I am, Cap'n John :-)
Post a Comment