Grab happiness where you can.

Thank you Rock (and John and Shannon), for giving me some!

A rainy, spring day.

Thank you,Carly.Not all the lines are appropriate, but it works.

Richard is still alive on the internet!

The transcript from my speech at Richard's memorial at the Center for the Arts

For those of us who knew Richard, we know that underneath a somewhat stoic exterior, he was a passionate man.  Two of the driving passions in his life were theatre and education.

He spent the majority of his adult life working in theatre, predominately behind the scenes. He got his bachelor’s degree in theatre from the Catholic University of America. His first job out of college was working in the box office at the Annenburg Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Pennsylvania.

From Penn he moved on to be the business manager at a small theatre company in Smithfield, NJ. We visited there last October. There was an open field where the theatre used to be. Those of us of a certain age understand that things change. 

And from Smithfield he went to the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival in Cleveland. Yes, the town with the burning river. That Cleveland. 

Eventually, he decided he needed a change. Working the business side of the industry wasn’t doing it for him anymore. He spent some time working in retail and even owned a restaurant. Fool. 

He decided to return to CUA and get his masters degree. Catholic scooped him up and he taught there for the next 6 years. The culture at Catholic U. became too conservative for him. There was an ugly brouhaha about a production of Angels in America. He met me. He moved to Hood River. 

It’s 1998. There are no teaching jobs, on the college level, in the Gorge. That didn't stop Richard. He made one for himself. He taught at CGCC for nearly a decade, establishing a Theatre Arts department. 

He loved his time with CAST. Four productions that stand out for me were Side by Side by Sondheim. He loved singing with friends. Wit, he was so proud of the production and Mary Fassel’s performance, the Cherry Orchard (okay, maybe that was my favorite… he let me work on the set,) and Assassins – once again singing with friends. 

I am proud to announce that the Columbia Center for the Arts and the Hood River Rotary Club have named their annual theatre scholarship in his name. The scholarship is for high school students from the Gorge who plan to major in theatre in college.It is the greatest honor he could receive. Richard was on the committee that chose the winner for many years. I know he is proud. 

I would say we should all raise our glasses of champagne in his honor, but the center doesn’t allow champagne in the theatre, and frankly, I’m not sure that is the greatest way to remember Richard. Let’s all just remember a good man and his love of education, theatre and the Gorge. 

Richard, I love you now and I always will!

It isn't exactly how it came out, but it is what was on paper!

And a quick shout out

Happy Birthday, Bernadette Rita (Sloan) Parker.

I wish I had known you!

Miss Tillie

We went to the doctor today. I came home alone.

She spent her last two hours on my lap. Tom came to us and said good-bye. Even Max had a kind last word for her. 

She never thrived in this household, but she was loved. I'll miss her purr. She had a mighty purr and she purred at the drop of a hat.

Rumor has it she will torment Ralph and Trixie. But Richard will keep the peace.

I watched Jeopardy! last night for the first time since February 17th. Tillie cuddled on my lap and gave her last purr.

The lesson to be learned; don't watch Jeopardy! with me if you want to live through the next day.

Adieu, Miss Tillie!

Let’s call it détente

I think it should be called good news. Tillie has taken to jumping off the dryer to join the family. I don’t know if she can jump back up, or even on to the bed, but when she joins us, I make it a point to hold her and bring her to bed. Yes, even in the middle of the day.

And she and Max have made a fragile peace.

(I tried to get a selfie of Tillie and I snuggling, but when Tillie saw the pics, she was outraged! So they didn't make it to the blog!)

72°

It’s the warmest day since last October, (maybe yes, maybe no, but probably) in the Upper Valley.

Yee haw, the house is open wide!

And my last post should have included:

A happy birthday to all the Parker men.

Statistically speaking, it isn't odd the Howard and Richard shared the same birthday, but Bob was also born on April 6th. 

It wasn't an easy day for the Parker clan. But they all seem to have survived. I spoke with Howard and Marianne and emailed with Bob. 

One year ago tonight, Richard and I had dinner at the 6th Street Bistro. We made happy, but we were both scared. I only got teary eyed once. Then Richard reminded me we were there for his birthday.

Another relic from the attic

Sixth Annual Theatre Conference in Valdez, AK.

And happy birthday, Mr. Parker!

My sense of humor, for sure!

I sent this to Richard when we were talking about me moving to DC instead of him moving to Hood River.

One year ago today, my world came crashing in.

I wrote this on 4/4/13:

At 3PM, I got a call at work from Richard. He was at work in The Dalles and wouldn’t be home until well after I got home. He told me that there was a message on the phone at home, and he didn’t want me to hear it that way. 

Then he asked me for a moment. He hadn’t said this out loud before. It was hard. 

I’ve used those lines before. I knew this was not good news. 

He went to the doctor this morning. I thought it was pretty much a routine check-up, even though I know  Richard went in a couple of weeks early, as he had concern about weight loss (not a problem for me) and a couple of other non-descript complaints. I assumed, more than anything he was concerned about his diabetes. 

“Everything is pretty good from the blood tests. My diabetes is actually down a little.” 

“That’s good”, I replied. 

“But the doctor had me do a chest x-ray. They found something on my lung.” 

Crash! 

“I’m having a CT scan tomorrow.” 

I joked, “Be thankful you don’t have Carpal Tunnel. You’d be in pain for a month or two before anyone will bother… they’re seeing you tomorrow? 

“Yes."

The honors for Richard flow in.

CAST, the local community treatre group told me today that they are naming their scholarship fund after Richard. And there will be a tribute to him on April 13^th at the Center for the Arts.

The Columbia Gorge Orchestra Association is talking about naming an endowed chair for Richard. The CGOA is the umbrella organization that includes Voci, the community choir that Richard sang with. And he was the treasurer of the organization.

I am awed at the love and respect he had in this community.