Planet Geek

Summer, 1999.

Life. Don't talk to me about life.

In 1999, my dad rented a house out on Fire Island, and invited the family to come out for a week or so. Zach was less than a year old, and I hadn't seen my sister in quite a while. They came out, and we all spent a week together on the island.

It was an important time for our family. Many of us thought it was the last time we'd see Dad - we knew his health wasn't that great, and wondered if this was his way of saying goodbye. In some ways it was, but he slugged it out another 2 years, including another week out at the house the next summer.

This visit was rough because Zach was so young and needed 100% of both Cat and my's attention, and it was ALMIGHTY hot there - that summer-in-New-England humidity-laden-heat that makes it impossible to sleep well, let alone with a clingy toddler.

I remember when I was there, we actually ended up leaving early (after 3-4 days) because of the sand, heat, and the bugs, and I don't remember anything particularly inspiring about it. But looking back now, it was an opportunity to get a picture like this one, an option we don't have anymore.

In the front is me with Rosie, my dad's dog.

In the back, from left to right, are:

• My dad
• My nephew Josh (LJ: thoughtography)
• My sister Sarah (LJ: sarahshevett)
• My wife Catya (LJ: catya)
• My son Zach
• Sarah's partner and Josh's dad Ted (LJ: ejbythesea)

My dad died about 4 years ago now. I think about him all the time.

Posted by dbs at April 23, 2005 12:02 AM