"Except the Lord build the house they labour in vain that build it." --Psalm 127:1

I Return To My Hometown Orlando For My 50th High School Class Reunion; Yikes! Am I That Old?! Yes, I Am…

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PLACE WHERE we lived when I was in high school.
PLACE WHERE we lived when I was in high school.
OUR HIGH SCHOOL principal Orville R. Davis
OUR HIGH SCHOOL principal Orville R. Davis OUR HIGH SCHOOL Dean Of Boys Howard S. Fleming.
I ADMIT that I have not always had with me the pride of having been an Edgewater Eagle. In fact, high school is a blur. I remember nothing of any value I learned there.
I ADMIT that I have not always had with me the pride of having been an Edgewater Eagle. In fact, high school is a blur. I remember nothing of any value I learned there.
FINALLY!, intolerance of something, according to this sign in my old high school, a sign from the local police department.
FINALLY!, intolerance of something, according to this sign in my old high school, a sign from the local police department.
THIS IS ONE of the original high school halls we walked through -- though cleaner than I remember it.
THIS IS ONE of the original high school halls we walked through — though cleaner than I remember it.
AMAZING THAT THIS was among the items on a bulletin board in one high school hall.
AMAZING THAT THIS was among the items on a bulletin board in one high school hall.
AN UNUSUAL SIGHT, I thought, at this Orlando lake - harmony in nature! --until I realized the bird is on the back of a decoy Canadian goose.SPANISH MOSS -- itŐs everywhere in Orlando.IN HIGH SCHOOL, I worked as a bag-boy in one of these stores -- 50 cents
AN UNUSUAL SIGHT, I thought, at this Orlando lake - harmony in nature! —until I realized the bird is on the back of a decoy Canadian goose.
SPANISH MOSS -- it's everywhere in Orlando.IN HIGH SCHOOL, I worked as a bag-boy in one of these stores -- 50 cents-an-hour plus all the food/beer we could steal. I did not grow up as a Christian in a Christian family. I did many bad things.
SPANISH MOSS — it’s everywhere in Orlando.
ANOTHER GOOD EATING place we frequented. In 1958, I was in the 11th grade.
ANOTHER GOOD EATING place we frequented. In 1958, I was in the 11th grade.
OUR MAIN HANGOUT -- driving through at least a thousand times on Friday/Saturday nights. Sorry these haven't come up to where I live in Maryland. Good food.
OUR MAIN HANGOUT — driving through at least a thousand times on Friday/Saturday nights. Sorry these haven’t come up to where I live in Maryland. Good food.
ME WITH CLASSMATE Theresa Hughes White who knows almost everything about everybody in our class. She helped plan a couple of previous reunions.
ME WITH CLASSMATE Theresa Hughes White who knows almost everything about everybody in our class. She helped plan a couple of previous reunions.
NEVER WENT HERE but free beer sounds like a bad idea unless the purpose is to start a riot.
NEVER WENT HERE but free beer sounds like a bad idea unless the purpose is to start a riot.
THE LOCAL ORLANDO 'Sentinel' paper has, of course, gone bilingual.
THE LOCAL ORLANDO ‘Sentinel’ paper has, of course, gone bilingual.
THE MAIN DRAG in downtown Orlando (Orange Avenue) was a two-way brick street when we moved to Orlando in 1946.
THE MAIN DRAG in downtown Orlando (Orange Avenue) was a two-way brick street when we moved to Orlando in 1946.
HOWARD JUNIOR HIGH where I went from 7th to 9th grade. The banner says it is an 'A' school -- a grade I, alas, never received when I was there.OUR HOME when I was in Junior High School -- now a business office, an architect's office, I think.
HOWARD JUNIOR HIGH where I went from 7th to 9th grade. The banner says it is an ‘A’ school — a grade I, alas, never received when I was there.
OUR HOME when I was in Junior High School -- now a business office, an architect's office, I think.
OUR HOME when I was in Junior High School — now a business office, an architect’s office, I think.
MY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL now a hangout for old folks.
MY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL now a hangout for old folks.
PAGE'S GROCERY (used to be), across the street from my elementary school, where we sat on our bikes, drank our soft drinks and opened our Topps bubblegum baseball cards to see who got which players.
PAGE’S GROCERY (used to be), across the street from my elementary school, where we sat on our bikes, drank our soft drinks and opened our Topps bubblegum baseball cards to see who got which players.
