Uncle Billy and Dennis

billyanddennis
Uncle Billy is our fathers brother. Holy crap… we have an uncle hanging around?! Dennis is our cousin. Son of Geraldine Hartman Jones. Billy is struggling with his health in a rehab somewhere in Los Angeles. Dennis went to visit him. I wrote about Uncle Billy four years ago HERE. with some crazy strange blog title: “Put your arms around me for Gods sake” and at the time I was angry at my fathers brother because he just nonchalantly walked right out of our lives and never ever once looked back.
So ironically 40 years ago I rode on the “It’s a Small World” ride at Disneyland in California with Billy and just recently last night got off the phone with him for the first time since.

Right after Gerry found this blog and the Hartman’s and Jones reconnected and right before her untimely death before I was going to visit her in Las Vegas, I spoke to her on the phone. I remember she told me how upset she was at that blog post “Put your arms around me for Gods sake” and she really defended her brother and also told me that my cursing and some the sexual things I had wrote on this ridiculous blog were totally uncalled for.

Talking with Uncle Billy I heard my father’s voice. I heard my Grandfather’s toughness but most of all I heard Uncle Billy. He is his own man that made his own choices and created his own life and really didn’t need to stay “connected” to Joan and her ten kids. He had that right. He owed us nothing and we certainly owed him nothing. I just thought it strange that not once did he just think to check in on his 10 nieces and nephews that tragically lost their father at such an early age? But that’s ok, even though we were little kids, we didn’t go out of our way to check in on him. Damn, I still sound bitter here, don’t I? Too bad.

It was only by pure luck and internet hocus pocus that Aunt Gerry searched her own name and found this blog because I hoped she would. My reverse finding tagging trick worked. Through Gerry I have rediscovered our long lost cousins, Robert, Diane and Dennis. All of us have lived our lives and roller coasted the ups and downs that it can bring. Billy in particular had a life threatening disease, polio, attack him at the age of five. This is one rough way to start your life. Dennis is quite a story himself and an outright damn miracle of recovery. I even posted a movie made about him on this blog HERE

It’s a small world after all INDEED when your fathers brother is still around even after 44 years four months and three days after his untimely death.

My cousin Dennis and me in the jaws of Disneyland 1975

My cousin Dennis and me in the jaws of Disneyland 1975

In the Summer of 1975 I was an awkward teen boy going through puberty from hell when our uncle Jay Jones died. I remember Dennis calling me up and crying about it to me. That Summer his mother Gerry, insisted that I come out there to be with them. Her greatest concern was that as she worked she would be leaving young Dennis alone. I really didn’t want to go. I was scared of everything at that age. I’m still scared of everything at my current age of 55.

The agreement was Gerry was going to pay for my plane fare to California there and mom was going to pay for it on the way back. The other agreement at my insistence was that I was only going to stay a couple of weeks. Well I ended up staying the entire Summer and almost ended up living there forever. Turns out when it was moms turn to pay for the fare back, she didn’t have the money. And thus began the non-relationship of mom and Gerry. You see, money destroys relationships quicker than a hurricane hitting a double-wide.

The day I left mom had to give me a ride to the airport and as the time grew closer and closer for the plane to leave, mom sat at the kitchen table getting drunker and drunker on white cans of Budweiser beer. I was sure I was going to miss the plane or that we would get into a horrific crash on the NJ Turnpike half way to Newark airport. Finally I just yelled “MOM we have TO LEAVE!” which was strange for a boy that didn’t want to go.

Needless to say I made the plane. Everything was pure magic after that. Pure absolute magic that I will NEVER forget. It was the first time I rode on a plane and it was crystal blue skys and puffy white clouds out my window seat. The stewardess treated me like a king because I was a 15 year old boy alone. I couldn’t believe how BIG and how BEAUTIFUL our country was from up there. When I arrived in LA and got off the plane there were hipsters and hippies and PALM TREES, California is not of this planet. It is it’s own beautiful world of color, neon lights, texture and gorgeous sunsets. Aunt Gerry was always a woman that loved to go out and do things! And that we did. She took me to Disneyland, we went to see Jaws in a huge theater in LA which just blew me away as a movie (now the special effects are laughable!) I was very fortunate to have Gerry take me that Summer. I left all my brothers and sisters in the groggy hot depths of Carteret as we went to Reno Nevada and played Kino for hours.

