Can it really be 30 years since we graduated from University? Hard to belie
ve until you review all of life’s journeys since those graduation ceremonies. We spent the weekend in California to attend Diana’s 30 year Santa Clara University reunion.
I was able to meet up with Will and Finn while there. Here’s Will enjoying a drink with me at Puerto 27 in Pacifica. We laughed about the 27 (Will’s age) on the pisco sour cocktail. Having a 27 year old son is one of those life journeys that makes you 
realize that it certainly has been 30 years since graduation. The food at this Peruvian restaurant was very different and good. Will had an excellent paella and I tried these “causa masaki” – like sushi rolls but wrapped in causa which is yellow potato puree infused with lime and Peruvian ahi – yum. I met Finn the next day at one of my favorite places on Santana Row in San Jose, the Straits cafe. Singaporean food and all delicious.
On Friday we met up with Diana’s college roommate, Anna, at the Santa Clara campus. I was a tag along as they wandered the campus reminiscing. We saw the house they rented right across from the cafeteria where they worked and listened to stories about what had changed and what hadn’t throughout the campus. I enjoyed their long walk down memory lane. That evening was the reunion block party on the grounds in front of the Santa Clara mission (lit up in the background behind the girls). It was organized by year with 1986 being lightly represented – good fun nonetheless.
Saturday was the main event – a dinner dance in the University rose garden. Dinner was in tents throughout the rose garden area. Very pretty and we were joined by Anna’s husband Bill. Diana ran into a few old classmates – one, Simona, who was a first year roommate in the halls of residence – they could point to the exact location of their room. I enjoyed watching reunions of friends that hadn’t seen each other in 15 or 20 years. The band in our area wasn’t playing music that we particularly enjoyed and so we investigated the other areas – the class of 1971 seemed to have the best music and be having the most fun and so we joined them for a while.
A leisurely coffee with Anna (and ultimately Bill) on Sunday morning and then it was off back to San Francisco airport for the trip home. Here’s a picture of the view from Diana’s Mom’s house on Gypsy Hill in Pacifica (about 10 minutes over the hill from the airport).
