The "A Visit With Long-Time Friends" Story

It was another ordinary day. Our friends Hal and Jeannie had just picked my wife, Carol and myself up for a trip to State College, PA to visit friends whom we have known for a long time. Not long before we pulled into the driveway of my longtime friend whom I had known since 1st grade. Guy by the name of Jerry Herr! Jerry and I lived about a block away from each other throughout our childhood, but never got to meet until we went to 1st grade at Brecht Elementary School in the Manheim Township School District. Even during elementary school we very seldom visited other each other since my mom didn't want me to cross Queen Street and Prince Street since they were two of the busiest streets in the north end of the city of Lancaster. I walked to school by crossing the Lititz Pike bridge while Jerry crossed the Manheim Pike bridge. When we entered Manheim Township Jr. High School we both rode on the same school bus, so we got to know each other a bit more, but didn't really get to know each other until high school when we both had cars. Jerry was a whiz with engines and helped me quite a few times work on my 1953 Henry J.  But, we tended to be in different social circles with Jerry having a girl friend who lived off the Lititz Pike while my girlfriend lived on Liberty Street.  We never became real good friends until be both graduated from Millersville State Teacher's College and both landed jobs at our alma mater....Manheim Township High School.  Jerry began teaching Metal Shop about a year or two after I began teaching Wood Shop/Graphic Arts. Jerry's late arrival at MTHS was due to a few years in military service; while I wasn't picked for the service for some unknown reason to me. It was at this point in time that we became friends with Hal whom also taught Industrial Arts at the high school. Jerry married his high school sweetheart Sue while I married the daughter of the woman who worked with my dad at Meiskey's Wholesale Jewelry. After teaching together for many years, Jerry took over the reigns of the Manheim Township School District Maintenance Dept. He was responsible for all of the maintenance on the dozen or so buildings in the district. Hal and I continued teaching until we knew it was time to give it up. All three of us retired from the Manheim Township School District the same year, being that we were close to the same age bracket. As soon as we retired from working for the school district, Jerry and I began to travel together with our wives to islands in the Caribbean. What a wonderful experience. We loved the warm sun, the refreshing waters and the Caribbean atmosphere. After every two to three week vacation I would put a scrapbook together of our adventures. Well, after my wife and I made a recent move to Woodcrest Villa, I now find I have almost an entire closet full of memories from vacations with Jerry and Sue. We are still trying to decide if we should take one more trip before we call it quits. And...we don't have an extended lifetime left to make that decision. Hal and Jeannie never traveled with us, but perhaps they might give it a try. Well....I will have to talk it over with my wife first and then decide if all six of us want to take one last vacation together to a Caribbean island. Life is short, so we can't wait another dozen years before we travel once again. It will have to be in the very near future if it is going to happen. Perhaps we might be happy just traveling to the Jersey Shore for a week-long vacation...or maybe a two-week vacation...or maybe even a month since it might be our last vacation together. I better give both of the guys a call and see what they think of our plans before it's too late. It certainly would be good to vacation with all of our friends. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

 Jeannie and Hal

Sue and Jerry

                                            Carol and Larry