It was here I did see Uncle Billy for the last time. He was always so distant but that’s just him. Our uncle is struggling to walk now and he is full of memories. My phone call with him wasn’t exactly what I wanted. I was looking for the past again. I wanted to hear intricate stories of him and our dad running down back alleys of Westfield and getting into trouble. I wanted to hear Grandpa Hartman yell at them for not eating their peas. I wanted to see Grandma Hartman shopping at the A&P and squeezing oranges. I wanted to see them all riding to upstate NY in that station wagon they had.

Instead we talked about polio and prostates and how he was a salesman for AllState Insurance company his whole life. But that was ok. It was great to speak to him. And in this “small world afterall” he ended our conversation with … please call again.

About George C. Hartman

Redesiging design, coloring outside the lines, rolling down hills, figuring out strange people, dreaming in black and white, photographing in black and white, juggling, body surfing, fantasy football, painting, design, digital art and photo manipulation, green oceans, blue oceans, museums, discovering small towns, biking, beach, relationships that tear my heart out, bad poetry, movie making and BLOGGING
This entry was posted in cousins, HERITAGE, the beginning and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

6,532 Responses to Uncle Billy and Dennis

  1. Lawerence says:

    I’d like to cancel a cheque rogaine foam minoxidil 5 review Rudd’s Labor government could fall with the loss of just one of the 150 seats in parliament. His government currently holds 71 seats, the opposition 72, with one Green and six independent cross-benchers.

  2. Samuel says:

    I’d like to open an account buy cialis one a day “Most people who work for a company have absolutely no clue about what goes on with people who buy their own insurance,” she said. “I would never consider going without. But there have been moments when I feel it’s the bane of my existence.”

  3. Chase says:

    What company are you calling from? losartan erectile dysfunction “Nike’s code of conduct requires that factories provide a workplace that is healthy and safe, and that they have systems to detect, avoid and respond to potential risks to the safety and health of their employees,” the statement said. “The code requires that contractors respect workers’ freedom of association and the right to bargain collectively, correctly pay workers for the hours worked, as well as prohibiting discrimination.”

  4. Clint says:

    Best Site Good Work can you ever get off lipitor In the digital age, as we are bombarded with so much information from afar, GlobalPost takes a similar approach in its journalism, valuing the idea that being there on the ground and calibrating events in human terms is the key to getting it right. We believe in “ground truth.” And this blog is dedicated to that belief.

  5. Casey says:

    I’d like to open an account tongkat ali benefits for female The U.S. carrier, which is looking to emerge from bankruptcyby merging with US Airways Group Inc, has renegotiatedplane leases, cut management and frozen pension plans to lowercosts since filing for bankruptcy in November 2011. New laborcontracts with unions have also made it more cost-competitive.

  6. Nevaeh says:

    I do some voluntary work cipralex precio medicamento HUD also wants to tighten things up by adding a feature you would expect to find when applying for any other type of major loan: an upfront financial assessment to determine the borrower’s financial fitness to take on a reverse mortgage.

  7. Billy says:

    I do some voluntary work twelve24 higher lyrics Centrica has told the City it is aiming to make £600m profit from its British Gas household supply business this year, broadly similar to last year. Analysts say it is likely to need a price rise in order to meet this guidance.

  8. Fidel says:

    I came here to study para que sirve el adalat oros 20 mg He delivered what nobody else wearing the same uniform has been able to for the past five decades.

  9. Manual says:

    I’m a partner in atorvastatin 10 mg effets secondaires Another executive, John Algeri, who was a service manager atone of the offices managed by Marchassalla and had been with thecompany for 18 years, has also left Morgan Stanley WealthManagement, they added.

  10. Caroline says:

    Could you ask her to call me? como puedo comprar viagra por internet At first, Tyson officials blamed the heat. In a letter sent to feedlots earlier this summer, Tyson called for extra care with cattle because some animals were showing “signs of being lame,” according to a source who read the letter to Reuters.

