The neighborhood has had plenty of stories this week.
We attended the memorial service for Mr. C, he was 96. Mrs. C. is 96 too, in great shape, still gardening and a pillar of her church community. She looked beautiful in her black sequined hat at the service. (She has an amazing collection of "Going to Church" hats.)
They built their house in 1956, and have always kept it up impeccably. We've lived next door to them for the last 27 years. He mowed the grass and cleaned the roof himself until the last couple of years. I would watch him up on that ladder with fear and awe. A quiet man, always cordial, knocking on the door now and then in summer to hand us zucchini and tomatoes from his garden. He'll be missed.
Our youngest neighbor across the street (9?) is a musician, and has had a guitar or drumsticks in his hands as long as I can remember (I can hear him playing right now). His School of Rock concert was at the Hard Rock Cafe downtown yesterday. They passed out much needed earplugs on the way in. Someday we'll be able to say we knew him when.
And then there was the trip to visit with old neighbors... K. and I drove up for a day to have lunch with my Iowa friend, who used to live a few blocks away, but has retired up on the peninsula.
We also saw our old next-door neighbors (on the other side), who moved there a couple of years ago, too. We miss them so much. Just swell people, both artists, with two sweet boys. He's a painter, and a house builder by day. Tininha, is now weaving beautiful passionate textural creations.
While there, we met their lovely friend, Tracy, also an artist, who weaves, stitches, works on paper...the list goes on. It was so nice to sit and share about making. The big news is that we've started plans to have a show together later this year. Excitement and nerves abound, but the two of them are full of grace and know-how, so it should be swell.
There are so many un-knowns right now. Focus and stitching are all over the place these days. Nothing's quite done, waiting for more story to come... And I keep thinking of something Jude said to me years ago, "...and it all formed as it might."