Back to Amherst

May 29th, 2012 · No Comments

Amherst

We took Grace to my fifteenth college reunion in Amherst this weekend, and we all had a great time. We arrived in Boston early Thursday morning, and after spending some time with Aimee’s family in Wellesley, we headed west to the Pioneer Valley. I stayed in the dorms while attending the fifth and tenth reunions, but it seemed like a good idea to find another place to stay with Grace and Aimee along for the trip. Thanks to a recommendation from George, we found a great B&B in town, which had the advantage of being walking distance to campus, while also being roomier and more quiet than the dorms. Add in the fact that breakfast was included, and we didn’t have to eat with any other guests (we are decidedly not good B & B people) , and it was a perfect setup.

Amherst

I predicted after my tenth reunion five years ago that the fifteenth would be “another world altogether,” and indeed it was. The entire reason for being there seemed to be to watch our kids play together. Instead of a keg, there were two bouncy houses, and the dance floor was populated by fearless little ones flailing to the music. It’s hard to describe the feeling of seeing your kids and the kids of your best friends from college playing on the quad where you spent so much time yourself almost twenty years ago, but it was a very special kind of great.

Amherst

It was really nice to see George, Anne, and Alexander again after too long, and we spent much of our time hanging out together. I also was happy to catch up with old DQ buddies as well as get to know what’s been going on in the lives of those people I only see at reunion.

Amherst

I gave a talk at the request of the organizers for my class on my Jeopardy! experiences, which was a lot of fun. We had a good audience of 60 or so people in Stirn Auditorium, back where I took every film class the college offered, and I enjoyed recounting the experience with stills, clips, and my insider knowledge. Amazingly, one member of the audience was actually a contestant when the show was being tested for NBC and appeared on the pilot once it was bought and produced. Crazy.

Amherst

George and I took our traditional Memorial Hill photo, now minus Jake for the last two rounds, so I guess he’s out. Check out 2002 and 2007.

The Memorial Hill Photo

Grace enjoyed our visit to the new Beneski Museum of Natural History on campus, and true to her expectations of all museums these days after our visit to the La Brea Tar Pits, it had a mastodon.

Amherst

It was a real joy to be able to share the experience with Aimee and Grace, and I hope we can do it again in another five years.

Amherst

Tags: Nostalgia · Photos · Travel