Rest in Peace, Uncle Lu

My mom's older brother, my Uncle Lu (Lucius), passed away last week in New Orleans. His funeral is Monday. I won't be there. We tried every which way, and failed, to find a way that we, or at least I, could get there in time. Tomorrow we will remember him at Mass, and celebrate him and his remarkable life.

If you are reading this, say a prayer for Lu. He is the man for whom Larger Than Life was coined. He was one of a kind, he was loved and admired by more people than most of us come across in a lifetime. He deserves his own post without cliches, and he will get one. I hope I can find my favorite black and white photo of him from the early 60's in New York, showing off his guns above a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and wisecracking out of the corner of his mouth, around a cigarette. The last time I saw him this spring, he was singing grand old songs with his brother Jim, and when they got to "I'll take you home again, Kathleen," he teared up. "It's such a beautiful song." I can still hear his voice as he said that.

He was a joyful musician who loved Dixieland jazz the most, and he loved life like a true artist. I can't do justice to a description of his professional life, and I won't try. But he was a brilliant and utterly original mind in the world of finance. He was utterly original in everything that he did.

A rare August post

Too much life, too little computer. Tuesday is back to school, and yet there are almost no posts for August. Maybe in September I will catch up on the photos and post some. The tomatoes are ripening, the sunflowers have finally burst open. Charlie is getting more long-legged and sweet and charming every day.

My high school friend Robert came from Minneapolis to stay with us, and we had a great visit with our other high school friends Margaret and Jennifer and their families. We all grew up in Albuquerque, how lucky are we to live close enough to Denver now to meet for a party? The kids ate at a kids table on the grass in the backyard. Apparently it involved a lot of tinfoil. I only remember making the kids food the lowest priority and most last minute, we put turkey hot dogs on the grill and piled them on a plate when they were done. And then Jennifer saved the day with her beautiful terracotta platter of quesadillas.

Maybe in September there will be time to take a breath and go through the photos and remember this glorious August.