And The Sandwich Is...

Pastrami! Of course! How could I not have known that? If anyone ever gets to Brookline, MA, and goes to Kanter's deli, you can order a nice, thick pastrami sandwich called "The Lupo." Bon appetit!
There were 500 people at the memorial the other night. And it went off without a hitch. Almost as if we'd planned it, or something! There was a loose outline, but it ended up working out really well. A musical therapist from the hospice came, and she played her guitar and sang between speakers. One fellow read a cloumn dad had written about driving in the rain and listening to my mother sing (off-key) to Howard Keel, who was singing from "Oklahoma." So Evvie (the musician) played "Oh What a Beautiful Morning" and we all sang along. And kept singing, each time she got up to play.
Then the rabbi got up to speak. The service was in Marsh Chapel, part of Boston University, and a Roman Catholic church. So the rabbi said "Al would get a kick out of this; the big Jew standing in front of Marsh Chapel 2 days before Yom Kippur."
It was an evening of some tears, but mostly laughter. A couple of friends of mine and my brother's got up to speak, and we hadn't seen them in years. In fact, there were lots of people we hadn't seen in a very long time, and were able to get back in touch with. Including some of my very best friends from childhood. That's Dad, bringing people together.
He's also made his presence known in other ways: I've been walking artound my mother's house, the house I grew up in, turning off lights and opening windows, just like Dad used to do. My SIL woke up the other night complaining (to herself) how hot it was in the house, just like dad always did. And my niece, who's only 20, got up to use the bathroom 5 times that night! Just like dad always did!
Yesterday we went to the Berkshires, in western Massachusetts. We saw some foliage, visited Kripalu, a beautiful yoga reteat, and then went to Shakespeare & Company, which was the first real, professional job I had as an actor, in my early 20's. I'd gone to spend a summer, and stayed for 3 years.
They have a new space now, and I wanted to check it out. As soon as we pulled in the drive I saw Kevin, one of the actor/directors and head of the education programs. I'd worked most closely with him during my time there, and there he was, out walking his dog! I got out of the van, and he recognized me, gave me a big hug, and told me that he and Jonathan, one of the other guys I'd worked with a lot, had been talking about me that morning. Hmmm.... psychic messages?
Anyway, he then spent the next hour + giving us a tour of the new facilites. It was so nice!
After we left, we drove to Amherst to visit UMass, where both my brother and father had gone to college. My brother bought some T-shirts for himself and his family, then we went to dinner and drove back to Boston.
It was a lovely day, perfect Fall weather, and really fun. It was also one ofdad's favorite places, so he came with us.
I'm heading back to California on Friday. I miss my husband and kids. But it has been a wonderful time here (OK, ecxept for the nearly 24-hour CNN-athon that Mom likes to indulge in
- this morning we woke up to "Breaking News: Stock market tumbles 500 points! Investors have lost 2 Trillion in 401(k) portfolios! Banks around the world in a panic! Good morning!). We've been with family and friends, seen people we haven't seen in 14 years, and bought some genuine-article Red Sox gear.