IT WAS UP AGAINST this wall where students had to stand who had misbehaved during recess in elementary school -- or so I was told. Having been a model student, I almost never stood here -- except maybe once or twice each recess period, falsely accused, of
IT WAS UP AGAINST this wall where students had to stand who had misbehaved during recess in elementary school — or so I was told. Having been a model student, I almost never stood here — except maybe once or twice each recess period, falsely accused, of course.
THE FIRST door here is to my first grade classroom. I can still go through this elementary school, tell you which room was which class and the name of all my teachers.
THE FIRST door here is to my first grade classroom. I can still go through this elementary school, tell you which room was which class and the name of all my teachers.
IN FLORIDA these types of lizards are everywhere.
IN FLORIDA these types of lizards are everywhere.
ONE OF OUR old fishing holes, this exact spot, on Lake Highland. You can't go a couple of blocks in Orlando without seeing a lake. We fished a lot.
ONE OF OUR old fishing holes, this exact spot, on Lake Highland. You can’t go a couple of blocks in Orlando without seeing a lake. We fished a lot.
ANOTHER BIG HANGOUT in high school (when we weren't driving through the Steak and Shake)-- The Youth Center (or so it was called then.)
ANOTHER BIG HANGOUT in high school (when we weren’t driving through the Steak and Shake)— The Youth Center (or so it was called then.)
A WALL WE built one summer when I was working construction -- still standing! Construction, in the Florida sun -- now that's work!, toil actually.
A WALL WE built one summer when I was working construction — still standing! Construction, in the Florida sun — now that’s work!, toil actually.
WENT TO PARK LAKE Presbyterian church. Was actually in the choir. Must have sat through scores of sermons. Remember nothing. Saved in 1980. Now am what my theological mentor Dr. RJ Rushdoony called himself, an Independent with
WENT TO PARK LAKE Presbyterian church when I was in 7th/8th grade. Was actually in the choir. Must have sat through scores of sermons. Remember nothing. Saved in 1980. Now am what my theological mentor Dr. RJ Rushdoony called himself, an Independent with strong Presbyterian leanings. Presently attending a truly Reformed Presbyterian church.
YIKES! WHAT happened to Colonialtown near one of our homes when I was growing up. Everywhere you look its like being in Saigon, South Vietnam. This was where we went religiously to the 'Vogue' theater every Saturday -- 9 cents under 12; 25 cents over 12.
YIKES! WHAT happened to Colonialtown near one of our homes when I was growing up. Everywhere you look its like being in Saigon, South Vietnam. This was where we went religiously to the ‘Vogue’ theater every Saturday — 9 cents under 12; 25 cents over 12. It made no difference what the movie was. We went regardless.
NOT SURE WHAT the point of this upsidedown building is which was near my hotel where we had our 50th high school reunion. If the point was to get attention, I got the point.
NOT SURE WHAT the point of this upsidedown building is which was near my hotel where we had our 50th high school reunion. If the point was to get attention, I got the point.
WOW! 50 YEARS since I graduated from high school? Am I really that old? Yes and yes.
WOW! 50 YEARS since I graduated from high school? Am I really that old? Yes and yes.
WENT TO A BAPTIST mega-church on Sunday (7,000 plus members). Many friends go there. Don't like full orchestra, outstanding solo singers, applause and standing ovations. Always wonder: If music/singing stinks, is it OK to boo and hiss? Don't like huge scr
WENT TO A BAPTIST mega-church on Sunday (7,000 plus members). Many friends go there. Don’t like full orchestra, outstanding solo singers, applause and standing ovations. Always wonder: If music/singing stinks, is it OK to boo and hiss? Don’t like huge screens; never know whether to look at giant man on screen or tiny real preacher on the stage. Distracting. Preacher this day gratuitously quoted several things said by Yogi Berra (must tell funny stores, he thought.) But, he did not shy away from actually quoting Galatians 5:12.
IN HIGH SCHOOL, I worked as a bag-boy in one of these stores -- 50 cents-an-hour plus all the food/beer we could steal. I did not grow up as a Christian in a Christian family. I did many bad things.
IN HIGH SCHOOL, I worked as a bag-boy in one of these stores — 50 cents-an-hour plus all the food/beer we could steal. I did not grow up as a Christian in a Christian family. I did many bad things.