One Year

It has now been a year since Dad passed away.   We miss him so much and think of him everyday.   My way of remembering him is by keeping three bird feeders going in my backyard in Corvallis.  I have one for mixed bird seed, one for suet, and one for black sunflower seeds.   A wonderful mix of juncos, jays, towhees, nuthatches, and chickadees are regular visitors.  Occasionally we get a visit from a flicker or a yellow-rumped warbler.   I can now identify most of the regulars without having to peek at the bird book.  Dad would have been proud !    It is fun to be learning more about these creatures that give him so much pleasure during his life.

Birds in the Yard

More than five months have gone by since Dad passed away.  I still think of him and miss him every day.  Spring has come to the Willamette Valley and my bird feeders are up in the yard.   We have a steady stream of finches, nuthatches, towhees, and jays coming by for a meal.   Not to mention the occasional pesky squirrel trying to find a new, clever way to raid the feeders.   I think of Dad as I enjoy the backyard wildlife; these creatures gave him so much pleasure during his life.    In some way, he lives on through these wild animals that meant so much to him.  They are reminders that the cycle of life goes on......

Frank's Bird Book Available on Blurb Bookstore

The coffee table book that I put together highlighting Frank's best bird photographs is available at the Blurb Bookstore on the web.

Program from Memorial Service

Front and Back of Program (click to enlarge)

Inside Pages of Program (click to enlarge)

Memorial Service, Jan. 17, 2010

We had a wonderful memorial service for Frank on Sunday, January 17th, in Bend.   We had more than 75 guests at the service, which was amazing.   It meant a lot to see so many people that cared about Frank.    Joanne, Anne and I are deeply grateful to all of you who made the effort to attend the service and to help us remember Frank and celebrate his life.

The response from Frank's family was tremendous!  Family members traveled from 9 different states and provinces across four time zones to come to Bend for the event.    We really enjoyed the resulting family reunion, which brought together many members of the extended Cleland family that had not seen each other in 10 years or more.

Here's a link to more photos from this memorable weekend.    You should be able to order prints directly from the web site.

Here's a link to the photos from the slide show that I put together on Frank's life.

Steve's Letter

This wonderful posting is by Steve Patrick, Frank's nephew:

This is a letter I wrote Frank back in mid-December. I meant to send it to him but before I did I heard of his passing. I thought I would post it here though because it expresses how important he was to me.

Dear Uncle Frank,

I was biking into my office this morning when I saw a field full of geese. I don’t know what kind they were, but they were strutting around, honking at one another, and it was funny because just at the very moment that I saw them, I’d been thinking of you a great deal.

Mom, of course, has told me about your health problems and I’ve been very sorry to hear about them.

Did I ever tell you how much I appreciate the time that you and Jo invited us out to Bend, the winter after Dad died? You made a very hard time for me better and I wanted you to know it.

Too, I wanted you to know that I’ve always really looked up to you. I’ve admired you not just for your leadership and your strength, but also for your warmth and your humor, your ability to bring people together, and the great care that you always showed to Grandmother.

Also, I always greatly enjoyed seeing you and my Dad together. The two of you seemed to have such an easy, close relationship and I feel now that my Dad may have even thought of you as the brother he never had.

And of course I have such great memories of all those camping trips and pool parties our families shared. Did anyone ever catch as many fish as our two families did off the big pier in Goose Island that one Thanksgiving?

Anyway, I wanted you to know how much you’ve always meant to me and that I think about you and wish you all the best.

Love,

Steve

Christmas Morning

Joanne, Anne and I went out this morning and scattered Dad's ashes along a beautiful, remote section of the Upper Deschutes River.   The temperature was in the mid 20's, but the air was still and the sunshine brilliant.   There was a few inches of fresh snow along the ground and a thin layer of ice along the edge of the river.  Deer and rabbit tracks were evident along the water.   There were splendid reflections of the lava rock formations and old growth ponderosa pine trees in the still river.   Birds were calling softly from the forest.   All in all, an idyllic spot; I think Dad would have approved !   I took a few photos to share this memorable Christmas morning.