The trip to my old Kentucky home was great! I had no expectations. Having finally learned they are mostly precursors to disappointment, I avoid them. From start to finish, my homecoming weekend exceeded any expectations I could have had.

The drive up quashed any lingering thoughts of driving myself. Between heavy rain, road construction, and the way Lexington has changed, I never would have made it. Delays added a good hour to the trip. We rolled into town just in time for 5:00 traffic.

Spending time with Robin is easy. We never run out of things to talk about and have no uncomfortable silences. If I get on her nerves, she hides it well.

She’s incredibly thoughtful. We stopped for at Burger King because I’d mentioned a desire to see if the relaunch is real (it appears to be). After I checked in, we went to Sir Pizza–a regular haunt in high school.

To keep the healthy eating trend going, my dear friend Terri picked me up for brunch at Cracker Barrel Friday. I seriously considered a salad–ask Terri–but decided it was sacrilegious and instead ordered country fried steak, biscuits, gravy, grits and over-medium eggs. Since I couldn’t graze like I do at home, I ended up losing five pounds. There’s a lesson there somewhere.

Got back to my freshly-cleaned room in time for a nice nap before the evening festivities. Got up, put on my favorite outfit for the trip, and waited outside for Robin to pick me up for a casual poolside gathering at Merrick Inn.

Didn’t wait long. Fearing construction and heavy traffic delays, she allowed plenty of time. I wanted to get there early. As soon as I’d heard about a drop-in at one of Lexington’s most popular restaurants on a Friday night, I honestly expected an over-crowded hot mess.

Hot? Yes. Mess? No. Mingling was easy because we mostly had the area to ourselves.

I ordered a margarita (my one and only cocktail all weekend) and did what we social butterflies do. By the time we left a couple of hours later, I’d talked with at least 42 former classmates–I listed them in my journal when I got back to the room and likely forgot one or two.

We had real conversations too. Some I’ve known since third grade. Many more of us survived junior high together. I was thrilled to see everyone, including a significant fraction I didn’t meet until long after high school. I may have set the world record for hugging and fought back happy tears the entire evening.

I squeezed in time with family early Saturday. My cousin picked me up (in another cute outfit) for a gathering of Mom’s side of the family. At least 50 or 60 people attended reunions growing up. A few couldn’t make it Saturday, but the eight who did sat around the dining room table with no need for card tables, tv-trays or extra chairs.

My octogenarian aunt held court at the head of the table. Four of us are her nieces and nephews, plus a spouse, and another who isn’t actually related to me but may as well be. The eighth–from the generation after mine–has grown kids of her own. Wish we could have spent more time together, but this cousin was in serious need of a nap.

I told Robin being even one minute late for the main event–the reason I came to Lexington–would piss me off. I was very nice about it. Folks at the Merrick Inn gathering told her they wanted me there at least ten minutes early. We pulled into the parking lot thirty minutes early.

Good thing. The reconnecting started right away and continued apace for the rest of the night. More than 220 people attended. I did my best to at least say hello to everyone, but fell short. Folks have since turned up in pictures who I didn’t know were there and would love to have seen.

The majority of my high school friends are women. Dozens of ex-girlfriends from as far back as fifth grade were there, including the first girl I ever kissed*. When asked, about half admitted to believing I was gay when we dated–something I didn’t figure out for several more years. That nobody ever told me is probably for the best. At the time, even Liberace was straight.

*Several girls from as early as third grade claim I was their first kiss. In each case, I had no recollection of the alleged event–even after they brought it up.

More than fifty years later, everyone knows I’m gay. Some guys came around faster than others, but nobody seems to care now. Or maybe they hide it well. As Rupaul says, what other people think about me is really none of my business.

Mavis went to the country club Thursday morning for a three-night sleepover. She spent most of the first two days at the gate looking for me. Over time, she spent less time at the gate and more time following the attendants. On the last day, she finally played with other dogs.

I was anxious to get home. We agreed Mike would pick me up at 8. He was thirty minutes early. No big deal–I was ready. We’re both early risers. Between the early start and Sunday traffic, we made great time. I picked Mavis up around 4.

The past weekend was my busiest and most social in a very long time. I survived and honestly had a ball. Mavis did fine without me. Nine months of planning paid off. Who knows? Maybe–in another year or two–I’ll feel like going somewhere else.

I’ll keep you posted. Before closing, thanks to all the people who let me know they’re fans of my blog. As always, thanks for stopping by.