Ditched work early today due to feeling a bit under the weather and not having had a single customer- the joy and dispair of being your own boss... Picked up my daughter from school and drove around town soaking up the sunshine. Had to enjoy it from inside the car- its freezing cold outside. Drove out to visit the Big Valley memorial. If anyone has seen Deadliest Catch on the Discovery channel, you'll be familiar with the sinking of the Big Valley. Skipper Gary Edwards was a good friend, and I've been thinking alot about him lately. Hard to believe it's been a year already. I still can't get my mind around the fact that he's gone and never coming back. Gary was for me such a huge part of what made Kodiak such a cool place to live. Words can not express the loss this community has felt. Gary was one of the most unique individuals I've ever met- a rennaisance man, ecclectic, bohemian all the way, artist, tag sale junkie, total ladies man ( yeah, he knew how to work it!) and the biggest heart this side of the equator. A man with major class. He loved the arts and threw fabulous parties. He always wore his trade-mark white shirt, thin black tie and black cashmere cardigan- usually paired with a ragged and frayed pair of slacks. My wedding dress was found in his attic- a 1950's creation from San Fransisco still in the original box. Anyhow, I miss him heaps and wish he could have seen my shop and the artwork I've been doing- he was always one for pursuing one's dreams and know he would have approved...
I worked in the Alaska fisheries in the '80s and 90s before leaving for law school and my present career as an attorney. I've seen that Discovery Channel show but rarely watch it because of my emotional investment in this area. Last night I was casually watching an episode when I was stunned to learn that the Big Valley had sunk and that Gary and four other crew members are dead as I worked on Gary's boat in 1993. He was not only a worthy member of the brotherhood of the sea but a sensitive and cultured person as well. He will be missed.
ReplyDeleteI worked on the Big Valley the summer of 93 and 95. I am scanning all my pictures to write down the story. Gary was a good guy and good to me. He let me live in his house. It was the summer I turned 21.
ReplyDeletephil52_1999@yahoo.com I posted the above comment. Philip Friend
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