The Thongs Reunion, June 2015
Park City, Utah
Every other year or so, the Thongs reunite outside their normal stomping grounds in the south and south-east. For 2015, it was decided that Park City, Utah, should be the destination. Suzanne and others had spent time there and found it “really cool”, in both senses of the word. However, as luck would have it, on the dates we were there (Father’s Day week-end, 18-22 June) Park City was in the grips of an unprecedented heat wave. Temperatures were 90+ F. during the day, but the nights and mornings were cooler (though not cool enough to turn off the air conditioning, Gladys!).
The house identified by the principal organizers (Betty, Dixie, and Charlotte) fit our needs perfectly and the logistical arrangements (cars) also worked well. As usual, Faye always had her GPS in hand to guide us, even remotely for those who were directionally challenged (i.e. lost).
Mornings were spent gathering around the open kitchen, and the coffee pot. Some (Dixie and Louise) went for a morning walk around the neighborhood. We were out during the days and spent the evenings at the house, where different teams were assigned (rather, volunteered for) dinner and clean up duties. There was a gas-fueled fire pit on one of the patios which we, wine-fueled, gathered around most evenings.
One evening six of us entered into a discussion of all things spiritual – from Pantheism to Buddhism to Christianity to Judaism. It was one of those discussions you have at age 19 in the dorm late at night. How wonderful that we are still young enough (or is that old enough?) to dive deeply and fearlessly into such topics!
On another evening we decided to appoint officers for what has become an almost corporate undertaking: Dixie, Chief Financial Officer; Betty, Activities Director; Gladys, Chief Excel Officer; Louise, Sommelier; Faye, Brew master; Margie, International Affairs Director; Beverly, Domestic Affairs Director; Suzanne, Chief Thong Wanabee.
Here’s a day by day account.
Day 1
This was arrival day. Thanks to the Chief Excel Officer (Gladys), arrival times and cars were perfectly synchronized. The early arrivals did the grocery shopping so effectively that there was no need to return to the grocery store (except in search of Suzanne’s salad dressing) or the wine store. The only semi-casualty in terms of arrival was Faye, who (due to no fault of her own) missed her connection and was re-routed through Los Angeles, finally arriving at the house at midnight.
In an effort to be “green”, Betty had encouraged us to refill our plastic water bottles. Always creative, Tina brought name tags for each of us to use to identify our bottle. For dinner, Tina and her team prepared pork tenderloin with vegetables. We had chocolates wrapped in LSU colors for dessert and we attacked the wine with vigor. Some felt the effects the next day.
Day 2
Everybody except Suzanne (who got hit with a very nasty something – not being medically qualified, we can’t say whether it was viral, bacterial, or the effects of the previous evening) went to the Sundance Resort. The sporty ones went on a hike to Stewart Falls. Others hung around the Resort which was not that stimulating. The non-hikers then moved on to lunch in Heber City. The hikers found that the “easy” hike was not so easy, but was worth it – gorgeous, in fact. The chair lift to the trailhead was fab, with terrain reminiscent of Switzerland; the path followed the mountain edge with stunning vistas at every turn; there were meadows with swishy grasses and a waterfall with icy water. Charlotte, Betty, and Louise took a wrong turn on the way home, arriving at what appeared to be the servants’ entrance to Sundance Resort. The hikers declared it one of the best hikes ever!!!
In the afternoon we had booked a trip on the Heber Valley Railroad. All met up at the station, the hikers arriving literally at the very last minute. It was HOT. The train was OLD. It was HOT. The views were the same as we had seen in our air-conditioned cars on the way to and from Sundance. But, it was an “experience”. Pictures taken during the trip say it all. We were treated to “live entertainment” – a portrayal of a train robbery and guitar music performed by one of the train robbers. She finished with the Dale Evans hit, Happy Trails, which has now become the Thong theme song.
