The Rabbit

Thought I would add to this blog, since it is here.  This sort of ties into Chan.

In 1961, my mom had a baby boy that died just a few minutes after birth.  She never saw him, wasn't allowed to go to the funeral, and was told to forget about him.  That was the normal advice given at that time. 

Forty-five years later, my mom, my sister and I decided to visit his grave for the first time.  We were visiting relatives in Texas and decided to drive to the cemetery where he is buried.   When we got to town, we went by a shop to get a wreath to put on his grave.  Having trouble finding something, my sister went one way through the store and Iwent the other way, my mom stayed in the car.  Several times, I passed this little rabbit lawn ornament, picked it up and put it back down.  Finally the third time I saw the little rabbit, in the third different place in the store, I picked it up and bought it along with a few other things.  My sister and I met back up in the car and were showing my mom what we got.  Amazingly, we both bought the same little rabbit.  We both did the same thing, walked by it several times, then finally bought it. 

When we arrived at the cemetary, a jack rabbit ran past our car.  While we were at the gravesite we saw another rabbit, and when we were driving out of the cemetary, we saw another rabbit.  So believe what you want, we think the rabbits were a sign and they brought us some comfort.  I have an exact replica of that little rabbit in my front yard.

Then we saw the large rabbit in Oscoda, so I think it was a sign, (to me anyway) and I believe it was a sign from Chan.  Believe what you want, that is what I believe.  Also we have the Velveteen Rabbit in our fandom and a version of it was read at Chan's service.  So take it for what you want, for me, it brings me some comfort.

If you hadn't read it before I am including the Velveteen Rabbit version that was read at Chan's service and it so fits our beautiful Chan:

"Tribute to Sandy"

We begin with an excerpt from the Velveteen Rabbit:

“What is REAL?” asked the Rabbit one day, “Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick out handle?”

“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.”

“Does it hurt?” asked the Rabbit.

“Sometimes,” said the Skin Horse, “When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.”

“Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,” he asked, “or bit by bit?”

“It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you

get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

Sandy became. She was in every essence of the word; “Real”. She had people who loved her for

a long, long time, she didn’t break easily and had no sharp edges. She had her hair, but the color

had been loved out.

Sandy was raised in a small town in Tennessee. Her dad, Bill, worked in education and her mom Katherine, according to Sandy, was a “very frustrated gifted person” who encouraged her to be creative. She was the first on either side of her family to complete college.

She was loved.

She met her best friend Hurman while in college. They married and because of Hurman’s first assignment to a base, moved to Michigan. They have two wonderfully creative daughters, Amber and Amy.

She was well loved.

For those of us in education we often personally identify with that aspect of our life. We refer to how many years we’ve taught or what grade or in what curriculum area. Sandy was a Kindergarten teacher and later a library/ computer/ art teacher. She retired after 35 years of teaching.

She was loved.

But there was so much more to this gracious and creative person than the label “classroom teacher”. While teaching is how I met Sandy I soon realized that classroom curriculum, state and local standards and test scores did not define her. She truly believed childhood is a journey to be enjoyed.

She made me laugh with her extensive projects she would start with her students and then realize that finishing was the big hurdle. She didn’t care if she had orange paint streaks on her cheek, if her fingers were stained from the latest lesson in colors or if she had Elmer’s Glue stuck in her hair. Paperwork was a thing to be tolerated at best and certainly should wait until the crisis hour.

I always looked forward to seeing what T-shirt she would be wearing because they reflected her personality or sometimes her mood.

Sandy once told me of a teacher workshop she participated in. During a demonstration of how to deal with the differences in the development of children, teachers were given statements to determine if they were right brained or left brained. She learned she was the most “right brained” person in the room. She stood in the corner alone far away from everyone else. Well, I could have told her that!

The ironic thing is how such a right brained person became so involved in such “left winged” activities joining the Iosco Democratic Party. I think it had something to do with the cross brained thing they talk about.

She was well loved.

