ARCHBISHOP ALTER HIGH, CLASS OF '73!

This weekend makes

DENIAL

an impossibility.

This weekend the

ARCHBISHOP ALTER HIGH SCHOOL

CLASS OF '73

is celebrating its 

40th ANNIVERSARY.

40th ANNIVERSARY?

There's simply no denying it,

because I was in that CLASS OF '73 --

I am (we are) older than I (we) think!

I remember strolling past that 

shining knight, donned in its sparkling armor, 
to walk into
the front doors of

ARCHBISHOP ALTER HIGH SCHOOL

for the very first time.

(Gulp!)

I spent the first week or two looking for the

infamous swimming pool 

that was supposedly located on the fourth floor.

(Thanks to our kindhearted upperclassman 

for that little piece of fiction!)

I remember starting freshman year off on the right track,

wearing forbidden pink and baby blue sweaters

with our beloved maroon and grey plaid uniforms,

all the while blowing bubbles with that 

"no gum allowed" gum.

That's when my demerits started adding up,

as did the calls from Mr. Debrosse, 

THE DEAN OF DISCIPLINE,

to my Mom.

(Oh dear God! And why is his the only name I remember?)

I spent the first year or two

trying to figure out how to get from my locker  

to my classes in time.

(Nope, never mastered it!  Too much talking in the hallway!)

During my sophomore year I made the

LANCERETTES DRILL TEAM

and started wearing makeup on my legs,

hair buns on top of my head,

and white patent leather go go boots on my feet.

My memory of my time with the 

LANCERETTES

doesn't go far beyond the dreaded scale that 

would come out

before each ball game.

Yea, I was part of that wonderful "weigh in" team!

I remember

being humiliated when my older sister, Patte,

walked across the stage, as a senior,

 to receive the "no demerit in four years award."

When I think back on it, I guess the actual truth was

that Patte should have been mortified by the 

never ending stack 

of demerits

that I earned each and every year!

(Once I had so many detentions that they had to 

be carried over to the next year!)

I remember learning to drive and buying

 a cute little robin egg blue 

Volkswagen 

named "Barney."

I remember splitting the monthly payment of 

(a whopping)

$68.00 with my sister!

We agreed to pay for the car 

and Dad agreed to pay to keep it running.

That was a decision, I am quite sure, he highly regretted!

I remember little things about only a few classes.

My French teacher would say these 

words to me over and over again:

"Ferme la bouche!"

It seems that my feeble attempt at speaking "the language"

failed miserably 

and it hurt her ears just to listen!

My History teacher (or was it Government?) 

was an awesome guy

(so why can't I remember his name?)

who took us tromping through graveyards on field trips.

I dissected a frog in Science class that brothers taught.

(But I can't remember which brother I had!)

And I remember taking a Typing class 

(on an actual typewriter, people!) 

from a very old nun we affectionately called, "Sister Spit".

I was on the yearbook staff

and worked on the school newspaper.

I still remember the newspaper moderator 

(I can picture him but don't remember his name)

telling me I should

think about majoring in Journalism in college.

(And so I did!)

Yes, I graduated from that school of 

Brown & Gold

(so why were our uniforms grey and maroon?)

after surviving four long years of 

freezing cold football games, 

never ending classes,

dances where no one danced, 

and making many a soft serve ice-cream cone

at Poor Richard's in Centerville!

I can't remember a word from our fight song.

I can't remember much about the classes I attended.

I can remember some classmates' names; 

but not their faces. 

I can remember some classmates' faces; 

but not their names.

I really, really wish I could go

 to our 

 40th CLASS REUNION,

so I could listen to all the stories that will be told,

 reminisce with fellow classmates,

 rekindle old friendships,

and remember more of the details from those 

long ago years!

Although I will be half a world away
(here in Dubai)
 from all my fellow

ARCHBISHOP ALTER KNIGHTS

this weekend,

I will certainly be at our 

40th REUNION

 in spirit!

I expect to see lots of pictures posted

 in Facebook,

and am keeping my fingers crossed

that someone remembers to put names with all the faces!

There's no denying it....we're 40 years older than we were
back in those good 'ol high school days!

HAPPY 40TH ANNIVERSARY

TO 

THE CLASS OF '73

ARCHBISHOP ALTER HIGH SCHOOL!!!

HOMEWARD BOUND FROM MUSCAT, OMAN!

John and I jumped into

the lagoon,

outside our room at the Al Bastan Palace Hotel,

before we had to check out

and head back to Dubai.

It was mighty warm but that was a-okay in the early morning!