Louise and her team prepared crawfish etoufée for dinner – with Louisiana crawfish imported in her checked luggage. Dessert was angel food cake with strawberries and Jell-O vanilla pudding. We continued to work on the wine. Louise gave us each a crawfish-themed cocktail napkin.
Day 3
Suzanne emerged for breakfast, after 32 hours in bed with intermittent bouts of projectile vomiting (too much information?). We were very happy to have her back!
The early morning breakfast group was treated to a mama moose and her baby strolling down our street. The two of them were totally unfazed about being in a residential area.
After breakfast one group headed off for a two hour horseback ride. The main challenge was not letting your horse eat grass. Views, as usual in the area, were spectacular.
Dixie, Louise and Suzanne went to Utah Olympic Park, a major site of the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. The Nordic ski jumping and skiing and the downhill “sliding” events – bobsled, luge and skeleton were held at this venue in Park City. Upon arrival, the Thong trio walked through the museum and checked out some pretty wild US Olympic Team uniforms from the past. Dixie and Suzanne took a ride on a ski jump simulator (very exciting when one has just spent 32 hours in bed with nausea). It went well considering the amount of twisting, turning and bumping involved with the experience. The tour of the venue that followed was worth the $5 senior rate. Ah, the bennies of advanced age! We saw a huge pool where future Olympians land when perfecting freestyle ski jumps. Then we were off for a tour up to the top of the mountain after a slight misstep. Before getting onto a very fancy motor coach, Dixie had asked Louise and Suzanne to pose for a photo. Picture made, we quite naturally queued up in the line in front of us. The line moved slowly as all the people on the 5 buck tour seemed to know each other. We were informed as we tried to board the bus that we were not on this tour – it was headed to Butte, Montana. Our little shuttle was moving away as Suzanne ran yelling up the road after it. It stopped and our cute guy tour guide was glad to see us. He and the driver made sure to keep us with the group after that. We saw one of the fastest sliding tracks in the world where bobsleds can reach really, really fast speeds. Our guide said that anyone can do the skeleton – lie on your back on a sled in a skin tight suit and relax. He said it is the easiest of all winter Olympic sports and practically without risks. We passed the extreme zip line course, several adventure courses and the drop tower, all open to the public. Finally reaching the summit we were treated to a beautiful full valley view of the area and a breathtaking look directly down from the top of some of the highest Nordic ski jumps in the world. Safely back down the mountain, we tipped our tour guide and bus driver handsomely for not losing us. All found Utah Olympic Park to be a true peak experience!
In the afternoon, one group went on a float trip which was super fun. We tried to act as young as our guide which I am sure made us silly but it was a laugh a minute. “Geaux Tigers” was our response to a chatty floater who happened to ask where we were from!!!
Another group, led by the Chief Shopping Consultant, Suzanne, headed into Park City to check out the shops. Linda found a decorative sculpture of an angel which she had to have. We discovered the high-end apparel (think $1000 pants) shop Gorsuch. We drank their water, but didn’t buy anything. It was interesting to watch the set-up by various restaurants on Main Street of the annual outdoor dinner party “Savor the Summit” which we had decided to forgo.
On the way home from the float trip, Betty, Charlotte, and Gladys took the scenic Alpine Loop Detour. After years of hearing about Betty’s famous car detours, Gladys decided to join one. It was a climbing, twisty road that grew increasingly cooler and more fragrant – past infinite stands of white-trunked trees, standing deep in beds of fern and white flowers. Like a Disney movie set. Except we were the only ones there! It was magical, mystical, mysterious, magnificent…mmmmm.
Dinner at the house was a buffet of salads, by Margie, Gladys and Suzanne. The team forgot dessert (oops). And, yes, more wine was imbibed. There were plenty of leftovers for Sunday night, our last night in the house.
