Is it right that it has taken the sad death of another friend to get me to write about all the good in my life? The question is posed and remains there for what it tis....
Let's go back two weeks when Mary and I went in to Detroit for a celebration of my mother's 79th birthday and reunions with other family and friends. BMad from Northern CAlifornia was in town visiting his family and friends and him, myself and Bill Corby, newly retired and newly married, had made plans to gather at his Grosse Pointe abode for a brain storming session of sorts on the now novel project, "The Spot", which has been a few years in the making. It was a good couple hours of tossing ideas around, all three with our wireless laptops sitting in a small upstairs room in Corby's crib. There were some new divulgences of things that went down years ago that I thought were crucial to the story. It was solid time spent with Corby jotting down notes as he seems to be the one taking the story on and writing it. It is the retelling of my and BMad's historic hitchhiking trip to California back in 1972 and our lives since and relationship over that time. It was a sunny fall day in metro Detroit and we took a walk a couple blocks to the village of Grosse Pointe for a beer and a bite before we all had to move on to other things. I need to mention that Friday night Mary and I snuck in a visit to my Dad and Bev's in Sterling Heights where we caught up on things and kept it a hoppin on this weekend trip to Hometown Motown.
Saturday morning Mary and I we were up and at em after breakfast with mamere' and over to Brother Den's and Jo's. Denny and I went to the Amish Store nearby in Mt. Clemens and to buy the steaks and some spinach for the dinner later. Denny and Jo are gourmet cooks of a sort and like to buy the "good" (read $ stuff). We then went to the fish store next to the Amish store and bought the giant prawns we would also be grillin later. BMad and cuz Patti came over to visit while Denny and Jo rubbed the meat and prepared the shrimp. Soon we would be off for the local Farmers Market to finish our dinner shopping and finally to Meiers for cards, flowers and wine.
The surprise for the evening for my mom was to be my nephew Marshall (Dennis' son) and companion Marie coming to the dinner. Marshall and Marie moved from San Francisco to Detroit this summer and had ridden bicycles cross country on a once in a lifetime journey. They now live in a communal situation working to improve living situations for folks in Detroit. That is a whole blog in itself and online somewhere I am sure. So there presence was gonna make the dinner special as was the presence of BMad who has always been considered family as I have been in his. The guys grilled in the old backyard and the girls made desserts and salad. It was a fine feast and a special night for my mom who was celebrating 79 years after a rough year with the death of my step-dad and her heart attack and triple bypass shortly after. Prayers and toasts offered. The newlywed Corby's also stopped by to say hello and offer best wishes.
After dinner I would take Mom's friend Dorothy home, Denny and Jo took Marshall and Marie to their abode and BMAd, Corby's and Mary would all meet me over at Patti and Joe J's in Sterliing Heights for some "oldies" partying. BMad's Sister Sue was there and the fun EnSued, more dancing, shots, craziness and we watched the Giants win the NLCS. Much San Francisco history abounds within and around us.
We hung til after midnight and didn't feel too bad the next morning when Mary and I would say our goodbyes to Mom and be off to home.
Now a little surprise came open on Friday the 29th. I had received a call from long time new best friend Eric Kite asking if we were doing anything Friday and would we want to go see Bob Dylan with him and wife Kristin as he had two xtra tickets, well long story short he comped us on tix, we went and had dinner at the Park Club (Eric does work for the owners), first time there preshow and then saw Bobby D. do his groove-swing-blues thing, singing in tongues but giving an entertaining show at the Miller Auditorium. What a sweet little bonus and gesture for Mary and I-friends coming round making a call, taking a chance.
>That weekend was Halloween and we had plans for our fifth consecutive year over in Fennville/Saugatuck on Saturday at Dave and Pat G.Na's for the festivities there and this year we would have Patti and Joe J. join for the first time. Bill Corby (last years David Niven) and new bride Patty R. would also be joining us from over in the Detroit area. These are all folks we have hung out with for 30-40 s0me years and still having fun together. This year the plan was to take in the infamous city of Douglas' Halloween parade which started at 10:00 PM Saturday night. After a splendid dinner whipped up for us by Pat and Dave we again this year took the InterUrban Bus which picked us up at the farm in Fennville.
We got a good spot in the little town of Douglas, which is just south of Saugatuck, on the parade route which was 10-12 people deep for 3-4 blocks long, most in costumes of some sort. It was a tad chilly but our flasks and moving to the blasting sound system kept us thinking we were warm. The parade was cool, opening with the participants doing the Thriller dance routine then lining up and gyrating through the parade route. I would not call many of the costumes outrageous but the cold probably kept more clothes on. Still there were some great costumes and it was worth seeing, who knows maybe we will be in it next year. So after the parade we made a mad dash for the bus that was leaving for our next destination, the Saugatuck Brewing Co. which had their annual party with bands. We found a table sitting with the owners, we would find out, and we danced and got our photos taken by the photographer who was set up there. After a couple of drinks, dancing and lotsa laughs Pat called the bus and we headed home with the bus to ourselves. Stayed out late again for a memorable time in Douglas, no Saugatuck this year. ( Saugatuck Brewpub is in Douglas).
We would head back to Richland the next morning as the cranes were abundant in the farmland around Fennville serenading with their wake up calls.
Sunday was Halloween day but I had enough of it by this point Mary would pass out the candy as we have one of those neighborhoods that kids come in droves, driven inby their parents from surrounding parts. I was glad when our lights went out and it was over.
I would come to find out on Monday that my friend Jerry Cox had passed on early Monday morning after a 3 year struggle with ALS disease. We met in golf league 12 years ago and enjoyed each others company whenever we hung out. I attended his memorial last Friday.
So I came to write here today about the weekends recently spent with close family and friends and how important it is to connect and continue reconnecting while we still have one another in our lives. Even if it still is dressing up goofily or celebrating survival or remembering those special moments we have had with in the past. It is the making of those moments that we can either chose to do or not, get in the game or not. It is the making the drive over, sharing a meal, taking the plane there or riding on the funny bus that is usually worth the effort to keep making memories; they are all that is left us.
