October 2017 Update

Thanks to everyone who has dropped by to read the latest update!  And many thanks to those who contributed with news and photos. Without the submissions the blog would just be a blank page
 so your help is very much appreciated!

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Take us out to the ball game!

Mike Grattini, John Baker, Lynn Savino, Jeff Reisel

Mike Grattini and John Baker

In the raffle at the John Carty Golf Outing Michael Grattini won the tickets to a Yankees game !  In July Michael, John Baker, Lynn Savino and Jeff Reisel attended the game and had a great time!

Jeff Reisel 

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TJ Wilks and Debbie Demeduk welcomed new grandson Benjamin Oliver in April.  

Congratulations!

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Patty Menz and Lynn Savino were high-fiving it at a Giants vs San Diego Chargers game in October.  Sadly the Giants lost.

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Mike Dooley and his wife Marie are the proud parents of two children. Here is their daughter Morgan.  She has graduated from the University of South Florida with a 
Bachelor of Science Nursing degree  

Morgan is now working at St. Joseph's Hospital in Nashville.  
Congrats Morgan!

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Congratulations to Glenn Kaplan! 

He says: 

"On June 26 I was nominated by the Governor of the State of New Jersey to be a Judge of Compensation. On June 29 I was confirmed by the Senate. My court covers Union County."

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Scott Valentine shares this news and photos of Hurricane Harvey from Texas...

"My family and I have lived in north west Houston since ‘88 and have been thru a couple bad storms, but Harvey was the worst by far. One family member got her home flooded though my children’s homes and ours were extremely fortunate with the water only threatening our homes and some fairly short power outages. The pictures are out to the street from the front of our house. The water was half way up the yard on three separate occasions and the street was a river. A bit nerve wracking to see happening right outside our front door and to watch so many others less fortunate not very far from us.

"God was watching out for us. Hope any others affected by these storms were as fortunate as we were."

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Joe and Ann Fagan are sharing news about their youngest child, Shane:

"Shane applied to and was accepted to the USNA’s summer program for prospective candidates. Shane’s 4^th from the left and is now waiting for his Congressional and Senate Nomination meetings in early December. He plans on Majoring in Quantitative Economics."

Good luck to Shane!

Here is the Fagan family~

  (left to right)  Jack, Ann, Shane, Colleen and Joe

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Cathy Swickle Johnson had a wonderful time visiting  her daughter, Melody in Austin, Texas recently from October 19 til October 26..  She shares these photos:

Above, The Contemporary is a museum in Austin and this sculpture is on the grounds of the art school near Mt. Bonnell. Soooo many beautiful sculptures and installations on the 
most beautiful grounds and it's free to roam!!!

Above, this picture is taken at Radio. It is one of SO many outdoor/indoor places that are all over Austin. They have coffee and local beers and food and they are the most relaxing, unassuming spots to go and chill, read, work, whatever have you.
The climate is, obviously, rather conducive to places like this.
Another favorite of mine is called the Buzz Mill -
same atmosphere and dog-friendly, just like Radio.

 Above, Mt .Bonnell is the highest point in Austin and the view is beautiful. There is some great history there, including outings of General George Custer and his family.

and lastly, here are Melody and Cathy: 

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Thanks for reading this update!  As always, if you have any news that you would like to share, please do.  You can send it to me at mahwahhighschool1976@yahoo.com or by replying to any email I send you from my personal mail.

And if you have a change in your contact information, please be sure to let me know and I can keep the database updated. Thanks!

The next update will be in March 2018.  I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful fall and winter!

And "Happy Milestone Birthday" to classmates who have already celebrated # 60 so far this year and to those who will soon be celebrating later this year and in 2018! 

Thanks very much!

Sue Montgomery Lane
mahwahhighschool1976@yahoo.com

March 2017 Update

Welcome to the latest update!

Just a bit of our usual business....

Please keep your contact information up-to-date so you can receive any news or emails regarding the class.  Send any changes to mahwahhighschool1976@yahoo.com and I will note the new info. Thank you!

Our class group is located at  https://www.facebook.com/groups/47889678341/ 

Please feel free to join and start discussions.

There is also the group called

 "You know  are from Mahwah if.." and is located at https://www.facebook.com/groups/46650173906/ 

 There are over 1200 members in this group and 

folks share memories and photos of Mahwah.

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Thank you to those classmates who have contributed to this edition of the class blog.  If you have anything you would like to submit in the future, contact me at mahwahhighschool1976@yahoo.com or reply to emails from me from her personal email address.  Thanks! It is fun to share photos and stories and anything else you would like to send. Without your contributions there would be no class blog.

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February was the start of the birthday celebrations 

for this fun group! 

 Celebrating their special days were John B. and Walt M.  

Lynn opened her home for a nice dinner get-together.  

Happy Birthday guys!

