Joanne Ruby: "This is totally incredible"

This is totally incredible. Linda, thank you so much for finding us. I too can find myself near tears these days, over many things, so imagining you finding our blog and my description of the cemetery, and you holding the photo your dad sent...I can feel the rush of emotions.

These memories are soooo good: I just howled with the peas on the knife story, Nancy, and to know how that goofy father of mine came to influence ASL...I love it and I had totally forgotten. Yes, Helga yelled for dinner and Mrs. Beale had the more refined, American approach....Stan had us star gazing, and waiting for thunder: who remembers, "clap, clap, here comes, Charlie" on our front porch?

Before I go on, and tell you how much I hold dear about my childhood and our friendships, I can honestly tell you all (Ellen, Shelly & Linda in particular) that I can almost feel the pain again of saying goodbye to all of you the days before we left (Jan. 1964, we were 9). I think I somehow knew it would never be there again, and I think I knew it was near perfect -- the freedom we had to explore shaped me totally. Not just that I love cross country skiing, and all things to do with snow, or that I love meandering in streams looking for frogs and toads, or that I love being on trails, and even leaving stones as markers in hopes of someone finding me, or that I love scavenger hunts, or chasing lightening bugs, or walking on dark streets at night, or hula hooping, or having sleepovers...but that I think the fun, and adventure, and spirit we shared became who I am now: a 54 year-od still seeking fun and adventure.

I was gainfully employed and in a long career at UCSF (pediatric social work, violence prevention practitioner) until 3 years ago, when I resigned. Felt pretty ungrounded after my mom died, six months after Stan. Dan & I (both live in Piedmont/Oakand) had done some heavy duty caregiving and I needed a break. After 3 years of being mostly supported by my husband, Bill, and having the freedom to explore/ learn/ travel/ parent/ work for sensible gun laws with the Brady Campaign, I'm now back to work, at an impressive Oakland community health organization working on adolescent health initiatives. I love the Bay Area and like Meagan, am definitely well planted in CA (after leaving Chicago in '85).

So not sure we need to do a new issue of the Green Valley Gazette (was that it? it just came to me) right yet, but we could after we have a little Bay Area reunion....Meagan, on your next trip up? Shelly are you here in the Bay Area? Linda and Ellen, you could fly in...

thanks for the fun and precious memories,
joanne

ps Linda, if you can scan that photo it would be wonderful.
joanne