On a more personal level, Sandy rescued me. She believed in me and in turn I believed in her. She helped me through some confidence shaking times in my life. I know some days I couldn’t have made it without her encouragement. I would like to think I was the exception but after speaking with several people,

I find she was really good at this rescue business. Like the Skin Horse, she could make you feel how special you were just for being.

A mutual rescued friend of ours offered this poem;

What is Success?

To laugh often and much;

To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;

To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;

To appreciate beauty;

To find the best in others;

To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a

redeemed social condition;

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived;

This is to have succeeded.

There is not one person in Oscoda who has not benefited from Sandy’s legacy of artwork.

She left our town a bit better.

She was well loved.

It was later that I understood just how much her art meant to her. She would try to explain what the Beauty and the Beast fandom meant to her. She had always been artistic. But by her own admission the B and B family was the biggest influence on her life with their encouragement. While reading the

tributes to Chan from members of the fandom, I came to realize just how much she

meant to them as well. From Hawaii, California, New York, Indiana, Kentucky, Texas, New Jersey, Utah,

throughout the rest of the USA. From Vicky in Paraguay to Claire and Annik in France, Jodie in Australia and Luna in Germany. All relayed their stories of love, kindness and creativity. They light candles and remember how she made them laugh and how she shared her artwork with all of them to enjoy.

And Marcus, her “son she never had” says… I can honestly say that she is the reason that I am still here and everything I am today, I owe to her. Her kindness, her caring, her compassion, her understanding, and her love. I think of all the things she gave to me; all the things she gave up for me and realize how very lucky I am.

And she was really well loved.

Sandy was quoted in her B and B 2006 interview saying; “Thank you for being there for me all these years with your friendships and your encouragement. It’s been a wild ride.

You are an impressive group of people”.

Well, Sandy, thank you. Thank you for becoming, thank you for being REAL,

thank you for being our Velveteen Rabbit.

You are REALLY well loved."

MONDAY

“A true friend reaches for your hand and touches your heart”

Monday morning and we are getting our things together for the trip home. It is hard to believe that any of this has happened. We were tired, not as sore as I thought we would be, and still very sad. It seems to come in waves, especially when we are talking with people about Chan.

The sun came up over the lake and it was going to be a sunny, but still cold day.

Sharon wanted us to stop by her shop on our way out of town to say goodbye. I wanted to make video of us leaving so I’m videoing and JoAnn is driving. We were amazed at how much traffic there was as there hadn’t been much traffic at all during the weekend. On the first pass we missed Sharon’s shop and had to make a U-turn to go back. LOL For some reason we had the hardest time finding that shop every time we went there.   I made a video of us leaving Oscoda, so in this vid you will see us miss Sharon's shop (the green building on the right) again.  I'm not sure if we ever went directly there.  (And yes that is Vicky singing in the background, we listened to her anytime we were in the car).

Here's a link to the vid:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtRt5RUavKs

Sharon and her husband along with her greeter dog (and I can’t remember that puppy’s name to save my life) were there and were still so nice. Accomplishing all that we did would have been so much harder without Sharon’s help. She was just a great friend to us from the beginning to the end. Always willing to do whatever we needed.  And Sharon had changed the sign out front.  Fortunately, we noticed it this time.

Here is a link to Sharon's shop: http://www.oscodastomp.com/trulyyours

They do custom printing, ect.  If you have a project where you need signs or shirts, keychains or magnets, call Sharon.  Don't know if shipping would make the cost too much, but it is worth a try after all, she is Chan's friend. 

Also a big thanks to the bookstore for boxes, packing materials and handling the shipping for about half the boxes. We also bought some things that Chan and Amber made that they were selling for the town. Here is a picture of a few things that we bought. I have a cool mouse pad that Amber did, of course can't find it now.  I know it is here somewhere. LOL

Here is a link to the bookstore where we bought the Chan/Amber stuff.

http://www.oscodastomp.com/greatnorthernbookstore/index.htm

I'm sure if you wanted to order some of these things you could get in touch with them.  I don't have a picture of everything, probably should have taken a picture, but if you call I'm sure they could help you decide what you want to buy.  All the money goes to help the businesses in Oscoda, a project that both Chan and Amber were very involved with.

