High Tide at Bathroom Rock

 Maria sent a picture of the high tide at Bathrub Rock today, that is where we walked to and climbed up on to throw John's ashes into the sea.  This was a favorite place for him to come with his surfing friends.  It is at Torrey Pines State Park.

John Gets a Puppy?

Hard to believe it has been 11 years since John passed away.  This is a picture from his 2nd Birthday but neither my sister Carole (who was there) or I can remember anything about this puppy, who brought it?, did we keep it? (I can't remember having a puppy in the UC house).  But this is a darling picture and a precious moment.  John was such an interesting and sparkly child.  Everything was fun for him.  I think at that age though trucks and such interested him more than animals.

Lea on Thursday and then Honoring John on Saturday

We just had time to go see Lea with her Cheer Team at Torrey Pines High.

 

It is hard to believe that little Lea now towers above and is a beautiful highschooler doing intricate routines.  We really enjoyed watching her.

Thursday night was the first time Matt and I found ourselves on our own and took a simple choice, Carl's Jr,, and then watched some TV before turning in.  We were exhausted.

Friday morning I went to the Temple with Linda, had a nice lunch and then home again to Jacuzzi and eat with Matt again.  We were so hungry for good fish and chips we drove up to the one in Oceanside and it was delicious.

On Saturday morning many of us met at Torrey Pines Beach.  Meagan had decided that after 11 years we should find a resting place for John.  Maria knew that Bathtub Rock was his favorite surfing place and so Meagan and all of us agreed that would be a great spot.

However, the tide was higher Saturday morning than I had ever seen the tide at Torrey Pines and so we gathered around a picnic table at the top of the beach and shared stories about John's love for surfing and hiking, etc.  I read the letter that John's friend Matt wrote as to why Bathtub Rock was such a favorite.  James shared many funny and poignant stories about John as the older brother and their experiences with him in learning to surf and hike.  Meagan and Maria and maybe others also shared.  It was a lovely time talking about him for about an hour.

We then went to get Brunch at a local Mexican eatery and agreed to meet again at 4 pm.

When we came back we found out we would have to be back to pick up our cars from the parking lot by 5 PM when the park closed.  Maria urged Keira and I to get an early start on the walk as it took about 30 minutes.  I so enjoyed walking that beautiful beach with Keira.

When we got to Bathrub Rock I needed help getting up but others quickly gathered and we garnered the left hand corner as our own.  A movie about our gathering together and honoring John is on You Tube at  http://youtu.be/WqKRA7DsgPo
I was so joyful to be there with Meagan, Keira, Eden, Matt and and all my children and other family.  It was a tender remembrance of John all day.

After everyone came to the condo Matt and I were staying in and had a birthday party for me.  My cup runneth over.

 Sunday morning Matt V and I drove home to Lake Almanor.  We had had a wonderful birthday week in Carlsbad and San Diego area!!

John's Birthday

John would have been 54 today.  That does not seem very old.  It is hard to believe it has been over 10 years since he passed away.

I remember when he and Matt Hardy were having a discussion when Matt was living with us.  It may have been when Miriam had been in a car accident so they were young.

But they were talking about the fact that they would probably not live much past 35 and so they should really enjoy their life but they seemed to think that 35 was pretty old anyway and that would be all right.

John was such an expressive baby, always interested in what was around him.

How many pictures do we have of him holding up a fish he caught?

The last fish for John.

Happy Birthday, John!

This is a picture of John and his daughter Meagan I had not seen before.  Zoo, Wild Animal Park???
Charming.  We miss you, John.

 

Keira and her Grandpa John

 

 

 

 

They really do look alike, don't they?

In Remembrance of John

Here's a picture of John  that surfaced this week,  He would have been 12 years old and had started surfing in 5th grade so was surfing mostly at La Jolla Shores at this time.   We had no way of communicating. however, when it was time for me to pick him up. 


So we had a plan.  I had a huge yellow umbrella and would walk the beach when it was time for him to come in from the sea.  It worked fairly well.  Eventually he began to bicycle with his surf board down to La Jolla Shores but I probably was still picking him up.  It would be four or five more years before he would have the Vokswagon and be able to drive himself.


Surfing was a great passion of his.  We miss you, John.  Happy Birthday.

We Miss You, John!

In 1963 we traveled to my parent's home in Idaho Falls and then on to the Cabin at Silver Gate.  John is all decked out in the cowboy outfit we bought at Ferrell's Store in Idaho Falls, (which was managed by my brother David).  Good Memories.

