Update 3-25-03


Hi,

A dark week.  A lot being said, and written, and I was planning to keep this very short.  Thursday, in particular, was one of those rare, almost metaphorically grey, L.A. days, when you might as well read P.D. James, as her diminished view of life can't do anything more to upset you.  But a couple of notes drifted in, along with a long, welcome report from Allen Moss, back safely from Africa.  So I'll pass them on.

First, offered by Barbara Blitfield Pech and others, part of an on-going Prayer Wheel:  "Please protect our troops as they protect us.  Remember them and their families for the selfless acts they perform. Guide us all to world peace."

Then, some business:

From Paul DeMartino:  Just to let you know that we all met at Robin's house for an afternoon party attended by the usual crowd.  We discussed plans for the 40th Reunion, and among the ideas considered were:  1. a cruise to Bermuda out of New York;  2. a cruise to Caribbean out of Florida;  3. a resort somewhere in the Caribbean.  Nothing has been decided, and, though it's very early, we invite comments from all those interested.
      Also, as announced, the next get-together will be May 3rd at Lily Flannagan's -- to celebrate the anniversary of our 37th Reunion.  We're expecting a large group, so the party will be catered.  Interested people should contact me no later than April 25th, as I need to turn in a head count.  This will be casual, and I expect it to cost no more than $20 per person.

From Robin Feit, to Zelda White Nichols:  I was a little embarrassed when I read your kind remarks in acknowledgment of my fifty-fifth birthday.  But I'd also be lying if I didn't admit to being flattered as well.  Thank you for the kindness and warm memories.

From Gayle Ulrich:  I wanted to send a short note and mention that, after being invited many times, last weekend I finally drove the 150 miles to Sarasota, Florida, to visit with Eric Hilton and his wife Gilda.  They were volunteering for "Aquarian Quest," and I helped sell raffle tickets and went on a sunset sailboat cruise.  It was wonderful to meet Gilda and to see Eric again.
      Also, I cannot be in New York May 3rd as I planned because I received a subpoena for a court case.  In the best intentions, I, unfortunately, assisted a bleeding library patron who is now suing my county.  My reward for helping is not being able to go to the anniversary reunion!           

From Ed Albrecht:  I need someone who is a member of Classmates.com to do me a favor.  If they could look up Frank Bonlarron's e-mail address and send it to me, I could then ask Frank about Ed.  I'd appreciate any help.  Thanks.

(I will rejoin Classmates tonight.  The way their system works, you can only send blind e-mail to the listed names, and these people get back to you if they choose.  I'll pass your e-mail address on to Frank Bonlarron, and please let us know what happens from there.  Also, I'll finally, contact other people in our class whose names have been listed on Classmates for several months.)

Following Barbara Blitfield Pech's lead last week, a link to the old Palisades Amusement Park, from Ray Staley:
     http://www.defunctparks.com/parks/NJ/palisades/palisades.htm
Note:  This isn't a direct link.  You'll have to copy and paste it.

Finally, Allen's African report.  He sent two photos as well, but I don't want to complicate these mailings by attaching possibly-computer-crashing pictures.  I'll try and post them on the home page, eventually.       Hello, Everyone.  Well, I have returned -- at least physically -- from a most wonderful journey.  This was, by far, the most spectacular of my three trips.  Mother Africa was immensely generous in sharing her wildlife secrets with us, and choosing to calm her normally skittish and secretive species, like leopard and giant monitor lizards.  We saw five of the former and seven of the latter!  Plus millions of wildebeest and their newborn babies, lions, cheetah, rhino, hundreds of elephants -- also with many newborns -- zebra, giraffe, impala, and a stunning array of African birds, cloaked in every color imaginable from nature's palette.  There were also very unusual animals like bat-eared foxes and dik-diks (small deer-like mammals).  My friend and I kept a journal during the trip, and we tallied over 125 different species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects.  Our Tanzanian guide was duly impressed by Africa's parade of life and declared early in our trip that we had good fortune with us.  
      That came in the form of the first animal we saw -- a giraffe, in the middle of the road, right in front of our Land Rover.  Safari folklore indicates that as a good omen, as Africa's willingness to share herself with the people who see the giraffe.  And, indeed, that luck stayed with us the entire trip.  I expressed gratitude every day for the sights and sounds that surrounded us, and it was great to see my Chicago friend's reaction to all of this.  The trip was to be his first, and only, to Africa, and he was overwhelmed.  At the last minute, he brought a camcorder, and we each now have four hours of incredible audio/visual material to remind us of our travels.
      The trip over and back is always grueling, and the weather there is not exactly my favorite --  it was usually in the mid-90s to low 100s.  But the heat was dry, and the skies spectacularly blue, or filled with the most dramatic of cloud formations.  One day, a double rainbow appeared after a brief rain shower -- we knew then how fortunate we were!  The evenings tend to cool down dramatically in Africa, so by morning I was normally sleeping with a blanket.  The hot air balloon and small plane rides over the Serengeti were incredible.  The plane trip allowed us to view miles and miles of African vistas:  mountains, plains, and collapsed volcanoes.  The balloon ride treated us to sailing just above the treetops and rivers, so we had a wonderful view of wildlife.
      One of the definite highlights of the trip was a long journey to the Western Corridor of the Serengeti, to Kirawira, the only place in Tanzania where you can see giant crocodiles.  It's a totally isolated area with tons of tsetse flies (OUCH!)  But the crocs were gathered on the river banks, sunning themselves in all their glory.  We counted about two dozen, most between 12 and 15 feet long.  Our guide, however, said that the river was home to dozens more.  It was definitely worth the several hours trip in the heat and dust.
      Tanzania continues its tremendous dedication to wildlife conservation and eco-tourism, and the parks and immense conservation areas looked as pristine and undamaged as I remembered from 12 years ago.  And seeing so many elephant babies was indeed encouraging, clearly indicating that the anti-poaching controls of the country are working.
      As you can imagine, it's been quite a shock to my system to return to the United States, especially during this time of conflict and turmoil.  After several days of disorientation and "bumping into walls," I've finally gotten back into more typical routines.  I have promised myself, though, that I will allow for the possibility of a fourth trip, sometime in the future.  At least, it will a wonderful goal to dream about, even if it does not come to fruition.
      I hope these last few weeks have been a time of good health, joy, and satisfaction with all of you, as well as your partners, families, and friends.  Even as the weight of the war hangs heavily, and stressfully, over  us all.

The home page:   http://hometown.aol.com/falcons1965a


Rich