Entry #26

Weight 222.5 lbs. Loss of 2.5 lbs.

Monday's weigh-in made me very happy. I was expecting a loss and was happy to see it.

My reunion on Saturday was great. It was so much fun to see friends I haven't seen in years. The food wasn't the challenge I thought it would be. I ate a late lunch and pretty much stayed away from the table. When dinner time came I wasn't hungry so didn't fix a plate. However, before I left a grabbed a couple of tortilla chips and a brownie. No guilt. Yeah!!!

The reunion started at the Escalon Musuem where there is an impressive collection of items reflecting the history of Escalon. It was interesting to look at the old photographs, especially of the schools in the district. Van Allen, where I teach, had a number of photos dating back to the 1890's. As part of the exhibits, there were tables where memorials of classmates and teachers who had passed away were set up. As my father was a former high school teacher and administrator in the district, I was asked to contribute to the memorials. I wrote a short piece and put up a couple of pictures of him in his work clothes. I'll try to add the written piece at the end of this blog.

Being in the museum, seeing old high school friends and teachers and reliving the past was bittersweet for me. I still miss living in Escalon. A few years ago I had bought a house there and lived there for three years. Then I made one of the biggest mistakes of my life and sold the house. I moved to Modesto where I currently live.

For those of you from out of state who read this blog, Escalon is a small town. The current population is about 7,000. When I was growing up there, it was much smaller. It's probably the closest thing to Mayberry I'll ever experience. At one time when I was working in Boston, MA I was telling my co-workers that it would be impossible to walk two blocks of downtown Escalon without running into at least two people you knew well enough to stop and talk. They didn't believe me.

Escalon has grown since then, but it's still a great place to live and raise a family. Downtown Escalon (except for the bar) rolls up the sidewalks at dark. Although many things about the town have changed over the years, it still has a small town feel. If I ever get the chance, I'd move back in a heartbeat.

This entry doesn't have much to do with weight or exercise, but then, it was named The Kitchen Sink for a reason. I can throw just about anything in here.

Below is the little blurb I wrote about my dad for the memorial table.


My father spent his professional life in front of an English class and then behind a desk. But he always considered himself a man of the land and he loved working outdoors.
As soon as he came home from work he shed his business clothes and put on his work duds. Then he would go out to his gardens or tend to the few farm animals he insisted on keeping until the last few years of his life. Somewhere there is an Escalon police officer (or two or three) who remembers waking my father up at 2:00 in the morning to let him know that his cows are loose on First Street again!

(There's supposed to be a picture of two holstein cows with sunglasses and boots running in this space. I couldn't copy and paste it here for some reason.)

Now my dad farms a different patch of ground alongside his mentor, Saint Francis of Assisi.