Thursday, December 24, 2009

Merry Christmas Masquers


Masquers always knew that the true worth in Christmas wasn't about money, how we came together with craziness and love. I have fond memories of Christmas gatherings and "caroling" from Ship.

Merry Christmas to all!

Here is a picture of my husband getting a tree...

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Dr. Colley at 70.


Doran - via Catherine - put out the word from Susan Colley that Big T.C. had completed his seventh decade of life, and was marking the occasion by soliciting as many birthday cards as humanly possible.
Here he is with 65 cards! Got this photo, along with a very nice thank-you note.
Part of it said: "I mentioned your name to my golf buddies, Bob Eggleston and Jack Magaro, and they both remember you. Susan and I are doing well and enjoying life."

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Perry County


I was in Perry County this weekend and thought of you all. Would it be fun to camp at Fowler's Hollow next June? The creek photo was taken there on Sunday. If you'd be interested I'd send you information.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

How Did You Spend Your Summer Vacation?

I'm really just posting this to annoy Lara. I've been promising to get her copies of these photos since July. Tee Hee.

This summer Maizie, David & I spent a week with the Lutz Scott's at their cabin on the Pennsylvania-Maryland border. Insert banjo music here. There is indoor plumbing, but other than that, it's pretty dang rural. No inter-web, cable tv or telly phone. It was heaven.

Master of his domain.



If you look closely, you can count three kids in this slide.


Liam, I remember when he was just a baby, now he's just a babe.

Gretchen and her shadow, Maizie.



Water fights in the crick were a serious problem, mainly because it was the parents who started throwing the rocks.


Our Monty, the lab, and John & Lara's Tasha. This was Tasha's last visit to the cabin. She passed away a few weeks after this was taken.


How else do you expect to eat when you are in the middle of nowhere. Sadly, it was a vegetarian week, since it was only an air rifle.


Sunday, October 18, 2009

Trixie Trip

Constance started the 'Fall Thematic Event' so here is an addition.
Last Sunday was a beautiful New England fall day. We loaded up the minivan and headed to Mystic Aquarium, and yes there really is a Mystic Pizza. It was sunny and cool, but not nearly as cool as we were.

Maizie, me and David. Maizie too interested in throwing herself into the seal pool to pose for the camera.
Some seals, whatever, let's get back to more pictures of us.
Us inside the aquarium. I think there's fish or some junk behind us.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

People post here.

So, what does fall mean at YOUR house?

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Fall and tongues...







It's fall and that means band, parades and soccer at the Case house. If you enlarge the soccer pic you'll see that not only does Luther have his tongue out so do 3 other children. And Harrison, of course, ruining my photos....

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Now that everybody's too busy Facebooking to check this blog ...

... you can find my new blog on Blogger called "Talk about the Passion."
Here's a quick and easy url to get there: http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/reporter/bbingaman/blog.html

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Our visit to the Bebey-Millers, or is it Miller-Bebey's or is it Lisa's Kingdom?


On our way to Maine, Stuart, Vera and I got to stop and spend the night with Lisa, David and Maizie. My first look at Maizie and all reports are true, she is adorable!

Here's David and Maize eating some delicious cardboard.... mmmmm!!!


Vera showing off her culinary talents.


It looks like Vera has her doubts on Lisa's cooking talents!


What a great family. One of these days I'll learn that when i take a picture, take the empty booze bottles out of the way.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Hershey Kiss


Lisa, Constance, and I will be at Hershey Park with our families on August 15th. Don't know about the night before...or night after... however, I'm sure there will be lots of kisses for anyone who can be there-- and not just the chocolate kind.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

August 15-Or Else


Hey Gang,
Masquers have been on my mind alot lately, not to mention my couch. Last weekend Scott just happened to be in the neighborhood, so he Stuart, and Vera got to experience the luxury accommodations of Chez Bebey Miller. Maizie LOVED Scott. She must have known he was an Au Pere.

Last night Constance and her clan crashed, not literally at the Chromiak Rhones fabulous new house. While having breakfast with the gang this morning, Constance swatted Chris & I with her Day Runner Calendar until we picked a date for Hershey Park--Yes, sorry those of you who had your hearts set on Euro Disney.