Altogether we packed upwards of 65 boxes of varying sizes and weights - zines, art, dolls, pewter pieces...loads of B&B memorabilia. Part of it was Chan's and part was Barb Hill's. At the con and on Ebay we will try to sell their things for their respective families.

Amber was so sweet to welcome us when we were really strangers into her home. She says she is shy, but she felt like family to us. She was very open about her mom’s wishes about her collections and for that we were so thankful. She said just before she moved to Colorado her mom had the “just in case something happens to me” talk with her, so she knew what her mom wanted as well as where to find everything from art to taxes. She was so good at helping us tell the difference between original art and prints. She helped us learn to look everywhere because her mom would work on something a little while, then tuck it away and start on something else.
Amber is a very talented artist in her own right. I hope to see her name in lights someday as an illustrator for a fancy, schmancy movie company. She has a kind heart and I can’t tell you how warm and welcoming she was. Chan would be and I’m sure is so very proud of her.

We didn’t get to meet Amy as she was working several hours away, but I hope to meet her one day.

Hurman is a big bear of a man. He is soooo tall. He was also very gracious to us, and couldn’t have been a better host. He took us out to eat and showed us the sights of the area. He loves photography (the bookstore is making some postcards from his pictures), bird watching, nature, his kids and Chan.  I hope only the very best for Chan’s family and friends. They are some of the kindest people that I know and I could tell they too loved Chan so much.

Amber and Chan

         

Chan, Amy, Hurman

                                                                                  

Sharon sent me a few pictures from Chan's memorial Service.  She said lots of Beauty and the Beast fans sent red and white roses and she said there were even red and white roses from Vincent and Catherine, all the way from the New York tunnels!

She didn't get pictures of all the flowers, but we hope to have more soon. 

This is a backdrop that Chan painted for the local theater. Does the castle in the background look familiar?

I’ve heard if you make a difference in one person’s life, you have really done something extraordinary. But when you think about how many lives Chan touched, from her family, to all the years as a teacher, to everyone in fandom around the world, she was a very special person and will be so missed by so many.

“If I had a star for every time that you made me smile,

I would hold the entire night sky in the palm of my hand.”

SUNDAY

"With each memory let our hearts be reminded that nothing can ever take away the love we have known. For love remains a part of us forever."

Well, today was the first day I woke up just at dawn.  I jumped up and put my clothes on over my PJ's, threw my jacket on, grabbed my camera and walked out into the Antarctic.  The wind was howling, the sky was gray, the sun was a small pink spot just over the water.

I found out about 2 minutes later when I came back inside that the temperature was in the 30's with the wind out of the East at 20 miles an hour. I did get some video of the lake though. You can’t hear the waves for the sound of the wind blowing and I did get some video of the cabins where we were staying. Then I rushed in and tried to thaw out my hands over our little fireplace.

Here's the link for the vid:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ-e07-kcwc

It was a cold, windy, sometimes rainy day all day long. The rest of the morning we ate cheerios and hung out at the cabin, JoAnn packed, I was just lazy. Then we went to have lunch. We had the best chicken tenders I think I have ever had. They were so fresh and battered with a beer batter, really good...again canceling out any calories we burned working the past 2 days.

Then we went to Chan's house (it just feels good to say that), and Hurman took us on a tour of his and Chan's favorite places. Remember the vid Chan did where she and Hurman were throwing the ball for Baci?  Here's a  link for the vid. http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=318029055754 

We went there – it’s a park where there’s a lighthouse.  In Chan’s vid you can hear her talking a little bit. I love watching the vid, just to hear her voice. 

Chan also had a youtube channel where she has several videos where you can hear her voice. Here’s the link  http://www.youtube.com/user/tunnelbrat

Hurman took us all around the countryside for about three hours and showed us some of their favorite sites – their favorite restaurants, fishing holes, parks, places to take Baci, etc. I remember Chan talking about “hubby time” and about their Sunday afternoon drives and meals out. There are some really beautiful sights in the area and although it was really cold and windy, it was nice to see the area. It was an enjoyable afternoon.

