Once Diane regains some or her drug-sapped energy and can stop by, she will be happy to not have to have to negotiate the makeshift stairs that disgraced the approach to our house from our new garage level all Winter and Spring. As I write, Linda beautifies our new morning-coffee-and-paper view, engrossed in her next […]
Kenney and two of his sons, Rick and Keith, built this garage in 7 days. They showed up at 7am sharp every morning, driving an hour from Manchester NH, which means they rise at 5. This Monday, when it was blistering cold and rainy, they were there, nailing cedar shakes. Amazing workers, proud of their […]
(Dan read this at his father-in-law’s memorial service. It was a pefectly paced, precise and moving tribute, and encapsulated, for me, the importance of this type of sharing service as I could imagine a momentary lifting of Linda’s pain.) Arthur Scott Laughland August 20, 1924 — April 24, 2007 Reading from Chapter 4, First American […]
We didn’t quite ring in the New Year, but we sure did surprise Linda, captured on her own new camcorder! Great food and drink, thanks to Drew, Barb, Polly, Anita, Mark, and all that contributed. We missed you, Mike!
Dan Downing And by deliberate association, cross off The American Repertory Theatre. At Michael’s suggestion, for Christmas I gave Linda tickets to see The Three Sisters, and so we pilgrimaged into definitely-not-our-old-Harvard Square Thursday evening. We dined at The Harvest, and began feeling like interlopers in a wealthy-Cambridge-academia milieu that is not us. Good, but […]
By Dan Downing (aka smiling) The Elegant Christmas Brunch at Kibbe’s two Saturdays ago is worth re-celebrating. Memorable highlights: – Individual menus on which the usual suspects mark their eating preferences and hand to short-order-cook Adam for processing. – Inimitable Kibbe presentation, complete with take-home nips for the guys and Christmas Tree bells for the […]
By Dan Downing (aka smiling) The Elegant Christmas Brunch at Kibbe’s two Saturdays ago is worth re-celebrating. Memorable highlights: – Individual menus on which the usual suspects mark their eating preferences and hand to short-order-cook Adam for processing. – Inimitable Kibbe presentation, complete with take-home nips for the guys and Christmas Tree bells for the […]
Dan Downing (a.k.a. smiling) At the other end of Chris’ musical / celebrity adoration spectrum is where I live. My butt found itself comfortably ensconced in the third row Orchestra at Caesar’s Palace for Elton John’s Red Piano extravaganza last October, spitting distance to where Elton planted his.  The Colosseum was full of screaming, delirious […]
Eulogy to My Mother Bertha Downing, 11/1/1919 ‚ 9/7/2005 Presented at the Mass at Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, 9/10/05 Its pretty hard to summarize the life of a person, especially when father Ignacio said I only had 45 minutes‚ just kidding‚ he said I had five minutes. So I will cut to the chase. […]
Eulogy to My Mother Bertha Downing, 11/1/1919 ‚ 9/7/2005 Presented at the Mass at Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, 9/10/05 Its pretty hard to summarize the life of a person, especially when father Ignacio said I only had 45 minutes‚ just kidding‚ he said I had five minutes. So I will cut to the chase. […]
Dan’s mother, Bertha, died Wednesday morning. Photo taken in April by Dan. As a young woman. Twenty years ago, shortly after Dan and Linda were married. I dropped by Sunnyside Lane to see Dan’s visiting parents. It was summer, it was humid and it was hot. That morning I’d grabbed a pair of white pants […]
Bertha Downing as told to her son, Dan. Jim Downing Bertha, Emerson and Jim Downing “When Jimmy was born, it was in Mexico’s ABC Hospital. He was delivered by our long-time family doctor, Dr. Castorena. His mother wanted her aunt Peg, who lived in Mexico City, to be there. JoAnn was never very friendly. I […]