CELEBRATING 60 YEARS OF FRIENDSHIP
A record – coldest day in St Pete area in 133 years! And we were there!! Eleven gathered for our 60th year of friendship: Dixie, Beverly, Barbara, Faye, Margie, Louise, Linda, Kathy, Tina, Betty, and Charlotte. For our first night, Barbara recreated an LSU lemon pie that was inspired by Elsie’s Plate & Pie in BR. It was amazing and a perfect dessert for after the delicious shrimp scampi that Linda brought. Many thanks to Barbara and Linda for bringing our “first night” dinner!
As often as not, there is a funny image that identifies a given reunion. “Oh, yeah, that’s the year we put all the food in the freezer instead of the refrig.” Or “Remember the year we all assumed our college day mentality during the St. Pat’s Parade.” This year the image will be of mornings gathered around the open oven, like an indoor campfire, trying to warm up in a house with no heat.
With no heat and weather-challenged clothing, it was a feat to move forward with activities; but we did in true Thong spirit. What did we do? Day one was in St Pete beginning at the Dalí Museum. None of us expected to be so stunned by what we saw. Thanks to the recorded tour and the docent, we were able to see the multiple facets of his pictures. The dome show gave us a further appreciation of his genius.
Afterward we boarded the “trolley” for our OUTDOOR lunch at Perry’s Porch. It was a lovely setting on the St Pete Pier, but oh was it cold. Kathy borrowed a jacket from the waitress; and had there been tablecloths, we might have worn them! Shivering still, we huddled together like emperor penguins as we waited for the tram tour of the mile long pier. Kathy jumped out at midpoint to buy a hoodie:). Back on the trolley, we made our way to the 1920s Hotel Vinoy to have a drink on the veranda. Instead, we opted for the cozy comfort of the lobby. A cold day in St Pete – a good day in St Pete.
Ybor City was Tuesday’s destination. Seventh St for about six blocks reflected the reason for the historical landmark designation. Though the street was quiet in the morning, we could imagine the nightlife in all those old buildings. It reminded us in many ways of the French Quarter but with a Cuban/ Italian influence and cigar rolling demonstrations. Lunch was at the 100+ year old Columbia Restaurant where we had a very fun waiter from Lake Charles – Ernesto. From Ybor City, some of us went to Sand Key to walk on undeveloped beaches. Beautiful day!
On our final day, one group went to the St. Petersburg Yacht Club for lunch while another group walked and explored Fort Desoto Park, a 97 acre beach preserve. We all met later at Passé a Grill for our sunset cruise. Those arriving earlier had lunch at the Paradise Grill – what an exceptional spot! It was an order-at-the-window place then eat on picnic tables right smack on the Gulf! So good. Another beautiful day..
The cruise was cold, but beautiful as we viewed charming and elegant residences. The highlight of the cruise was a magnificant sunset with dolphins and birds reminding us of how wonderful nature is and how lucky we are.
The highlight of our reunion, as Linda said, was our gift night. In honor of sixty years of friendship, people gave thoughtful, meaningful, and creative gifts. Beverly gave “we survived 60 years of friendship “ t- shirts; Betty gave purple/ gold socks unknowingly for cold weather; Barbara gave chocolate pecans from France and tile magnets from Portugal and wrote a wonderful poem which we should read at each gathering; Margie gave special chocolate cookies from Switzerland; Charlotte gave ornaments with a loving message; Louise gave a group picture on a napkin with the saying “I feel sorry for people that don’t know us”; Faye gave incredible tote bags with a picture of each of us from the KD composite; Tina ended the evening with a symbolic campfire of our planning meltdown and then rebirth to the wonderful reunion in St Pete.
As Charlotte wrote: “The memories flowed, the wine poured, the wind blew – and although we might have been cold, our hearts were warm and full of love”.
Many Thanks, Betty for the Summary!