Greg

Lauri's been in Alaska for about 30 years. The first time I went to see her I had just graduated from Arizona State University and my graduation gift was a plane ticket to Anchorage. Woohoo ! I spent two months up there -- hitch-hiking around, driving a forklift on the boat dock, helping Lauri build her cabin, taking loads of photographs (slide film back then, whew! that cost a small fortune). Lauri's neighbor wasn't using her cabin and said I could stay there, so I had this cute little A-frame to myself. It didn't have plumbing, but once I learned how to keep the mosquitoes off my butt, going outside was no problem.

The second time I visited it was because Lauri was getting married. I was her wedding photographer. Unfortunately I didn't experience the wedding -- you can't really enjoy or participate when you're busy recording it all for posterity.

The third time I went to Lauri's, it was because I was having a personal crisis and needed to hang out someplace far away from my home in San Diego. Lauri took good care of me and let me spend entire days driving around in her car with her wonderful dog Scupper. He's the only dog I've ever liked.

Lauri divorced that first guy and has been with Greg now 17 years. He is amazing. He is the man who knows how to do everything and does it all well. One time, when my husband and I went to Napa (where Lauri's parents lived) to see Lauri and Greg, he was working on a quilt. It was beautiful. And he builds things and makes sausage and flies a plane. He's quite special.

I need to get up there again soon. It's been a really long time since I've seen my lovely friend and her little corner of paradise.