Fri 7 Sep 2007
Monday, Sept. 3
Another magical day. Once again, Bob is up and showered and dressed and ready to go before anyone else. He was sitting at the dining room table, chatting with my mom when I woke up. Probably around 8:30. We had breakfast and packed up the car once again, to eventually head back to Dallas.
I was very impressed with Bob’s healthy breakfast. He had coffee; a bowl of melon; two fried eggs; toast; and some scrambled eggs. Wow!
We left the house and made our way to the nursing home where my 87-year-old grandfather named Mike lives. We surprised him with a visit.
And what was in the lobby but a piano! Perfect for Bob. He sat down and was immediately in the musical groove. He played beautifully and drew a crowd. Mike loved it and said over and over again that it was “soothing.â€
Then Mike asked that Bob go get his keyboard and walk down the hall playing so that the other residents could hear. So we ended up in a procession of sorts, with Bob at the lead, my mother pushing Mike in his wheelchair and me and Lisa in the rear. People stopped and smiled, listening to Bob play “You Are My Sunshine.â€
We stopped in another sitting area, where Bob played for some more residents. There were requests, including Christmas music and some patriotic pieces, both of which Bob played.
This experience brought joy to many people and tears to my eyes more than once. I guess it was the innocence and overall good of Bob. He was spreading cheer and good feelings. Like the Pied Piper of faith and love.
We pulled out of Santa Fe for the 700-mile drive back to Dallas at about 11:30. Didn’t get to Dallas until about 12 hours later.
We ended up with at least four more hours of footage and a few rolls of 8 mm film shot. It’s all digitized and awaiting our little eyes and a place on the timeline. We are going to do some marathon editing this weekend.
We will finish this amazing story soon! Stay tuned!
September 20th, 2007 at 11:01 pm
Seems as if the wiles of fortune keep popping up surrounding this film. This past Monday, I got an email from a friend in Austin who told me that our film had been mentioned in the Dallas Morning News. I was very surprised, and even more surprised to find out that she was right! Joe O’Connell had written about our film in his column in the Guide Live section.
He described Bob as the “most famous wandering person in East Dallas.” Aptly put, I think. It’s exactly this, or part of the reason, I was compelled to want to do a film on Bob.
I remember the moment clearly: I had seen Bob around for a long time. I had experienced a roller coaster of emotions surrounding him: Fear, disgust, irritation, anxiety and so on. But then I got to know him the way many people do: I gave him rides here and there. Over time, I saw a man emerge. A man with a keyboard who seemed to just keep showing up for life, despite his indigent condition.
What kept him going? He smelled – bad. He had no teeth. He often cursed me under his breath after I refused to give him money. Not that these are a detriment to keep one going, but it just seemed odd. Mysterious, actually.
Then one day, I saw him and it hit me: This man has a story, and I’ve got to find out what it is. I must get it on film. So my journey with Sebastian, and then later, Heather, began.
There have been times during this four, nearly five year, period that I thought i just can’t keep doing this. But I did. And I do. We do.
We are going to tell Bob’s story. It will be something. Something you won’t forget.
Just hang on a bit longer. We’re almost there.
It’s a ride you won’t want to miss.