The last time I wrote in the "Early Years" series, we had just arrived in San Francisco, found our first apartment and became true San Franciscans. One of the first things we did after moving into the apartment was to drive the station wagon we had used to get to SF down to LA and deliver it to the ex-wife of one of Dennis's former highway drivers. We got that out of the way, bought our first Fast Pass (only $20 back in 1983; it's $60 now) so that we could have unlimited rides on MUNI, SF's transportation system. We bought a MUNI route map and started exploring the city as if we were tourists. After all, we were now community members and it would do us good to investigate what seemed like home even before we crossed the Bay Bridge into the city. We went everywhere—Marin Highlands so we could see the city through the Golden Gate Bridge, Coit Tower, Twin Peaks, Golden Gate Park, Ocean Beach, the Embarcadero—if it was a famous landmark, we went and saw it. We played tourists for about a month, then I decided I had to find a job so that we didn't run entirely through the money we received from the sale of the house. Dennis wanted to pursue his artwork and see if he could make it as an artist. Our roommate Ricky Bowerman had used a temp agency when he came to town, so he gave me the name of his contact down there, I went and registered. I guess I must have impressed her, as she gave me an assignment that very day. My first temp job was with Blue Cross of California as an administrative assistant and it worked out so well that they offered me full time employment less than 90 days later.
Less than one month after arriving, Dennis suffered through one of his grand mal seizures. Luckily, Ricky was with him and caught him as he was falling and he didn't injure himself too badly on the sidewalk. Up to that point in his life, the only time he had seizures was after something "big" had happened in his life. The first one I witnessed was a few weeks after we became partners; this was the second one. Before he died in December 2010, he had a total of 12 seizures throughout our 30 years together. After his recovery, he continued doing his artwork as he wanted to have a good supply on hand to either find a gallery to display them, or at least have enough to attend one of the street fairs that are prevalent in SF during the summer months. He bought booth space at the May 1984 Haight Street Fair, as it was in our neighborhood and would be somewhat easy to get to, set up and display his work. It was a glorious sunny day that Sunday in May, and Dennis thoroughly enjoyed himself as he tended his booth. Unfortunately, he did not sell one single item. Everyone who stopped and looked admired what he had done, he was in his element in explaining how he created each one, and truly enjoyed himself in spite of the fact that he had no sales to show for it.
One of the highlights of living in our first apartment was that we met Donna Blow, who lived in the apartment directly under us. The three of us became fast friends and to this day, she is still one of my closest friends, along with her partner Nancy and their son Joshua. On May 6, 1984, the Broadway musical
La Cage aux Folles made its West Coast premiere at the Golden Gate Theater in downtown SF. The three of us decided to do it up royally as Dennis and I rented tuxedos and Donna looked spectacular in a swanky blue dress. We sashayed our way through the crowd, had a blast at the theater, then went to a fancy restaurant afterwards for a late dinner with the rest of the "theater crowd." As you can see from the photos, we looked pretty snazzy, if I do say so myself.
Less than one month after arriving, Dennis suffered through one of his grand mal seizures. Luckily, Ricky was with him and caught him as he was falling and he didn't injure himself too badly on the sidewalk. Up to that point in his life, the only time he had seizures was after something "big" had happened in his life. The first one I witnessed was a few weeks after we became partners; this was the second one. Before he died in December 2010, he had a total of 12 seizures throughout our 30 years together. After his recovery, he continued doing his artwork as he wanted to have a good supply on hand to either find a gallery to display them, or at least have enough to attend one of the street fairs that are prevalent in SF during the summer months. He bought booth space at the May 1984 Haight Street Fair, as it was in our neighborhood and would be somewhat easy to get to, set up and display his work. It was a glorious sunny day that Sunday in May, and Dennis thoroughly enjoyed himself as he tended his booth. Unfortunately, he did not sell one single item. Everyone who stopped and looked admired what he had done, he was in his element in explaining how he created each one, and truly enjoyed himself in spite of the fact that he had no sales to show for it.
One of the highlights of living in our first apartment was that we met Donna Blow, who lived in the apartment directly under us. The three of us became fast friends and to this day, she is still one of my closest friends, along with her partner Nancy and their son Joshua. On May 6, 1984, the Broadway musical La Cage aux Folles made its West Coast premiere at the Golden Gate Theater in downtown SF. The three of us decided to do it up royally as Dennis and I rented tuxedos and Donna looked spectacular in a swanky blue dress. We sashayed our way through the crowd, had a blast at the theater, then went to a fancy restaurant afterwards for a late dinner with the rest of the "theater crowd." As you can see from the photos, we looked pretty snazzy, if I do say so myself.
No comments:
Post a Comment