  11. Lawrence says:

    I’m originally from Dublin but now live in Edinburgh para que sirve naproxeno sodico y paracetamol The espionage allegations surfaced one week after South American nations were outraged by the diversion of Bolivian President Evo Morales’ plane in Europe because of the suspicion that Snowden was on board. {ID:nL5N0F937I]

  12. Irwin says:

    I’ve just graduated use of clotrimazole mouth paint Japan consumes about a third of the world's liquefied natural gas (LNG) production, and will likely boost LNG demand to record levels over the next couple of years. LNG imports rose 4.4% in volume to a record 86.87-million tonnes, and 14.9% in value to a record 6.21-trillion yen ($62.1-billion) in the year through March.

  13. Royce says:

    What do you do? camden pharmacy saint marys georgia The Louis Vuitton Cup officially got under way last Sunday, but Luna Rossa, backed by Prada fashion mogul Patrizio Bertelli, refused to sail while an international jury deliberated in a dispute over the design rules that organizers had imposed to improve the safety of the AC72s, which can lift out of the water on thin hydrofoils and reach speeds near 50 miles per hour (40 kph).

  14. Seymour says:

    I love this site testimony of heaven and hell 2013 by linda When you consider the fact that more than half of Indians living in its 60,000 villages are employed in agriculture, and that farms contribute some 14% to India's gross domestic product, you realise the transformative potential of Mr Gandhi's project.

  15. Angel says:

    I’d like to send this letter by east hills family pharmacy johnstown pa
    Mexican beauty queen Laura Zuniga was arrested with six other men on Dec. 22, 2008 while traveling with guns and around $100,000 in cash in Zapopan, Jalisco state, Mexico. Authorities said she would be released after serving over a month in prison after being found in company of a presumed Juarez cartel lord and other five presumed drug dealers, according to the Mexican Attorney General’ s office. But she’s not the only beauty queen cavorting with drug dealers…

  16. Hassan says:

    Have you got any qualifications? amaryllis bloembollen kopen Iran’s new president signalled willingness to negotiate withthe West over Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme butTehran-watchers say that window could close as each side waitsfor the other to make the first move.

  17. Behappy says:

    I’d like to tell you about a change of address para que sirve el meloxicam tabletas de 15 mg
    “Skin cancer is the fastest growing cancer in the UK, but the VAT on nicotine patches is 5 per cent. Are the Government saying that lung cancer is more important than skin cancer?” he asked.

  18. Chester says:

    We need someone with qualifications cheap drugstore lashes Same thing with my mortgage (U S Bank) – there is a “due date”, but no penalty is applied until some time after that; I think maybe two weeks or so. To me, that means the ‘due date’ is somewhat artificial.

  19. Edwardo says:

    What do you do for a living? 400 mg gabapentin erowid The release came after the scale of NSA spying was exposed in a series of bombshell media leaks in recent months by former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, who has sought asylum in Russia.

  20. Solomon says:

    Thanks for calling atenolol 12.5 mg for anxiety In leaving, the 30-year-old Kovalchuk walked from $77 million left on the 15-year contract that he signed with New Jersey in 2010, including guaranteed annual salaries of at least $11 million over the next four seasons.

  21. DE says:

    I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name capas de jornais e revistas online Economic set up, engaging performances and unassuming tone aside, “The Conjuring” is yet another James Wan frustration. He clearly knows how crowd-pleasing horror films should feel, but he hasn’t much of an idea how to construct them.

  22. Bryce says:

    Photography small kitchen renovations perth wa
    But that was before Oklahoma was invaded by a plague of pigsthat devour crops, uproot pastures, destroy wildlife habitats,spread disease to humans and animals, kill trees and even knockover cemetery stones.

  23. Bryce says:

    I’ve just graduated reputable online levitra That tight pricing, however, meant Apple paid nothing in theway of new issue concession. Apple’s US$5.5 billion 10-year, forexample, priced at 2.4% at a time when Treasuries were 1.66% -around 100bp tighter than the 2.64% level on Tuesday.

  24. Titus says:

    How many more years do you have to go? femigra review South Sudan accuses Khartoum of supplying Yau Yau with weapons. Diplomats say the claims are credible but South Sudan’s army is also fuelling dissent with abuses such as rape, killings and torture committed during a state disarmament campaign.

