From Bruce Landau

The Seeth Family

When I think of the 60’s and Long Island, I always think of the Seeth Family. Growing up in East Williston, they were a big part of my life. There was always something going on in there house. Always motion, activity, energy and challenge. Always a story to tell or to be apart of. Randy and I were good friends.  Don was very much apart of my life too.

I also spent sometime with them in Mattituck. It was there that the love I have for sailing today was cultivated. Donald was the inspiration. Good memories of sailing in a sailfish on the Great Peconic Bay. Don showing me the ins and outs of sailing. Don and I being in races at the yacht club.

One day Don came up with the idea of trying to sail around Robbins Island. Mr. Seeth , Paul and Randy will best appreciate this story.  I was maybe 8 or 9 years. He asked me if I would go with him. He said it would be good experience. I of coarse agreed. Early in the morning we set out in a sailfish, headed east to the north point of the island. This took almost to lunch to do. It was a sunny day. Light winds. What we did not realize was that we were only a third of the way through the journey. We most like likely would have returned home late that night at the speed we were going. Unknown to us, Mrs. Seeth and my mother had been following our progress from the beach in front of the yacht club. They saw us round the point and came after us in a power boat. They caught up to us. There was a lot yelling from the power boat ordering us to turn around which we did. When we returned there were lectures related to “what were you think of” and “do you know what could of happened” kind of thing. We were ground from sailing for a few days.

My family moved to Princeton, NJ in the late 60’s. I lost track of the Seeth family. Many years later I eventually bought a sailboat of my own and started doing a lot of single handed sailing out to Block Island or Newport RI.  From my home in NJ, I liked the run out through the New York Harbor and the Long Island Sound. This route gave good places to anchor for the evening.

On one of my runs out, I anchored one evening at the end of the Mattituck creek. I found a spot next to a boat called Sea Dreams. I took notice of it because my boats name is Seahorse. Someone eventually came out on deck. I noticed how tall the person was and his smile. He asked where I was going and coming from. We talked about the weather and a few other things. He then introduced himself to me and it was Don. I told him who I was and we were both taken back. We did not recognize each other because of the years. I can’t tell you how gratefully stunned I was to see him. It was karma. Meeting on boats in Mattituck many years later.  We had a few drinks, Bloody Mary’s as I recall, and talked of family and the doings of life. I think we exchanged numbers and addresses. I left early the next morning.

The last time I saw Don was at a Blue’s festival in Ft Lauderdale when I went to visit Randy. It was good to see him.

I new Don best in his youth. I only had brief moments with him in later years. But of him I want to say this. He always made me feel like a close friend. You could see his spirit  in love with life and adventures. Always energy. Always challenging himself. A good smile and heart.

As I write on this Christmas Day, I am grateful to have known him. May he rest in peace.

To The Seeths on this day my thoughts are with you.

Bruce Landau

Mine Goes to Eleven!

When a friendship spans a lifetime you end up sharing a lot of those awkward but funny ‘coming of age’ moments. In retrospect, one of the most memorable was when we discovered ‘girls.’ As most of you know, Don was always popular with the ladies and this is where it all started.

I think I had already discovered girls during the school year, but out at Mattituck most of the girls we knew were either older or younger so our summers were still focused on sailing, steal the bacon, boating, fishing, clamming, crabbing and any other mischief we could cook up. I remember in August, 1966 some parents organized a kids’ dance at the MYC. I remember the time because Don had just turned 10 and I was “almost 12.”

Well, this little 13 year old hottie we had never seen before shows up at the dance and Don and I were off to the races. As rival suitors we monopolized that girl’s dance card all night. Though she may have hoped for some attention from the older boys, she sure played it up for ours. I remember she asked how old I was and I said “almost 12” (Don was still a 10 year old kid) and she whispered that 12 was not so young. I wonder what she was telling him! So Dootze and I traded off slow dance after slow dance and at one point he told me, “Ten! I’m up to ten!” And I replied, “Yeah, well, mine goes to ELEVEN!” (Okay, maybe that was Spinal Tap.)

Anyway, we were both being played and I remember I scammed on that girl for several years after, but by that time she was pursued by the older guys with money and cars. But for the next 40 years I don’t think any woman ever came between us again. Not even at 4 am in the Broken-Down Valise!

