Family of Democratic Media

Here we are in Denver, at our first ever Democratic Convention. Despite the fact that I've been a Democrat since before I could vote, and have watched them all on tv, I never thought I'd actually be at one. The heat is extreme, the crowds are crazy (how CAN these men stay in their suits and ties is beyond me), but the thrills are greater. We pressed through the throng on the floor and got close to the California delegation, waving at our friends, the Marin delegates. Then we headed to the sky box where John was diligently working for KFWB, perched high above it all, but directly across from the stage. We tucked ourselves into the scaffolding and sat down to take in Hillary's brilliant speech.

The media seems determined to find conflict here. They are pressing everyone to say that the Hillary supporters are standing firm and will not accept Barack's nomination. But this is just looking for trouble - everyone we have talked to is ready to UNIFY and take back the reins of the country.

Here's a great shot of John in action!

Bye Bye Bob

We lost our oldest brother this week. We were five, now we are four, yet diminished by more than one. Bob Brooks was
a good man
a punster
a practical joker
banjo picker
trombonist
a lover of Sousa
webmaster
computer pioneer
a wordsmith
a veteran
historian
gentle lover of flowers
handyman
husband
and father
curmudgeon
a skeptic
he voted Obama
blogger
band member
Eagle Scout
son
archivist
my brother
we miss him
he's gone

Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind?

We drove somewhere in a car together, one day after he got out of college. My oldest brother, 21 years old, voting age (then), an adult, about to join, or in the army, and about to go off to fight in Vietnam. I was 11, colt legged, budding breasts and thick lenses, halfway between child and adolescent. Ten years apart, he was already in high school by the time I could remember anything, and so we may never have been alone together before. We had shared dinner tables and holidays, but never had intimate conversation. Perhaps I was now at an age where he saw me as no longer a "kid". At any rate it felt like I was being treated special, to ride with him.

It was the summer of 1966. The radio was on, of course, as it always was when we went anywhere in the car. He was kind of shy and I was too. I didn't really know what to talk about. A song came on that I liked, Lovin' Spoonful, I think, or Mama Cass. We talked about the music. One song after another, the hits just kept on comin'. I'm not sure who made the statement first, but we both agreed that this year, 1966, had to be the best year EVER for pop music. There was never a better year and might never be a better year. These are songs we will remember all of our lives. Any we have:

Some of the hits from 1966. The tunes start up in my head as I read the titles.

Cherish, Association
Monday, Monday, The Mama's and The Papa's
96 Tears, ? and The Mysterians
Reach Out I'll Be There, Four Tops
Summer In The City, Lovin' Spoonful
California Dreamin', The Mama's and The Papa's
You Can't Hurry Love, Supremes
We Can Work It Out, The Beatles
When A Man Loves A Woman, Percy Sledge
Good Lovin', Young Rascals
Paint It Black, Rolling Stones
Wild Thing, Troggs
Paperback Writer, The Beatles
Good Vibrations, Beach Boys
Red Rubber Ball, The Cyrkle
Walk Away Renee, Left Banke
Bus Stop, Hollies
Dirty Water, Standells
Crying Time, Ray Charles
Secret Agent Man, Johnny Rivers
The Sounds Of Silence, Simon and Garfunkel
Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind?, Lovin' Spoonful
Homeward Bound, Simon and Garfunkel
Uptight (Everything's Alright), Stevie Wonder
Wipe Out, The Surfaris
Barbara Ann, Beach Boys
Black Is Black, Los Bravos
Nowhere Man, The Beatles

Delegated

.Photos from the caucus

Barb ran to be a Democratic delegate at the Denver convention this summer. She has always been passionate about politics, and every four years, we watch the convention on television gavel to gavel. She grew up watching it and discussing politics with her mom, so she has a very strong connection to the convention and the democratic process. This year, I encouraged her to GO.. her sister lives in Denver and it couldn't be easier. I found out how she could fill out an application and just run locally for a delegate slot. I became her campaign manager and emailed everyone we know, to get them to show up at the caucus and vote.

Last Sunday was the caucus. We had no idea what the procedure was. You had to show up at a local gym and sign in. If you weren't a Democrat, you could register. All the delegate candidates were standing out front, handing out flyers and shaking hands. After an hour of check-in and hand shaking, the doors were closed and the candidates all had 30 seconds each to speak. Barb came near the end of the line (it was alphabetical). She jumped out of the pack with her energy and speed of delivery. It was fabulous.

It took 90 minutes for them to count the votes, and Barb came in second to the two women who won the two slots for women delegates for Hillary. They seemed very surprised at the large turnout (for which we took the credit). One of the women who won encouraged Barb to run for the delegate-at-large slot. To do that, she'll go to Sacramento in May and the delegates who were elected will vote for her. In the meantime, she is planning to write about the experience, and is trying to get a press pass to the convention as a writer for the local paper.

