Rencontre Temiscaming - en Floride

Photos.

The girls

It's always fun to get together with friends from my hometown of Temiscaming, Québec. Fifty years ago or more, many of us left town. I went to Montreal where I spent the next 17 years. Many others settled in the Ottawa area, and our companions yesterday were all from the national capital region; Bob pointed out that he -- the only non-Canadian in the group -- was in the minority.

Because of social media, most of us know one another better today than we did as teenagers. That is certainly the case with the women at yesterday's lunch at Billy's Stone Crab. The group is a little different from year to year, but we  really keep up with one another on Facebook and via email, so there isn't that much catching up to do.

Our table

The conversation tends to move to long ago events in our hometown and the mood sometimes gets a little intense and emotional. I always marvel at how far we've come ... and how that little town has  left such a profound and lasting impact on our lives. I sometimes forget the details of Temiscaming families, and, as always, I learned a lot about the present during our discussion of the past
.

Our husbands have gotten to know each other over the years too. Yesterday, they chatted amicably or simply watched "the girls" talk. We went our separate ways just as the evening "early bird" diners were moving in, lingering a little in the parking lot, reluctant to move on too quickly.

Enjoyable and satisfying.