Nostalgia

I've been thinking a lot about my mother today.  June 29 was her birthday and today in 2015 she would have been 105,  She definitely wouldn't have wanted to be 105 and I respect that, but I kind of wish she were here, if just for a brief visit and a cup of tea.  

This picture of her was taken in 1934 when she was 24 and studying fencing at the Falcom Studios in Hollywood, California.  She met my father there, as a matter of fact.  I always thought that sounded terribly romantic -- "my parents met in fencing class" -- not something you hear every day.  My father was studying fencing because at that time he was working as a stuntman for the movie studios and there were a lot of swashbuckling movies made then, so he needed to know how to "swashbuckle" with the likes of Errol Flynn.

My mother became a champion fencer within another few years and only missed an opportunity to fence in the Olympics because of a lack of money.   Years later I studied with her instructor long enough to find out that I didn't have the fencing "gene" -- I just wasn't aggressive enough to attack anybody.  And many years later, she taught my son to fence when he was bout 12 which delighted her because they were both left-handed and that is, or was, apparently an advantage for a fencer.

So, Happy Birthday Mom.  Whatever you're doing I know you're having a great time, but I still wish you were here.  We miss you.