The journey continues...

Brian Bilbrey December 25, 2025

25 December 2025

Muted Celebration To be fair, at the best of times, I'm not really huge on the holidays. They're okay. I mean, who doesn't like pressies and too much food and celebrating anything with your loved ones. But as y'all know, that's the problem. This is my first Christmas without Marcia. Marcia loved the Christmas time of year with a deep and abiding joy. Decorating every available surface and getting new surfaces out of storage, just to decorate them - that was on her list. Christmas music. Christmas movies. Each year, she'd try to get the dog du jour to wear…

Brian Bilbrey December 19, 2025

19 December 2025

Travel For the first two weeks of December, you would have found me in California. I flew out on the 29th of November, and covered friends and family from Marin to Sacramento to San Diego to LA and back North again to SF before flying home last Saturday. To be fair, it was mostly a condolence and commiseration tour, talking through the last year's tribulations leading up to Marcia's passing in October. Some folks needed convincing that Maine was really, really where I wanted to be. Others just needed reassurance that I was sad, and bereaved, but not despondent and…

Brian Bilbrey November 18, 2025

18 November 2025

Finding my way For all of you that found the words and the time to write or call, (and for those of you who could not, for whatever reason, that's okay, too - I've always struggled with other people's grief), thank you from the bottom of my heart. It's been a little over a month since I lost Marcia ... and we're, well, we're getting along. I'm not getting stuck staring into space quite as often, although today was one of those days. I'm not skipping chores, or meals, or showers ... all the things are getting done. Not as…

Brian Bilbrey November 9, 2025

9 November 2025

Colder It wasn't in the forecast, but a first sprinkling of snow happened this morning, just enough to hang out on the non-paved surfaces for a little while. Marcia's best friend and quilting co-consipirator LindaRose is on her way north from Maryland. She'll hang out for a few days and help sort through Marcia's fabrics, sewing machines, tools, and toys. Wish us luck.

Brian Bilbrey November 3, 2025

3 November 2025

Marcia's last fishing day Marcia made it out on our boat just one time in the summer just past. Bonus for her - she caught the first (and second) fishes that day. Not big, but first, which was a big deal for her, as I was usually the one to catch the first (and the most) fish in any given outing. Coming into summer, her health was already failing, and she didn't have a lot of balance or stamina, both of which mitigated against coming out on the water in a small boat. She managed a couple of other trips…