This was also the night of the announcement of the recipient of the Thong award. Gladys had the honor of announcing the 2015 recipient, being the recipient in 2014, but before her presentation, Dixie presented a special award to those who had not yet received the Thong – Margie and Suzanne (Charlotte and Betty had also never received the Thong, but Dixie obviously assumed they had, since Charlotte and Betty are so all-round Thong-worthy!). Margie was the recipient of the Thong in 2015 – for “aplomb and getting back on the damn horse”.
Souvenirs were distributed: from Beverly, refrigerator magnet pictures of Thong reunions; from Linda, back scratchers; from Suzanne, thong luggage tags; from Betty, handmade green clutch bags, identical except for the decorative button, and from Charlotte, little boxes of stars with the inscription “friends are like stars”. Little Mack had helped her make them.
Day 4
Gladys, Faye, and Louise hit the Silly Market early—for a morning eye-opener and people watching. Faye bought the BEST hat which happened to perfectly match her bag! Others joined at the end of the morning for bread and dessert shopping.
Suzanne, Beverly and Margie went to Temple Square in Salt Lake City, where we were present at the weekly live radio/TV broadcast of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. This broadcast has taken place on Sunday mornings since 1929. Following the performance we had signed up for a tour guided by two of the young women missionaries who are assigned to Temple Square to deal with the tourists. Temple Square was beautiful – the gardens were in impeccable shape, fragrant, and the facilities were super clean. All the Mormons were very friendly and welcoming and there was no proselytizing. We saw Adam and Eve as none of us had ever envisioned.
Betty and Charlotte went on a bike ride. It was hot, downhill on the way and UPHILL on the way back with wind in their faces. Charlotte seemed unfazed but Betty was whipped – wished she had gone to the Tabernacle.
We all met up for lunch at the Royal Street Café in Deer Valley. We enjoyed very pleasant ambiance, good service, and the best fish tacos. Although we had booked one large table with a view, we were seated at two tables, side-by-side. Tina suggested to the manager that 11 women were not going to be happy seated at separate tables. He was obviously a wise man who understood that 11 women should be kept happy at all costs, so he offered us complimentary $17 lift tickets. After lunch, some went for a ride on the lift, while Suzanne and her posse went shopping in Deer Valley, where some good purchases were made.
Some went back to Main Street in Park City to snag items seen the day before and to have ice cream at an old-fashioned (and HOT) ice cream parlor (which did not exactly live up to the expectations Suzanne had created!).
Betty and others checked out Guardsman Pass. It was very pretty but hot and crowded. The drive up was hairy. We thought about the hike but Charlotte said she would rather go back and be with the group. We all agreed.
On return to the house, we attacked the leftovers and the remains of the wine and beer.
Day 5
This was departure day. Like a well-oiled machine, we organized the kitchen, packing up leftovers for lunches, cleaning out the fridge, leaving savables for cleaning staff/managers, etc. The last group – Dixie, Betty, Linda, Margie – decided to leave for the airport earlier than necessary and stop at Temple Square in Salt Lake City. We were lucky to arrive at the Tabernacle as the organist was rehearsing for his daily noon concert. Dixie got to see the Temple (from the back) and Betty (from the front).
The trip to the airport was a sitcom for those in Tina’s car. Betty had previously driven the car, and even though Tina thought she had reset the mirrors and seat level, she had trouble seeing out of it. So she assigned Gladys to remember to get gas and Charlotte to help watch for the correct exit. Charlotte and Gladys got to talking and Charlotte accidentally turned off the GPS and she couldn’t find her glasses to turn it back on, so they missed the exit and forgot the gas. Then once successfully in the airport, Gladys and Louise got to talking and nearly missed their flight. Obviously these four together should never leave the country.
Otherwise, everybody had a more or less uneventful trip home. Margie’s 5 p.m. flight to DC was delayed to 8:30 pm, so she arrived in DC at 2:30 am. Faye gets the prize for unlucky arrival and Margie gets it for unlucky departure, while the group in Tina’s car gets the “we’re going to Gretna” prize.