Pietschforks, Glory and Such

 

It was a bundle lunch date yesterday.

I felt a bit like Flo in the Progressive Insurance commercials when I texted my friend and former student Chris Pietsch and suggested that we kill two birds with one stone and combine separate lunch dates into one.

He and another former student and friend Glory Whittaker had planned lunch yesterday, while I was on the Wednesday plan. Seemed to me more fun to see the two of them, so that's what we did. 

We met at Fiesta Bonita where a fun and nice server named Sahara waited on us.  

I hadn't seen Chris in person since before the Pandemic.  He's an award-winning photographer in Eugene, Ore.  

Just before coming for his visit to Sandpoint, he had "survived" photographing the beastly hot Olympic Trials where temperatures soared to around 114 degrees.

Chris gave me permission to use the term he had coined about his Pandemic hair style:  he calls it "feral hair," and he says he'll be having it cut fairly soon.

For now, as Glory, his 1975 classmate and retired Lake Pend Oreille School District educator, noted, he's our "hippy friend."

During our visit, Glory, who lives in Hope, mentioned that she'd never been to the Lovestead. Nor had Chris. 

So,  the two punched in our address to their phones, we left the restaurant and headed toward Selle. 

Within five minutes, Bill arrived home from his day of work.  That appearance prompted Chris to suggest that he needed to take American Gothic Love 2.0.  

After some more visiting and a walk through the woods, Chris directed us toward our barn where I retrieved our pitchfork prop for an update of a photo concept Chris had taken in 1977 shortly after we had moved to our farm on Great Northern Road. 

And so, now we have our 2021 portrait. I would be safe in saying that Chris definitely deserves the title as official Marianne and Bill photographer. 

He shot all of our wedding pictures, including the pre-wedding party at our North Boyer farm where most of the family and some relatives attended. 

Years later, after we had lost our wedding photos from a house fire, Chris went through his library, selected a few photos and sent them to me, including American Love Gothic 1.0. 

A wonderful, thoughtful and much appreciated gesture, as is customary with Chris.

Chris and Glory occupy a special place from a special time my memories.  

I knew both of them as students when Bill and I first met, which, I believe, was 48 years ago yesterday during my first trip to the National Boy Scout Jamboree to assemble a series of feature stories for the Sandpoint News Bulletin. 

Chris' dad Gary had given me the assignment. On that first meeting, I generously offered to find Bill and his trading post warehouse colleagues dates with Sandpoint girls. 

After all, I knew them as students and as members of a summer softball team. Glory was among the group of young women who accompanied me to Farragut, after a gathering at her home hosted by her mom Helen.

Bill and I ended up being the only members of the group who tied the knot, but we all had a lot of fun that summer.  

Later, Helen and her hubby Dick accompanied Bill and me for dinner on our engagement night.

And, later, Chris took those wedding photos. 

I could fill a book with the myriad of wonderful memories spent with these two and their high school contemporaries. 

Good times then and a great day yesterday.

Thanks so much, Chris and Glory for one more unforgettable time spent with you. 

It was a wonderful and nostaglic afternoon, to say the least and so much fun to show you the Lovestead.

American Love Gothic 1.0, taken by Eugene Register-Guard photographer Chris Pietsch circa 1977.

 The farm, where we lived for 30 years, was purchased from us in 2006 by Quest Aircraft, enabling us to move to Selle.

 Our dog at the time was named Sarah. 

American Love Gothic 2.0, also taken by Chris Pietsch, July 20, 2021.

We moved to our farm, now known as the Lovestead, on July 1, 2006. 

A Chris Pietsch photo from the night before Bill and I were married on June 15, 1974. One of the rare photos when all six of us siblings were together for a photo. 

Glory Whittaker and Chris Pietsch

Bill finished dismantling the old greenhouse in preparation for the new.

He has just taken off for a  day-long fishing trip with Willie to the St. Joe River, but he'll be here tomorrow when the new greenhouse arrives at its new home. 

A very welcome sight again this morning.  

Not much but any amount of moisture will be nice.