The World's Not So Big After All

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

I thought I said this already, but don't see it anywhere. If I did, just ignore me. If I didn't, just ignore me.

The first night we were at Sea Oats in Englewood, I was at the cabana with all the OFs watching the sun go down. One guy had an Iowa Hawkeye T-shirt on, so I talked to him for awhile. I had noticed Dubuque county license plates on mini van.

Later he was talking to another guy and they said a name I hadn't heard since 1967. So, I said that if they knew that guy, then they also knew another guy. Well, of course they did. And a half-dozen other jock-type/coach-type guys I knew in Des Moines, like my 7th grade homeroom teacher who took over coaching duties at Roosevelt after one of the greatest HS coaches in Iowa retired.

They were talking about my junior high coach/phys ed teacher and another guy who refereed my high school football and basketball games. Those guys and these two at the resort refereed together, and were Big 8 referees.

Gosh, they must be a bajillion years old!!!

I once posted OY about a guy from Indiana who is reponsible for most to the older TS resorts in SW FL, most of them beach hotel and motel conversions done in the late 70's. He had graduated from Ball State, wound up in Florida about the same time a few of my frat brothers did, and got into TS developing.

Well, a little while later one the two guys was telling someone how he found this resort. He was saying a friend of his from Indiana came down 30 years ago and started doing TS resorts!

Go figure!

[muzjik Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close muzjik]

Summer of 2005, we were visiting Great Britain and were up on the battlements of Stirling Castle. I walked past a group and overheard someone say the name of my daughter's very small charter school (her senior class was 23 students). I turned and asked if they meant "Veritas" in Phoenix. They did..it was a family whose child was starting there in the fall. What are the chances of that?!

[LisaH Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close LisaH]

I was rushing to the gate at the Heathrow airport a little over two years ago, boarding a plane back to SFO. All of a sudden, I saw a lady waiting at the gate and looking very familiar. It was someone I had not seen for over 10 years! It turned out that I got a last-minute upgrade and my name was called. She was going on the same plane and heard my name, so she waited at the gate for me to arrive

[grest Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close grest]

Years ago at a sidewalk cafe in Paris, while drinking vin rouge ordinaire, a young lady who had been my "lilttle sister" in college came strolling by with her boyfriend. I had no idea she was in Paris!
Connie

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

A friend of mine went to Roosevelt high school and I dated a girl that was a senior there- as I recall it was the upscale public school in Des Moines.

[JoAnn Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close JoAnn]

We were house hunting in the Milwaukee/Brown Deer area and looked at a house and the woman told us they were moving to Kankakee IL..where we were moving from. Then she gave us a phone # of a lady she knew who was from Kankakee. I called her friend when we got settled and found out she was originally from this small farming town west of Kankakee. I asked her where, she told me and I said, my husband is from there and did she have any relatives left there? Yes, their name was ..... and I laughed and said, my in-laws live right next door! She had gone to HS with DH's brother. Never did get a chance to meet her though

[Dori Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Dori]

This story is a little different, but here goes. I was sitting in the hot tub at Summer Bay in Kissimmee. There was an older gentleman wearing a Drake University ball cap, also enjoying the warm water. At the time, I was taking satellite courses from Drake (We live in Toronto), working on my Masters degree. I commented on his cap and we got to talking about the school, and then timesharing. That was how I met our dear Ray Harper and his lovely wife, Darlene! I had been reading his posts on TUG, and following his travel articles, so it was so nice to meet him.

Dori

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Ah, the circle of life.

I came one week away from going to Roosevelt, from playing football and basketball there. When Coach Comito heard I couldn't go there, he looked me up one day and expressed his disappointment, because he knew what it meant to me. They won the State Basketball Championship that year, and Coach Comito gave me one of those navy striped ties from Reichardt's.

Coach Comito and my 7th grade homeroom teacher, who replaced him, had my junior high, Meredith, play a grudge match against Merrill one Saturday morning. I was high scorer and promised to cut my Beatle mop, cuz all the Roosey jocks had crew cuts.

When a broker/brokerage in Des Moines ripped off my Dad, it was one of those Roosey jocks turned high school referee -- an ACB (All Center Bum)--at the heart of it.

I went to Urbandale, a little Suburban high school. Now their roles have flipped, the suburban schools being the bigger and better.

TonyG went to Drake.

Ray and Darlene Harper were from the east side. I, too, met them in Orlando when we were at OL. He invited us over to Summer Bay, and gave us a tour . . . he pretty much had free run of the place.

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

I met Ray in Boston at a timeshare meeting. He came by bus and I'm not sure why he didn't bring Darlene. One of the guys across the hall from me(at Drake) was from Kankakee and after some thought I can now remember that his first name was Wayne and his family owned a factory there- but I can't remember the last name.
Didn't Larry Eli who played for the Bengals in the 70's play at Roosevelt in the 60's ?

Jim: Did you ever play any BB at Drake Park ?

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

& my Mom got her Masters degree from Drake, just before I got my degree from Moo U.

I was taking satellite courses from Drake (We live in Toronto), working on my Masters degree.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

I remember him and think he might have been on that Merrill Junior High team we played that Saturday morning in the Rosey gym. I think it was Ely.

No, I played in the leagues at the Jewish Community Center. Started playing football in high school. Played golf in HS and baseball through freshman at Moo U, when the Peter Principal took affect. But, I lettered in football at Moo U, and never played a down. Never had to run wind sprints, either.

Didn't Larry Eli who played for the Bengals in the 70's play at Roosevelt in the 60's ?

Jim: Did you ever play any BB at Drake Park ?

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

I googled Larry Ely and he was 2 years ahead of me. It was his brother I played basketball against. I remember we called him Baby Huey!

It looks like Larry wound up being a surgeon in Des Moines after his short NFL career (probably so he could operate on his own knees ).

[JoAnn Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close JoAnn]

I met Ray in Boston at a timeshare meeting. He came by bus and I'm not sure why he didn't bring Darlene. One of the guys across the hall from me(at Drake) was from Kankakee and after some thought I can now remember that his first name was Wayne and his family owned a factory there- but I can't remember the last name.
Didn't Larry Eli who played for the Bengals in the 70's play at Roosevelt in the 60's ?

Jim: Did you ever play any BB at Drake Park ?

Tony, I left Kankakee after HS, then only lived in the area for 4 years after DH finished up in the USAF...1956, or thereabouts, and from there we moved all over. It would help to know the years you knew Wayne. As for factories...at one time K3 was loaded with big name manufacturers and small ones.

[shaggy Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close shaggy]

Kelli & I were at the BVI's at the Baths when one of my bankers from Wachovia came up. His wife knew Kelli from the grocery store.

Once in the Dallas airport a guy came up to me and asked me if I was from Winston Salem. Turns out I sold him a refrig at Circuit City. shaggy

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

tony, i left kankakee after hs, then only lived in the area for 4 years after dh finished up in the usaf...1956, or thereabouts, and from there we moved all over. It would help to know the years you knew wayne. As for factories...at one time k3 was loaded with big name manufacturers and small ones.

1962-1963.