Parties

Parties at the lab were a great tradition at SAL.  Interesting and fun, of course, such that we want to be there, yet frequent enough that there was no pressure to show up; easy-going enough to turn into sub- and post-parties, perhaps heading over to the Terrace; and oddly productive in that we often continued to discuss work, even solve real problems amid the socializing.

I recall best the Christmas parties, mostly because it was fun to see what everyone had come up with for tree ornaments.  Paper creations, random objects, clippings, even some actual Christmas ornaments on occasion.  Dig as I can, I can't find any photos from any of those parties.  We really should have taken a photo of that tree each year.

Last year a few of us got together (mostly at Sam's urging I think) for a little Christmas reunion, this time in Sterling Hall near where the lab now resides.  From left, Jen, Sam, Kay, Marilyn, Jeff, Kurt, Barb, me.  You can see a little bit of the tree on the lower left--it still didn't occur to me to photograph it!  -Jim Lattis