Devron Wondercheck, in memory of a lost friend

Devron Wondercheck, photo taken in 1991, San Francisco

Twenty-one years ago, in 1992, my close friend Devron Wondercheck wrote me this letter on Gay Pride Day. He was 26 years old, and I was 28. We saw each other just about every day. He was sick with AIDS, though he hung on until the following autumn. I wanted to remember him today, along with all my friends who did not survive the epidemic — even though it is not over, really. And I want to remember something of that lost time, seemingly so long ago yet never far from my heart. Here’s what Devron wrote in longhand to me, self-pity and spelling errors and all, on Gay Pride Day 1992…

Continue reading “Devron Wondercheck, in memory of a lost friend”

Nevada City Easter

Duck pond at The Otter House

Stayed at “The Otter House” with Dana, Mat, his brother and his bf, too. This 1930’s farm house sits on 19 acres of woods at the end of road. The house faces a gurgling Rock Creek and is just a few feet from roaring waterfalls (all on the property). The willow was leafing and the dogwood blooming by the spring-fed pond. The dogs were in heaven, except for the ticks (which were legion). Wonderful, sweet time. Continue reading “Nevada City Easter”

New England trip

Patrick Santana at the West 4th station

Matthew and I sally forth to New York City, on the way to a big Yale LGBT Reunion in New Haven. Sadly, this big blizzard came in and the reunion was cancelled. We trudged on anyway. Ira hosted a lovely Yalie dinner at his apartment on Saturday, as a consolation to those of us stuck in the city. And ultimately, Matt and I caught a bus to Boston, where I visited my dear friends Stephen and Ray, who were the core of ACT UP/Boston and my great mentors. An unforgettable trip all around (for both good and bad reasons!) Continue reading “New England trip”