That was in 1980.
A night or two later my father died in his sleep.
So it's a bittersweet memory for her.
And then, yesterday afternoon, we got a phone call telling us that an old friend from our Mexico days had died.
She was Betty Houser and never a better friend had I than she.
It was taken at a chili festival in Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico back in the 1980's.
She was a very close friend of my good friend, Walter Nixon, from those days.
Betty moved around a lot.
She came to Prescott and then to Chino Valley for awhile after we all came back from Mexico.
She helped us put our Prescott Valley bookstore together, finishing boards for the many bookshelves back in the 1990's.
Betty was what I called a Yellow Dog Democrat, meaning she'd vote for a Democrat even if they had to run a yellow dog on the ticket.
In the last twenty years or so she lived in Olympia, Washington.
We'd talk on the telephone once or twice a year, usually about politics.
Her daughter told me yesterday that she was delighted by the recent Democratic win in Alabama.
She told her daughter she'd had a wonderful life but she was tired and ready to move on.
She died in her sleep, only weeks from her 93rd birthday.
I'll miss her.
Oh, what memories you have with this wonderful friend of yours. How pleased she would be if she knew how highly you regard her and how much you miss her. You and Judy certainly strolled down memory lane tonight! Isn't it interesting how memories can be sparked by a movie? Incidentally, I love your header...such a lovely display of lights. . .very festive. Re. you comments about your trekking poles. After lots of research on the internet today, it is obvious that there is much variety. The only collapsible ones I want are those designed that way, which I want so I can pack it in my suitcase when we go to Tucson this winter for two months. What brand is yours so I can avoid buying them!!
ReplyDeleteI kept my Mother's phone number in my phone for years after she died. I'd be scrolling through the M's and she'd pop up and give me a smile.
ReplyDeleteI think the Rolling Stones sang, "It's such a drag getting old..."
The hallmark of a person's life is the good memories we have of them. How great is it to be able to say "I had a wonderful life" at the end of it? Not a bad idea to have a happy musical see you out at the end either! Good memories, Bruce.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice friend you had. I had to search the web to understand what "a yellow dog" was and I fully understood. Could it have been applied to Pr. Trump and made him win?
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry for the loss of your friend . Good memories .
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely tribute! She sounds like a lady I would have liked.
ReplyDeleteWonderful tribute, but please stop watching that movie. ;)
ReplyDeleteI remember both your mother and father, and as far as I was concerned, they were both wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. Did I know you were a journalist? I'm not sure. It's cool that you were able to cover a national political convention -- well, at least one -- maybe you did more! I never got to anything that major during my years in journalism.
ReplyDeleteI worked in radio and television for local stations and between 1968 and 1984 covered 6 national conventions, one Democrat mini-convention in 1974, Nixon's inauguration in 1969, Sandra Day O'Connor's SCOTUS nomination hearings and several other trips to D.C. Oh, and the LA Olympics in 84. It was interesting but never much fun . . just a lot of long hours.
DeleteSorry about your friend’s death — that’s one of the most unpleasant aspects about losing — our friends and family members dying. At least we have rhe memories of other times.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry about the death of your friend.
ReplyDelete