| I would back up Caitlin's and Uncle Brian's estimate of Uncle Maurie. I remember him with affection. He was very creative.
The last time I saw him (1995- 1996?), I was still working as a structural engineer and had flown into Salt Lake City for a one-day
conference at a site a short distance away from his restaurant. I skipped the conference luncheon and took a taxi over to the restaurant. He decided my
order for lunch was too simple and proceeded to provide me with several courses of his specialties. Way, way too much food, but his philosophy was if I
had come that far to visit for an hour he was going to give the best available.
When I first flew out to Utah in 1979, I carried all my belongings with me on the plane. I had left New York to go spend some time in
Vernal, Utah with my father working construction. For whatever reason Dad could not pick me up and I spent about a week or two with at Uncle Maurie's
house. His wife was in the hospital for most of that time.
So I worked at the Red Apple. It was a cozy restaurant with beams and a circular copper salad bar that he and Dad had built. They had
also built all the booths in the restaurant.
At lunch time the place was absolutely packed. I do mean standing room only. He started the day very early to go pick up fresh bread at
the bakery. More than once I ran out to another bakery across the street to pick up more bread on a particularly busy day.
The kitchen was already in motion when we arrived in the morning. Everything was prepared fresh.
His secret to a good chicken soup was 7 turkeys used to make a phenomenally rich stock. The turkeys were cooked daily for the
sandwiches. The bread was sliced fresh at the restaurant.
I had to learn how to cut the sandwiches perfectly as not to squish the bread down. Taking the skins off the avocados must be perfect
for the stuffed avocado salad. Presentation was just as much a part of the meal as the taste.
It was a few days before I could meet his standards in the kitchen. That level of expected perfection drove me nuts, but I learned how
to do it. I remember that turkey avocado sandwiches, sirloin tips over noodles and stuffed avocado salads were very popular items at the time.
The very last time I spoke with him, he had just arrived in Virginia to visit with Aunt Maureen and Caitlin. He was very ill and this
was his last visit. The conversation was banal, just regular chit chat. He knew that my grandmother had been one of the most important and beloved people
in my life.
When he found out that I was designing and building bridges he told me that sometimes when he would tell grandmother of some accomplishment,
she would tease back "that was all well and good, but could he build a bridge?". He then shared that she would be very proud of what I was
doing. I will always remember what a wonderful gift that statement was to me.
I have noted over the years that our fathers were capable of gestures and moments of true generosity of spirit. I choose to dwell on
those times. I really did not know Uncle Maurie that well, but I remember him as a charming and artistically talented person who enjoyed a good time. I
loved him as an uncle, but I also just plain liked him as a person.
That was little more than I intended to write. The point was only to emphasize Caitlin's statement to you and share some of the good
memories I had.
Take Care, |