  25. Julian says:

    The United States cheapest xenical uk President Obama is a classy man of the word more than the deed. Indeed, he plays words like notes on a violin, a great political gift that led him into the White House. He got there before he was fully ready to govern a nation in turmoil.  Well into his fifth year, the nation is not listening the way we were before.

  26. Arden says:

    I like it a lot buy kamagra fast delivery uk This contemplative drama draws strength from day-to-day ordinariness and a terrific lead performance from Paul Eenhoorn, yet sadly falls short. Eenhoorn plays Martin, a mentor to released prison inmates who himself is regrouping after a life shakeup. Martin works for a Reno religious group when he’s called upon to help Travis (Richmond Arquette), who killed someone in a car accident. Martin is dealing with the distance he feels from his grown children, and Travis is trying to cope with a similar estrangement, so the men help each other move forward in quiet ways.

  27. Rodney says:

    Do you like it here? star trek tricorder iphone 5 case Analysts had predicted even bigger sales growth than mostof the largest automakers reported today. The averages of nineanalysts’ estimates were for increases of 20 percent for GM, 17percent for Ford and 16 percent for Chrysler. Nissan missed the13 percent average estimate of seven analysts.

  28. Edwin says:

    Do you know the number for ? honey make me healthy lyrics
    “We hope that donors will continue to give blood as their donations save lives. However, we understand that some donors may decide to stop donating, as it may become less convenient for them to give blood. If they choose to do so, we would like to thank them for all the lives they have helped save already and all the time they have given up to donate blood,” she said.

  29. Ryan says:

    How much notice do you have to give? doxycycline hyclate 100mg coupon A-Rod opened the seventh with a single, and although he was thrown out at second on a fielder’s choice, the hit helped the Yankees add a run on Mark Reynolds’ pinch-hit single later in the frame.

  30. Joaquin says:

    In a meeting allegra d price compare Roth noted that poorer health among caregivers is “undoubtedly true” in some cases, particularly among those caring for people with dementia. However, “caregiving stress has been over exaggerated,” he said.

  31. Colton says:

    The National Gallery retail price of albuterol inhaler Jessica Matthews, an exercise physiologist with the American Council on Exercise, said bodyweight training blends with the trend toward functional training, or training that mimics the way we move in everyday life, as opposed to the older bodybuilder model of targeting one muscle group at a time.

  32. Spencer says:

    I’d like to open an account adalat oros obat untuk apa Recoding means that one bit of their DNA codes for an amino acid (a building-block of proteins) different from what the identical DNA codes for in every other living thing

  33. Victor says:

    Could you transfer $1000 from my current account to my deposit account? strattera 40 mgs Also Wednesday, O’Shea ruled in favor of media organizations, including The Associated Press, that were seeking access to more documents in the case, including two arrest warrants, additional search warrants and other materials. The records will be released at 3 p.m. Thursday if no one appeals.

  34. Jimmie says:

    I’m on business oxybutynin online uk
    Cardiff writes mostly about US macroeconomic issues, with daily excursions into other topics about which he claim no expertise. Before Alphaville, Cardiff spent a little more than two years as a reporter at Dow Jones Financial News covering investment banking, asset management, and private equity. Along the way he has written freelance pieces on a variety of other topics from behavioural psychology to Muay Thai, the latter also being a personal interest that involves frequently getting kicked in the shins (and torso, and head).

  35. Gustavo says:

    Could you transfer $1000 from my current account to my deposit account? fertile xy uk
    The Ducks signed Penner as a free agent in May 2004, and he had 33 goals and 52 points in 101 games during three seasons with Anaheim. In 2006-07, his first full season, Penner scored 29 goals and set a franchise rookie record with 45 points, then added three goals and eight points in 21 postseason games to help the Ducks win their first Stanley Cup.

  36. Gracie says:

    Thanks funny site vimax red spray price in pakistan The company has run into problems despite conducting up to20 internal audits in China each year, resulting in the sackingof dozens of staff for misconduct. In 2012, GSK dismissed 312staff for policy violations worldwide, according to its annualCorporate Responsibility report, of which 56 were in China.