Things to love

Barbara on a barstool


Sidewalk tiles in Benicia


Art Deco tiles on a storefront


Spring is abloom - we have turned a seasonal corner

Welcome, Violet!

My niece and her husband have added the newest member of our clan, Violet Lorraine Ashton, born on the 8th of 08. Isn't she beautiful?

I am her great-aunt. I had a great-aunt named Auntie Mickey, my grandma's sister, who rarely visited us but always sent fruit cake and ribbon candy at the holidays. She was very rich and lived in a mansion in Pittsburg, PA. The mansion had an organ in one hallway, and a solarium with walls made of glass that was full of plants.

I hope I will be more interesting to Violet than my great-aunt was to me!

Family harmonics

This recording is from 1978, recorded by my brother Scott and my dad in Scott's recording studio at his home. I'm sure it was my dad's first exposure to multi-track recording.

John, Bodee and Lola

This shot was taken at Barb's birthday picnic. Bodee was especially popular among the guests (not to say that John was unpopular) several people tried to kidnap Bodee and take him home with them. He is a very interesting dog, part Chihuahua, part Corgie, perhaps? and despite only being a couple years old, he was said to "look like an old soul". I saw Michael taking a close-up of Bodee from all angles, presumably so he won't forget what kind of dog is the "perfect" one, as he & Fred search for another one like him. Will another exist?

House of Memories

This lovely house, located in LeRoy, N.Y., the "home of JELL-O", is for sale. It is described as

Single Family Property
Area: LEROY VILLAGE
County: GENESEE
Year Built: 1850
4 total bedroom(s)
4 total bath(s)
2 total full bath(s)
2 total half bath(s)
9 total rooms
Approximately 3424 sq. ft.
Type: Historic
Dining room, Kitchen, Den
Hardwood floors
2 fireplaces
Fireplace features: Artificial, Wood burning
2 car garage
Heating features: Gas, Hot water, Steam
Interior features: 1st floor laundry, Attic insulation, Basement insulation, Ceiling fan, Ceramic floors, Circuit breakers, Copper plumbing, Den/Study, Dishwasher, Disposal, Dryer, Eat-In kitchen, Formal dining room, Foyer/Entry hall, Full basement, Gas oven, Gas water heater, Library, Master bath, Microwave, Pantry, Refrigerator, Resilient floors, Walkout basement, Wall insulation, Wall to wall carpet, Washer, Window blinds, Workshop, 4 bedroom(s) on 2nd floor, Full attic
Exterior features: Barn/Out building, Blacktop driveway, Cable avail, Detached garage, Open porch, Partially fenced yard, Public connected water, Sewer connected
Approximate lot is 133x180
Approximately 0.55 acre(s)
Lot size is between 1/2 and 1 acre


I happen to know a few things about it, that, strangely, are not mentioned in the realtor's listing. The "garage", for one thing, is really a barn or a carriage house. It has a lovely upstairs "bonus room", which you have to access via a ladder, with a very old wooden plank floor. This attic is a great place to hide out, contemplate the leaves of the nearby chestnut tree, smoke cigarettes, play basketball and fling oneself out onto the gravel driveway because the hoop is located right above the open loft door. There are some old peach trees in the backyard that never produce any fruit but have lovely sticky gum that oozes out of the bark in the spring and can be chewed like juicy fruit, but watch out for the ants. There is a room in the basement of the house that once was a hiding place for runaway slaves. Push away the spider webs in the room under the living room. The stone walls down there show the traces of a wall that used to be there, protecting them from prying eyes. They could probably live off of the jars of preserves kept down there.

There is also a secret room under the steeple, accessible from a little panel in the wall of the attic (a good place to hide marbles and other valuables). Be careful in that room, because you could fall through the unfinshed floor and put your foot right through the ceiling in the upstairs hallway. There are beautiful glass doors that divide the dining room from the entrance hall. If your brother is chasing you around the house, be sure not to let him slam that glass door closed just before you round the corner, or you could end up with a scar on your forehead for life.

Be sure to look in the den for old copies of National Geographics, which show scenes and peoples from all around the world. They are sure to inspire you to travel and learn other languages. The fireplace in the den is also prone to having birds' nests in it - be sure to look up the flue before lighting any fires in there. That's the chimney that Santa uses, too, so keep it clean in December.

The best feature in the house is the lead-pipe communication system that connects the kitchen to the master bedroom. Blow really hard on the mouthpiece of the pipe in the master closet. It will whistle in the kitchen. Once the person in the kitchen whistles back, you lift the mouthpiece and yell into the pipe, which transmits your message immediately to the ear of the listener in the kitchen. This is useful for trading insults or making threats that might be punishable if said in front of your parents.

Be sure to always refer to this house as the "Brooks house", instead of the "Stevenson house". We lived there from 1956 to 1968, and deserve to be memorialized in this fashion. Please take care of the forsythia bushes. If you crawl underneath them and dig, you might find lots of hidden treasure buried in cigar boxes.