Mike G, Patty M., Lynn S.,  John B., Todd C., and Walt M.
Photo by Todd's wife Ada.

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These three friends got together when Patty M. came through Mahwah.  

How wonderful to see each other and catch up!

Patty M., Lynn S., Susie B.

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March brought another birthday celebration.

 (Guess whose birthday? Does the tiara/crown give it away?)  

Happy Birthday to Lynn S. 

These people know how to have a good time.

John B., Jeff R., Lynn S., Todd C. and Ada C.
Photo by Jeff's wife Anna.

John B., Anna and Jeff R., Lynn S., Ada and Todd C.

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Thanks to Lynn Q. for sharing the following story - 

"In 2015, Lynn and Don Melanson’s son, Sean, received the derelict remains of a 1957 14’ Whirlwind Runabout (speedboat), compliments of his uncle. It had been abandoned in a field in upstate New York and then stored in a basement where it was exposed to 2 hurricanes.  Over the course of the next 13 months, Sean restored the boat to its original condition with ten coats of varnish, newly chromed parts, a ’57 Johnson outboard and lots of TLC.  He met his goal of showing it in the Mystic Seaport Antique and Classic Boat Show on the Mystic River last summer.  In turn, he received the Head Judges Choice Award for his achievement.  We are so proud of him for his hard work and perseverance!"

This is the "Before" picture of the boat.

 Sean on his maiden voyage on the Connecticut River

 in Deep River, CT

 Sean, his dad and sister, Kelley, in the parade 
on the Mystic River in Mystic, CT

 Sean showing his boat at the boat show in Mystic

  (Awesome job, Sean!)

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Please take a few minutes to read and view some news from our own resident hiking expert, 

Joe Cuhaj - 

"Here are links to the first two videos in the series based on my book, "Hiking the Gulf Coast". By the way, "Hiking the Gulf Coast" is available online or at your favorite book store and covers hikes from Tampa, FL, to Corpus Christi, TX. Enjoy, won't you?"

Hiking the Gulf Coast Part 1: Alabama: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hloo2cj9_aA

Hiking the Gulf Coast Part 2: Louisiana: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-b_W4z6N5c

ALSO from Joe...

"The schedule for the Alabama Book Festival has been released. I understand the speakers at 11 am in the log cabin are great. 😊    We'll be discussing outdoor writing, trails in Alabama, and whether White Castle is better than Krystal's. Well, maybe not the latter. It's going to be fun! Hope to see you all there."

  
Go to www.alabamabookfestival.org www.alabamabookfestival.org to begin planning your 
April 22!

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Cathy S. and her husband Ken just returned from an unforgettable trip to Ireland,...here's her story:

"This month, March, Ken and I took an amazing trip to Ireland where we travelled much of the length of the island, taking in such varied places. I would say that the countryside areas were our favorite, as well as the coasts. we spent St. Patrick's day in Limerick at their parade and then at a local pub. We witnessed the Atlantic Ocean from high atop the cliffs in Sliabh Liag (Sieve League) in County Donegal to Dublin city and its outskirts. We got a glimpse of Bono's home from down on the coast and drove up to Enya's castle gate.

"The people all throughout the country were wonderful and hospitable 
and always made us feel welcome and at home. 
Most of our accommodations were booked through Air BnB - if you need suggestions, we've got 'em!

We already know that we'd love to go back, as there is much to see and do
 and being there is truly wonderful!

Fa'ilte...you see it everywhere and it is for real...you truly will always feel WELCOME!"

An amazing view of the Atlantic Ocean from Sliabh Liag

NOT an uncommon site within the little towns all around Ireland!

 A home in the village of Adare. 
As in all of the little towns we went through, 
 everyone was so friendly and welcoming.

Never tired of seeing these cuties!  It was the time of year for babies and there were tons of sheep and their lambs, as well as cows and their calves.

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Also, some family news from Cathy S.:

I have become an inlaw for the 2nd time, just this past September, when my son, Jacob, married his wonderful bride, Ariel!  The day was perfect and we are truly blessed.

  The photo from the wedding, as well as a current typical silly photo of theirs are pictured -
 they definitely share the same sense of humor!


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If you have a Twitter account and would like to be followed by classmates, just let me know and in the next blog I can make a list.  If you have a website, Facebook page or Pinterest account for a business or hobby or fun, feel free to share those and 
perhaps we can boost your views and followers.

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Best wishes for a wonderful spring and summer. Hopefully the weather will not be as erratic as winter had been!  Stay safe and enjoy the nice days ahead!

The next blog update will be in October.  If you have any urgent news that you would like to share with the class email me at my personal email address (by replying to any email I have sent you) and I can get the word out.

Sue
mahwahhighschool1976@yahoo.com

(I apologize for the spacing issues  - Blogger has a mind of its own  and it is driving me crazy!)