My First Visitor!

written: February 25, 2008

BHS…There is something special about good ole Bellevue High School. There really is. I can’t tell you how many of us from the Class of 1990 are still friends! Its remarkable really. The same group of guys that were all best friends back in the day…well they’re still all best friends. Even the people that I wasn’t good friends with, when I see someone today from BHS, it’s always a good time…

Many BHSers didn’t venture too far from home and went to college across the lake at UW (which yes, I eventually graduated from as well..after UC Boulder, UPS in Tacoma, and studying in Italy). But then there were the rest of us who were eager to venture out and see what other states had to offer. But even visiting other states wasn’t enough for some of us with that ever present hunger for travel and exploration. Enter Russ Bossart.

Many years ago I remember hearing that Russ Bossart had moved to somewhere in China and was running his own company. Years went by and I’d hear news that he was home visiting but would always head back to his hometown, Beijing. Well, being that I too was now going to be living in Asia, I thought I should send him an email. I have no idea how far Beijing is from Hua Hin but hey, we’re both in Asia…so he’s like the only friend I have over here so I wanted to just say ‘hi.’

I sent him an email months ago and heard back from him a few weeks later. I just said, “Hey! I’m living in Asia now too. So, if by chance you ever come over to Thailand, come and visit me!” And no joke, he replied that he had planned a two week vacation in February….in Thailand! So after making a minor change in his departure date, he fit in a night in Hua Hin to visit me! We had a blast!

His taxi dropped him off right in front of my place and then suddenly, there was a familiar face grinning from ear to ear walking up to me that I hadn’t seen in at least 10 years, if not since high school! It was awesome! I took him up to my room and showed him my humble abode and then we headed out for dinner. We walked along the beach in the opposite direction of town, further down then even I had ever ventured. There were a few restaurants spread out along the beach and we eventually just picked one of them. We had a table overlooking the ocean and spent the next few hours filling each other in on what had gone on in our lives since graduating from BHS 18 years ago…we had a lot to say, you could say.

After dinner, we still weren’t caught up yet and the stories just kept coming, so we decided to head to town. We headed to do my favorite thing in town….get a massage. We asked for foot massages in adjacent chairs so we could continue with our lives’ tales…but after about 20 minutes, the words ceased and we both fell into the la-la land of massage induced relaxation. The dreaded words “its finished’ eventually were spoken so we paid a whopping $10 each after our hour of heavenly bliss and caught a taxi home. Back home he went to Beijing the next day and off to work I went. What a treat!! Thanks Russ!!
Who wants to be my next visitor?! Can you hear it….listen….the beach and the warm sunshine are calling your name! Just book your flight and tell me when! I’ll be here (but not forever)! See you soon?!! I hope so! Jody :-)