It's been a sad week, particulary for my Easternmost relatives. My Brother-in-law Allen passed away in the wee hours of the morning. It is my misfortune that I haven't seen Allen since my last trip to Brooklyn back in 1985. But certainly he leaves behind a whole crew who are already missing him something fierce; my sister, his kids, Bea, Kirk, Doris, and their kids, his five grandkids, and many other friends and relatives besides.
I hear Allen was pretty fiesty his last years, but that's no surprise, I suspect. Most fireman are the fiesty type; they don't go willingly off to that last alarm.