Paperwork, Motorcycles and Plays - March 7, 2011

I have been a bit overwhelmed by paperwork. The income tax deadline is approaching and I'm scurrying to find all of Pete's receipts for medical payments, travel, prescriptions, etc. He was not the most organized when it came to that kind of thing. I made a few blunders and I put the cart before the horse with a couple of things and made it more difficult for myself, but hopefully I'll be able to get that straightened out soon.

Pete had a motorcycle for a short time, a big red Honda TransAlp that he loved. He didn't have it for long and he always talked about getting another. He helped several friends learn to ride and get their licenses.

One of Petey's favorite rides

Timmie P: I was one of the guys that lived with Petey in the John street house....awesome times. I remember him teaching me how to ride his motorcycle...after we had a couple of screwdrivers. Luckily the neighbor across the street was pretty cool about it. I also remember how we would scurry the heck out of there when his mom would stop by. Wow, were we afraid of her. It wasn’t till years later we saw how strong and sweet a person she is and how Petey became the person we all love.

Both Pete and Gina enjoyed acting on stage and performed in several plays while they were in high school. Dianne A relates this:

I was friends with Pete back in high school. We re-connected here in the virtual world of Facebook, and I'm very glad to have done so. If I feel the loss of his passing, how much more so must all of you who are family and close friends! My heart goes out to you as you adjust to life after his death.

I wanted to share with you one mental image I have of Pete that keeps coming back to me. Back in high school, he and I were both in the play Any Number Can Die. In that play, Pete's character was required to kiss another character and basically waltz off with her into the sunset, or at least as much as one can do so on a stage. I remember the emotional chaos that seemed to swirl around that scene, as the girl he had to kiss was not only quite a bit shorter than he was, thus sparking some debate at how to make it flow smoothly, but she was also dating another cast member, who was not overly enthused about his girlfriend kissing another guy. In the midst of that was Pete. I can picture how he looked as he ushered that girl offstage in such a comical manner that seemed to me to not only break the tension, but also made it difficult for me to keep a straight face. That's the image I have of Pete: this tall, young, blond guy with a comical expression as he waltzed off into the sunset. He always could make me smile. Thank you for sharing your son with all of us, and thank you for sharing yourself with us in your blog.