JoEllen Pitt

John and I both enjoyed this trip very much. We enjoyed the dinners and visiting with classmates. It was very relaxing and we were ready for the break.  Not having to cook for ten days was hard to believe but it worked for me... the food was terrific.  I found it was interesting how much in common we all have with each other.  Aches, pains, kids and grandkids were probably the topics of conservation. There was so much to do, and dinner was always special with the group. I  especially  enjoyed all the art displays and the variety of artists. 

I really like Jim Pitts wife, sure wish they were closer.  They almost came by but just didn't have the time. LaVaune came by yesterday and I told her I was going to take her on a cruise.  I put the CD in the computer and she really loved all the pictures and seeing everyone.  We watched several times and drank hot tea.

My husband is still on farm time... that means he gets up at 5 or 5:30 AM and thinks of things we should or could do. Hopefully that will soon change. John was able to exercise and work out which was great for him.

We have moved twice since June 1st 2018. We sold both farms and built a house in Gridley which took 14 months, then the final move into the new house the week before Thanksgiving. It got pretty hectic here, very hectic actually!  With the Lord's help we did all that and then celebrated Christmas the month before we left for the cruise.  Our kids all had plans for Thanksgiving, so we invited the man that used to live in the old house that we tore down before building for Thanksgiving dinner. He called the old place home for fifty years. He was happy for the change and shared interesting stories as the old house was at least 140 years old and had been abandoned for 10 years.  He enjoyed the dinner and we his conversation, and he took food home. We see him often... he is a neighbor.

Since we have moved we are not missing all the work we left behind on the farm, but we do miss the trees and the walnuts. We are now back in my old neighborhood where I lived for 21 years with my family, before John and I married. We now live downtown in this great city we call Gridley and are adjusting to city life.  Our thoughts and prayers to all of you we have called classmates and old friends. We are wishing you all a healthy and happy new year 2019. With God's blessing we will cruise again.  Hope  to see you all in September at our 60th class reunion.

Well, thanks for all you do.

Sincerely, Barbara Moon Gately

( From Ken: Lavaune (Spratling) Bell (Class of '58) was coming on the cruise with us but had to cancel at the last minute.)

Rather than take this in a day-by-day journal, I’ll hit all the highlights of the last Grand Princess trip out of San Francisco.  It was the very best yet and deserves all the accolades I can muster. 

Of course kicking the whole thing off at Ken and Rosalee’s is always a super treat.  We all visited over wonderful breakfast sandwiches, fruit, beverages and other wonderful delicacies.    We piled into a huge black bus and with the 24 of us and our mounds of luggage it was a tight fit. 

We were left off at the pier right by check-in and in less than ten minutes we were ready to eat our way through the next ten days... and believe me, there were so many choices!  The coolest thing I did was buy a $7.00 a day soda package.  The $70.00 price... only offered on the first day of the trip... sounded pretty pricey, but boy, did I take Princess for a ride.  Not only were sodas free to me... usually $2.75 each, and I drank many...  ALL VIRGIN DRINKS WERE ALSO FREE.  Many of those were regularly $7.00 to $9.00, and I drank a bunch of every one they had!  The first night I figured I'd downed at least $25 worth and I made a point to never go less than that... I mean sometimes I had to have another pina' colada because I “needed the money”! 

All in all there were 28 in our group.  Jim Pitt had brought two couples and they were great!  We hope they will join us on our next adventure as they made great Gridley Bulldogs. 

So you now know the kinship was top notch, the food was delicious and plentiful, so I can tell you about the entertainment which was the best yet.  

The singers and dancers on the Grand Princess put on fabulous shows worthy of Reno or even Vegas!  The last one “Born to Dance” blew our minds... even passed out playbills like Broadway!!  The other shows were also wonderful.  Our only regret was that they didn’t do the “Motor City” one in the big auditorium.  It was so crowded in the Vista Lounge that we got stuck behind support poles or too far to the wings.  We could hear but not see a thing. 

We enjoyed our Cruise Director, Steve Campbell, who was the best I’ve ever had... even the funny old guy on the Alaska trip!   Steve could sing, dance, was funny, and seemed to be everywhere. He got together a glee club on the trip and they performed for us.  A few of Jim’s friends were even in the chorus!!   

Another highlight was that Lyndell Din, Ray’s wonderful wife, sang so well she was in one night’s entertainment, “Voice of the Ocean”.  There were only six chosen to perform, and they were all magnificent.  We were all so proud of Lyndell and we cheered her from the first row.  What a voice! 

Frank is still trying to figure out the magic from the magician we had perform twice on the trip!  He really was amazing and left us all with mouths agape!  If you ever get the chance to see Magic and Comedy by Ben Seidman, don’t miss it!  Amazing! 

We all got into Ray Short’s “Hooray for Hollywood” where he highlighted song and history of some of the greats.  Classics, Musicals, Romantic Comedies, The Duke, Frank Sinatra, and Elvis.  He did one the afternoon of each sea day, and we were hooked on all of them. 

Other entertainment was Cheaza ( a tribute to Whitney Houston), Greg London who did a great impersonation of so many musical artists, and so much more.  

Going under the Golden Gate is “goosebump - worthy.”  We did it with our class reunion cruise down the California coast, but this time it was amended.  Because the waves outside the bridge were up to 40 feet high, the port of SF was CLOSED!  Because of that we anchored in the bay; the weather was clear, the bay was smooth and the lights all around were so fabulous!   I was so tired I didn’t wake when we weathered the storm at 2:00 a.m.  When I awoke we were way down the coast and the ocean seemed relatively calm!  On the way home it was FLAT.....not a white cap in sight. 

We loved the 10 days. although at first we worried it would be too long.  Now I’m even up for the 15-day trip next time to Hawaii!  One thing that made our trip extra fun was, of course, being with the fun-loving alumni of Gridley High.  You guys rock! 

Grove 

Ken, thanks so much for the display of all the photos.  It made me sort of sad in a way when I was though looking at them, yet happy to review them and see everyone's face again.  Those memories are special and always will be. When you have gone from kindergarten through high school, and them many of us went to Yuba for two years, that makes quite an connection.

We certainly appreciate all the kindness that you and Rosalee have extended to us all.  Not everyone would do that, you are special people.  Thank you so much,

John and Barbara Gately

Thanks. We were able to enjoy our friends all over again. Many thanks for all, for organizational skills.

Cheerio

Peggy  Neves