Sooooo, Here it is,
August 15, 2009


Don't be silly, we don't have any more details right now. You'll have to drive up here and smack us around to get more info.

And if anyone sees Galen, tell him his couch is going to be full that night.




Saturday, May 30, 2009

Musings

Hello Masquers! 
Michelle Kinney (Flanagan now) just saying hello! Thank you to Lisa Bebey (aka super wonder mom) for creating such a great blog! Looking at several of the pictures/stories/families made me laugh and cry. You are all such hearts of gold and its so nice to know that many of you are well. I rarely get a chance to email, much less blog, but I was feeling sentimental (that 20 year after college thing) and was thrilled to find that Lisa had created this page with all your contributions. 
I am currently very happily married 13 years now with two wonderful boys ages 6 and 8. My husband Sean and I are still in New Jersey (yes, good lord, we actually stayed here). I went back to graduate school and received a teaching degree, and was teaching here in NJ for about 9 years (Yes, English and Drama!!! Is anyone surprised that I used Doc's enunciation techniques all the time in class? :)) Anyway, I will be returning to teaching in September......blah blah- I hope that you all doing great. It looks it. What a fresh breath of summer air you all are. Well, maybe not Mykel Barbella, but the rest of you, for sure. 
Be well. 

Friday, May 22, 2009

A few words from Doc

I emailed Doc last year.  This is the reply I got.  I may have posted it already, but all the TV shows are on summer reruns, too.  So there.

Dear Lisa:
So nice to hear from you. Yes, I'm still at Ship, the longest serving faculty member here. Ergo, I get to carry the Mace each commencement. When anyone asks me when I will retire, with one eloquent gesture I reveal my physical, mental and emotional age ,as I scratch my head with my extended middle finger. I'm still having too much fun. In my profession, if you retire, you're dead. Perhaps you are not aware, there are other groups of Masquers who hold reunions. Chief among these are the annual gatherings in Columbia, Maryland, celebrating Sheri Cohen's extended remission from Hodgekin's Lymphoma. I do attend these. As for creativity, look me up in YouTube. Search for william20326 and you'll find lots there. My most successful muisc video is "Maria Maria", over 15000 hits so far. Unhappily I have yet to exceed Chris Crawford's tearful plea on behalf of Britney Spears or a notable Mindanao Island's prison population's dancing en masse to Michael Jackson's "Thriller". But we'll see. And then of course you will find many other comments about me in a web site called "Ship Underground". Ah, the minutes will pass by like hours. Believe it or not, they have temporarily moved me back to my old Masquers office in the rear of MA. This summer, however,  I'm back in Dauphin, third floor this time. Doug Bietsch is collecting data as experienced by old timers like you over the twenty or so years since he himself started with the club. He concludes that we certainly had an influence over quite a number of people. Doug would like to hear from all of you.
Dr. Kingsley

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

The Sentinel Online : News : Local : Shippensburg graduates urged to use their talents

Hello Masquers -

I was feeling sentimental & googled Doc. Here is a picture of him from this year leading the graduates. How does he look so much older? Didn't time stop when we all left Ship? I wish he would join our blog...or Facebook!

The Sentinel Online : News : Local : Shippensburg graduates urged to use their talents

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Just Wondering

Chris & Jeff spent their honey moon at Dutch Wonderland.  Is anyone surprised? No, not really.  I remember my grandparents taking me as a kid. It is geared to smaller kids, no Rotor like Hershey Park.  But can any of us still ride those rides anymore without popping a case of drammamine first?

After a careful re-examination of Chris' original email thread, it seems more people do favor Dutch Wonderland--except for Scott and his lazy ass who wants us to come to Kennywood.
A Dutch Wonderland Stay puts us closer to Galen's house, which he has unbelievably offered to host some pre or post park festivities.  He doesn't know it yet, but we are showing up with our tent for the night.

I know, I know, who doesn't love chocolate?  But who among us doesn't also love a good dose of kitsch?  And it doesn't melt in your mouth, or hands.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

So Many Things To See And Do, Good Times To Be Had

Chris would be writing this blog post herself, except she's  busy with the house she and Jeff just bought Thursday, and with the poison ivy they got from rolling around in their new backyard.

