I met Jeff as a housemate in El Portal’s Hotel. Upstairs at the end of the hall. He was rarely there and had a lot of nature stuffed into that room. It was years later that I returned (subbing for Y.I.?) in the spring looking for someone to do a ski adventure with. We ended up heading toward Tuolumne Meadows, and after a night waiting for the shaky slabs to freeze, (and let us pass) we arrived in the meadow. Awesome weather, and Jeff would be off at the crack of dawn skate skiing to Cathedral and back before the snow softened too much and then joining more folks to make some Teleturns on Pothole Dome, (what fun with the low leather boots and 200cm skiis). As the day got warmer folks started ditching clothes and it wasn’t long before joyful turns were had in full Sierra sun. Jeff ‘s endless energy and smiles to go with it always made for an awesome adventure. Jeff got to share his connection to the natural world with so many. I feel blessed to have been one of them.
Kim Dunkley
Johnson, VT
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Hey Dunkley! We posted at precisely the same moment tonight. Both thinking of Jeff! Hope you are well... love, Paul
ReplyDeleteI first met Jeff when I was 12 or 13. We rode bikes together, explored beautiful places together and generally had a lot of fun over the decades. We had serious conversations as well as silly ones.
ReplyDeleteI have so many memories, it's hard to know where to start. Perhaps one of my favorite memories is when he visited me back in college. We were playing on the beach and he was trying to teach me how to skip stones. I never did get it, but did learn lots of other great stuff from him such as the call of a chickadee and the beauty of a Tidy Tip.
I hadn't seen him in quite a long time, but he called around Christmas to catch up. I'm so glad he did! I just wish I had done a better job of staying in touch... such an important lesson.
When I received the news, I looked outside and a Cooper's hawk (or was it a Goshawk?) landed on the picnic table below me and looked up at me. It stayed awhile and then flew to a nearby tree. I can't help think it was a messenger of some sort.
Jeff, I hope your spirit is soaring. My memories of you are rich and I am so grateful for the great times we had together, your amazing ability to demonstrate that life can be abundant with minimal possessions, and that twinkle in your eye. I will never forget you!
Susan Stansbury