Family Portrait

This is a shot of my family taken in Hong Kong in the summer of 1968. We took a tour of Asia in the break between my dad's two two-year teaching contracts on Yap. Other places we visited on that trip were Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and I think Singapore, but maybe not.

I wish I knew what was going on the day this photo was taken. My sister looks like she is having a perfect teenage snit fit. Mom looks troubled, maybe a little angry herself. Dad looks pensive, lost in thought. I look worried, hands trying to grasp the situation. My brother looks like he doesn't give a shit about any of it. Strangers in a strange land.

One for Anita

The day I heard that Anita Rowland had died, I listened to Handel's Sonates en trio Op. 2. It was a fairly random choice, taken on impulse as I scanned through my classical collection that night. I have no idea what Anita thought of Handel. However, on the theory that accidents produce their own meaning, today I'm listening to an opera by Handel, Julius Caesar. Whatever she thought of Handel, Anita loved opera.

There's a memorial for Anita happening even as I type this. Obviously I'm not at it, but I'm observing it in my own way.

This one's for you, Anita. Thank you for calling me your friend.