And now Batman’s 30th high school reunion is complete. The starting event was a picnic in the city park. Is there anything more beautiful than a 16 quart cooker full of pulled pork? I must also mention the full-sheet cake with a depiction of the old Challis High School building rendered in buttercream icing in the school colors. Melanie ran into a fellow Whovian. Clean-up was done in record time due to a brief micro-burst of wind and rain that blew through the park, snapping the canvas on the pavilion with a heart stopping crack every 30 seconds or so.

The main event was the cocktail supper at the Y Inn. Amazing appetizers and school memorabilia decor, enhanced by leftover twinkle lights and tulle from “someone’s wedding reception a couple months back.” The silent auction and other donations raised over $800 more for the scholarship fund that Batman started this year in memory of their six classmates who have passed away. Batman got the award for having travelled furthest, as well as the award for having the youngest child. Good job, Batman, getting that done all by yourself! Hahaha!

Breakfast this morning at an alum’s home was the wrap-up. My children appreciated the plentiful bacon and giant flapjacks.

This afternoon, Batman took his boys up Peck’s Hill, an infamous site of track & field torture in high school, especially for the distance runners. You will notice from the photos that Melanie and I are safely ensconced in the Funvee, completely free from the temptation to run up a sizable dirt hill.

Afterwards we stopped to visit with one of Batman’s former employers (he of the notorious sprinkler pipe, now an aged rancher of 83 years, which means he was close to Batman’s current age when he first hired Batman!) Then we had pizza and bowled at the local bowling/pizza/video rental/ice cream establishment. We’re pretty good, considering we only bowl when we come to Challis. Not really. We are quite unskilled. Sad, actually.

Henry stayed by himself in the camper and did very well. We alerted the neighbors and asked them to contact us if a crisis arose. And he learned to drink directly from a water bottle. Weird.