Our 40th Mattituck High School Class Reunion

I had a difficult time typing the headline you just read.  The number was the real hard part.  40 years!  What do you say to people?  How do you strike up a conversation? Will they be staring at me thinking to themselves "Holy crap, is that Richie or Richie's grandfather?"

Actually, it was none of that.  It was fantastic and reasserted 2 theories that I've always had.

1. People BASICALLY never change personality-wise.   The "wild and crazy friend" you had  in the 8th grade is probably just as nuts as the 58 year old version.  (If you're reading this, you know who you are, Mark) Ha Ha

2. I forgot the second theory.   (Your memory retention definitely DOES change!)

There was a house party the nite before the big event,  and a small group of real close friends were there - Paul Mileska and his  great wife Terri.  At the party were other longtime great buddies, Dick Tandy and his wife, along with two other equally close pals, Rick Audioun and much better half, Anna (LOL),  the eternally certified lovable nutcase, Mark Quinn and much more sane and grounded, Bonnie, and a man who actually got younger as he got older, Bob Whalen along with Nashville convert, Dixie.    We had a blast talking and reminiscing.  Kudos to my wife Dorrie who had to put up with all of the old stories, but she was great about it and really had a good time.

Approximately 30 people showed up with spouses.  Not bad considering there were only 63 in the whole class.  It's an incredible bond that you feel when you are surrounded once again by these folks.  We really go back a long long long way. But quite as far back as these folks:

What is the 13 club?  We, the proud members were in every class together from K-12!  I knew them when we pulled up rugs next to each other in the middle of the day to take our daily nap.  (Wow, I'm still doing that!)

Between this and seeing my neighbors, the Murphy's and the Moisa's who still live in the same places they always have (which is so cool) along with Betty Jane, Patti and many others,  I was in nostalgia heaven.

Many thanks as well to Rachael and the folks at a beautiful motel, the Soundview, in Greenport, LI

I could fill 5 more blogs with stories, photos, memories, etc. I know it would only make sense to the people involved, so I apologize if I'm boring the rest of you.  But I tell you, this was one amazingly surreal experience - to the point where I can hardly put it into words.

Do you go to YOUR reunions?  Are you afraid of them?  Don't be!  It's a great thing to do and you end up really feeling that bond that I mentioned.  Trust me.  Do it and let me know how it went!