HIGHLIGHTS VII

The remainder of our time in Tucson was in the company of Betty's high school friends and their families. This red, white, and blue bunch shown below was a hoot. It was Betty's finest hour, being the guest and center of attention, and I think it was certainly the most nostalgic. We stayed with Alice (in blue) as though we were real family. Her hospitality was warm and thoughtful, but her knack of making us feel comfortable like we were at home was very special indeed. We attended her congregation in the morning and were taken to lunch afterward by her father who lives nearby. That was fun and justified the "Sunday Afternoon Naps" which followed.

The second musketeer in this trio was Sonja (in white). The stories these cronies told about their high school girls youth group would almost make one gasp. I got the idea that Betty (in red) and Sonja were the ringleaders in much of the mischief these girls were able to generate. I noticed several times during the retelling of old stories a certain secret, shared glance that told a lot without revealing anything specific. I bet these girls were up to a lot more than anyone ever guessed. We went to Sonja's church in the evening, joined a bunch of regulars afterward for dinner at Wendy's and finally ended up at the beautiful home of Sonja and her husband. He and I seemed to hit it off nicely and that capped a wonderful day.

One wonderful encounter was running into Ryan and Karin who formerly were members with us in Vancouver. Here is the current family group, with Maya and Osborne standing still long enough for the photo. If I have it right, baby Anna was due to join the family any day. Ryan led the morning singing and his dad is the regular preacher for this congregation. Finally, to close with a bit of trivia, I also met here a man who shares my name. In the past I've known about a couple of guys with my name, but this John was the first I had met and spoken to in person and it was all right. I think I would like to know him better someday.