memories

I love this picture of my father (the guy on the left). He was only a couple years older than me at the time. It was taken in 1978, the year he got married. It features one of his smiles and his Abe Lincoln beard, the one that he sported for years and years until it got too grey in spots...

In fact, he had that beard at his wedding. He wore it, along with a powder-blue suit that included bell bottom pants.

Awesome.  I love it.

Anyway, the guy on the right is Steven Fruitman, and he and my dad worked together for years. They were friends, too (fancy that), and he's partially responsible for my parents meeting; my mother worked for Steven's aunt. My understanding is that Steven figured, "Hey, Marcel is French, so is Helene ... so why not?"  As such, he really pushed my dad to meet her.

And the rest is history.  

Or ... another way of putting it ... bing, bang, boom, KA-POW.

bing rhymes with ring OR is one letter short of bling (they got married)

bang represents my arrival.

boom represents my sister's birth.

KA-POW clearly means Marc's intrusion into the world.  I really can't put it any other way ...

You know, I really shouldn't write this stuff late at night.

Childhood memories of Steven involve listening him sing all the while playing his guitar and harmonica.  I think he was the first one I ever saw use a harmonica holder ... thing.  He'd make up songs about us kids. I thought he was cool.

Nowadays, Steven runs a local once-a-week radio program called Sugar Camp Music.  He has a neat habit of digging out all kinds of treasures from the past and airing them again for a newer audience. Or reminding the older audience of times past.  Either works. 

On May 10, 2012, 10 days after my father passed away, Steven put together a musical tribute broadcast to my father. Along with anecdotes, he included music that meant something to both of them (they went to a concert together, Dad introduced Steven to something, etc.) as well as music that somehow included a Gagnon.  You know, considering that Gagnon is the second most popular name in all of Quebec (the first, I'm told, is Tremblay ...), it shouldn't be surprising that you can find musicians among them. Us. Whatever.

At any rate, I learned a few things about Dad and was introduced to some fun, new (to me) music.

The broadcast made perfect driving music this past week, as Mom and I made our way up and down the South Shore region of the Saint Lawrence River. 

Of course, that only lasted an hour, but it was a good hour.

Want to listen?  you can check it out here

Enjoy!