My Friends Becoming Friends

Last year when I was here at Warren’s in Maine I invited Sheppy and Dick Vann for lunch at the HOJO’s room. Immediately they hit it off as Sheppy tends to do. Since Sheppy and Dick moved to Nashville I don’t get to see her as often as I used to in Durham so Maine seems to be our best chance to get together.  
Warren had so enjoyed Dick and Sheppy last year so he gladly agreed to a lunch out this year with them. I emailed Sheppy an invitation and she thankfully was free, but sadly Dick was not in Maine. Warren suggested we meet at a favorite diner about half way between Sheppy’s and Warren’s called the Olde Mill Diner.
It was a beautiful summer Maine day, clear and bright blue as we traveled up the Georges River Scenic Byway. The fields were vivid green with long grasses blowing softly in the breeze. Our trip was only marred by the dozens of Maine department of transportation workers who it takes to fill in a hole in the road, who hold the stop signs stopping traffic one way for at least five minutes without anyone coming the other way.
Miraculously we arrived right on time to find Sheppy standing just inside the door in front of the many homemade pies. We hugged and found a table that was the perfect place to tell stories while we had lunch. I have met my match in story telling in Sheppy Vann and Warren was perfectly entertained as we volleyed back and forth with tales about growing up, meeting our spouses and marrying.  
In all this story telling I somehow got onto the story of when I was a thirteen at summer camp and decided that I needed to give my parents a surprise fifteenth wedding anniversary party when I got home from camp. This involved my sending four special delivery letters to their best friends and asking them to provide food, invite guests and get my parents out of the house so I could set up the party.  
The one thing I did not think about was asking the grown ups to bring the adult beverages. Lucky for me and the fifty or so guest we had, my parents had plenty of liquor to serve a whole party. No wonder my favorite childhood drink was whiskey sour mix. Sheppy was able to match me story for story.

After a lunch of healthy followed by the requisite Maine desserts Warren and I sadly had to leave Sheppy. But Warren and Sheppy now left as friends, not just friends of mine and could see each other here in Maine without me. There is nothing I like more than when my friends from different parts of my life become friends with each other.