Reunited

June 10, 2002

This past weekend we got up very early (for us on a Saturday), franticly traveled to Grand Central & took a train upstate to Bronksville. There we were met by a high-school classmate of Tiffany’s, Todd Rubsamen, and his wife Janet. After a round-about start on the confusing highways & expressways of New England, the four of us drove further north to Connecticut and to said high-school: the Gunnery. It was the class of 1987’s 15-year reunion and the school was having a big alumni weekend with many alumni in attendance, mostly from years ending in 2 or 7. Todd and Tiffany were 2/3 of the ’87 class that showed up =)

We arrived in time for a BBQ lunch by the football field, yummy eats. We sat on the bleachers, reminisced and noticed that most alumni in attendance had left school a long time ago or very recently. We figured in the middle people were busy building careers and/or families. We were just about to start playing badminton when we realized the school store was going to close. Off we trooped. (You can’t go to a reunion and not load up on “stuff”!) The school had given us all gifts of canvas Gunnery bags, just right to load up in. With our goodies in hand we were off to check out the lodgings. We were staying in one of the dorms as all the students had already left for the summer. On our way we met up with the other third of the sparse class of ’87, Bruce Stuart and his girlfriend, Nicole, down from Boston.

With our lodgings figured out, we all headed off to the Hopkins Inn. We were too late for lunch, just, and too early for dinner so we sat and had some drinks in their patio overlooking Lake Waramug. Very good conversations and world fixing was accomplished =)

We stopped at the Gunnery boathouse. Very snazzy and modern compared to what Bruce, Todd and Tiffany had when they attended. It was beautiful on the lake.

Back at the Gunnery, the guys got ready quickly, of course, and the girls took a bit longer. We all trooped up to the brand new dining hall that has been under construction for a year. It was very nice. They had a ribbon cutting ceremony and a cocktail party in the lounge. Tiffany got to say hi to former schoolmates and her old advisor, the heard master of her time. When everyone went into the too expensive buffet dinner we said adieu, borrowed Todd’s car & went down the hill to the GW Tavern, our favorite place in the area. We didn’t have a reservation but we could sit outside. It was BEAUTIFUL! The creek was flowing by and the greenery was at it’s greenest. The food was spectacular and the view… indescribable. It got very cold but was worth it. We wondered down to the water’s edge before heading back. We looked up into the sky and saw what looked like a satellite, but brighter. We knew the International Space Station had been visible in New York recently & wondered if this could be it. It was much faster, closer and brighter than a normal satellite. We also thought that the Space Shuttle was at that time attached, which would make it very bright. (When we got home we looked on the internet & found that indeed the shuttle was attached and it was in that part of the sky on that night. Yea!)

In the dining hall the party was still going. Todd & Janet had left but Bruce & Nicole were there. As was Matt Holloway and Ed Small (Tiff’s favorite teachers). We chatted for a bit & listened to the 70’s do-wop band but soon headed off to get some sleep.

Tiffany got a scratchy throat in the middle of the night (maybe scary memories of high school?) so in the morning we headed up to the dining hall for some juice. We were going to go back to the Hopkins Inn for brunch, but it turns out they are closed on Sundays!?! The food in the dining hall actually looked very good; cooked to order omelets, freshly made waffles, oatmeal, cereal, you name it, so we stayed there. We all had a very filling breakfast, some going back for seconds and thirds.

After we said our good-byes we headed back down to Lake Waramug. Janet & Tiffany sat by the docks while Todd & Alex swam out to a water trampoline. After seeing a dead fish in the water Tiffany decided going in wasn’t the greatest idea.

The Gunnery alum (Tiff & Todd) convinced the others (Alex & Janet) to go to Washington Pizza for lunch. It may just be the memories, or that we ate crap at the Gunnery but the pizza is legend. The non-alumni weren’t convinced of its greatness but agreed it was a good meal.

We headed back south. A bit sleepy and worn out. The Rubsamens were very kind to drive us all the way back to the city but we encountered traffic from the Puerto Rican parade so it took much longer than it should have. We had them come up so we could show off our home. They could relate having lived in a small space in the city for a few years.

The next day Tiffany’s sickness came in full force, but the trip was very fun & worth it. Turns out the gunnery is in one of the most beautiful places in America. One doesn’t appreciate it when you’re a teenager.

Click here to see PHOTOS from our Gunnery weekend

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