A Soiree Salon-Style Evening in the Coleman Scott House

Last night my husband and I were invited to hear Angel Romero play guitar and share stories from his life in an historic home (Coleman-Scott Home, built by John Bennes, and has remained in the same family since it was built) in the Irvington district of Portland. There were about 50 people in attendance, most of them  classical guitar enthusiasts or players. The event was sponsored by the Portland Classical Guitar society, as well as Arciform (a building/design/remodeling company specializing in authentic, historic remodeling) and tickets were $100. I got to pretend for the evening that I had that kind of disposable income. We were on the guest list, thanks to our son-in-law! He has been working on the  new addition to the home for the past several months and the homeowners (thankyou so much Carol and Monty) extended the invitation to us. The red wine, white wine, fizzy mineral water, cheesecakes, fresh fruits, and mini-wraps refreshed us as we mingled in the beautiful home.

Let me say that this evening was unique! The home was carefully and lovingly appointed with the family treasures, photographs, and bits of history. There was a large photo of Abigail Duniway, the first woman to cast her vote in Oregon,(ironically, her brother, the owner of the Oregonian, was vehemently against suffrage and wrote editorials to that end, quite the family feud) an originally installed Estey pipe organ with the largest collection of pipe organ spools in America. The walls were covered in woven silk jacquard, the lighting fixtures were of the period, and a large library table was recycled from former bookshelves by a German craftsman, bookshelves that had to be left behind in the midwest in the 1860's, but eventually brought dismantled to the west. I did not take notes, so my facts might be off a bit, but you get the idea.

Devin and Jasper

Angel answers a question about the Steven Connor guitar he brought along to play

When Angel arrived with his lovely wife Nefretiri and young daughter Isabel a ruffle of excitement and awe moved through the crowd. Angel, dressed in jeans and plaid shirt, blended in so well that neither my husband nor I could really tell where he was. An energetic 64-year old, white haired, tan faced, elegant Spaniard, with a slight accent, Angel moved to the United States in 1957. His father was the most famous classical guitarist of his time, and left Spain when Franco came into power. Angel is an affable man, laughing heartily as he chatted with people. Angel was asked recently what kind of music he listens to at home....we all laughed when he said "Lady Gaga". Naturally! That is the music Isabel is playing! He said that learning to play guitar came naturally to him. I'm sure that is an unassuming, humble statement, not a pompous one. I'm sure he applied himself to learning scales. This man can play lead melody lines with both hands simultaneously. He told us his father would say  'el hijo de un gato cace ratones' (The son of a cat catches mice).

Angel told an anecdote about meeting with Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys (back in the 1960's) and teaching him an ornament (or 'lick') from Scarlatti on the guitar....which soon after showed up in Sloop John B.

Eventually we were directed to the living room to listen to Angel play. He played only one piece, (I wonder if people were expecting a mini-concert) and kept us enthralled with stories about  people, compositions, composers, singers, events in his life. His overarching message was one of compassion and humanity. He spoke of making mistakes and being human. He laughed often. We cracked up when he told us of the time he met Segovia and Segovia noticed Angel's hands as being like his own, thick and meaty (not long and lean like the rest of his family). Segovia grabbed Angel's hands, held them to his face and kissed them!

As you can see, I had a pretty good seat in the salon!

Here is the tail end of the one piece Angel played for us.

A wonderful friend and sister-in-law

This is me with my sister-in-law Kathy, on a bench in Kaiserslautern, Germany, 2007. 

Kathy and I have known each other a long time. I heard about Kathy before I laid eyes on her! It was the summer of 1972 and I was staying at a house 'for Christian young people' in the Wilshire district of LA when someone remarked at breakfast that I 'looked like Richard's girlfriend'. A few days later I saw Kathy across the room at the Salt Company Coffeehouse in Hollywood. I thought 'wow, if people think I look like her, I'm pretty cute!" We were introduced to each other, but that was about the extent of our first meeting. I think we were both shy and didn't have the common ground that we eventually shared. The two brothers that became our husbands (a year later) were living and working at that 'house' in downtown Los Angeles. It was the former Philippine Consulate with tile floors, high ceilings, large hallways, a swimming pool, a Mexican tiled fountain and a dovecote. It was called Renewal House. This house was a safe place for street kids and was sponsored by Lutheran Social Services and run by Allan and Eunice Hansen. I stayed in the 'girls house' next door for two weeks while I was in team training for Lutheran Youth Alive summer team. I met my husband-to-be when he joined our team because at the last minute we needed a skilled musician and extra member for our team.I could play guitar (just barely), so it was nice to have him on board. Rules were not to make boyfriends/girlfriends while on the team, so as I began to fall in love with him I had to keep those feelings to myself...but I digress...this story is about Kathy. 

