opera week

Regina is here for her annual visit

one year ago

violent storm

woke me in middle of the nite.  when I got up I discoverd electricity went off abt 3:30.  another one set for this afternoon.

IMDB

look who's listd

Mary Leed (1930-2013)

I've learnd that Mary Leed died last month. I'm still in shock.

I've known Jake & Mary for 50 years. there are too many memories to record them all here.  the earliest were their legendary parties.  often they were for visiting poets -- such as Denise Levertov & James Dickey. & of course there were the famous G & Ts. in fact when they left Kent I got their gin & tonic glasses which are still in my kitchen.

here is a Guy Berard portrait of the couple:

for many Jake & Mary are best known for their acting in several of the films of Richard Myers.  my favorite is "Jungle Girl" (1984):

Jake took this of Mary with me in their backyard in Cambridge in 1997:

Mary kept her final illness private & there have been no obituaries publishd. but her life was important to me & I feel the need to share the grief of her passing.

Joseph O'Sickey (1918-2013)

Joe & Algesa askd me to come to their house just before leaving Kent for Santa Fe. each presentd me with a work of their art as farewell gifts.  here I am with Joe & his painting.

& here's an earlier picture of the pair at one of my gatherings on Morris Rd.  they're chatting with novelist Thrity Umrigar.

feeling like a daddy

before watering this morning I noticed that a cactus I brought back from Palm Springs is sprouting babies. so I had a look around & was delightd to see 2 tiny shoots coming from the batterd fig I recently brought from Culver City.

& of course in my front yard there's this lovely Crassulaceae (hens & chickens) from Elyria:

1981 poster

funny how memory works

Dave Roskos bought some issues of Intrepid & postd their covers on Facebook. that led me to look up the 1972 issue in which I appeard. for the first time in forever I read what I wrote abt the COSMEP conference in Buffalo.

there was a fleeting image of Kirby Congdon in "high black leather boots, motocycle jacket and silver chains." I record no conversation with him & if we did speak I no longer recall what we spoke abt. but that image of him came flooding back.

so I lookd Congdon up & found this striking portrait of him 2 years before we met.

now I'll have to read some of his poems.

Gail Factor (1942-2013)

I visitd her in her studio in Tesuque. & I'd see her around town.  but I didn't really know Gail Factor well. however I see this painting of hers in my livingroom every day & it continues to give me joy.

give "Big Joy" a boost

the film is nearing the end of its final Kickstarter campaign. it needs to be seen by more & more people.  you can help.

there can never be too much joy in the world...

Dad's belt

International Folk Art Market

West African Highlife Band

David McDaniel (1948-2013)

I just learnd that David died 2 weeks ago.

as so many I first knew him as one-third of the group Gotham  -- so important to me in the late '70s. I still hope someone does a documentary on this early openly gay group.



he was a beautiful man & sweet singer. as I type this I'm listening to Gotham's "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" but my eyes are so full of tears I can't quite see the screen.

Kent Opera House (1889-1963)

Henry Halem postd this rare color photo on Facebook:

& here's a picture I took during the opera house's demolition:

justice Florida style

Tent Rocks

Frameline opening nite party

keep finding sweet reminders of my lovely San Francisco weekend.  here I am with "Big Joy" co-director Stephen Silha:

batterd fig

at the bottom of this picture in Billy's backyard you'll see a young fig tree:

he carefully boxd it for the flight to NM. I had it in the courtyard off my bedroom when the Hailstorm of '13 struck.  by the time I was able to rescue it the poor thing had lost a leaf. here it is in the kitchen sink with other rescue plants:

& this morning I transplantd the little thing -- hoping that will inspire it to grow & prosper after its rude welcome to Santa Fe:

my first Kindle edition

Crisis Chronicles Press has just issued the revised illustratd edition of my 2009 chapbook Elyria exclusively via Kindle. go here for a preview & to order.

aftermath of the storm

woke to find some hail still there.  hundreds of leaves under apricot trees.  new lilac smashd.  baby hollyhocks gone. Dad's Japanese lanterns in shreds.

covering on my outdoor table is in tatters with some pock marks on the table.

Rita reports dead birds in her yard.  other neighbors had indoor flooding.

& the morning paper tells of a woman who died in an arroyo.

damaging hail

Kidney via Beckett

& if you don't know the Numbers Band
look 'em up

Gildzen holdings at Kent State

books

mss

dessert & folk art

Billy buying donuts

me eating them

& the art that came with them

spent

the week of the 4th in Culver City with Billy

& Emma . . .

Billy took this in the lush space between house & fence on his property line:

City Lights 60th birthday party

I discoverd this online.  once again I found my bald head in the crowd.