He loved Grandpa Ferrell's truck.

Happy Birthday John!

From his trip to Peru.

It would be 51 years today!  These were given to him on his first birthday by his Uncle Dave--they were a Ferrell's store sample (Idaho Falls) from the boot company and they fit!

Alpamayo in Peru

John's Birthday--50 Years, August 18th

This year I will share a few of the thoughts that John's friend Matt Recksieck wrote after John's death in April 2004:

 "...I knew John in several different contexts, but there was always a cool enthusiasm about him. He really loved his family. He showed pride over his brother and sisters like I think only a first born can--having seen each and everyone of them come home from the hospital as infants.

 I didn't meet John until a couple of weeks before his 13th birthday. I met and first knew him through surfing. Then school...then his home life...then through the forming of his own family. But it was always his passion and intellectual curiosity that drew me toward him. And like all friendships, it's hard to pin-point all the reasons why. To some surfing is simply a youthful outlet. In fact, I imagine that it is really boring for them--those not actually afflicted with the surfing disease--to listen to surfers talk about it. To me, however, one of the major afflictions associated with surfing is that it leads to a passion for style, self-discovery, and poetry. John Hardy was a surfer along with everything else he was. Surfing at its best leads to concentration in the moment. Poetry is nothing more than this. John was very good at picking up on this. It was something I admired about him. He blew my mind away at times. It's a love we shared. John's never ending quest to be inspired, stoked, or awed dominated his approach to life. He had the intelligence to be able to discipline himself in this regard. He also had the passion to be able to pull it off. John was a very successful poet...

John's brother Jimmy, at the memorial service, briefly mentioned John's first attempt to glass a surfboard in their backyard playroom shed. Jimmy made the comment that it wasn't very good by professional standards, but that the passion that was put into it was second to none. I concur, but there was another thing we use to laugh about in connection to this. John made a gesture of pointing out to us that there were parts of his glass job that were perfect. He took the thumb and forefinger of his hands, and joined them together to make a square. He placed the box created by his hands over a section of the glass job that was very clean, and said look, "perfection". This was an outlook of John's that I try to keep with me in my life perception today. There is perfection...you just have to look for it...you have to look away from peering directly at, that which isn't. Eventually things come into focus-even that which might not be perfect, can become perfect. This is the philosophical statement that epitomizes John's take on life to me.

At the memorial service, John's secret surf spot, Bathtub Rock, was mentioned several times. (I'll let out the secret completely out of the bag if you want to go: it's at the end of the beach trail of Torrey Pines State Park.) All John's surfing buddies knew it wasn't a very good surf spot, but did we believe it wasn't perfect: "no". John made it that way, and so we believed him. Feel free to go down there yourself (even if you don't surf...in fact, it's probably actually better if you don't). I think you can experience the place's beauty if you knew John. It's not the most beautiful stretch of beach you have ever seen either. But if you go down there and begin listening to the hype in John's voice 'concerting' (a verb I feel John could appreciate) the place, you may begin to believe yourself, that it is a beautiful secret spot--bordering on "perfection". That's the way John worked you into believing. There was no trick involved. It was only a treat to be experienced...

For what it's worth, John's memorial service truly was one of the first services I've ever been to where I believe that I celebrated a life more than I felt lousy at it."

Thanks Matt, for sharing so many beautiful thoughts about the John you knew. I will have to share more another time.

Five Years Ago Today

It is so hard to believe it was five years ago today that I received that painful phone call, "He didn't make it, He didn't make it..." In remembrance just let me share again the poem John wrote, that I like so much.

Very Essence

"Is not general incivility the very essence of love," Jane Austen said.

Judging from our God's Plan of Salvation for us, I must say he has a very great love, indeed.

I hope our God is able to discern the depth of my love for Him and my brethren when I begin to giggle on Judgment Day.

Such incivility was always successful for Jane's characters.

John Hardy

My son John

It is the four year anniversary of John's death this week. These are just a few pictures I enjoyed reviewing. I am so thankful I had a few days with him the summer before he passed away. We talked as we had not talked in years. Such a full life in such a short life, so sad to be taken so soon. John, we miss your zest for life in our ordinary lives.

John fishing at Lees Ferry in Montana.

John in Malaysia

Child in Valley near Cordillera Blanca, Peru photographed by John

Bhutan girls photographed by John

"Be Still and know that I am God..." This picture of Solokurmbu, Nepal, photographed by John, has always reminded me of the above scripture.

See more of John's pictures by going to John's Space.