Thanks for sharing your stories, Don.

Dear Mike, JJ, Steve, Michelle, Craig, Rea, and Families,

So many memories come back to me….eg; the story I related to you ,JJ, to tell your Mama about our time in Nice…so many, many good memories of our walks with her and with Art along the Promenade Des Anglais and our travels back and forth to our Hotel Trocadero from our French lessons!! I do hope you might still have my emailed story involving Brook Greenberg to relate to Michelle and Rea.

It is hard to believe that the last time I saw you all was up at Sovereign x-c ski area…..on Boxing Day ….the same day of the horrible Tsunami in Indonesia….such a very long time ago !! I wonder if you might recall that meeting? I was skiing with my niece Katie.

One of my indelible memories was of the surprise visit to the Vimy Memorial. Our bus was on its way to the Ferry at Calais and we had made good progress en route so had time to stop.
As we turned off the highway into the site….our bus driver( or our guide) told all of us that we were entering hallowed ground and the Memorial was actually legally a part of Canada located within France…. What I recall of our group was the almost complete silence….they were so respectful of what we were experiencing….everyone, when they said anything…spoke in hushed whispers…..and I vividly remember that there was not a sound from the whole bus for many, many minutes after we left this Memorial to our brave Canadian Soldiers.

A funny memory I have on that bus ride was the ‘impish’ Brook who decided to fix my hair with styling gel ….we were heading headed for the ferry, I believe…..not sure if any photos of that incident exist….I just sat in my seat as he styled my hair…I thought it was hilarious…wonder if your Mom, Michelle or Rea remember it?

The other incident occured in London….when 14 year old Marnie…and I think Tracy(?) decided to ‘ go out on the town ‘ .after we just returned to our hotel after a perfomance of Starlight Express. When Art or Gwen did a bed check…and discovered they were not in their room…well, were we worried??? !!!…and I remember Art and I going out on a dark London Street …flagging down a police car to ask if they had seen two girls out on the street . Can’t recall how how they got back , however, it all turned OK…. but for a time we were sure worried!!

I have a very funny slide of Rae trying to change at the beach in Cannes…with your Mom holding a beach mat around her…Kathy Jenkins also in the photo…..so many good, close-up slide photos of many of the group ..especially during the great afternoons sunning and studying(?) spent on the beaches…and also the fun at the water slides in nearby Antibes.

The other funny story I related in an earlier email back in September, I think….was of Brook walking past Art, your Mom and me as we were enjoying une grande biere at a sidewalk cafe…it was a very hot, humid night …30 C at least ( Michelle or Rea…is Biere masculine or feminine??) I guess I could look it up in my French -English dictionary!! Brook said he was out late as he had been the Designated Walker for the evening ensuring that two of our girls made it back to their billets safely after the big beach party!!