“Oh the places we went!” with Peter and Deedee! It all started in 1975 when Roger and I rented their house for a year in Durham N.C. while they explored the west. Newborn Kate was put in a crib with the name “Hilary” painted on the headboard.
Our friendship was immediate but we never could have predicted the adventures we would have with all of the Deckers. Screaming “Defense” in Cameron Stadium nearby, washing dishes at True Grit in Ridgeway, a strange Thanksgiving dinner in a Puerta Vallarta restaurant, grinding with belly dancers on the shores of the Rio Grande, gathering for a milestone in Newport, celebrating our Sarah’s mid-winter birthdays at the ranch, caring for Peter’s non-stop bloody nose in a Portland restaurant, trembling on expert ski trails in Taos and Telluride, throwing water balloons at people in hospital beds in Santa Fe, and so many reunions in the Big Apple!! They took Kate as far as Zimbabwe where she felt the need to bungee jump….farflung indeed.
Peter Decker, with Deedee, Karen, Chris, and Hilary by his side, cut an amazing swath through life. We just wanted to follow… and feel blessed to have been included in his orbit so often. We treasured his curiosity, his intellect, his political concerns, that big smile, and most of all…the deep bond that evolved with shared adventures, memories that will always inform and inspire our lives. We loved him dearly.
