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...