Farewell Penthouse

This weekend will mark the end of an era - John Henry's family is closing up the 8Th Avenue "penthouse." I know John Henry would LOVE that I'm calling it that! ;-P

I say it's the end of an era because as most of you know the many large and small gatherings held there could be compared to an era. Like the last days of disco - the times, the people, the memories are like no other and can never be duplicated.

The hardest part is not going there anymore. Being in his space just brings to mind all the Scrabble games played on the floor in front of the fireplace, the packed parties where there were so many people you could barely move from one end of the apartment to the other, and the evenings spent on the deck just having drinks and chilling out. I will miss the way I feel when I stand in the bedroom that he painted because he "wanted to feel like he was at the beach." Whether it be Hawaii or Fire Island, his mission was accomplished!

One of my fondest memories at the apartment was when I sat on the white flokati rug with John Henry, David, and Kevin and just lounging in front of the fire place, told them I was taking them all to see Madonna in concert for their respective birthdays. It was a big deal to me because, at a time when I was broke and was not going to be able to go to one of her concerts, they all chipped in and had bought me a ticket. Now, at a better time in my life, I had the chance to repay what to me was a very sweet gift. I will never forget the looks on their faces as we lounged on that rug and the happiness I felt just seeing it. It wouldn't seem like much to someone else, but it is a memory that keeps coming back to me these past few weeks and making me smile inside.

The nice thing is that even though we will miss the irreplaceable time we have spent there, we are keeping those memories when we walk out of that orange hallway. They won't be contained in those walls but, as John Henry reminds us, within each of us.

What are some of your favorite memories of the 8Th Avenue apartment?

The Boy Posse

This weekend I will travel to Milford, PA; the new-ish home of my dear friend Greg (http://www.gzuk.com/), to celebrate his birthday. I will go and hang there with my beloved boy posse. What straight woman doesn't want to surround herself with handsome, witty, and intelligent men - even if they are gay? Unfortunately, my posse is now one boy short.

The last time I was with the full boy posse was the last weekend in July to celebrate my birthday. The posse converged at my house on a beautiful Saturday morning for a day at the beach. We packed up the cars and set off for the sun, sand, and surf of Island Beach State Park.

It was a great day! There is nothing better than spending time in the place you love most with the people you love most. The water was perfect - warm enough to stay in for hours, cool enough to keep the jellyfish at bay. Everyone enjoyed the water, but John Henry and I stayed in for hours. We talked about future collaborations for our businesses, the big move to Australia, and stopping at the fish market on the way home because he was craving clams. All this while we jumped the waves way out in the ocean. In his very John Henry way, when a big wave would come he would dive underneath it and come bursting out the top with his leg up in the air and his arms fluttering into a contorted pose - an impromptu interpretive water ballet. We would crack up laughing, as usual. My favorite, though, was when he burst out of the water with both arms high over his head and at the highest point he would open them in a sweeping motion as if presenting me with the world - it was his sun salutation. Such a fitting pose for his personality.

We only left the water when the lifeguards closed down the beach due to impending thunderstorms, but our first stop was the fish market where John Henry bought a bag of 100 little neck clams. We brought them home, cooked em' up, and had a feast. We spent the night playing games, teasing my dogger - Bailey, and enjoying the cupcakes he had brought all the way down from the city on a bus.

My boy posse, as usual, wrapped me in a blanket of love - a sun salutation. I've just started back to Yoga this week and each time I do the sun salutation, I now think of that glorious day. So this weekend I will wrap one of the longest members of my boy posse in a blanket of love and start on the next set of memories. I hope you all are doing the same with your respective "posses."

The Rainbow Connection

The last few weeks have been like no other in my life. I'm a 37 year old woman and have experienced a great deal of loss in those years. Yet, none had prepared me for the passing of my best friend, John Henry Rew.

Simply put:

To know him, is to love him.

Our red-headed hottie with a personality to match, was the king of fabulosity and fun. He enjoyed life, and his enthusiasm and passion were contagious. It was hard to spend time with him and not feel good about yourself. His love of all things Orange was just an extension of his fiery wit, mischievous personality, and fantastic style. John Henry made everyday a party.

His friend Annie Lawrence recently described him as "...the soul of generosity." Always willing to listen and advise, open his home to friends and strangers alike, and go the extra mile to show you the more optimistic side of life, John Henry made deep, lasting impressions on all who knew him.

During the gathering after his funeral service, I had the unexpected honor of toasting our boy. Not having much notice, I really didn't know what I would say. And although I gave my best heartfelt toast, raising our glasses "to the orange", there is something deeper that has stayed with me.

I looked out on a large group of people; Family, childhood friends, college classmates, colleagues, teamates, and his beloved partner, Colin - A wide cross-section of people as diverse as the colors of the rainbow flag he loved to adorn himself with. And I was and am moved to have seen all his community in one place, connected to eachother by his beautiful orange aura. A true gift to us all in a time of great sadness and confusion.

I hope that this blog will be an instrument to keep our connection alive in his honor. A place to Share our stories, pictures, videos, thoughts, and lessons. A place to continue to be his community together.

"...Someday we'll find it, the Rainbow Connection. The lovers, the dreamers, and me."