Flashback Friday — Otherwise Engaged

Flashback 21 years, many permanent waves and one unfortunate choice of eyeglass frames to February 1993.

For those who know me for the close-cropped, ever-graying ‘do I wear today, yes, I did have hair at one time. (I also still own that turtleneck; might be time to let it go!)

These pictures were a surprise — taken by John, a former co-worker of Basil’s who is also the brother of Ann, one of the women I played in the Port Chester High School band with. I met Ann at the 70th annual Blue Key/band night reunion and she told me her brother had pictures from our engagement party.

Since we didn’t have one, Basil and I scratched our heads. What could she be talking about?

We found the answer on our doorstep last weekend as we lugged dorm room purchases in from the car: a beautifully preserved album of snapshots from the party Basil’s Greenwich Post Office co-workers threw for him as he was being reassigned to the Old Greenwich Office.

He worked with a terrific group of men and women in Greenwich, hard-working, fun-loving and, thankfully, easygoing (Basil had a habit of eating lunches left unattended!).

The photos are a wonderful blast from the past and not only because we are all younger, less stressed and free of gray hair.

Basil and I had (finally) gotten engaged the month before, so the photos also chronicle one of the first public appearances of my engagement ring.

Thank you, thank you, to John for taking the photos and saving them all these years!

Catherine’s favorite is below.