Easter Morning Massacre

Growing up in the Seeth family with 3 rowdy brothers was a very rough & tumble experience. My job as the oldest brother was to beat on my little brothers on a daily basis. This is the divine right and solemn duty of older brothers everywhere. And it was so easy to divide and conquer. Pummel Randy in the morning, tease and bully Don in the afternoon. It all came to a screeching halt on Easter morning, about the same time frame when this photo was shot. Doug and Jane were sound asleep in their bedroom. I was in the process of beating on Randy (no doubt to steal some of his candy), we were rolling around on the kitchen floor. All of a sudden Don came flying out of nowhere and jumped on my back. Much to my chagrin, Don and Randy had formed an "alliance" just like on Survivor. Next thing I knew Don and Randy were all over me, they pinned me to the ground gave me the licking I deserved. Doug and Jane slept thru the whole episode. That Easter morning forever changed the Seeth brothers balance of power. For the rest of Don's life mentioning Easter morning always brought a big happy smile (and Randy too).

Williston Park Water Tower

When Don was in his early teens, late one night he was carousing with some friends in Williston Park. There might have been some beer involved in this caper, no doubt warm. Someone in the group decided to bet Don $20 that he couldn't climb to the top of the water tower. All the way to the tippy top (above where the water is stored). The tower doesn't look too tall in this photo, but it's about 300 ft high. And the only way to get to the top is via a skinny vertical ladder that is completely exposed (one wrong move and you fall all the way to the ground). To make matters worse, it was the middle of the night and pitch black. Needless to say, Don made the climb to the top and collected the $20 (much to the amazement of his buddies).

Doug found out about this adventure several years later and almost lost his lunch !!!

Priceless!

Was watching this movie the other night, Changing Lanes. Not a great flick but this brief exchange grabbed my attention. Hollywood is stealing your lines, Dootze!

Wave O the Day

We had a great weekend of surf this just past. Oftentimes, when you're not ridin', you're reflectin'. I think of Don often between sets, miss him a ton, and soon a set wave comes along with his name on it. He called them "Loomers" at Flies..."Loomers, glistening on the horizon" he used to say. I'm pretty sure he knows that as long as I'm out there, there will be some for him.

Yanks Dedicate Victory to George

No doubt they were referring to our George, not the rich old dude in Tampa !!!

THEEEEEEEE YANKEES WIN!!!

Hey D-Rod, We talked about this back in June - how this was the year - and they finally did it! Andy, Hit-deki and Mo' were awesome and Moose and Frootz were thinking about you last night as we celebrated over the phone lines. #27 will always be for you brother.

World Series!

Hey D-Rod, Yankees are finally back where they belong! A-Rod is finally playing like the star we always expected. I imagine you had something to do with that up there in Yankee heaven. Go Yankees!

More photos from Stuart

It seems the photos were loaded in reverse order; perhaps someone can reverse them again. It was great to see all the friends and family that cared so much for Big Don. It was a very special day and thanks for including us -- Stuart and Bernadette Strachan

New Edition of the Tribute to Don Slideshow

Hi Everyone, There was a request for the addition of photos of Don to this slideshow. So, here it is! The photos are towards the end of the show.

You need to have QUICKTIME to view this slideshow. Please click on the title, "New Edition of the Tribute to Don Slideshow" to view.

Dootze

So, the question I was asked repeatedly was how did Don get the nickname Dootze? I will need confirmation from Randy and Paul but I think it was Randy who came up with "Dootzie Francais" from French class back when they were taunting each other in grammar school. The name stuck and got shortened to just Dootz.

After many years I asked him how to spell it and he said, "Just the way it sounds." I replied, "Oookaay, and that would be?"
"D-O-O-T-Z-E."

And all these years I'd been spelling it Doots, rhymes with "boots." So we have all these different spellings of Dootz, Dootze, Doots, Deutz...but the man spelled it Dootze.

Somebody else will have to fill in on the "George" years as I was away at college and then in CA during that time. Doug and Jane must have been dumbfounded to learn their dear Donald had now become this guy named George.

