Canal Zone Memory Poem...and A Night in the Tropics

Below is a poem that was in the Panama Society Museum at Charlie's reunion...
It speaks simply and beautifully of days gone by from the 'age of innocence'...

The Memories that we have of you
Will always be with us.
You were our home, but now you're gone
Remember you we must.
We won't forget the lush green grass
We ran through every day,
The mango trees, the majestic palms,
And places we would play
We won't forget the doodle bugs,
The giant beetles too,
The skating rink, the clubhouses,
And most of all the schools.
We won't forget the fishing trips
And going to the beach,
And picking mango's off the trees,
As high as we could reach.
We won't forget the cardboard sleds
And playing on the street,
We won't forget the theaters,
And bowling alleys too
The Post Office and Commissary
Or where we bought our shoes...
You see, there is so much of you!
That we will always cherish.
You were our home, our home sweet home
To us you will never perish...
You now belong to someone else
But the memories of you we own...
I'll say good-bye but I will never forget
The good ole...Canal Zone...
By: Celina Barkema Vargas

Many of Charlie's classmates spent their glorious youth in the Canal Zone...
One such classmate gave me a book he wrote recently called,
" A Night in the Tropics " by Louis Joseph Barbier
I enjoyed it tremendously.... (Thanks, Louis:)
kinda/sorta a W.E.B. Griffin (THE PRESIDENTENTIAL AGENT)
or Wilbur Smith tale of adventure...
Go to link below to see Louis's book...
http://www.geocities.com/barbier840louis/A-Night-in-the-Tropics.html
Classmates...consider the Jan.17-27, 2008...IN PANAMA REUNION....the rates are great....and a walk down memory lane is a guarantee!
Check your 'keepsake brochure' from the Orlando reunion for more details...
Sea Ya!