Archive for June 8th, 2006

08 Jun 2006 The Old Barn
Author: Gail |  Category: David, Photography  | 3 Comments

the old barn

Pentax K-1000
May 30, 2006
Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

Those who went to Rhinebeck on May 30 for the first time were probably not surprised to find it a little… rustic. That’s the way David liked things: time-worn, lots of character, unpretentious. Every week he’d listen to his favourite radio program — A Prairie Home Companion — narrated by Garrison Keillor, a master storyteller, about a fictional place called Lake Wobegon. This photo reminds me of Keillor’s stories:

“The town of Lake Wobegon, Minnesota, lies on the shore against Adams Hill, looking east across the blue-green water to the dark woods. From the south, the highway aims for the lake, bends hard left by the magnificent concrete Grecian grain silos, and eases over a leg of the hill past the SLOW CHILDREN sign, bringing the traveler in on Main Street toward the town’s one traffic light, which is almost always green. A few surviving elms shade the street.”
– Lake Wobegon Days (ch. 1)

08 Jun 2006 Hermann and David Reunited
Author: Gail |  Category: David, Friends, Widowhood  | 2 Comments

Hermann and David together again
Hermann and David together again

I picked up David’s ashes in Allentown and brought them to Helma’s in Scranton on Monday night, May 29. Early Tuesday morning I got the call from Rhinebeck that a pilot and plane had been booked and to come right away.

Hermann’s and David’s ashes were side-by-side for one night.

Hermann and David met flying RC model airplanes in the early ’90s, and became fast friends. Hermann was plagued with illnesses that claimed much of his quality of life in the last six years, and David hadn’t seen him for a while. He knew Hermann wouldn’t recognise him, and it would be upsetting if he tried to visit. He couldn’t bear to see his friend suffer.

On December 4, David received a call from Helma that Hermann passed away in hospice at the age of 83. I remember that call very clearly, and I remember David’s reaction.

Two weeks later, I was with David in the hospice. I’d never met Helma, but she was one of the first people I phoned on the morning of December 17. Despite her recent experience, Helma came to David’s hospice room, anyway, to help me in my time of need. By then David was almost completely unresponsive, but I whispered in his ear, “Helma’s a lively one, just like you said!” and I saw him blink. That night, at 01:15, David passed away.

I had never met Hermann, but I feel as if I know him because of all the stories I heard from David and, later, Helma. I was glad to see them reunited once more, if only for a few hours.

Thank you Hermann, thank you David, for Helma.