Saturday

SATURDAY

Forgot to add, when we arrived at our cabin on Thursday evening, no one was at the office, so I called Sandy (the owner) and got her voice mail. She had told me she would leave all the details with Sharon because she might not be home. So I called Sharon and she told us the cabin was unlocked, just go on in. Ohhh, the advantages of living in a small town. LOL

The sun coming up

sweet little fellow that sat on our

deck at the cabin

The view from our kitchen window

We met Sharon at her shop on Saturday morning to pick up more boxes. Her shop isn’t open on Saturday, but she opened it for us. So nice. She had her sweet puppy there. She is her official greeter dog and somehow neither of us got a picture of her.  The puppy seemed intent on showing us a bear that she really liked. I tried to take the bear from her to play with her, but she growled at me to let me know, “Hands off the bear, lady!” Sharon later told us Chan had given her the bear for her puppy just before she fell ill. It gave me a little shiver that the puppy decided to show us that toy that morning or maybe I just want there to be more to it, who knows?

Work in progress, Chan's shop

Chan's shop was on the right side

Saturday we worked in the basement.  If you look closely you can see Chan's guitar case near the bookshelf.  Bet you didn't know she played the guitar!

JoAnn and I worked out a good system of searching, packing, taping and stacking today. While carrying more boxes down the stairs to the basement, I stumbled and backed into something that felt like glass that was on a shelf that ran along the wall to the basement. I held my breath waiting for whatever I had backed into to break or to continue falling down the stairs. When nothing happened I cautiously peeped around to see what I had backed into, and it was Chan's Vincent puppet in a glass showcase thing. We had walked past it I don’t know how many times and never saw it. I could hear Chan saying, "I've been trying to show you that and you never saw it, so I just gently pushed you toward it." I quietly thanked her and continued on working.

At one point, JoAnn found a wonderful zine and said, “Sit down, I want to read something to you.” I am as bad as a little kid about loving to be read to, so I eagerly agreed and we needed a break anyway. I don’t know how to explain the few pages she read, but they were beautiful and so touching, so of course we were crying again.

The last picture of Chan and Baci

taken a few days before she fell ill.

We spent a few minutes just grieving, but there was still work to be done, so we blew our noses, wiped our tears and went back to work.

Our goal for this trip was to get everything sorted, packed and hauled to be picked up, so that the family would not have to do any of it, and unless they find a few little things, we did meet our goal. The first and second day we worked non-stop except to eat and get more boxes or packing material.

Sharon was a wonderful resource for whatever we needed. Once we just called and asked for more boxes (small ones for zines, and she got some oil can boxes I guess from an oil change place in town, LOL...again the advantages of living in a small town). She also brought us tape, packing materials, bubble wrap and even offered to feed us every time we turned around. Such a sweet person and she was very close to Chan.

On Saturday, Amber had to concentrate on packing her things, as her dad was taking her and Baci to CO on Tuesday, but she taught us well the day before, (so much like her mom), and we just looked through everything. Sure enough, just when you thought you had a box of school materials, there would be some original art tucked away amongst the papers.

In the basement we concentrated mostly on one side of the room, because that is where the boxes were. When we were almost done with those, I started looking through a book shelf on the other side of the room and sure enough, there were more treasures to be found.

one of Chan's shelves 

Hurman insisted on taking us to dinner again

Saturday night and we were glad to oblige him. 

We went to a Mexican food place that he and Chan really liked. Whatever calories we burned going up and down stairs and hauling boxes, we canceled out at that dinner. We must have been at the restaurant for 2 and a half hours. 

Hurman talked a lot about how much he loved Chan (when he first met her he thought she was so beautiful it made his teeth hurt), their life together, their jobs, and kids. He said they used to ride their bikes to the lake to catch fish, and then bike back to their little house where he would clean the fish and she would cook it.

Chan and Hurman

He also said in their later years they enjoyed what Chan called “parallel” play. They enjoyed being together, in the same room or in the car, but each doing their own thing. It seemed to be good for him to talk and we were happy to listen. I think only 3 of us cried during dinner that night, so we were getting better about not crying, I guess. But anytime anyone even threatened to shed a tear, my titty-baby self would cry too. Sheeesh! I wish I wouldn’t do that.

Although she confessed to be shy, it seemed like we had known Amber forever.  She was very open and honest and knew her mom so well and is pretty familiar with fandom too.  I can see and hear so much of Chan in her. 

JoAnn, me, Sharon, Amber, Hurman

I'll let you guess which one is Hurman. LOL

Here are some pictures of the murals Chan painted around town

POSTSCRIPT

Sunday we were going to sleep in or maybe get up early and watch the sun rise over the lake, whichever happened first. We wanted to walk on the beach too. Hurman wanted to take us around to see some of Chan's favorite places around town Sunday afternoon. Monday morning we will head out for the 2-hour drive to the airport. As on the trip down, JoAnn and I will fly together from Saginaw to Detroit, then go our separate ways.

This has been a sad, trying, back-breaking, and mostly healing process for me. I feel like JoAnn and I, being the hands and feet of fandom, have done the right thing by our tunnel-sister and dear friend and her family. I think we have done what Chan would have wanted and her family is relieved that her art and her love of fandom will be shared by those of us that also loved her.

Found this quote in the things that Amber shared with us that was part of her memorial and I think it so fits:

"Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only a true friend will leave footprints in your heart."

So Chan, I will cherish the footprints you left in my heart and remember you always.

To be continued...