Later that day we went to a café to meet Chan's friend Beth, who drew the beautiful Vincent angel for her and visited her in the hospital

"How far that little candle throws his beams!"

William Shakespeare

She is really young, and really sweet, and her grief is still so raw, so of course we did what we had been doing for 3 days now, we cried (all 3 of us several times during our visit). (I know the people in town think, "Who are those women that are always crying?")

During our conversation we thanked her for speaking for fandom during her visit while Chan was in the hospital. We told her we were grateful that someone in fandom was able to express our feelings to Chan in person. She said she was concerned she might not be doing the right thing, but she felt she had to do it, so when the fans on BBTV told her they appreciated what she’d done, she was relieved. She held Chan's hand and just talked to her. She told her what her friends were saying, feeling she could hear it. She said she drew the Vincent angel for Chan the night before and she couldn’t sleep until it was done.  The original picture is so beautiful.  The feathers in his wings are so delicate and so real looking.  There is so much emotion there that just doesn't come through in this picture.  The Vincent Angel was one of the original's that Hurman kept in a special file of keepsakes. 

Beth told us stories about her visits with Chan and their art projects. She showed us some of her art and she is really talented. I didn't know she had never been to a con. She is hoping to come one day. We encouraged her to draw more B & B art for us. Oh and we had pie and coffee....more calories. LOL

As we drove back through town we noticed that Sharon had put a sign in front of her shop saying, "Welcome friends of Chan”.  Somehow both of us missed seeing the sign the whole time we were in town. She probably had it up when we first drove through town and we had been past that store I don't know how many times, and had gone to the shop 2 or 3 times and never saw the sign until today. Boy did we feel bad. She has done so much for us and been so much help, even put a sign out to welcome us and it took us 3 days to see it. We couldn’t apologize enough to her.

I guess we could have been forgiven the first day because one of the first things we saw when we drove into town was one of Chan's wall murals and immediately started to cry, so we couldn't see much at all for a while.

It was almost dark after our visit with Beth when, walking back up to the cabin we saw a really big rabbit. We were creeping up on it to get pictures and it was sitting very still. We were surprised that it didn't move as we were freezing cold, but creeping up trying to get a good pic (you know all B & B fans have cameras ready at all times). Then we decided it was a lawn ornament and had probably been there the whole time, we just missed seeing it like we had missed Sharon’s sign. We started laughing at ourselves, trying to sneak up on a lawn ornament and then it moved, so we laughed some more. I think with the emotions, the exhaustion and the cold we were either punch drunk or hysterical, maybe both.

We stopped at K-Mart before getting to our cabin and got some soup to go with our sandwiches for supper. After being in and out of the cold and wind all day it was nice to be warm and snug in our little cabin, with a fire going, the wind howling outside (last night I thought it was cats mating, LOL), eating warm soup and watching Pretty Woman on TV.

This was our last full day in Oscoda. I know I will never be back and never see my friend Chan again. How can either of those be possible? I can't say goodbye, maybe if I won't say goodbye it hasn't happened. I’ll hang on to that for now.

“So you must not be frightened, if a sadness rises in front of you, larger than any you have ever seen; if arrestiveness, like light and cloud-shadows, passes over your hands and over all you do. You must think that something is happening to you, that life has not forgotten you, that it holds you in its hand, it will not let you fall.”

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...

Thursday evening and Friday

PREFACE

When Amber announced that our beloved Chan was “gone,” several of us, along with Chan’s family, discussed what would happen to her BatB things that meant so much to her. So, as things came together, it was decided that JoAnn and I would go to Oscoda to help Chan’s family with the task of gathering and preserving the things that meant so much to her.
I'm just glad we got to do this for Chan, for her family, and for fandom, but it was a very hard and very sad task and I feel so honored to have been involved.
The folks in Oscoda were lovely and warm to us - from the family to Chan's friends. The folks at the bookstore sent boxes and packing materials. Sharon, who helped organize the memorial service, went above and beyond - scoring boxes for us, bringing tape over when we ran out, helping Amber pack, etc.