I do know that he dropped the George in the early 80s because it was causing him some problems. He told me he was down in Key West and met a girl at that spot where you watch the sunset. He introduced himself as Don. Then when they were walking back to the Happy Hour bar some guy drove by and shouted out, "Hey, George!" His new friend looked at him with suspicion and said, "You told me your name was Don!"

He probably got that "Who me?" innocent look on his face and said, "George? What George?"

Crazy love of Don

What a great party ! Wonderful to have so many people who loved and cared about Don in one place. The room was oozing with "that crazy love" of Don, wish I could have sponged some up and brought it back to California. Don would have just loved that party, I'm sure his spirit was smiling Don's trademark smile.

Tribute to Don

Some of you were able to view the slide show and some could not because you need to have Quicktime installed on your computer.

Here are the photo sans music... just click on the title above: "Tribute to Don Photos" to view the photos.

Don's Memorial Weekend

For many of us out-of-towners, it was more than just the magical day on Saturday, but a weekend-long celebration in the town and on the bay where we all grew up, surrounded by life-long friends and classic fall weather. Don and Jane's presence in the hearts of the Seeths and Ehlers families, as well in the hearts of so many family friends, was evident in the tales and memories of those who shared their stories. The range of emotions from the jetty to the party, through the songs and stories, was all over the map, and perfect. It was wonderful to see so many faces from so many phases of Don's life, and to see how the years just fell away after that initial, "Whoa", of running into someone you hadn't seen in 35 years or so. This was the closest thing to a reunion I've ever been to, and I can't imagine any reunion I'll ever go to that could compare. Way to go, Don. Thanks a million, everyone, for the million or so miles we all covered to be there.

Video from 3's

Click on title "Video from 3's" and you can see video that Don Walsh shot. (He is the guy on the left behind Mike. You guessed it Mike in all of the frames.) I believe we had to cut Dan Flemings story as the audio wasn't great. Blame it on the bartender.

Note: You need to have quicktime on your computer to view. If you do not the file will download. Link to quicktime.

A Testament to Love and Friendship

Our gathering to share our love and appreciation for Don certainly was cathartic for me. Definitely bittersweet, with the pain of loss mixed with the good fortune of having shared such a great friend for half a century. A part of Don will remain with me forever, but a part of me also went over that horizon with him. It was comforting to share that joy and sorrow with so many others connected to Don and see so many good old friends come together. Don has reminded us again how precious good friends are. (Very nice photos and video.)

The day ended too soon and we had to depart for Los Angeles early the next morning, so we didn't get a chance to exchange much contact info. I can always be reached through my email: michael@harrington.com (which will never change, for obvious reasons). Bindu and I also bought into my Mom's house in Cutchogue to draw us back to the North Fork again and again.

I feel Don is still with us with this blog and I will revisit to speak to him through our shared bond. I know he'll be visiting me in my dreams, and when he does I'll probably greet him with "What's in the bag, Donald?" knowing exactly what he's gonna say back.

Tribute to Don

Click on the title above, "Tribute to Don" to view photos and listen to some of the songs from Don's Memorial in Shinnecock this past Saturday. If anyone would like me to burn a high res version of the slideshow, please email me at ehlersphoto@mac.com.

You need to have quicktime on your computer to view. If you do not the file will download.

Link to quicktime.

Three's

Three's brings back some fond and bittersweet memories. An early one was when Don and I went on our first surf safari back when we were teenagers. My parents dropped us off in Montauk at Ditch Plains, just surfboards and sleeping bags. We planned to camp for a week, with probably $20 in our pockets. My folk said to call if we needed a ride home. Hard to believe today they just dropped off in the middle of the boonies - two fun-seeking kids with no money, no cell phones, and no worries.

I don't think we ever got a good surf break, but met some of Don's buddies from high school - I remember Tucker and his brother. After we found a place to sleep up in the scrub brush, we settled in just before dark. Then the mosquitos began to feast. We ran back to the little convenience store down the road and emptied our pockets buying mosquito coils.

After about three days we met a friend of a friend with a van who offered us a ride to Threes. I remember a wild ride in the back of the van and getting dropped off at the end of Shinnecock at about midnight. We just camped out front on the beach, got in our bags, then looked up to see an army of rats silhouetted against the moonlight. Looked like Ben and his family. We just tucked our heads in, closed the tops of our bags, and hoped they weren't too hungry.

