My Friend Marcia

Marcia and Cam in front of their Airstream in our yard

Marcia in our purple and red bathroom 1968

I met Marcia in 1966 when we both transferred our junior year to The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., I from Gonzaga and she from San Diego State. After our first year as roommates, I convinced her that we should take off a year from school, get an apartment and jobs, and have fun before we finished up.  She was game. She was talented.  We bought old furniture and recovered the pieces, turning our apartment into an ensemble of hot pink and orange, black and white,and an avocado green rug (it did work) -- our expression of the surrealistic world we were living in.  I wish I had a photo of the Sheridan sofa we recovered in large black and white pop-art flowers. We consulted an interior decorator who lived in our complex regarding what color our curtains should be.  He looked around at our colorful environment and answered dryly, "Your only choice is neutral white."  Marcia taught me to cook. She taught me to sew. She was a great companion.

Flamboyant me on fainting couch before  re-upholstery

That year with Marcia was one of the best. At the end she went back to school in San Diego and I stayed on to finish up and get a job. Marriage in 1970 dispersed our dream apartment. The times, they were a changin' anyway.

Fainting couch after re-upholstery & Windy

We've stayed in touch through the years and have even briefly visited from time to time, when one or the other was "passing through", in such places as Puebla, Mexico; San Diego; Annapolis; Alexandria, Virginia; and Cheyenne, Wyoming.  Marcia has a great husband, Cam, and two adult sons.  Cam and Marcia make long treks in their Airstream from their California home to the far corners of the continent, and sometimes fly off to Europe.


In early July, Marcia and Cam stopped here in Idaho on their way up to Alaska.  Jay and I really enjoyed their visit.  They were game for long walks through the hills and even went with us to view the work being done on our house at the Stratford factory in Rathdrum. You can view their take on the visit here.

Marcia prepared our supper and we ate by the creek.

 Marcia continues to be a talented artist and craftsman. Her latest interest is decorating various sized gourds. I think I've convinced her to expand her market and sell on eBay when she returns from Alaska in the autumn. Her talent should be shared beyond her California base. I love my pear gourd, and her calla lily decorated gourds are wonderful.

A pear gourd decorated with pears and
a small pot from Marcia's earlier ceramics period.

I plan to frame Marcia's note cards when  we
move into our new house.

I hope we'll meet again soon. The years go by too fast.

Bon voyage to Alaska