Jefferson and I

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Originally uploaded by bonniemomof5

Saturday, which also happened to be the 4th of July, I met a long ago school chum for lunch.
Years ago in a galaxy far away Jeff and I attended elementary school (Crystal Springs Elementary in Bothell, WA) and junior high (Canyon Park Jr. High also in Bothell, WA). Growing up together, everyone used to think we were brother and sister. How many people have red hair and freckles like we did? And to make matters worse we both played the violin. We sat next to each other in orchestra. Had several of the same classes and teachers.
So, a 6 months ago, I was on Facebook and looked up some of my long lost friends. He was a very memorable one -we used to fight and compete with each other.
Well, it turns out he's been living relatively close by for several years now. Jefferson lives in Studio City and is in the film industry. In fact, he has even made his own movie, which he is just about ready to release on the internet. I guess that is how you get noticed and start to break your way in with the big league film makers.
A couple months ago on Facebook, Jefferson announced that he is moving to London in August. He is going to attend film school there for his Master's degree. And, since I live this close, I wanted to take the opportunity to visit with him before he moves.
So we arranged to meet at an English pub called Fox and Hounds Pub and Grille in Studio City. It was a delightful lunch. My son Steven came along for the ride and the food. I got to eat some things I have never tried before. We had a pastie with potatoes, onions, and cheese, it was like a calzone the way all the stuff was baked and all steamy inside and it also reminded me of a pot pie. It had that kind of a flaky crust - yum! Steven and I shared it. And for dessert we had Treacle. It was delicious. Treacle is kind of like a spice cake. It had a pineapple type glaze on top and was served with vanilla cream sauce. It was served warm right out of the oven. I'm getting all hungry just describing the food!
We spent 3 hours chatting and reminiscing. It was a rare treat. It was wonderful visit and hear about my friends in Washington.
When we moved from Bothell, WA down to Sutter Creek, CA, I left behind all my friends and my orchestra days. Sutter Creek didn't have an orchestra program.
So after playing the violin for 5 years, I gave it up. I loved playing. I never had private lessons so I learned incorrect technique and posturing. But I loved the music and being a part of a whole. It was amazing to me when all the parts combined, what beautiful music we could make. We played in several festivals and competitions. We won some awards even. Our conductor/teacher was Mr. Clark. He was a very good man. He was a great teacher. How he was able to take a group of junior high kids and mold them into a cohesive unit and a functional orchestra is beyond my imaginings. But, he did.
So, that is the one of the most fun things I have done so far this summer. It was a rare adventure. When I contacted Jefferson, I didn't want him to think I was a weird stalker or anything. I was just curious about him and his life and wanted a chance to visit.
Peter was very generous. He had no desire to go anywhere or do much on the 4th. He had a lot of grading and curriculum development to do. So, he stayed home with the remaining kids and Steven and I went off to lunch. It was a memorable afternoon where we shared many fond memories of childhood! Thanks Jeff.