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Camino del Monumento a la Burghesia

During my visit in 2011, we went to a restaurant called Meson Ca’n Pedro II for Thanksgiving, our first Thanksgiving dinner together in 50 years (we think).  We liked this restaurant so much that we returned to once or twice more before I left.

Above the restaurant is a statue called Monumento a la Burghesia, so we went up to see it.  The road was quite narrow and reminded me of a rally road so when we got to the bottom, I asked Patrick if we could go back up and down, and I’d record it. It offered spectacular views.

Along the way he mentioned how Stephanie was in some crowd scenes in The Magus, a film with Anthony Quinn, along with other conversational tidbits.

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Patrick Plays Chopin

I haven’t touched my piano in months. The tuning is long overdue. I shirk those responsibilities.

Now, while looking for something completely unrelated, I stumbled upon this video, a recording of Patrick playing Chopin from 2014.

He hadn’t touched a piano in several years, perhaps since November 2011 at Jack and Vera’s, yet he was able to sight-read the entire piece. Yes, there were a few minor oops. Yes, the piano was as out-of-tune then as it is now (and it’s not a superb instrument to begin with.)

Still, I’m still amazed that he can look at the dots and lines and squiggles and turn them into something amazing, from something written by a guy who has been dead for over 100 years.

Here’s the video:

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Barefoot and Pregnant

Here’s the transcription of a conversation with Patrick about my mom and some other family members, recorded on 18 March 2017 in a very noisy restaurant. If there’s interest, I’ll convert the audio file to YouTube so you can hear it.

Patrick: One of the stories I haven’t really worked on, but I’ve got the title: “Barefoot and Pregnant.”

JP: Okay

Patrick: That’s what John Dillon said when he was introduced to me. Continue reading “Barefoot and Pregnant”

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Wolf

Another Patrick story, this one date 26 April 2016.

I also have a recording from almost a year later in which he tells the same story, albeit in a slightly different way.

Constancy in love is not all that common these days. That’s why I am compelled to tell the story of Wolf and Evelyn. They came from Berlin, where they were both school teachers. For more than twenty years they rented one of our cottages, usually for the two weeks of Easter vacation.

They always made the reservation for the next year before leaving, promising to fix the dates just as soon as they precisely knew their school holidays.  They didn’t want any of the other cottages, only number three. When their date arrived we had the cottage ready the way they liked it.  They always requested a single bed at the foot of the double bed. Continue reading “Wolf”

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Zenobia, Long Island, Gallilea, and Tampa

This is the transcription of a recording from 9 Nov 2012. It covers a variety of topics. If there is interest, I’ll see about making the recording available via YouTube since it’s too large to post here.

Patrick: Zenobia.

JP: Oh yeah, I was asking about Zenobia, and Lois, and oh, as a pre…

Patrick: Prelude.

JP: Prelude, yes. As a prelude, you’ve given me a lot of these letters from Howard, I’m sorry…

Patrick: Fred.

JP: Fred. I don’t know where I got Howard. I’m thinking Howard Rayon… Anyway, as I read them I’m seeing some letters from Alice as well, and of course there are lot of references to Zen and some others.

Patrick: That was Alice Berridge and her husband was Edmund and they had a daughter. They were good friends in south shore of Long Island. Yeah. That whole teaching bunch that I met in 1968, 1969. Continue reading “Zenobia, Long Island, Gallilea, and Tampa”

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Warts and All

Both my dads were amazing men. Since this site is dedicated to Patrick and Stephanie, my focus is on Patrick, but this effort has refreshed and revitalized thoughts of John and Willie. Maybe “refreshed” isn’t the right word since they’re always in my mind, even before Patrick’s suicide. Continue reading “Warts and All”