Robert and Susan’s descendants at the Merck Forest memorial bench
This week we all ventured to Merck Forest to see firsthand — for the first time — a bench installed in memory of our parents Robert and Susan. Located at Merck Forest and Farmland Center in Rupert, Vermont, the granite bench sits overlooking Page Pond near the farm’s barn, sap house, and horse shed. Simple, strong, and a bit rugged, the bench is graced by this simple inscription:
Sitting on this beautifully-designed bench overlooking Merck’s farm was awe-inspiring for us. It’s so humbling that this tribute to our parents will be located in perpetuity in a place they loved so dearly.
The bench overlooks Page Pond at Merck’s Farm Center
We are deeply grateful to our great family friend Dave, who conceived of the bench memorial and found a local craftsperson — John Hikory — to make it a reality. We are also thankful that the staff and trustees of Merck Forest — most prominently Communications Coordinator Marybeth Leu and Executive Director Tom Ward — felt that this memorial fit well with Merck’s important mission to demonstrate the benefits of innovative, sustainable management of forest and farmland.
Grandpa Homer with Mom at the Casa de las Campanas, 2000
Towards the end of his life, my grandfather was not particular happy. He had loved having a small yard and a garage and a sailboat, and as he grew older he lost all of these things. Into their eighties, Grandpa and Grandma moved into the Casa de las Campanas retirement home, a change that was probably great for Grandma but further isolated Grandpa from the things that he loved.
So this picture, taken when Grandpa was in his mid-eighties, is really dear to me. As you can see, he and his daughter share the same spry, almost-mischievous smile. Grandpa was an ardent joker and tease, but this was a part of his personality that he mostly reserved for his family. Mom was kind of his protege in this regard, as she clearly inherited the largest portion of Grandpa’s funny streak. I love how this picture captures Grandpa and Mom, both with their warm smiles, so clearly happy in each other’s presence.
Beasley and the under-construction wineglass wherry, Grandview garage, 2002
This might seem like a really unremarkable picture to most people, but for me it is so potent with memories, capturing a lot of what we grew up around.
You’ve got Beasley, Mom and Dad’s last of many dogs, waiting patiently for his red kong toy to be thrown for him. Many of our dogs were enthusiastic retrievers, with only part of their enthusiasm in-born: Dad loved to be out in the yard or garage, and while working would toss a ball or other favorite dog toy for as many rounds as the dogs would return.
And then there’s the controlled chaos of the garage, made especially crazy by the construction of one of Dad’s boats. I love the mess of tools, ladders, and wood in the background: very Dad. And the floor of the garage is also very evocative of the many projects that Mom and Dad undertook. It’s stained like crazy with all manner of paint, epoxy, driveway sealant, and who knows what else.
This is a rather complete family picture from Karen and Charlie’s house outside of Albany, NY.
Standing are Uncle Eric and Uncle Charlie.
In the next row are Penny, Grandad, Dad, Mom, Eric, and Aunt Karen.
In front are Ken with Brian, Sam with Chris, Robin with Laura, and Andy. And I believe that’s Melissa — the child of one of Mom and Dad’s college friends — on the far right.
What makes me laugh about this picture is how our older cousins seem to have adopted one younger cousin each… with Eric and Andy seemingly not matched up.
Eric, Grandma, Chris, and Grandpa in front of 56 Grandview Street, 1978
It was more common for us to visit Grandma and Grandpa in San Diego, perhaps because California was a much more exciting place for us to go to than suburban Huntington was for our grandparents. But they did come to visit us a few times, and this is kind of a classic picture from one of those visits. Eric and I are wearing our Yankees baseball jackets, but Grandma and Grandpa look like they are all dressed up for something (probably just dinner). You can see the peach tree that was in our front yard just to the left of the picture, probably when it was just a sapling.
Unknown relatives with Grandpa Homer, Grandma Gertrude, and Mom at Casa de las Campanas, 1998
I have my guesses as to who these relatives are with Grandma and Grandpa and Mom at “the Casa”, but I will wait to have someone confirm my guesses.
Grandma and Grandpa moved to the Casa de las Campanas senior living center and continuing care facility in the mid-1990’s, so Mom and Dad visited them regularly out in Rancho Bernardo.
John, Meg, Eric, Dad, and Chris in the living room at 56 Grandview Street, 1984
There are a lot of little things that I like about this picture. It is nice to remember that we used to get together with John and Meg pretty frequently in the 1980’s; it wasn’t until the 2000’s when we would see them regularly again, in Nova Scotia.
I like Dad’s smile here. Dad was sometimes hard to capture well on film, partly because he was more often the person taking the picture and partly because he tended to produce a grim face when the camera shutter opened. His humble and warm smile is nicely captured in this image.
I also like the view into 56 Grandview Street that this picture provides. Notice the partially-exposed wood on the kitchen door: this house was a work in progress for years as Mom and Dad laboriously removed the white paint from all the beautiful woodwork. You see the work in progress here.
And notice the early Mets fandom… pre-1986 World Series Championship folks!
Mom & Eric in the living room of 4221 Dakota Drive, 1984
I love this picture of mom and Eric. They both look so vivacious and enthusiastic. Mom and Eric always had a very close relationship and this photo really captures their enthusiasm for each other. This picture was taken in the living room of Grandma and Grandpa’s house on 4221 Dakota Drive in San Diego.