  37. Joesph says:

    I can’t stand football buy levitra uk Prisons in the South West will be the first to implement the ban in early March or April next year, with Exeter and Eastwood Park Women’s Prison thought to be the first to trial the new regime.

  38. Mohamed says:

    What do you study? atarax get you high Ireland emerged from its second recession in five years inthe second quarter with growth of 0.4 percent in the threemonths to June, with strong exports raising hopes for animprovement in the second half of the year.

  39. Humberto says:

    Will I have to work on Saturdays? vet med doxycycline the area is growing in popularity among the Brits and even Tony Blair summers there.

  40. Dwain says:

    Is this a temporary or permanent position? difference between barley and oats in hindi Catcher Alex Avila, who was flattened in a second-inning collision with fellow backstop David Ross, left the game in the fourth with a left knee patellar tendon strain and is considered day-to-day. Miguel Cabrera, nursing a leg injury already, was limping after he smacked into Ross while getting thrown out at the plate in the first inning, though Cabrera remained in the game, and Victor Martinez ran gingerly while scoring from second on a hit in the sixth inning.

  41. Teddy says:

    Do you know the number for ? kamagra viagra jelly reviews “Every girl at any age experiences this — harassment or rape. We don’t feel safe,” said law school graduate Rabia Pathania. “That’s why we’re here. We want this case to be an example for every other case that has been filed and will be filed.”

  42. Lewis says:

    How many would you like? caverject tablets Citroën claims more compact exterior dimensions for the car yet more space within, including rival-beating boot space of 537 litres and a 2.5m maximum load length. The car is 4cm shorter in length with reduced overhangs, wider tracks, a lower position for the engine block and vehicle floor, while the roofline is 4cm lower.

  43. Robby says:

    Could I have a statement, please? fpd group limited medical furniture equipment manufacturer Says Cameron, who recently announced he is forming a company that hopes to mine asteroids for resources: “As much as I love space exploration, we don’t have to go into space to find great exploration horizons. We can do it right here on Earth. It’s critical we understand the oceans faster than we’re changing the oceans.”

  44. Lucas says:

    Where do you come from? pharmacytimes.org
    He also praised Qatar for the debt relief, about which heprovided no further details, saying: “for everybody to live upto the challenges of making peace, we have to support them,including living up to our obligations on the economic front.”

  45. Tyree says:

    I’m doing a masters in law cephalexin capsules ip 250 mg hindi The grounds are equally majestic, and are regularly exhibited in the Royal Horticultural Society’s ‘Yellow Book’ National Garden scheme. The estate covers 11.6 acres, comprising ample gardens, stables, a swimming pool and tennis court. There are also garages and a summer house.

  46. Getjoy says:

    I work for myself buy amitriptyline online uk “Escaping deflation is my administration’s highest priority.We should realise that this will not be an easy task,” Abe toldan economic advisory panel. “We also have to balance the needfor an economic recovery with the need for fiscal discipline.”

  47. Walton says:

    I’m only getting an answering machine cheaper alternative to tricor JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup Inc providesimilar commodity trading figures to the Fed and the SEC. Butlike Goldman, both banks warn investors in their SEC filingsthat the figures don’t fully represent their performance becausethey exclude earnings on interest, an “integral” part of tradingrevenue.

  48. Molly says:

    Can you hear me OK? tamsulosin vs doxazosin for bph Capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from largestationary sources like power plants and cement factories andstoring them deep underground in porous rock formations is”critical” for reducing greenhouse gases according to theInternational Energy Agency.

  49. Kermit says:

    I’m sorry, he’s where to buy metformin in uk The takeaway is not that Vimeo’s model is economically or morally superior; it is merely different, and it is viable on its own ground. Establishing a community by enforcing standards of content is one way that modern websites can distinguish themselves in the vast reaches of the Internet. Productive conversation happens a higher proportion of the time on Vimeo, but due to the smaller user base, it does happen more rarely on the whole.

  50. Rueben says:

    I’ll send you a text tribulus terrestris extract 40 saponins The quake near the city of Dingxi in Gansu province toppled brick walls and telephone lines, shattered mud-and-tile-roofed houses, and sent cascades of dirt and rock down hillsides that blocked roads and slowed rescue efforts by crews trying to reach remote areas.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *