Portland

22 mins ·

Portland, Oregon. Longtime friend Gulnara with her first ever visitor from Russia, her Dad Ramil. Off to explore the famous Rose Garden. Castle, a found object artist at the Saturday Market. told me where to find a few of the rare Oregon bricks. They were nestled under the roots of a fallen cottonwood tree right below the St. John's Bridge

. You know they are going in Becky's hut.

Isaac Jackson Tetrault

Here are a few pictures of my brand new grandson Isaac Jackson Tetrault. My barber and I are currently negotiating a visit to Boston to see him. In the last 40 years only my wife and my daughter have cut my hair and I see no reason to change. But it suddenly looks like everyone is well and so the plan now is a big blow out 2nd birthday celebration for baby Simone at the end of June.

Mother's Day 2016

To celebrate Mother's Day I took a road trip with Grandma Jo to Urbana and then Kirkmont, the church camp in Logan County where Jo was a counselor and the director. The Ohio countryside never looked so beautiful.
Afterwards when I mentioned to Jo that I didn't have a picture of Becky on display she gave me this one. It is from the early 80's when we were poor as church mice and happy as clams. Becky went to Florence Mall where she had her picture taken all gussied up at Glamour Shots. In those days she didn't wear make up so after a couple of days she threw them all out. Except one, which Jo secretly hid from her for all these years.
A special Mother's Day wish to my son and daughter, Jasper and Sarah Gilliam Tetrault.

A door for the hut

I drove up to Springfield to see Grandma Jo. Fried chicken at Collier's. I bought this fine old oak door at a mansion on High St.   Jo used to play bridge there.The door will be the entrance way to the brick garden hut I am building in Becky's memory. I rode my bike up through the corn fields towards Urbana. My first time up that way without my спутница жизни - my lifelong companion.

Becky - one month later

August 6, 2015 exactly a month since my wife Rebecca died. In the mail I recently received the first two pictures from my old friend Sarah Timmel. The first is from her wedding to John 27 years ago. In the next picture with Terry and Jane Collins I am a sheik; Becky is simply chic. She is 39, still young. It was the year she traveled alone to Paris and Bilboa where at 3:00 A.M. at a bar she was called a Basque goddess, a line I myself would occasionally use on her, sometimes seriously. The next picture is my current favorite of her. Both she and Grandma Jo both look ready for anything. And finally about a year and a half ago at one of our favorites haunts, Tucker's Restaurant in Over-the-Rhine. She had her lipstick on to be more alluring. It was always the same story. As we drove over she would promise to help me but after breakfast she would always find something else way more important to do.

Saying Goodbye to Gulia

    My dear friend of the last eight years, Gulia is moving out to Portland. I met her the day after she arrived from Bakali. She was tired but excited and also worried. Her friend Renata was still stuck at the Moscow airport. A couple of years later Becky and I had the opportunity to visit Bakali, a small Tatar village near the Urals. Could there be a better place on earth?

    Fast forward to a gathering of her friends to see her off. A couple of days later Gulia and I visited Kentucky's Natural Bridge and rode the chairlift just like I did with my Dad 35 years ago. Then it was to Miguel's Pizza and down to Muir Valley to look for cliffs and rock climbers. A very special day.

Getting Started

The weather was good. Time to uncover the old foundation wall that will support the brick hut. Sarah (the Bob Kitten) Fulmer had started the brick wall on Lexington Ave., Jesse Shelbourne had finished it. The are both here at 712 Washington Ave. to clean and tuck point the 150 year old stone wall. Also appearing in the line up is my first Russian teacher, Julia Wolf. Suddenly we are underway!