A couple of more days roasting in the sun, we were ready for a good shower and a decent meal. We hitched a boatride home with somebody we knew who had come over for the day and ended up back in Brush's Creek, safe and sound. Wonder if our parents ever noticed we were gone?!

Last year, after Jane's memorial, Don and Missy met me, Bindu, and Corinne at Shinnecock and we went out to Oakland's for lunch. Three's was unrecognizable, no more rotting pilings to navigate. But it was a great afternoon that brought back all those memories that will be on my mind come Saturday.

Capt Don posted by Drew Tessler

Drew Tessler found these photos from the story Paul posted on August 14th. Capt Don stepped in to sail this group around Block Island, Newport and Martha's Vineyard. (Click on the arrow to see the photos.)

Don's Party Details

As you all probably know, Don was not a big fan of coats and ties. In fact, he hated them! So, this party is going to be casual, coats and ties discouraged. NY Giants or Yankee caps encouraged. Also, it would be nice to play some of Don's favorite tunes. Allman Bros, Bob Marley and David Grisman "Dawg Music" come to mind. If you have CD's from back in the day bring them along!

The Best Memories

As we get closer to the day we share our memories of Don together, more keeping popping up from deep in my memory banks. Don had a great sense of humor and could always laugh at himself. We revisited and relived so many funny stories over the years. I remember learning to race on the sailfish as midgets. Tying a bowline in 1.2 seconds (you have to use your feet!). Our first time surfing when we borrowed Candy Ward's 10 ft. board and had to haul it together over the dunes to Fly's. It was calm like the bay, low tide, with little one foot swells. We could stand in about 4 feet of water on the sandbar and push each other into the waves. (Probably the highlight of my short surfing career.) Thirty years later we went snowboarding for the first time out at Mammoth Mtn in CA. It was much the same scene - two guys who had no idea what they were doing, but laughing with our heads stuck upside down in the snow. "Hey, how do you steer this thing?" "How do you stop?!?!!"

Just a few days ago an old memory popped up about our first attempt at horseback riding. We must have been 11 or 12. A stable on the Main Rd. near the railroad bridge had a small square paddock and a bunch of ponies. I think Randy was with us. I remember we got strapped into the saddles and kept telling the girl guiding us we wanted to "run" so she zipped us around that ring at a gallop where we had to take sharp 90 degree turns. After a couple of turns we slowed down and Don's pony trotted up without him. At the last turn his saddle had slipped and he had gone headlong into the brush. He just came running up, smiled and said, "Hey, let's do it again."

North Fork, July 2008

A nice photo taken last summer at Rin and Jake's house in New Suffolk...

NYY Fans

From our posts one might think Don spent all his time surfing and playing golf, but there was a lot more he was up to. He kind of amazed me with his knowledge because he never was one for formal education; he was largely self-taught. He took to computers like a duck to water and we kept in touch constantly by emails and IM chats between phone calls. He particularly impressed me with his day trading in stocks. Don pretty much made his living the past dozen years by trading on his portfolio - first by watching the markets on cable and later with the computer. (I guess that's how he got to go surfing and play golf.) I'm professionally trained and worked in the securities industry, but in recent years when I wanted a good read on a stock I'd zip Don an email and I'd quickly get back a thorough analysis on fundamentals and price action. Not much you learn in books can substitute for watching the tape action every day. Somehow he always managed to buy low and sell quick after a good gain, mainly because he was patient and never greedy - good qualities to have to survive against Wall St.

The other thing we shared through emails everyday were NY sports. We're both die-hard Yankees, Giants, and Knicks fans even though we haven't lived in NY in decades. We must have celebrated David Tyree's Superbowl catch for two weeks - that was sweet. But especially with the Yankees. (Most people don't know I was nicknamed after a Yankee - they usually think it's because of my imposing size!) In LA, I have to keep up with the games on the internet where you have little player icons simulating the action with a 1-2 minute delay. If the Yankees came up with a big play or homerun, the phone would usually ring before I even knew what happened.

When discussing the Yankees, Don would always sign his emails Bernie or D-Rod. I was Mo' or Moosina. I was thinking of him as I followed Pettitte flirt with a perfect game yesterday. I know he would have been excited as Andy was a favorite player. Not too many Yankee fans out here in LA so I sure do miss sharing the games with a true blue Bronx Bomber. Maybe they'll go all the way for you this year, D-Rod...

