Russ&Suzie

Trip Log
2006-07-12 11:50:07 (UTC)

Kali's name -- more from the Haines reunion

Had a wonderful visit with the Phillips family of Chicago.
Linda, my brother Wayne's daughter, married Rick, an
architect, and they now have two children, Daniel and Kali.
Kali's name stemmed from a contraction of Kay Alice named
after his mother Kay and Linda's aunt named Alice. We
encountered Kali-worship when in India and worried that it
may have some negative connotations since she's a dark
figure wearing necklaces of skulls typically. They're very
familiar with all of that and comfortable with it. Before
her brain injury, the senior Kay indeed (a very rich and
sophisticated avante garde publisher a few decades ago),
had (unbeknownst to her son and daughter in law), a great
interest in Kali, with a book in her library on the goddess
and pictures of a boat featured that name on its side! I
said that she was a "formidable" figure and Rick liked that
way of describing her, a good way to hope for his
daughter's character, a positive reframe for what could be
more negative allusions to her.

In a separate conversational stream, Rick inquired about my
recent writing and explorations in art and biography. He
inquired about sibship order, as he aches for his son's
pain at having a younger sibling, even though he's a second
born and has a distinctly different character than his
brother.

Young Daniel loved the toys that Bob Piotrowski had made in
his Rice Lake place, made from wood with simple designs.
Bob, often the professional clown who works parades,
appeals to people that age, his wife remarked. That's
where's he's at she commented, accepting, but not really.
She's well beyond that stage. Anyhow, Daniel went home with
one of Bob's creations and very happily so.




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