A few days ago she started contacting people about a reunion this summer.  Nothing specific,  just putting out feelers to see if anyone is interested.  It seems quite a few people are.  
Are you?

Hershey Park is the current favorite, despite the popularity of Dutch Wonderland (which Bob was disappointed to learn was still open, he was all excited about visiting an abandoned amusement park), and Euro Disney.

I think early August is a good time to try to get together.  Anyone have any thoughts?

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Dreaming

I have a distinct memory of sitting around the lunch table at Kriner Diner with you all discussing how it would be when we had children. I mean actual offspring--not just when we would act childish after too much grain alcohol and red punch.  It was a happy day dream, all of us riding around in a school bus.  Bob Brown would be the bus driver.

Oh, the cold hand of reality has hit. Maizie is 2.5 and all of her friends are stuffed animals.  I know, she and Suri Cruise should hang out together.  She is at a babysitters twice a week, and has more playdates with other kids when she's there, than when she's with me.  I've been reduced to internet 'Play-Dating'.  I joined MeetUP.com so I can meet people with kids. Working in theatre, I don't know a whole lot of people with kids.  How strange.

I went to my first 'MeetUP'.  It's very hard for me to say that and not go into hysterical laughter.  It's very wacky to walk up to a stranger's door with your toddler's little hand in yours, and hard not to think-"I wonder if these people are axe murderers. David doesn't know where I was going. How fast can I run carrying a 2.5 year old?".

She was not an axe murderer.  The only thing scary was the army of baby toys that beeped, lit up, whistled, sang, and hummed.  We are relatively battery free in the toy department--despite the best efforts of Lara & John.  It's surreal to be in a room full of these noisemakers.  I suppose the up side is, you always know where your kid is, from the amount of automated sounds in the room.  

The playdate was going really well, until I saw Maizie start to jump on the big comfy looking sofa.  I said in my authoritative  Doc Kingsley trained diaphragm dog training style voice,  "Maizie, NO."  I could see the other mom's mentally putting a check in the negative box of my playdate score card.  I didn't scream at my kid, but I wasn't using the 'ducky, bunny, hunny woodums' voice that some prefer.  Luckily, I brought brownies, so my membership status wasn't revoked.

I just wish  we all lived a little closer so we could all play together.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Who is this?


Does anyone know who I'm sitting next to in this photo? Just curious.
Thanks. Oh, and that really isn't a Keystone I'm holding. I would never be caught dead drinking such swill from a can.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Funny how ... time flies

2008 meant 20 years since forming an alliance with the Masquer miscreants. It also marked a related milestone of 20 years out of Souderton Area High School.
In what's been a mixed emotion project, I'm helping to put together a somewhat belated 20 year reunion for my class in May. It's actually closer to the 21st anniversary - haha.
Two of my classmates, two of their colleagues, and I are in a band called Fish Relics. We're pretty good ;) I'll post photos when I get them.
Every so often at band practice, the guys I went to high school with would wonder aloud what was up with the big 2-0. By August, we realized for certain that none of our classmates had done anything substantial toward earnestly planning a reunion. Maybe there is something to that slacker Gen. X stereotype.
Lead guitarist Pete Licona and I got the ball rolling by e-mailing everybody we could think of. The word spread.
Oh yes, Facebook has played a role. But I'm still not a convert.
Even with all this supposedly helpful technology, I still have to mail out some 124 invitations the old fashioned way.
This thing has put me through some wicked mood swings. There are days I get depressed and say: "What am I doing this for? Is this really a part of my life that's worth revisiting?" Other days, there's a cheerleader in my head ("Which one?," quips Pete) that says: "Yeah, but if you pull this off, nobody can dare declare you the Mayor of Loserville ... ever."
Wish me luck!
Fish Relics will be playing the reunion, and one song I'm particularly looking forward to singing is "Head Over Heels" by Tears for Fears.
You might be interested to know that I just got my hair styled into that shag haircut like when I grew it really long in 1990.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Friday, February 6, 2009

Is it safe?


Happy Happy Birthday, You Spring Chicken, YOU!

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Happy Birthday Christine Lu!

I'm at work so I don't have any fun old pictures of Chris. But I found this one and it says Chris to me.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY< Chrissy Lou!!!