Today was Trudy’s last day at work. Two weeks ago, we had a celebratory luncheon for her at Marciano’s, in Galleria Pointe. The lunch was for her fortieth anniversary and was on the company’s dime. At this event, one of the office wags asked her publicly, if she was now going to retire. Trudy said no, but then just two weeks later, today, after cake and Ted Drews (this is Saint Louis after all), she walked out the door for good.
I’ve worked with Trudy for only the last few years, but our paths must have crossed years ago, when I first moved to Saint Louis. We both worked in the same laboratory and both worked for Larry, the same boss. I still see Larry regularly, we share Rep tickets on the same night. Trudy asked me to tell Larry of her retirement, when next I see him.
I’ve worked professionally for over thirty-five years now. Retirements like Trudy’s keep me thinking about my own. I have another retirement cake ceremony to attend tomorrow and another fortieth anniversary celebration next week. These constant reminders of retirement by friends and colleagues are coming at an increasing tempo, as me and my co-workers grow old.
Question: What are the three best things about teaching?
Answer: June, July and August
Anne is enjoying the three best things about teaching these days at her family’s cabin on the shore of Lake Superior. I’ll rejoin her soon enough, but only briefly at the cabin. This return trip is all about bicycling. We’ll be doing 350+ miles in just one week. To this end, Anne’s photos with this post are from her latest training bike ride. Included are pictures of the old Soo Township Hall, in desperate need of repainting, some horses along six-mile, the ubiquitous sunset photograph and a Warbling Vireo, head poking out of its new nest. Harry stood on the cabin’s deck railing to peer into the nest, only to find it still empty. Gene squawked at his antics and rightly so, in my humble opinion. When I was last up there, that railing seemed awfully wobbly. Not shown are donkey and alpaca pictures that Anne felt weren’t very good. I was especially hopeful for the alpaca photos, because they had been shorn, except for their legs. I envisioned a parody of aerobic dancers in woolen leggings.