Back after month off

Wow! I can't believe how much has happened since my last post. Will catch you up in somewhat chronological order.

March 26: Flew to Minneapolis for the 50th anniversary reunion of my high school (Edgerton Flying Dutchmen) winning the state high school basketball championship. More about the basketball reunion later.... When we got to the hotel in downtown Minneapolis, we were among 10 of the 14 DenOuden first cousins. My sisters had rented a suite, so we had a nice area to catch up with each other. Cousins came from New York, Arizona, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, and the Twin Cities, in addition to our coming from Oregon. We were fortunate that so many folks were able to come to the cousins reunion before the basketball reunion. What great fun we had. In addition to the cousins, we visited with two pharmacists (and their spouses) I had worked with at what was then Miller Hospital in St. Paul from 1971-73, Gary Sigmeth and Doris Calhoun. It was a real treat to see them again.

March 27: Quoting from a March 24 article in the Minneapolis StarTribune, "...The Dutchmen became the state's version of 'Hoosiers' that unforgettable season [1960]. They knocked off much larger schools in winning the one-class state tournament at Williams Arena, an underdog story that still ranks as one of the greatest in Minnesota sports history...." Our celebration was billed by the Minnesota State High School League, which hosted the Edgerton and Austin teams, as the 50th anniversary of the most talked-about basketball game in Minnesota history. The teams were recognized and introduced at halftime of the large-school class championship, held at the Target Center. Eleven of the 12 Edgerton team members were in attendance. A book has been written about the 1960 team, "Edgerton: A Basketball Legend." Of course it is on the Edgerton Enterprise hardcover nonfiction best-seller list.

March 28: We flew to Phoenix, stayed with our good friends Mark and Karen Nealy in Mesa (Leisure World). Except for the winter months, they live in Woodbury, Minnesota. The next three days we went to Cactus League spring training games of the Dodgers vs. Cleveland, Colorado, and San Francisco. We visited with Toni Maas Wiarda, high school classmate and sister of my good friend Eric Vanderbush, who unfortunately succumbed to cancer about three years ago. Toni lives in Mesa. We also visited with my cousin Deona and her husband Paul VandeBerg. Deona had attended the cousin reunion in Minneapolis. Deona and Paul, like Mark and Karen, are winter snow birds in Mesa.

April 2: Flew back home to Portland.

April 4: Had Easter brunch at the Jendrzejewskis. Judy always goes all out. Got to see Pete, Tracy, and the girls.

April 6: Had a repeat MRI, the results of which were inconclusive. Will have a repeat of the repeat MRI in a couple of months.

April 7: Ali's 30-something birthday.

April 9: Andy and Ali came to Portland to celebrate her birthday. We babysat the boys Saturday evening.

April 12: We had lunch with Scott Sorensen-Jolink. Scott grew up in Edgerton and is now an attorney in Portland.

April 15: We had lunch with our friend Sue Sanger. Sue was in town to babysit her grandchildren. Sue and Jim now live in St. Louis. (Sorry the Ducks stole your basketball coach, Jim.)
April 15: The celebration of Jackie Robinson Day, marking the 63rd anniversary of his debut in the major leagues.

April 26: Tomorrow we are off to Hawaii for six days on Maui.