Roothugger Reunion Day 1

My Wife in our Hotel Room

Yesterday was more fun than I had envisioned.  I had no contact with most of these guys for nearly twenty years but we picked up our friendships as if a day had not passed.  My wife and I flew into Ft Walton Beach (really Eglin AFB) and were met by the one guy from the group who made general officer.  He and his wife (also Hispanic) along with my wife were soon conversing like it had only been a couple of days since our last contact.

That’s what makes this gang of people so special.  There was a rare form of camaraderie and like thinking that permeated our association.  That connection extended to our wives who were also incredibly close.  Our Army service kept us pretty much separated during that time but now that we’re all retired – we’ve decided to correct that.

The friend who met us had made the arrangements and we went directly to the hotel – the Marina Bay Resort.  It is a seventies vintage type hotel and most of the clientele is a little older (there’s even a shuffle board court).  We were the youngest residents but the staff was great and everything was clean and we had a room with a balcony overlooking the bay.

We linked up with another couple and we all headed out for lunch at the beach.  It was a cool restaurant with an open air second floor overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.  The company made all the difference as the Roothuggers and their wives caught up with each other.  We received periodic updates from the final couple attending who were driving down.  When we returned to the hotel that couple had arrived and the guys set out for a beer run which was entertaining in and of itself.

We spent the rest of the afternoon drinking beer and wine and having so much fun learning what we had all been up to.  To show what a great time everyone was having the hottest topic of conversation was where we were going to have next year’s reunion.  The subjects ranged from cruises (Mediterranean, Caribbean, and Alaska), sailing expeditions, Key West, Lake Powell houseboats and finally New Orleans.  I believe New Orleans eventually won.

We all piled into cars to go to the supposedly world famous Hogsbreath Inn.  This turned out to be a continuation of the fun we already started with the afternoon beer call.  The late arriving guy (and lead jokester) decided he would treat us all to a round of tequila shots.  This turned out to be a bad idea for him as he could remember only parts of the night this morning.  We ended the night back on the beach as the tequila buying friend tried to coax me into a late night swim in the gulf.   A great day.

Myself in our Hotel Room

My Wife on right Reconnecting with a Long Lost Friend

Open Air Lunch with the Roothugggers

Beer Run at Publix

My Friend on Right with Unfortunate Tequila Decision

Roothuggers Late Night Beach Crawl

Heading Back to The Cars to Prepare for Day 2