57th REUNION Grass Valley

Grass Valley, California is where the Pirates met for our 57^th Reunion.  Curt Colagross lived there and was very familiar with the town and had a few recommendations for us. As the date moved within two weeks, Curt called and said he had moved to Reno but would definitely be there. I finally settled on the Courtyard Suites a short walk from downtown.  The people that run it are fabulous and very kind.  One time as I walked in I saw the ladies at the counter smiling and I noted the loud sounds from the “breakfast room”.  I immediately apologized and said I think we were a bit too loud.  They all objected and said they were enjoying our classmates and found us to be a fun bunch.  Every morning they laid out breakfast for us which even included omelets made in waffle irons…your choice of fillings.  The rooms were very nice and the weather was good.

That night we went to “Tofanelli’s Gold Country Bistro”, a recommendation by Curt.  We were sitting in a room off to the side so it was private and it looked out onto a garden setting.  The food was great and we enjoyed catching up.

The next day some of us traveled to the Empire Mine.  I had received an email from our January classmate, Jack Laird, that he lived up there and was a tour guide at the Empire Mine.  He arranged to take our group around which was great because he opened doors and took us to places not in the regular tour.  It is such beautiful country and was very worthwhile.   Some of the others went wine tasting to some local spots. That night we walked down to Maria’s Mexican Restaurant where they took us to a loft space where there was a very long table and no room to walk around but it over-looked the floor below.

Saying good bye is not fun and since there was uncertainty for the following year due to the beginnings of the pandemic around the world.  Stay safe until next time.