A Mark of Rememberance

When in high school, JW was interested in many things, to include getting his ear pierced and getting a tattoo. John's Dad, although a product of the 1960's, tended to be a tad more conservative when it came to such mutilations of the body. For example, John's Dad would always agree to JW getting his ear pierced, as long as he allowed his Dad to do it using a hammer and nail out on the work bench in the garage. So it was no surprise that, on his post-high school graduation trip to Ocean City, JW came back with his ear pierced.

It was shortly thereafter that John went and got a tattoo. If memory serves correctly, it was when one of his best friends, Keith, came to visit. Although the summer time, the recollection is of JW coming back home with a long sleeved shirt, somewhat trepidatious about letting his Dad see the tattoo. A photo from Keith's visit is below -- it must have been JW's 18th birthday.

John's tattoo was of the biohazard symbol. It was from the hardcore punk/heavy metal band named Biohazard and the symbol can be seen below.

John's tattoo can be clearly seen in the very same picture which eventually became his prayer card. It is the picture taken of John along the Inca Trail in the middle of a three day hike over two 13,000 ft. peaks on the way to Machu Picchu in the Peruvian Andes. It was chosen for his prayer card because the picture captures the pride and sense of accomplishment John had, both for the successful hike as well as for living a life well-lived.

Well, after almost seven years of thinking about it, and with the encouragement of John's little sis, John's Dad finally took the plunge and got his own biohazard tattoo. Same tattoo, same position on the arm.

Not to be outdone, John's sis also got her own tattoo. It's a four leaf clover with JW's initials in the middle.

Not that anything is required to remember -- but the tattoo is a fitting remembrance that brings a faint smile to my face many times a day -- it is so John!

Another Addition to the Pantheon of JW Quilts by Mom

John's mom recently completed yet another quilt made, in part, from the remnants of JW's clothing.  This time, the quilt was for one of John's best friends, Keith, on the occasion of his birthday.  Some insight into the depth of John's and Keith's friendship can be found at this earlier post.

The theme of the quilt reflected where JW and Keith first met, at Brussels American School when we had the opportunity to live in Belgium in the late 80's and early 90's. As you can see on the quilt, the school's nickname is the Brigands. John spent his first two years of high school there as part of the class of 1994.  In fact, that class is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and information regarding their plans can be found at this link.

The first picture below of Keith holding the quilt has been added to the pantheon of all the JW quilts John's mom has made over the post seven years, with many more to come.

A Good St. Patrick's Day to Ya

2005 -- the year JW's little brother came back from his year-long deployment to Iraq -- the three Leonard kids returned to the land of their ancestors to celebrate in Dublin St. Patrick's Day and Mike's safe return from combat.  It is always heart-warming to us to know that our three children are not only siblings, but best friends as well, an obvious conclusion after watching the below slideshow to the music of Dropkick Murphy singing "Johnny We Hardly Knew Ye."

I'd imagine that in heaven, everyday is St. Patrick's Day.

A good St. Patrick's Day to ya, Johnny.

Save the Date

A special invite goes out to all of John's friends and classmates from Brussels American School and St. Mary's Ryken High School Classes of '94 who are celebrating their 20th anniversary this year! (click on image to enlarge) To read about last year's fest and to see pictures, go to this link.

Things

 We know that life is not defined by things, yet things turn out to be so important.  Read this compelling New York Times piece and see the attendant comment in the below image (click on to enlarge).

A Notable Centennial

JW fulfilled many important roles -- one of which included being the first grandchild in the Leonard - DiStefano clan.

Today is the 100th anniversary of the birth of JW's "Mamaw" who was awarded the moniker because JW could not pronounce grandma.  John made "Mrs. D" a grandmother and, of course, Mamaw helped make JW the man he became.

We miss you both.

Making of the Aunts' Quilts

Per this earlier post, below is a photo album regarding the making of the Aunt Quilts. Click on the album to view.



Making of the Aunt Quilts

The Warmth of a Mother's Love, continued

Once again, John's mom passed along a symbol of JW's warmth and love in the form of guilts made, in part, from the remnants of John's clothes.  These quilts (below) were presented to JW's three aunts and have been added to the pantheon of "Quilts of JW by Mom" on the right hand side of this blog's home page.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving - A special time of the year that causes each of us to stop and reflect upon all that we have for which to be thankful.  For many, Thanksgiving is about family. So it is for John's family.

John's sis has never missed a Thanksgiving at home.  His brother has missed several over the years, but only because he was deployed somewhere fighting one god-forsaken war or another or otherwise engaged by the U.S. Army.  John missed but one, when he flew out to San Diego with his brother to pick up his brother's car which had been shipped there after his brother was transferred by the Army from Germany to Ft. Huachuca in Arizona.

