In the interlude, I take a walk to Riverview Park
Monday, May 17, 2010 at 5:33PM ;)
Yesterday, the Craig family gathered at the home of Dustinn, Vincent and Mariddie's eldest son, to decide where and when the various events and services would be held. The final decision was that a visitation will take place Thursday from 1:00 to 8:00 PM at the local Fort Apache Branch of the Mormon Church. That chapel is too small to accommodate all the guests expected to attend the funeral, so the services will be held the following morning at 10:00 AM at the large Pinetop-Lakeside Mormon Stake Center in Lakeside, a town just beyond the border of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, home to the White Mountain Apache Tribe.
After the service, a funeral procession will work its way 25 miles down the winding highway that descends the White Mountains into Whiteriver, where Vincent will be buried with full military honors. Vincent is Navajo, but, like my wife Margie, Mariddie is Apache and it is in Whiteriver that the couple and their family has spent most of their life. One can be certain, however, that many Navajos will be present, along with members of other tribes and plenty of non-Indians, too.
Afterward, there will be a feast at the Fort Apache chapel.
Just before the family meeting began, there was a feast at Dustinn's house. As the older people visited, Taikayah, a granddaughter to Vincent and Mariddie through Mariddie's cousin Alicia, hula-hooped in the backyard.
;)
As evening approached, I took a walk toward Riverview Park, just a few blocks from Dustinn's house. A jet, on final approach to Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, passed overhead.
;)
I found four softball diamonds, with a game going on each one.
;)
A jet flew over the game as well.
;)
Not far away, a saguaro cactus stood tall as still another in an endless procession of jets slipped down toward the runway.
;)
It was the kind of evening I have not seen in years. Not blistering hot as Phoenix can be at this time of year, but very warm, with twilight rapidly chasing the setting sun and then darkness coming in behind that.
It does not happen this way in Alaska.
;)
The feeling was pleasant yet, given the events of the past 24 hours and my state of mind, ethereal and strange.
;)
A boy ran around the edge of the man-made pond at Riverview Park.
;)
After the walk, I returned. I had a press release to write, but Dustinn and I stayed up into the morning hours, talking. He showed me many of his photos and video clips, including footage from his father's final performance February 6 at the Tahon O'Odhama Tribal Fair in Sells, Arizona.
In the footage, Vincent looked very weak and peaked, but extremely determined to get out there, be Vincent Craig and please his audience - which he did. The emotion between he and his audience was strong. Dustinn also showed me several images from the project that he has been doing for years on young Apache skateboard enthusiasts. He employed many of these same young men to fill the roles of Apache men in the feature length film on the Chiricahua Apache Geronimo that he created for the PBS series, American Experience.
These tend to be young men who find it hard to find their place in modern society, but they do find it with their skateboards and with each other. They wear baggy pants and dress the same as do skateboarders in the big cities. Dustinn showed many pictures of them with their skateboards - and then also dressed in the type of clothing worn by the Apache Scouts of the later 19th century.
It was an amazing transformation. They looked the part. In my opinion, in his skateboard series, Dustinn is in the process of creating an exceptionally powerful story. When he is ready to show it to the world, I will provide links. In his efforts to work with these young men, who, I can see from his photos, respect and admire him, he reminds me of his father.
Now, it is late the next day and I have been diverted by many things, from the need to write a simple press release that proved very difficult for me to complete, to a strange, bizarre and time-consuming process to pick up a rental car and, after I did, to making a couple of wrong turns and then wandering around for far too long, always close to but seemingly never to reach my destination - but I did.
Soon, I must drive north, to the White Mountains, in my rental car. I do not have the time to begin the series of remembrances of Vincent Craig that I had planned to begin today. I hope to start tomorrow.
Reader Comments (5)
So good that you can be there with the family. 10 years ago when my daughter lived in Phoenix, we drove into the city in late April and as we got out of the car, the smell of Orange Blossoms was wonderful. I can still take myself back to that moment if I close my eyes. The saguaros were majestic. Loved the experience, but even my daughter couldn't take the heat of summer so as soon as school was out, she and the little ones were on a plane for Minnesota and I enjoyed them the same way Margie enjoyed having Kalib in the house until school started in the fall. Take good care.....
Prayers are following the Craig family - all its generations - as well as you and other friends. Ttavel safely as you see your dear friend off on the next leg of his journey.
Travel.
Travel.
My fingers can't spell tonight...
what extraordinary people...i found the Geronimo video and will watch it later...sending good thoughts to you and the family
Sending good thoughts and warm hugs your way and to the entire Craig family. Your words and photographs are touching and sweet. He was obviously a great man. Please let us know when you're back in town. If possible, I'd love to get together for coffee or a meal or something. I'm sure Little Guy would be interested in seeing you as well. I wish we could have invited you for a visit this week but we had a bout with the flu! Much better now.