The Babe and I drove up to Portland on Saturday, October 1st, for Larry and Topaz's 25th wedding anniversary (an occasion that I hope to be celebrating myself with the Babe in 22 years).
I've known Topaz since 1975. I met her through the Society for Creative Anachronism, which I was heavily involved with for some years. She and Larry have been married since 1980 and were having a big open house at their place in Portland to celebrate the event. Topaz is a joy and I have always thought of her as a point of stability and a person who always provided great advice and had an aura of calm that extended to everyone around her. I didn't see her for a number of years and then reconnected with her about 7 years ago. I'm happy to have her back in my life.
Side note: The SCA was a grand time for me. I met a lot of fine people that I've remained friends with to this day. I even achieved some pretty decent rank in the SCA, becoming a Court Baron with a Grant of Arms. My SCA name, in case anyone should ever Google me, was/is Gandharva Candra Gehe Candrasya. I'd hoped to get Susan and Sarah interested, but it's not really them.
The point of bringing the SCA up in this regard is that there were likely going to be people at the party that I'd known Way Back When. I was keen to be there and to introduce the Babe to a lot of my old friends.
One of the first people the Babe and I saw at the party was Tori, Topaz's daughter. She'd had a very close call with a heart condition a few years ago requiring surgery and treatment. She's doing well now. Tori decided to shave her head recently, which made her look a bit different from the last time I saw her.
I'd just sold a couple new buttons to the button company I write for and I had them and the latest catalog along. Tori and a bunch of folks on the porch ended up passing the catalog back and forth and howling. (It's always nice to hang out with other cheap, sensation-seeking people with low taste; I always feel like I've found my level of entertainment.)
Topaz was the consummate hostess (that air of charm and grace is the very thing for that kind of work) and swept graciously through the crowd periodically, talking to people. Larry was also visibly happy with everything and having a grand time.
Chuck, one of the people I'd known way back when I was first living in Eugene, was there. I was enormously flattered that he remembered me as soon as he heard me (the Man of a Thousand Voice, that's what I am). We talked about old times and this and that.
Chuck lofted an idea that we kicked around a bit, that being a gathering of all of us old SCA farts who were years and years and years ago. A get-together like that would give us all a chance to hear the old stories again and be reminded about things that had happened, sometimes to us, that we'd forgotten about. And life is fleeting after all; seeing everyone yet again would be something.
We bounced the idea off of Topaz. She's really interested, too. We talked about having someone actually videotape this "live-documentary" style (visions of Antiques Roadshow come to mind). I don't know where this is going to end up, but it sounds like something you're going to hear more about.
The Babe and I bade our goodbyes and headed back home. Another grand day out together with old friends. Life's good.
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