Loose Strife

This was my favorite of Laura’s purses. She glued on the googly eyes. Classic.

Today is the Day of the Dead and so the girls and I spent some time remembering Laura. This afternoon we stopped by the cemetery to clean up, plant some tulip bulbs, and hang out for a while.
As we’ve done in year’s past we created an ofrenda in the living room with various things that are becoming tradition: favorite photos of Laura, numerous calaveras and calacas, papel picado and a purple string of lights strung high on the wall, a miniature table with tiny plastic food, a loaf of pan de los muertos, Lily’s blanket called “purple” that Laura knitted, and a doll that Laura made, which Naomi calls “Mommy”.
This year I added an old pair of Laura’s glasses that some of you might remember. She wore these glasses in high school and college and she jokingly called them her birth control glasses. Of course they were really part of that hip persona that she carried so easily.

I’m pulling together some loose ends to Loose Strife and will be posting photos of memorabilia that I dug up last spring. They are all quirky things that shout “Laura” to me in various ways. Here’s Lily modeling the glasses and Laura’s 7-11 shirt.

Yesterday was the second year anniversary of Laura’s death — a poignant time to recollect. Like so many other milestones it seems like the time has gone by quickly and yet so much has happened, giving just the opposite sense.
The girls were excited by the date; Lily has it memorized. On other days, sadness crops up unexpectedly. (Lily was in tears the other day when we were watching a scene from “Ice Age 3” where a baby wooly mammoth was cuddled by its mother.) But yesterday for them was a fun time to memorialize by just doing something special.

The girls brought bouquets of zinnias, marigolds, and black-eyed susans picked from Naomi’s backyard flower garden and we spruced up the grave with new fall-blooming flowers and ornamental grasses. Naomi chose to wear her Day of the Dead t-shirt that she painted with Natalie. They struck a pose for the camera standing on the memorial bench and then went jumping and exploring around the rest of the cemetery as they often do.
I asked Naomi if she remembered the burial. She was just 3 1/2 years old. And indeed she did, recalling how she tossed flowers into the grave after the casket was lowered. A beautiful memory that I’m glad she still keeps.
Then we trucked down to the YMCA for gymnastics and swim lessons. And on it goes. Take care all. Thanks for your thoughts. I’m thinking of all you, friends and family, who are also remembering Laura at this time.

The girls and I will be going to Boston this Saturday September 25 for the annual Komen Walk. We more or less just plan to show up and join the crowd. We’ll be meeting Eileen and Norm Shacochis. If you want to join us, drop me an email and we’ll find each other by cell phone.

The last in this brief series. You might recognize some of these photos from Laura’s halloween and christmas cards.

More Terraplanes. These are proofs from a photo shoot for their Chimpy Gladys album, if I recall correctly. The circled one went on the cassette.

Bottom left gallery scene was one of Laura’s favorite shots (over-exposed on the proof).
Here are also the first of two sheets of the Terraplanes — a band at W&M. Probably the best group in Williamsburg at the time. Mike Kasenter and Jeff ? are playing. I can’t remember the drummer. I’m pretty sure that’s Bill Leigh dancing in the middle.

In Mexico during our honeymoon. That was my trusty radio bag that I picked up at a surplus store and had already carried through Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. I’m wearing a WCWM t-shirt.
Shoe shine in the zocalo in Guadalajara bottom left.

Angela (right?), Casey and Laura. I don’t know who’s reading on the boat, but I’m guessing that’s Lake Matoaka. Anyone?

This is a short series of crops from some proof sheets that I found. This dates back to around ’89-’93. Old friends might enjoy the faces and sights. Like all these series, this is a very incomplete set of photos — just those proofs she happened to have saved (I haven’t found the original negatives, yet) and just those from that pre-digital period when Laura spent time in the darkroom. Once we moved to Santa Cruz she worked in a photo store and just did prints of everything.

Top left is Casey — probably Laura’s favorite subject. And the statue in the middle was part of Laura’s lifelong interest in religious iconography.