Brothers -In-Law

I don't know how this is going to work, but we'll see. I haven't had much practice multitasking lately so it may or may not turn out. I'm watching a Humphrey Bogart movie on Turner Classic Movies while I'm writing this post and waiting for UPS to deliver my new scanner. I can't wait! It's almost like Christmas.

I've been sitting on this post for a while now, waiting for something out of the ordinary to happen that would be a great lead-in for the subject of Brothers-In-Law. I've about decided it's not going to happen, so I'll just go with what I've got.

This is Richard, who married Karen in 1977. He is a great cook and absolutely loves having a house full of kids - his own, or nieces and nephews - it doesn't matter. I remember once at mom's, when all the kids were driving everyone else nuts during a holiday gathering - and dinnertime was clearly sliding to the right - Richard loaded all the kids into his car and took them to dinner. . . by himself. . . alone. . . with no help! Imagine that.

This is David, who married Mary in 1988. He's a computer whiz and bicyclist (the only person I actually know who would ride his bike to work), who's always on top of the "Austin music scene". He's quiet, has a sharp wit - which he's passed on to his son - and the twinkle in his eye at family gatherings has me convinced that he's got all his in-laws's figured out.

This is Stan, who married Ellen in 1977. No party is complete without Stan. That's an understatement, really. Not many discussions are complete without Stan. Never at a loss for words, he has opinions on most everything and is more than happy to share them. I sometimes think that, to keep a discussion interesting, Stan is willing to argue any side of any point. That's probably not true for important subjects, but I think it is when he feels he can add to the entertainment value of a conversation.

This is Brad, who married Kathy in 1979. Brad died in 1995 and we all miss him. Brad seemed to inspire a party by his mere presence - and it was typically raucous. At one of our Inks Lake campouts, Brad fueled the entire weekend single-handedly by bringing a dozen or so cases of Miller Lite. But he didn't need to supply beer to work his magic - he was hilarious. When Brad and Stan got together, a circus broke out. I remember watching the pair of them painting the eaves on my dad's house one hot, summer afternoon. . .

This is Danny, who married Angela in 1990. He and I have much the same taste in reading material and have shared our books with each other for years. A gracious host for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners - again, for years - he seems only slightly less excited than Angela about their annual productions. He loves sports - playing, coaching, and refereeing; that and his family are what put the light in Danny's eyes.

*****

Bogie's gone, the post is ready, AND MY NEW SCANNER JUST ARRIVED!