Cuenca in Atlanta?

Last night Cynthia and I had a Cuenca-esque experience at a Cheesecake Factory here in Atlanta. Since we don't even have a McDonald's back home (thank goodness) this perhaps sounds odd, so let me explain.

Neither the food, which of course was quite good, nor the setting mattered all that much. What we enjoyed so much was an evening of fellowship and conviviality.

You see, "Edd the Organizer" was at it again. I contacted several of my dearest friends from high school and suggested getting together while we were in town. Some of us hadn't seen each other in 40+ years.

So here we were all eating, drinking, and socializing just like what happens almost daily somewhere in Cuenca. What a blast! I haven't been to a reunion in a long time and when looking at pics from our last one my comment to Cynthia was a paraphrase from The Sixth Sense: "I see old people------."

But as objectively as is possible when part of what one is describing is oneself I must say that this was a damn good-looking group. Unfortunately we were all having such fun that no one thought to bring a camera or even take a photo with a cell phone, so you'll have to take my word for it.

Shared memories were conjured up; life stories were updated; contact info was exchanged. Of course since everyone else is local and our address is somewhat remote there was considerable curiosity about what the heck we're doing in Ecuador and what life is like there.

I have particularly fond memories of high school, so it is always a special blessing for me to reconnect with a former friend I thought would forever remain in my past. It's almost like someone coming back from the dead, and for me the renewed friendship adds extra texture and color to the fabric of my life.

So Jack, Jim, Penny, Marilyn, and Mike---thanks for a new happy memory.