A photo from Thanksgiving, 2006 (John's last) is below.

Thanksgiving - painful yet still special, especially reflecting upon Thanksgivings past when John always made it a point to be home. We miss you, guy -- as much as ever.

To see how this special time of the year was handled the year JW died, click here.

Renewal / Demise

JW's Memorial 

The Bottomless Pool

John's parents went back to the Kennedy Center last night.  Due to scheduling conflicts, John's Mom & Dad arrived separately.  John's Dad walked from the Metro and thus crossed Virginia Avenue on the way to the Kennedy Center.  He walked past what is now a large dormitory for George Washington University. See photo below:

This building used to be a Howard Johnson's Motor Lodge.  John's parents and JW (and his little bro) stayed there in 1981 while John's Dad went to a training course at the Washington Navy Yard.  The below image from a postcard conveys how the motor lodge, which opened in 1962, was considered "ultra-modern" with a rooftop swimming pool overlooking the Potomac:

In any event, somehow, John's Dad convinced JW that the depth of the rooftop swimming pool went all the way down to the first floor of the hotel.  After that, we had a hard time convincing JW to jump into the pool again.

The District is just full of John Memories as indicated here and here.

btw -- this Howard Johnson's became famous when it was used as a lookout point for the Watergate burglaries back in 1972.

Birthday Images Redux

Celebrating his birthday yesterday with JW's niece and nephew, John's Dad sent some pictures halfway around the world to John's bro in Afghanistan.  Included was this one showing John's Dad planting a kiss on the head of JW's nephew and namesake:

Leave it to John's bro to make the following observation:

The above picture reminded me of the one from John's birthday at the house in Maryland out on the deck...I think Mom was kissing him on the head in the same pose!!  And I think John had the same look on his face that Bentley does in this picture.

Check out the below picture and come to your own conclusion:

... And the World Keeps Movin' On

Recall the earlier post which talked about the CVS in Adams Morgan being the last place JW went to in his old neighborhood just before he died. Inevitably, for better or worse, the world does keep movin' on as indicated in the pictures below -- the first being the CVS as it appeared back in 2007; the second as it appeared about six months ago; and the third as it appears today as the old CVS (which was actually a part of the old Ontario Theater on Columbia Road) has recently been razed for a new complex of condominiums to be built, as depicted in the fourth picture. Change ... destruction .... renewal .... among the few things in life you can be assured of.  Yet, while Adams Morgan may change, our fond memories of JW are forever.

Cheerios v. Puffs

In the House of God, which prevails, Cheerios or Puffs?

Taking John's niece and nephew to Mass today, I was reminded of a memorable experience w/JW and how we get so much wiser as we get older.  

As all parents learn, when you want to keep a one-year-old quiet for a period of time such as an hour-long Mass, the best option is always food.  For JW, it was a small container of dry Cheerios.  For his nephew and namesake, it's Puffs.  

Thirty-six years ago, we were attending Epiphany Parish in Brick, NJ.  It was a brand new parish - thus, it did not even have it's own church building. Instead, Sunday Mass was held in the gym of the local high school. 

Today, we attended Mass at St. Francis of Assisi Parish, a Franciscan parish in Triangle, VA.  And instead of Cheerios, John's nephew had Puffs. 

Way back when, somehow, in the middle of Mass, JW managed to drop the entire bowl of Cheerios on the gym floor.  Being a smooth wood floor, the Cheerios went flying anywhere and everywhere to the notice of just about everyone.  There was no way to gracefully recover from such an event.  

Puffs, of course, are much lighter. In addition, the church today had carpeting rather than wood floors.  Most important of all, John's nephew's grandparents gave him only two puffs at a time, rather than a whole bowlful. 

Much has changed, not the least of which is the wisdom of John's parents.  

Photos of JW and his namesake at comparable ages are below. 

KC - A Happening Place

Summer 2005 - The last (and only time) we took JW to the Kennedy Center.  It was to see the play "Hairspray."

Autumn 2013 - The first time we take JW's niece and nephew to the Kennedy Center.  It was to see an NSO "Teddy Bear Concert."

What a difference 8 years makes.

John's niece with the man himself.  

Marooned at Sea (sort of)

The other day, John's mom and I had the opportunity to go for a ride on our boat on a warm October day. It brought back memories of an earlier ride in a much smaller boat to the same point of interest.

The boat was our 16' skiff.  The ride was with JW and his then girlfriend. The boat was as pictured below, although in this picture are John's brother and sister (I could not find a picture with John in the boat).

We had gone to brunch at Morris Point restaurant on nearby creek.  After brunch, I decided on the spur of the moment to take them out on the nearby Potomac, to  Nomini Bay in Virginia.  We had a little more than half in a 6 gallon gas tank.