THURSDAY

We arrived on Thursday evening and after dropping our suitcases at the little cabin on the lake, we met Chan’s good friend, Sharon, at a local restaurant. She met us outside and we exchanged hugs. When we went inside she had the table set with candles and placemats from Chan's memorial, so we all cried right from the start. We talked about Chan and the memorial service and about how it was still so unreal. She said the flowers we all sent were beautiful - loads of red and white roses (we all think alike!). From the beginning Sharon has been a great resource, and through the process became a good friend. We meant to get a picture of the three of us, but somehow didn't, that night anyway. 

Boathouse Cabin

Beach

We spent a couple of hours eating, talking and crying and then we went back to the cabin for some sleep. The wind was blowing so hard and it was so cold outside, but warm inside. So, I made a video of our cozy little cabin. We loved the little fireplace and had it lit anytime we were in the cabin. If you listen you can hear the wind howling outside and one of the chairs on the deck blowing over.
Here’s the link to the vid:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_XZp1z8tC4

FRIDAY

Chan’s house

It was still really cold. This morning the picnic table in front of our cabin on the lake was frosted over and also the car windows.
After defrosting the car windows we made our way to Chan’s house where we met Amber and Baci. Amy wasn’t there as she had to go back to work, so we didn’t get to meet her. Hurman had gone out for a little while.
Baci is just a lovable, active fur baby. He wanted us to go out back and throw the ball all the time. Then he discovered the big rolls of tape we were using. His mission was to grab one and make it out the back door with it. What he intended to do with it, I’m not sure. Maybe he planned to make us chase him outside and then get us to throw the ball, but he never made it out the door. One of us always caught him, but he kept trying. He is a bouncy, rambunctious but sweet-natured big puppy. He kept us on our toes. Amber said he slept really well that night as all the excitement wore him out.

Would somebody please play ball with me?

Trying to pose with Baci

Sharon and Deb

Amber is just precious. She knew her mom so well and helped us decipher between original artwork and prints. She also knew her mom would tuck things away in just about anything and helped us to find little things tucked away. We spent our day with her sharing stories and digging through "stuff," packing boxes, and tossing the ball with Baci during breaks.

Deb and Amber

Hurman is a big teddy bear of a man. He's very tall and very sweet and is so lost without Chan. It is so sad and so wrong for such a sweet family to be going through this. Of course at several times during the day one, two or all of us were crying at some time or other.
Sharon had gathered some boxes of various sizes and bubble wrap for us, and the folks from the book store in town also brought boxes over for us to use. We spent the day mostly upstairs, going through every shelf, drawer, box, under bed storage container, file folder, etc. in several rooms, packing 26 boxes with art, zines and other memorabilia. We were up and down the stairs so many times, our knees were creaking and our backs were aching, LOL. After we packed, we hauled to the car all the boxes from the day, and the bookstore was good enough to arrange to UPS them to JoAnn. The bookstore was selling some items designed by Chan and her daughter Amber - tote bags, tee shirts and other memorabilia - all to raise funds for the town, and it was a thrill to be able to buy things that they had designed.

Sharon and JoAnn

Everyone in town was so nice and so willing to help in any way they could. You could tell they all loved Chan so much. They were incredibly nice to us and accepted us as family.
That night Hurman took us out to dinner. He shared stories of his early life with Chan and things they did during their life together. One cute thing he said was that Chan was so beautiful, his teeth ached! He's such a dear, big bear of a man. and he opened up quite a bit, tearing up sometimes - we all kept having teary moments throughout the day and that evening. He's just devastated, and talked about having to pretend he's OK, but every morning when he wakes up and realizes Chan is gone, he gets emotional. He's trying his best to get on with life, but it's tough.

Amber and Hurman

This was hanging in the lobby of one of the restaurants we went to. It is one on Chan’s Paul Bunyan’s

To be continued….