She married brother Number One and I married brother Number Two. Our weddings were within three months of each other and were in the fashion of the time; charming, simple, handmade, affordable (as in no one went into debt). Friends and family pitched in to provide flowers, cake and photography. Their wedding was quite elegant and original, and held in a Lutheran Church in Van Nuys, with Allan Hansen officiating.The bridegroom wore a big red bow tie, the bridesmaid wore a red gingham gown and straw hat, one of Kathy's girlfriends sang a blessing (from the pew) to the couple as they recessed, and ice cream was served with the cake.  Ours was held in my hometown of Eugene, Oregon, at Grace Lutheran Church, with Harold Giseke officiating.We are all approaching our 38th anniversaries this year, which doesn't seem possible! (If you must do the math you will discover that we were likely 15 years old at this time)

None of us owned a car, we all rode our bicycles to work. None of us had a phone at the time either. We worked hard at our respective jobs and lived frugally, saving money each month toward our first cars (theirs was a Datsun B201, ours was a VW bus). My hubby worked for a factory, (aptly named "Acme") that manufactured bedspreads and mattress pads. He worked the shipping and receiving department. I worked in the billing department of Montgomery Ward, processing incoming payments using a huge drum like machine that sorted the checks and payment receipts into alphabetical slots. I gave the checks to the 'cash cage' and the payment receipts to the filing department after my tallies balanced out exactly. Kathy worked as a waitress (Tiny's?) and her hubby worked for Rain for Rent, a company that provided equipment for irrigating farmland.

Within a few days of my new job and new married life Kathy made the effort to get to know me. She met me at Montgomery Ward for lunch as often as she could. I remember thinking how outgoing she was to do that! She was just a bit older than me, and in my insecurity (she was from Beverly Hills, and seemed to be much more experienced and sophisticated than me) I didn't think she would find me that interesting. Her gracious hospitality and excellent manners helped me get over that nonsense!
As I got to know her I loved her perspective on life, her can-do attitude and her optimism. She always thought (and still does) the best of everyone she met. (But she is no Pollyanna either. Her instincts for character in a person are sharp!)

We would often visit each other in the evenings, sharing dinners, and playing Rook card games with much laughter. Eventually we shared a townhouse duplex for a couple of years. I loved Kathy's newlywed cooking, her brazen approach to obtaining new recipes (ask her about her Kmart adventure). She was (and is) completely fearless when it comes to renovating, painting, reupholstering, decorating. Her sense of style, energy and verve in tackling difficult projects inspires me to this day!

Saturday was laundry day! We balanced our baskets of dirty laundry on our bicycle handles and on the flat support behind the seat (you know, with the metal springy thing) and rode the 5 blocks down to the laundromat on H Street. I liked the sense of getting all the laundry done for the week at one time. Three dollars was the total cost. After we got the clean and folded laundry home we often rode our bikes to the Franz bakery outlet store for some good deals on bread. You should've seen us balancing our regular groceries on our handlebars!

Kathy's mom and sister would often drive up to visit on the weekends. They would bring wonderful pastries from Emil's bakery in LA. I looked forward to the lovely kaffe klatsches with Hegge and Leonie. Hegge was from East Prussia. She brought an elegant European style to every occasion. She and I would converse auf deutsch until my limited vocabulary fizzled out. Sadly, Kathy's mother, sister and father have passed away, leaving Kathy as the vanguard of her family. She and her hubby have three gorgeous daughters and three handsome grandsons.

Stylishly beautiful Hegge, at Kathy and Richard's wedding



If you want to know Kathy better you can read her blog at http://www.kathleengauthier.blogspot.com/
You will be in for a treat!