Sharon Arrives Today - I'll Be On "Radio Silence" Until the 7th (Maybe the 6th)

So, my dear friend Sharon arrives mid-day today and I'm on "radio silence" until after I take her back to the airport next week Tuesday. We'll have a nice meal out at Red Lobster tonight, and start with the State Fair for three days in a row beginning on Friday, then we'll end with a day at Renaissance Festival on Monday and I'll take her to the airport on Tuesday morning before heading back to work. It's almost a full week away from the gym, but we walk (a LOT) and we talk (a LOT) and we generally have a fantastic and wonderful catch-up time. 

I was one of thousands who attended George Washington 
High School in Denver, Colorado. It was a huge school 
then, and it's much larger now. The worst thing was having 
a class in the basement of the South wing followed by a 
class on the third floor North of the East wing. Getting 
through the hallways and arriving on time was always 
a crap shoot for those days. 

Sharon and I met in High School. She was one of the group of friends I gathered around me. I think it was 1970, but it could have been 1971. We went to different colleges, and I kept moving around the country, but we were always in touch - mostly by letters at that point - no internet or computers yet. (No, we didn't have to chip out our letters on stone tablets and hire runners to deliver them to the next village). 

Any of you thought about how difficult communication used 
to be in the old days? The days before pens and paper, 
the post office or the internet? I'm in touch with many 
people every day now, and almost all of them are many 
miles away from me. I LOVE modern technology! 

I got married in 1979 and Sharon was invited, of course. I got married in Denver, so that was easy for her, a small bit of a logistical nightmare for me since I was already living in Minnesota, DH was finishing his M.A. in New Mexico, and we were all scattered. But after the wedding things settled down a bit. I invited Sharon to come up for a few days and visit Minnesota, and she started coming up in 1980, maybe 1981 latest. At first we would wander around the state a bit, but in 1984 I suggested she come up for the State Fair. My house at that time was 1/2 block away from the Fair, so super close. DH and I would go over almost every day. We were addicted. 

My first house in St Paul was located 1/2 block away from 
the main entrance to the State Fairgrounds. We were one 
street South, and 1/2 block East, and dropping over at the 
Fairgrounds for a quick meal or to see a show was easy. 
Now it's a bit more difficult, but the transport busses 
arranged by the Fair make getting to and from much 
easier. So we're still there several days every year, and 
it's still a magical place. 

Sharon came up and dove into the magic that is the State Fair and she's been coming up for the Fair every year since (with the exception of two years ago when the State Fair shut down because of  Covid). She missed one year when her mother died, but with that single exception, she's been here every year. She's like a sister to me - someone you can talk about anything with. She's a librarian, and an author, and totally one of my three best friends (I count DH and Chickie as my other two). I'm fortunate to have a friend like her - intelligent, fun, someone easy to talk to and someone easy to sit in silence with. Rare qualities, matched with intelligence and a great sense of humor. 

This photo is from 2017. Left to right - Chickie, DH, 
me and Sharon. We're a bit older, possibly a bit 
wiser, and I've lost my hair but gained my tattoo, so 
all things into account, life is still good. 

So I'll be posting again next week, starting up on Tuesday the 6th, or latest on Wednesday the 7th. It will take me a while to catch up on everyone else's posts, so I apologize in advance for belated commentaries. Have an excellent WEEK and I'll be back when I'm back - LOL. Slava Ukraini.