Guiness Record? Penpals for over 50 Years!!

The time was 1957. I was in 6th grade at Desert View Elementary, Lancaster, California. Our class wrote the initial letter to the classmates of a school in Wisconsin. Mine probably went something like this....

Can you believe anyone would want to correspond with someone who wrote such a mundane letter? No imagination at all.

About a month later, I remember coming home from school one day in early December and saw a letter on the end table addressed to me. I looked at it and asked my Mom, "Why did I write a letter to myself?".  At that time I was using ball point pens with turquoise ink - the letter was addressed in the same color. And, oddly enough, the  handwriting was just like mine. What a coincidence, eh?

Upon opening the envelope, I was introduced to Julie Kay Steinbach from Mayville, Wisconsin. She had selected my letter as we both had younger sisters and our birthdays were 11 days apart. One of the first things I remember learning about her family was that their first names spanned the alphabet from H to M, ie, Harry, Irene, Julie Kay, Loris Mae.

Fast forward to today. Julie came in on the Sunset Ltd Amtrak Monday night for a 2 day visit.

We had lunch with Penny my longtime friend I first met in Iran in 1975.

We visited Taylor and her dogs, Teddy and Annie.

L>R Dylin, Erika, Aedin, Olsin and Julie. We had lunch in Sugar Land.

Anne and Julie with the Confederate Rose. It started blooming whilst Julie was here. White in the morning and pink in the evening.

Ciao, my good friend! "May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.”