It seems like a million years ago. But also like it was just last month. It seems impossible that he was ever here, living, breathing, just a phone call away. And it also seems impossible that now he’s not.
Mom and Dad at having lunch at Main St. Sweets in Mesa.Mosaic by Rylee Sturgeon at Banner Ocotillo Medical Center, Chandler.
My dad showed me how to notice the little details, especially in nature. He loved a hike, he loved a road trip, was curious about the world, and wanted to make the most of opportunities that popped up along the way. (“As long as we’re here, we might as well… go inside and check out the menu / take a boat tour / drive a few more miles to see a wagon train re-enactment / take a helicopter ride / see what it’s like to park in the desert and watch a dust storm….”)
He believed in being prepared (often way over-prepared). He liked building things and was actually very big on safety. Thanks to his influence, I cringe when someone on tv is using power tools or handling dangerous materials without the gloves or eye protection that they should be wearing.
“Sunrise Over San Tan” by Arizona photographer Marilyn Smith on the wall at Banner Ocotillo Medical Center.
I have started and stopped writing a version of this several times over the past year, and I’m determined to get through it this time – even if it means ending abruptly. (Many things do.)
Me, Dad, and my adorable little sibling Ian!Dad with his favorite walking stick outside MD Anderson Cancer Center.
So although I haven’t even scratched the surface of the multi-faceted person my dad was or how he meant so much to me, I’ll just leave you with a few highlights of Dad helping out on this site.
Top Marty Moments on Travelcraft Journal
1. He wrote a post about he and mom randomly walking into a restaurant in Prescott, where almost everyone was wearing pajamas.
3. When he explained how an insulated water bottle works. I had hoped he’d be able to contribute his technical explanations more regularly. We even talked about doing a series where he pointed out Pinterest crafts that were actually fire hazards or otherwise bad ideas.
I was recently introduced to a beautiful children’s book, called Peace is an Offering, about taking care of one another and appreciating the world around us.
The sweet, simple poem is by Annette LeBox with illustrations by Stephanie Graegin adding a delightful interpretation of her words.
Cover images via the publisher.
While you can get it at your local library or bookstore, I also recommend having Emily on YouTube read it to you. Her quiet, soothing voice, combined with the lulling rhymes and satisfying sound of book pages turning, will make you feel at ease (or give you ASMR).
Because, like many of the best children’s books, it’s not just for kids.
A few years ago, I wrote (through tears), “Life can be such an off-balance mix of highs and lows, beautiful moments and heartbreaking ones all scrambled together.”
It remains true at the close of this tumultuous, challenging, disorienting – and, yes, often heartbreaking – year. There are points of light, even in dark times.
Quijote hanging out with me before polling place setup in November.
I asked a few friends to think of some good moments they experienced in 2020 and share them in the form of a top five list of things they did or simply enjoyed.
Their lovely responses (and fun photos!) are below.
These are my top five favorite makes of 2020 – a year that provided ample time for me to be creative.
1. Cornflower Yoke Cardigan from Vintage Baby Knits for my niece, Maxine Eleanor. She was born August 1.
2. No. 1 shirt from designer Sonya Philip. I learned how to sew basic garments this year. I made several of these and lived in them all summer!
3. I participated in Denyse Schmidt’s Proverbial Quilt Along. The quilt reads, “The Darkest Nights Make the Brightest Stars.” I gave it to my eldest niece Alexis, who headed off to college in August and was having a hard time with everything she’d been forced to miss due to the pandemic.
Kelli in a sweater she made herself!
4. My best friend Meghann turned 40 in August and asked for a quilt in her colors. This is the most ambitious quilting project I’ve ever completed. My mom quilted the top with her longarm, to make it extra special. The pattern is an Ohio star.
5. I completed Morning Sky sweater in cornflower blue and have enjoyed wearing it. I really like the scalloped edge and the fit. I made it from inexpensive yarn, and it has held up nicely!
1. I went on my first meditation retreat in Stockbridge, MA a week before everything shut down because of COVID. This was on my 2020 list before 2020 arrived.
2. I went on an epic hike in Yosemite and hiked Half Dome. I was sooo lucky to be invited on this hike as going all the way to the top requires a permit that is given through a lottery system.
Two of Vesna’s hand carved stamps.
3. I was able to stay home for 6 weeks when COVID first hit. We did a lot of walks in local parks. I also learned how to edit videos and filmed 3 classes for Skillshare.
4. I planted two fruit trees in my backyard: a fig and a pomegranate. I will always remember that they were planted during COVID year (haha)!
5. I am joining Carve December, and I am determined to carve a stamp a day during this month.
Lori camping with family.