Surfer Don

Finally found it. After searching my old computer files for this sequence I shot while sitting on the beach at Shinnecock, probably back in the late 1980s or early 90s. There he is, flying at Fly's...

Bill

Hurricane Bill went by offshore and left a nice summer swell in usually flat Florida. I had a nice session of waist high waves, warm weather and sunshine this morning. That one was for you Donny. Dan Fleming

Family Man

Missy's post brings to mind something Don said many years ago. In our mid-thirties he told me he had no plans to have children of his own. He didn't really say why, but I think he had the same fear most men have of not being ready to take care of a family. The irony was that by his own undeniable nature - generous, loyal, dependable, self-sacrificing and empathetic - Don became the ultimate family man. He took care of everybody he loved. I know how loyal he was to his family and Missy because there were many times when he passed on social occasions because he wanted to spend the time with them alone. I know one of his most joyous traditions was the annual golfing tournament he would have with Doug, Paul, and Randy, with bragging rights going to the winner. I think he won quite a few times but didn't do much bragging. We all know Don gave much and took little. He was not the kind of guy to sit back with a beer and wait to be asked for help. He anticipated what needed to be done and did it before we knew we needed it. Bindu and I were married on this small island in the Bahamas and it was a logistical nightmare. Without adequate transportation for our wedding party we had to charter planes, taxis, ferries, sail and fishing boats and golf carts to get everybody around. We needed to bring cases of wine and champagne over from Florida to keep the party going for a week. Unfortunately Missy wasn't able to join Don, but he was there, always taking care of details in the background. He picked up the cases of wine in FL and took the crew out sailing when I was occupied with wedding preps, and fixed the cat when the engine went out (my brother Capt Jake gets credit here too). Don was an honored guest, encouraged to kick back, relax, and enjoy, but nobody could keep him from being helpful at all times. My family loved Don and always considered him an essential presence in our lives. From the posts here we can see that Don contributed greatly to all our lives and I'm sure his positive influence on Blake will last a lifetime. Being as modest as he was, I don't know if he admitted to himself how much of a treasure he was to his friends and family, but we will always know.

Capt Don

My Capt Don story happened about 25 years ago. Three of my high school buddies and I chartered a 40 ft sailboat out of Orient Point. Our plan was to spend a week sailing to Block Island, Newport and Martha's Vineyard. Maybe stop at a couple of bars along the way. I am a pretty decent sailor......in a sunfish on Peconic Bay. But, this trip was in a big keel boat, in the ocean and likely to be sailing in fog and at night. As the charter date approached, I started to get a bit worried I had bitten off more than I could chew. My three buddies were not sailors, but they were smart enough to begin worrying too (Paul is going to be our Capt and we are all going to die) !!! We arrived at the conclusion that we needed a real Capt for this trip........hmmmm wonder what brother Don is doing that week ? Don (being the protective younger brother) realized we were in over our heads and thankfully agreed to come along. Having Don along made all the difference in the world, knowing that we had a pro like him aboard we could totally relax and focus our efforts on emptying the beer cooler. No circling sharks, broken masts or typhoons on this trip, but if there had been we had the right Capt on board to get us home safely.

Good influence on Blake

Don is a good influence and confidant for Blake. From 16 to 29. Don did all the usuals, like teaching bad words during a game of scrabble ( and I can't believe those words are actually in the dictionary) to answering the cell phone "Fort Lauderdale Police Department" when they were out. A really fun and relaxing and cool guy to hang with. Don taught Blake a lot about cars and he gave him well thought out advice about any problem with work or life. There are 3 Volvos here, Blake's Volvo, Missy Volvo and Don's Volvo. I believe Blake went through 2. Last Valentines day they conspired and surprised me with dinner at a great restaurant and treated me like I was the most interesting person in the room. Very special. Very respectful always. Many many things I would not have done for Blake on my own and I am so grateful for his gentle manly presence in his life. We were so fortunate to be under his protection and care, much of which is far reaching , and I have yet to observe the full extent in Blake. I know I am a better person for having known Don. I know Blake is too. With Love and Gratitude, Missy

Family Photos