...........in the year 1958, lived a very fortunate group of special young people, in the sleepy little town of Port Angeles. All grown up, they were sent out into the world to seek their fortune. Little did we know how much we would mean to each other 44 years later- gray hair, arthritis, grandkids, wrinkles, and all.

AND....Let me tell you that the "Class of 58" still knows how to party. The official opening of Campout 2002 began on Friday evening (August 2nd) underneath our gaily decorated 10' x 20' canopy lit by Tiki Torches, with 50's-60's recorded mood music by Bob Hansman, a five gallon bucket of Margaritas ( and other liquid refreshments) and 3 picnic tables crammed with more food than you can possibly imagine. Everyone wore their version of Margaritaville attire, a charming mix of Hawaiian, floral and 60's funk and generated our own aura of love, friendship, and memories. What a beginning to a perfect weekend. We had sunshine, rain, a little wind, laughter, tears, too, hugs, and campfires way into the night, with the constant murmur of the Lyre River to lull us to sleep.

Saturday started off with 3 more tables of food for breakfast, starring fried Razor clams by Bob Nelson. Oh, they were tender, tasty treats---and were gone in three minutes or less. (He did a repeat performance on Sunday, too, so nobody got left out.) The rest of the day was taken up with hiking to the beach, talk, more food and talk, Bills Memorial, (see InaRae's moving account and pictures on the Classmates page), the Joyce Days Blackberry Festival and Parade, and in the evening we gathered again to eat and draw old friends about us awash in memories.

One of the subjects we discussed was next years Gala, the 45th reunion of the "Class of 58", about which you will receive a flyer in January, if not before. During the weekend, we passed the hat, and our generous members donated seed money for whatever deposits and projects need to be done in preparation for that. If you have any suggestions or would like to work on a committee please contact one of us.

We also have "Class of 58" tee shirts and sweatshirts available to anyone who wants one, just look on the website for the instructions on how to order. The highlight of the Campout, at least for me, was the "Mooning of Pete Kelly" on his departure. To find out about that, you will have to come to the next meeting (first Friday evening of every month, at the Bushwhacker. 7:00 p.m.) or next years reunion. Never let it be said that the girls of the "Class of 58" were bashful.

Monday, the 5th, the RV's reluctantly began to head out, and by Wednesday, only Bob Hansman, myself, and InaRae and Bill were left, so we packed it up, too. By the way, Bryce Davis and his lovely wife drove up just after everyone had left. We had a great visit and broke bread with them. They were disappointed that they had to miss everyone and said to say hi for them.

It was truly the most wonderful love fest ever, and those fledgling children of 1958 have come a long way. Next year will be even bigger and better.

Stats:
We took up 22 camping spaces in the Park.
36 classmates attended.
We drank 5 gallons of Margaritas, plus.
8 classmates were from Queen of Angels School. (We got some pictures of this group, so watch for them on the website)
63 people were in attendance, as close as I can tell from my list, counting spouses, friends, kids and grandkids. That is a very rough estimate. 64, if you count Bill, who for sure was with us.

Susan Wilder Loan