Tonawanda Indian Reservation and Miss Batavia Diner with Pat

FINALLY!   My high school friend, Pat, and I arranged to get together.  We knew each other somewhat in elementary school because she lived one street away from where my family lived on Evans.  I think our mothers were friends.  But we didn't become friends until junior high at Emmett Belknap.  By then her family had moved to Eisenhower Drive.  We  were friends throughout Jr. and Sr. High and we were in the same graduating class (1967).  We went to a lot of basketball games together as well as other school events.  I guess my mother took this picture on graduation day.

At any rate, I contacted her several years ago when I started making plans to move  to Lockport.  Various things got in the way of this get together:  her husbands heart surgery, her knee replacement, and my surgeries but mostly I think it was my busyness that delayed our reunion.  TODAY WAS THE DAY!!! We arranged to meet at noon at the MISS BATAVIA DINER in Batavia.

I left an hour early so that I could explore an area I had never seen, since it was on the way to where I was going:  the TONAWANDA INDIAN RESERVATION.  I found it easily enough and drove to what I figure is the main area.  I found a restaurant I had known about:  JOANDY'S PLACE.    Here are some pictures I took:    this is JOANDY'S PLACE, and I hope to eat here someday.

In one of the shops, I purchased a huge oatmeal cookie.    I had to watch the time and I headed to Batavia a little before ll:30.  Unfortunately, I got caught up in a "wide load" which was going slowly.  But I made it to the restaurant just about noon, where Pat was waiting.

We had a great lunch (I had the turkey dinner) and talked nonstop for over two hours.  We had not seen each other in over FORTY YEARS!!!  (but it was probably only 35 years since our last contact via letter.) It was a very special time.

 We agreed to get together in the fall, in Lockport.