August | 2010 | Jack R Thompson

What is it about growing up in a very small town and that connection with those you went to school with or even only knew remotely that seems to last a lifetime? Tonight (August 18, 2010) about 25 people, most of whom graduated from Short High School in the 1960s, gathered at El Reparo, Liberty, Indiana's finest restaurant. People came from as far away as Evansville, Dayton and Cincinnati on a weeknight to reminisce and catch up on each others lives and families. Many had not seen each other for 40 years and more. A great time seemed to be had by all. I know it was a blast for me. We need to keep growing this event. Thanks to those who made the effort to be there. Especially Elaine, Jackie and Jim. We shall do it again.

And thanks to Jose and Carlos at El Reparo. As always, a terrific job of taking care of us.

On Monday of this week I flew from Denver to Indianapolis for the purpose of picking up my Mother and flying her back to Colorado the next day. She will be 85 on August 27 and because of the way my schedule works this month, Konnie and I decided we would bring her to Colorado to spend a week of birthday celebration with us in advance of the actual date. After slipping in a dinner in Richmond, Indiana on Monday with my sisters and Mom, on Tuesday we flew to Denver. After spending a couple of days in Denver we drove to our place at 7800 feet 15 miles south of the nearest city lights of Steamboat Springs.

The nights are very cool here right now (about 45 degrees), the crescent moon sets before dark and there has not been a cloud in the sky for either day we have been here. So there they are, Carl Sagan's billions and billions of stars and other objects in the universe. They are incredibly dense here right now. It is perfectly clear and there is the Milky Way vivid in the pitch black sky and now add the Perseid meteor shower that has been displaying itself our first two nights here. Scores of long meteors, two simultaneously crossing paths and one crossing nearly the entire visible sky, long enough to detect a red color on its tip. Gorgeous.

Back to Denver from Steamboat on Monday. Returning Mother to Indiana on Tuesday and then staying two more days in the Hoosier state to conduct some local business.