Yvonne and I had heard that

NIZWA, OMAN

was a nice place to stop on the way home.

So we did just that!

We searched and searched for the

Silver Souq.

Although it looked more like a pottery souq,

the locals assured us 

that it was, indeed, the Silver Souq!

Even Gary 

found a shop that he liked!

(And Gary is anything but a shopper!)

The local Omanis were so nice

to talk with!

And we learned a lot from them!

After we were finished with the Souq

we walked to the nearby

Nizwa Fort.

It was pretty cool

(but we were definitely NOT)

so we ran through it quickly and 

headed back to the air conditioned car

and hit the road again!

(I just love the Omani caps!)

The weekend flew by

way too quickly,

but we all had a blast....

MAKING MUSCAT MEMORIES!

MUSCAT, OMAN DAY THREE!

SCUBA DIVING! SCUBA DIVING! SCUBA DIVING!

We were picked up at the hotel

to go

SCUBA DIVING!

(Can you even begin to sense my excitement?)

After the long process of filling out paperwork,

getting our gear,

and loading everything into the boat...

we were off!!!

John decided to snorkel with Gary,

so Yvonne I became 

scuba buddies!

With John's help, that is!

(Moocho thanks, my dear!  Couldn't do it without ya!)

Finally we were ready to go!

Couldn't move an inch without assistance, mind you,

but we were ready to go!

Once we were in the water we felt weightless 

(thank goodness)

and everything was A-Okay!!!

Yvonne and I enjoyed two dives at Fahal Island 

(also known as Shark Island)

but we didn't see any sharks, darn it!

We did see a lot of eels, a school of squid,

and a huge stingray that was the size of a card table! 

Unfortunately, I couldn't take any pictures

as our dives were too deep for my underwater camera.

John and Gary reported the snorkeling 

was excellent!

We were literally E.X.H.A.U.S.T.E.D. by the time we made it

back to the hotel!

Relaxation was the only thing on the agenda 

for the rest of the day!

Oh, and refreshing drinks as well!

The bubble lounges in the pool

were coveted that afternoon by each one of us!

By the time we had to call it quits and get ready for dinner,

we were refreshed and feeling mighty fine!

Ahhhh, it was our last night at the

Al Bastan Palace Hotel!

What a gorgeous place for a getaway weekend!

MAKING MUSCAT MEMORIES!

MUSCAT, OMAN DAY TWO!

Off to wander aimlessly through the

Mutrah Souq

in MUSCAT, OMAN!

We were met by a delightful array of vivid colors

and delectable aromas!

(It was sensory overload to be sure!)

Whenever we lost John and Gary,

(which was often)

Yvonne and I knew where we could find them....

in the doorway of a shop with really good 

air conditioning!

Yvonne was really tempted to buy a burqa (NOT)!

After a lot of browsing,

we all found an air conditioned shop where we took a break!

(How do you spell R.E.L.I.E.F.)

We loved the streets of Muscat

and all the men wearing their Omani caps called

Kumas or Kimahs!

Yvonne and I were mesmerized by the

beautiful mosques.

Their domes and minarets were capped with 

colorful tile work.

We had a memorable time trying to find

another restaurant

that came highly recommended!

(Loop of Shame.  Loop of Shame. Need I say more?)

But we found it and it was quite adorable, to say the least!

HaHa, the place mats were a hit!

Yvonne loved her bean and cheese and olive salad!

(Not to mention her Arabic coke!)

The atmosphere was great; the food was good;

the air con was divine!

Not to mention, the locals were sure fun to watch!

Once we were cooled off enough,

we went to see if we could get into the Muscat Opera House.

What a beautiful building!

We loved the architecture with all of its archways!

And the lights and the woodwork and the ceilings 

were gorgeous as well!

Although we couldn't get inside the Opera House itself,

we were excited that we could at least get into 

the lobby.

What a breathtaking place it was!

Yvonne and I needed a moment to take it all in!!

Each and every detail was beautiful!

We ventured outside 

to take even more pictures.

We just couldn't get enough of this place!

The colorful foliage outside complimented the

exterior of the Royal Opera House!

We found John and Gary patiently waiting for us

inside the cool air conditioned car!

After a dip in the pool (too warm), 

and a swim in the sea (much better, thank you very much!),

the four of us enjoyed a delightful dinner

back at the Ritz

with champagne and lots and lots of wine!

And an anniversary surprise for

Gary and Yvonne!!

(Happy Anniversary you two!)

Another fun day of

MAKING MUSCAT MEMORIES!