• from Lori Meisner Cleland:
1. Socially distanced camping trips with my brother and his family
2. Discovering new (to me) music, like Gregory Porter
3. A slower pace
4. Increased support of and appreciation of small businesses
5. Seeing all the amazing creativity going on as people work to navigate this crazy year together
Photos from some of the local restaurants Lori supported this year.
Photos that go with the lists are from the respective listmakers.
P.S. Dinah Liebold’s list of gift ideas that was so detailed and timely that it got its own post last week, so be sure to check that out if you haven’t already!
Because this virus keeps spreading across the world, carried by breath. You could inhale sickness and never know where it came from. You could exhale death and never know where it landed.
Fires burning near the top of the Santa Catalina mountains on 6/10/20.
Because wildfire keeps spreading across the mountains in Tucson. Even far from the danger, we feel its burn in our eyes and throats as we breathe in the smoke.
Because violence keeps spreading across the U.S.
When you saw that an officer would block an unarmed man’s windpipe with the weight of his knee, did you feel your own throat tighten? When you saw how quickly police would turn on the people they’re supposed to protect, did you realize you were holding your breath?
When you remembered that air can still pass into your lungs, did you wonder what it means that you’re still breathing? And what we should do now?
Some raged against the injustice by smashing windows and starting fires. Some by showing up in the morning to pick up the pieces and sweep up the glass. Some by activism and art.
Over boarded-up windows, they painted the Ben’s Bells symbol – that bright green flower shape with the words “be kind” in the center. If you’ve been to Tucson in recent years, you’ve seen it. But you might not know the project’s story, that it began as a way for founder Jeannette Maré to work through the grief of losing her son, Ben. She threw her energy into spreading kindness and making ceramic windchimes.
Art is helping us navigate this perplexing time too.
There are new murals popping up around Tucson. One that feels particularly of the moment is by Camila Ibarra on the north wall of Hotel Congress. Her portrait of a face-mask-wearing Black woman with the words “Black Lives Matter” in her natural hair has this intensity, this electricity in every brushstroke.
Muralist Joe Pagac has been connecting Black artists with downtown Tucson walls. Several murals have already gone up at MSA Annex. I was walking Quijote around there the other day and got to meet one of the artists, To-Ree’-Nee’ Wolf, who was in the process of painting an extension to her mural.
Artist To-Ree-Nee Wolf working on one of her murals.
A week after George Floyd’s death, there was a vigil in his honor outside The Dunbar Pavilion, an African American art and cultural center. There was a stage set up, where Tucsonans took turns at the mic, sharing stories of loved ones they’ve lost to police violence, about fearing for their children, about the need for grassroots change.
Because being Black in America – simply existing – puts you in more danger.
As nature photographer Gina Danza wrote, “Peace doesn’t come without worry, fear for Black womxn. There is never a moment where we can be fully at peace.”
We can’t let that continue to be the case.
Photo by The Dunbar Pavilion of candles lit in remembrance of George Floyd.
The Enough is Enough vigil wrapped up with a moment of silence – actually 8 minutes and 46 seconds of silence – to remember George Floyd. As we lit candles or turned on cell phone lights to hold up, the speaker said, “When your arm starts getting tired, remember that at least you’re not on the ground with someone’s knee on your neck.”
Before leaving, people placed flowers and candles and handmade signs on a table in front of the stage, turning it into a kind of a shrine.
Smoke rising from the Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina mountains on 6/17/20.
Of course, the fight is far from over.
There’s been some rain, but the fire in the Catalinas isn’t out yet. There was a short reprieve, but the virus is spreading quickly. There has been some progress, but the violence hasn’t stopped.
We need to look out for each other, make sure everyone can keep breathing.
It was a possibility we had thought about for awhile, but then things happened super fast when Phillip got a new job. He started just over two weeks after being hired, before we even had a place to live.
Thankfully, friends let him crash on their couches his first week.
Moving weekend was kind of a mess. I wasn’t ready. I underestimated – everything. Even though Tucson is just an hour and a half south of Phoenix, this was the biggest move I’ve done. If you don’t count my semester abroad, it’s the first time I’ve had an address outside the county I was born in.
At the end of all that craziness, though, we were in our new apartment.
While we’re definitely still unpacking and settling in, we have our Tucson library cards and Quijote’s new tags are on the way. We’ve done our second Meet Me at Maynards walk – our first as Tucson residents – checked out the night market at Mercado San Agustin, visited the Tucson Botanical Gardens, and are trying out new places to eat, drink, and shop while regularly finding excuses to revisit the ones we were already fans of.
We’re happy to be here and happy to be together.
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