Monday, January 31, 2011
BARBARA's FOUR: Peter, you may have no memory of me or out son, Patrick, whom met you in NYC several years ago. His brother, Erin, has an apartment in Manhattan that he sublets when he is working in Thailand as a dive instructor in the winter months. He is due back in NYC sometime in June, 2011, and will have your address … He worked several summers on Martha's Vineyard and did connect with oneâ€old†friend of mine at Provincetown a few years ago and may try to reach you. You and I met in Poulsbo, WA, when the Crowe's son-in-law became commander of the nuclear sub base. You and your Mother sat in front of me. The oldest cousin of the Kenworthy Grennell family branch was best represented by Mary Paul, Doug, and JoAnn Myers from Spokane, WA. Memory could fail me, but I seem to recall you and Barbara arriving in a pickup truck and smiling laughs at the “down-homeness†of Texas/Oklahoma. (The Crowes and Garfield's met when the guys were studying at Stanford, and the wives were breeding and raising dogs before rearing “kidsâ€.) Some of the guests elected to view a submarine used as setting for the film “Red Octoberâ€. Bill Crowe's Navy “buddy†sang songs a cappella in a beautiful tenor voice. Both “Bambi†Crowe and her Dad were having trouble with 'bad knee painâ€. The American Embassy in London had a lot of stairs when I visited them there in 8/2004. Just prior to that Bill had picked up your Mother from THE CHUNNEL when she was either going or coming from France. The tribute you and your siblings composed alluded to Barbara's keen interest in a certain area of France. Another memory of connecting with your family was when I preceded Harold in departing after a month's stay in India serving an institute. (You were probably in college somewhere? Early 1980?) I met your younger sister in this over night. My only memory of your Dad was his remark that I needed to “shepherd†my time to catch the train back to the airport. Oh, when deplaning from New Delhi Barbara had a telegram on the hand rail telling me just how to catch a taxi from the airport to a certain Howard Johnson's, and she would be there in the dark to meet the taxi. THAT was appreciated by her “country cousin†exhausted and abit sick from TOO MUCH CURRY in Indian food. Indeed, our lives only touched a few times...but her warmth and kindness are remembered. Dad Kenworthy brought her to Wichita Falls, Texas, to meet his big sister once, and I remember playing hide'n seek crawling behind a couch with her on our all fours. She was fun, beautiful in picture dancing with George at the Drake. Without seeking sadness, somehow the term “family†takes on different meanings when divorce occurs. My husband divorced me after -44 years of 'knowing' each other. I like an expression and offer it to you...â€Don't cry because it is over. Smile because it happened.†My main 'pain' is where there is an 'only child' (although many of same are my friends) because all the burden of deaths is born alone. Yet, to quote the huge lumberman who removed a tree that fell on our roof when I was able to save our house working -4 years in Alaska, “Family is the worst and best hour one person can have in life.†To lighten the weight that might be felt via“this character†from your family tree...nor do I think it is a “claim to fame†(Well, Patrick might 'censor' his Mother when helping me enter this memory comment to what Barbara's four adult children have requested online). How many cousins, distant or otherwise, do you have who got pregnant when living in a tent on the Arizona desert at the Taliesin commune of students of Frank Lloyd Wright, an American architect?†Barbara enhanced the environs where she lived, was more that an architect and a restorer and designer, she was a generous gifted woman I wish to have known better...you “kids†continue to live up to her!!! Please, Peter, look for 1000memories.com and see Patrick recent "job".
