2007 Anaco and San Tome Reunion

Hi, folks. Another year has come and gone and it is once again time to start planning for the trip to Austin. 2007 was an exceptionally good year, if I may say so, but I feel sure that, with a little help from you “lurkers” out there, it could be an even bigger hit. The location has stayed the same, so those of you who have attended before will be right at home. The room rates have also stayed the same, $69 per room, but you need to remember to mention the reunion to get that rate.

As you will see from the enclosed photograph, once again, the highlight of the weekend was Johnny Howland’s paella. This year, however, he managed to drag his whole family with him, Maggie and the kids, and it was great to see them again. We also had some notable ex-Anacoites I need to mention. Libby Boor had been to reunions in the past, but it had been quite a while. This time she brought her son, who seemed to have a good time, even if he was saddled with a bunch of OLD PEOPLE like us – how about another trip, Juancito? We’d love to have you again. And Sheila Riewer! What a terrific surprise. We hadn’t seen each other since our Anaco days and I’m happy to report that neither of us has changed a bit! Of course it is a good thing we wear nametags at these functions. Sheila decided to fly in at the last minute to join her mom and dad, Jerry and Maxine, who came to see their friends the Hetheringtons, among others. See how this works? If any of you who receive this letter think, oh, well, just another reunion, nobody will miss me, please think again. The great part about these get-togethers is that the attendance of just a few different people over the years totally changes the outcome. Libby had a terrific time talking to Paul Parker, ex- teacher in Anaco as well as San Tomé. I hadn’t seen Libby since she was a kid, and again, those nametags and people pointing you in the right direction just don’t hurt a bit. She was delighted to see her idol Vicky Hetherington again. Speaking of dragging kids to these things – Vicky’s been dragging her two to Austin for longer than they can even remember, and guess what, just like Johnny Howland’s kids – they aren’t kids anymore! Senga Kurtz didn’t make it this time- the first time in a long time, I might add, but Linda brought their mom, Ruth, who, as always was the life of the party. Jake Howland was there heading up the Howland clan and supervising Johnny’s paella making. The Akins boys and their wives showed up, as did Judy Bell and her handsome son Anthony – always good to have a few good-looking bachelors around. I twisted Kathy Gordon’s arm into coming all the way from Florida, as did her hermanito Philip and his better half, Jan. They’ve been faithful attendees for years.

The San Tomé crew was much better represented than Anaco, as it has been for the last several years. Christie and Spike McMillan are among our regulars, as are the Rittenberrys, Bills, Bonds, Bumpasses, Bowmans, Sowards, Idels, Dale and Cecilia Overmeyer, the Litlefields, and so many others that I can’t include them all in this short letter. Another interesting twist is that we are getting other Venezuelans or Venezuelan expats, who may never have lived in either Anaco or San Tomé, but who want to meet people with whom they have one thing in common, a love for Venezuela, pase lo que pase. We hope that they will all be spreading the word to other friends, and who knows what the 2008 Reunion will bring. One thing I can guarantee is a good time, and good food. Last year we had all the areperas going, and blew the breakers in one of the bedrooms. Who knew they pulled that much current?! We had plenty of white cheese, carne mechada, and everything else you can imagine. We had a whole committee of ladies making arepas as fast as they could: Judy Bell, Ondina Day, and the unstoppable Sra. Sara Garcia among others. We just got out of their way and let the pros do it. The one thing we did miss was the live entertainment we’d had the year before. Johnny did take a little time off after his paella making to play his guitar, but after that we had to resort to recorded Venezuelan music, and Vicky Hetherington, Judy Bell and a handful of other energetic dancers entertaining us with their rather untraditional version of the joropo, otherwise known as the “stomping on cucarachas” dance. Johnny and Maggie Howland, at least, didn’t embarrass themselves on the dance floor, but the rest of us just looked on in admiration!

For all of you who will be attending the reunion this year, I look forward to seeing you in Austin. For those who do not plan to come, for whatever reason, you will be missed, and we will be thinking of you. If you’ve never attended before, we generally trickle in on Friday. We’ll start accumulating food and supplies in the Trinity Room. Everyone is encouraged to bring something to eat. The reunion fund will provide the paper products and most condiments. We have several coolers, but lots of folks bring their own as well. We’ll have access to fridges and microwaves for reheating, and the hotel has always been very helpful in supplying anything else we need.

Again, the time and the place to be: mark it on your calendars and make your reservations now:

HOWARD JOHNSON PLAZA HOTEL
7800 North IH-35
AUSTIN, TX 78753
TEL: (512) 836-8520
+1 (866) 661-6611
JULY 24 – 27, 2008

If you need any more information from me please feel free to send me a note, or send me an email at venreunion@att.net. My home phone is (972) 317-7440. I will not be sending out mailing lists unless you contact me and specifically request one. The updated list will be ready for the reunion.

I look forward to seeing many of you in Austin, and for those of you who don’t make it, we will be thinking of you. You will be missing quite a fiesta.

Hasta pronto,

Carolyn Lowrey