Dorothy Woods:  

Life While graduating from UCB,I got married and graduated from Fresno where my husband lived. I taught fifth grade in Clovis for 4 years. It was a wonderful teaching experience, but I missed the Bay Area. We settled in Oakland. I taught in a private pre-school and Kindergarten, Circle Preschool in Piedmont, until my youngest was in seventh grade, then switched back to the public school system (I'd gotten a divorce after 20 yrs.) We had had a lot of fun, but I felt the boys were growing up faster than he was. ) I had a wonderful time after my divorce, (felt I'd been let out of jail or was having the fun I'd like to have had during all my school years). I have been teaching high school in San Lorenzo ever . since. ( I retired in 6/2005) I'm still in the Bay Area, finished raising two boys who are now 36 and 40, and I am now the proud grandmother of a seven year old boy. I retired in 6/05 and hope to travel, although I also want to be around for my grandson. I prefer the outdoors in my travels rather than the tourist spots. And it's handy because my oldest son was just named Captain of the Yosemite Nat'l Park Firestation! I automatically have a room anytime I want! I'm still quirky with a weird sense of humor and proud of it. It helps weed out the truly close friends from acquaintances. Wish I could find out about an old friend, Pat Tuft and her parents. They played such an important role in my life as a teenager. (I would also love to hear from more of my former students. I still remember them and think of them often!!!!) And every once in awhile I even hear from my first classes in Clovis whose children are graduating from college now!!) There are some things I would change if I could go back, but that would eliminate so many good things that also happened!! They're so intertwined.. I'm moving to Oakhurst in the summer of 2008, so I'll only be 1 hr. from Yosemite. It'll be like living in the mountains, which I love, but it is lso a big enough town not to have withdrawals from things I'm used to in the Bay Area. And Fresno is only one hour away in the other direction. I still plan to visit my friends in the Bzy Area and hope to do alot of camping in National Parks I've never visited and camp in Canada also. UNFORTUNATELY, this dream isn't working out. I chose to sell my place too late. I took out a loan, fixed the house like new, and the market screwed up my plans. I refuse to sell my house for what it would be going for now......and then in July I broke my back on a cement step edge!!!! I'll take childbirth anyday. And it takes so long to recover, and it makes me fearful of doing things where I could fall again. The doc said absolutely paralysis from the waist down because this fracture went right up to the spinal cord. And since I've always been a tomboy, I feel like I'm losing my identity. Hopefully this will change as I improve. One good thing is all the reading I'm getting to do. And , you ertainly find out who is truly a friend in hard times. I have become a great aunt, thanks to my only niece. And now two years later, she...Expand for more