In any event, this little excursion was about 14 miles round trip with the Potomac itself over 5 miles wide at that point (see below).  Furthermore, while John's mom and I had made the trip many times before, we never did it with four people in the boat.  Finally, the river was somewhat choppy so the trip was slow with our 25 HP engine.

To make a long story short, with the extra passengers and choppy conditions, I used more gas than I expected --about half or more of the remaining gas just getting across the river.  Somewhat nervously, I started to head back to the Maryland side but soon reversed course, not convinced I had enough gas to get back and not wanting to get marooned in the middle of the river.  There, of course, we're no marinas in Namoni Bay and not very many homes as well. I saw some folks fishing on the shore, went up to them and explained our plight.  I was graciously offered a ride to a gas station, about 5 miles away, and proceeded to spend my last 5 dollars for just enough gas to get back to the other side of the river.

I'm not certain if JW ever went for a boat ride with me after that.  At the very least, it was a memorable one.

42 Bus

The other night, John's mom and I went out to dinner and a movie in downtown DC. It seemed like an appropriate start to a holiday weekend. Afterward, we took a Metrobus back to our weekday apartment in Adams Morgan, JW's special part of town.

Every time I take that bus, I recognize that JW must have often taken the same bus when returning home after a night on the town.  I often look at the young thirty-somethings on the bus as a reminder of JW, only to realize that by this point in time he would be almost a forty-something with a young family at home and thus wouldn't be out on the town like his parents were.

To get a feel what the bus ride is like and all the parts of town that the 42 bus goes through (to include DuPont Circle and up Connecticut Avenue), watch the below video.  

7th Annual Kickball & Kegger Fest

The 7th Annual Kickball & Kegger Fest honoring JW's memory was held this past weekend under near perfect weather conditions.  A good crowd turned out, especially considering the back and forth switching of the date this year.  However, contrary to rumor, the crowd size was not the reason the State of Maryland erected the signs pictured below a few miles from our home.

 

 

 

There were many, many highlights from the day to include this being the first ever Fest for a number of children, to include JW's namesake, John Bentley (first timers included Viola, Grayson and others).

The kickball game started out as a potential blowout but actually ended with a 13-12 score.  The play of the day was by Eric who had an unassisted double play -- a first for this series.

Entertainment was outstanding as always and included the 7th straight appearance by Gobbler's Knob featuring Stryker and Dish as well as JW's little brother Mike in his new role playing bass, as well as the more recent favorite, Your Father's Mustache from Morgantown, WV featuring Pete and newcomer Nick.

And last but not least, John's little sis, Jes, had a big shout out for her upcoming 30th birthday.

The capstone of the evening was a Guinness toast to JW's memory.  The essence of the entire day was captured so artistically by Angie in the below photo.

Photos of the entire day's festivities can be seen by clicking on the below album (with a special thanks to Barbara and Sheri).

7th Annual JW Kickball & Kegger Fest

It Was Yesterday ... It Was 37 Years Ago

In a touch of irony, while life over the past six years has changed so radically, there is one aspect that has remained a constant, frozen in time -- my memory of you as a young 30-year-old man who had accomplished so much and who had lived life so fully but who also had so much yet to experience.

As such, in a strange sense, instead of being my eldest child -- the dean of your generation of Leonard off-spring -- you will soon become my youngest, as your little sister turns 30.

On today, what would have been your 37th birthday -- the advent of your entry to middle age -- we take solace from what has been -- how you fully lived the gift of life when you had the opportunity -- rather than focusing on the loss of what could have been.

On the anniversary of your birth, JW, thanks for the memories.  They, like you, are precious.

JW on his 30th Birthday

37 Fathers' Days Ago

Thanks, JW, for making me a Dad for the first time having been born on Fathers' Day 37 years ago. I always said you were better than a tie.

Warmth of Love

The warmth of a mother's, grandmother's and uncle's love can be seen by clicking on the below album which depicts the making of Bentley's quilt.

Making of Bentley's Quilt

7th Annual J.W. Kickball & Kegger Fest -- June 22, 2013

The new, new date is the old date.  Back to the future.  After battling calendars, the date for this year's JW kickball & kegger fest is once again June 22, 2013.

RSVP at Evite.

The tradition that started here and continued through to here, is back for another year. 

All of John's family, friends, co-workers, kickballers, flip cup teammates and any and all who love life the way John did are invited to the 7th annual beer cup kickball game and kegger to be held on the Saturday closest to John's birthday (he would be 37 this year).

The party begins at 2:00 pm with kegs, soda, and appetizers.

The kickball game begins at 4:00 pm.

The food fest begins at 5:00 pm.

Live music!

Activities for children of all ages.

The festivities continue until whenever.

As an extra treat, the festivities will include a special celebration of John's lil sis' 30th birthday.