BHS Class of 1982 Newsletter - May 2010 Edition

Hi Everyone!

I'm finally all settled here in the UK, found a nice house and got the kids enrolled in school. We've made some fun trips down to London so if any of you are ever in the area, please give me a head's up! Lot's of news . . . be sure to send YOURS in for the June edition!

From Mike Ward – reporting on his return to Chile after the big earthquake.

“Just arrived in Chile…….. a very pleasant flight with minimal discomfort. The airport looks like a ghost town. Passengers were asked to stay on the plane in the middle of the runway until luggage was taken to a huge tent. Once luggage was taken off plane they let us deplane and hunt down our bags. Immigration and customs was in yet another huge tent. To say the least it was an improvisation on behalf on airport personnel as the buildings surrounding the runways are still be evaluated. Yet to my surprise it was quicker than usual………well to be honest there was only one plane in the entire airport.

I arrived to my home in Santiago to find everything in order except for a 7 foot ceramic vase broken on the floor in a million pieces and one broken window…….Other items were thrown on the floor but of little or no importance in the long run……….Tomorrow I will head out to my beach house and assess damages there.

The streets are empty………You can feel the anxiety/tension in the air. My neighbors who have lived Chile all their lives and have experienced many earthquakes (son 2 viejitas) told me just a few minutes ago that this seismic occurrence was the worst they have experienced. They added that they couldn’t even walk to the front door of the house because it was shaking so hard……..

I will lend a hand to those most affected by quake. I will go to local supermarket and buy essentials and pass along to Red Cross or Salvation Army. I feel that later we can focus on ourselves and beach house. I will offer following items: Diapers, rice, beans, oil, bottled water, flour, blankets, clothes, cooking utensils, plates, silverware, bandages, rubbing alcohol, aspirin……..this is just to name a few.

I welcome suggestions of other non-perishable items that would be required on a daily basis to add to list. I’m going to unpack and prepare an “earthquake kit” in case we get hit with another quake and have to evacuate in the middle of the night. Today there were replicas of 4.7 and 5.2…….hasta cuando????

Sorry I had to cut short my trip to Panama!
______________________________________________________________________

Wendy (Wilde) Anderson has signed up for the newsletter. She can be reached at tim3478@aol.com if you’d like to send her a note!
_____________________________________________________________________

Julie (Smith) McCullough passed along a note from Kevin’s Joyce’s mother Millie:

“As I don’t own a computer I have asked Julie to publish this note for me.

Thank you to everyone for all of your thoughts, prayers and most especially for the many acts of kindness during Kevin’s illness and continuing today. You will never know how truly touched we have been by the outpouring of care and concern we have experienced.”

Millie, Bill, Nena, Will, Steven and Teri, the Joyce Family.
____________________________________________________________________

From Matt Baker (down range)

I'm writing from Afghanistan where I'm currently stationed for a 7 month deployment. The stars aligned and I was selected to command 1st Battalion, 3d Marines out of Kaneohe Bay in Hawaii; so I'm here with over a thousand close friends. Our area of operations is Nawa, a
district in Helmand Province.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this tour is that I'm once again living alongside a US canal project. Back in the 50s, USAID hired a construction company to construct a huge irrigation project using water from the Helmand River to turn what had been desert into a the bread basket of this country, complete with a Helmand Valley Authority modeled on the Tennessee Valley Authority. Unfortunately, the last 30 years have seen nothing but war and the area now has the dubious distinction of growing 90% of the world's opium.

Our focus is on the population and we’re making headway. Still some fight left in the insurgents, but I think we're fixing to turn a corner. I’ve attached a picture of me with my interpreter. Great guy.

Take care,

Matt

_______________________________________________________________________

From Mayra (Linares) Seitz, reporting on her trip to Panama over Spring Break:

Here are some photos from our Panama trip. We had a great time over
spring break and arrived in time for David to play in the Shorty and
Slim Cayuco Race Party which was sponsored by the Panama Canal Societyat the Yacht Club There were quite a few people down for the raceincluding several 82 Alumni: Kathy Barrere, Joann Weigle-Bjurholm,
David Sutherland and Kathi Overstreet (CHS). Kathy, Joann, David and
I took a picture by the "Mango Tree" in front of the yacht club in
memory of Kevin Joyce.

Joann, David Sutherland and I spent one morning shopping at Albrook Mall and were joined for lunch by "Shorty and Slim” aka Alex Reyes and David. Our family spent the 2 weeks at Alex's house and had great time hanging out with the Reyes family. We also enjoyed walking out on Pipeline Road in Gamboa, hitting the low tide at Veracruz where we
found sand dollars and other shells, and of course eating the great food that Panama has to offer. We are looking forward to going back again in July of this year.

Last week, Alex came to visit us in the Netherlands to play another
Shorty and Slim gig - this time, a Caribbean themed party for our school. I helped fill in on keyboards since the rest of the band did not come from Panama. The party was well attended and we had fellow Zonians Bill McGann, Mary Lou Pascavage and husband Ken Croft, Evelyn
Barraza and her daughter and husband Kristin and Tom Snider join us for the evening - of course, they kept the dancing going all night. We continued the party at our house with a "Zonian mini-reunion” and had a great weekend! Looking forward to the reunion this summer!

I forgot to mention that I ran into Anabelle Ramirez while in Panama - I was standing in line at Super 99 and the woman behind me started talking on her cell phone. She was speaking in Spanglish, so of course, that made me turn to see if it was someone I knew. Best wishes for her mom’s speedy recovery!

I rarely send these but thought most of these were funny. Is there a shorty and slim song in here somewhere?

MEXICAN WORDS!! The teacher told Pepito to make sentences with these
spelling words:

1*cheese*

Maria likes me, but cheese fat.

2*mushroom*

When all my family gets in the car, there isn't mushroom

3*shoulder*

My friend didn't know how to make tacos so i shoulder

4*texas*

My friend always texas me fwds

5*herpes*

Me and my friend shared a pizza,i got my piece and she got herpes

6*july*

Ju told me ju were goin to the store,and july to me!!julyer!!

7*rectum*

I had two cars but my wife rectum

8*chicken*

I was going to the store with my wife but chicken go by herself

9*wheelchair*

We only have one soda but its ok wheelchair

10*chicken wing* My mom plays the lottery so chicken wing

11*liver*

A bully was messing wit my sister and i told him to liver alone

12*body wash*

I wanted to go to the bar but no body wash my kids

13*budweiser

That woman over there has a nice body, budwieser her face so ugly?