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| Me and Bill on our wedding day July 3, 2013 |
Bill and I first met in July of 1964. That's the date we count as our anniversary. We were married on the exact days of our 49th anniversary which by coincidence was the first day (July 3rd, 2013) that marriage was legal in the state of Delaware. The above picture is of me and a mortified Bill (he was always so embarrassed about showing affection in public) on our wedding day at the Sussex County Courthouse in Georgetown, Delaware. We waited a long time to make our relationship official.
Prior to getting married we, of course, lived in sin. Paid higher taxes, were often discriminated against, harassed, threatened and all the other "good stuff" that went with same sex couples.
Since I began this blog in 2005, I think I've posted most of my old pictures of Bill and I together but there are some I haven't posted. The one below is of me at Bill's garden apartment in Pennsauken, New Jersey. We would spend our weekends in his apartment going out occasionally to bowl or just ride around. We weren't much for restaurants or other activity. We just liked being with one another. And like many new couples we took pictures. Suggestive, sometimes racy pictures. Of course I'm not going to post all of those pictures but here is one in which Bill posed me.
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| A very young (22) me at Bill's apartment summer of 1964 I've been posting too many sad posts lately so I thought I would post something positive, or funny, depending on your perspective. This photo obviously made back when we were living in sin, just awful homosexuals. But hey, we were happy just being together just like now we're happy being together. The first five year or so when we lived together, Bill was often gone for months at a time with his job at RCA then GE. He worked on the Sears Tower in Chicago (yes, he really did climb that highest spire to connect an antenna). When he worked for GE (who took over RCA), he worked on space satellites. For a time he even worked on the Today show in New York City.  This photo from Bill when he was working in New York City at NBC. Bill has had quite the varied career. I'll post more photos in future blogs. This is my tribute for the ages (those in the future one hundred years from now wondering how two gay men could stay together almost sixty years). I'll leave this post with another picture of Bill from our weekends together at his place in 1964. Note the bowling ball, that was our Big Deal back then. Does anybody bowl these days?  |
5 comments:
Texas,
Yes, both Bill and have been law abiding good citizens all our lives and paid more than our fair share in taxes. We, like so may other LGVTQ couples just want to live our lives in peace and comfort. We have never harmed anybody but we have had our share of hate and discrimination thrown against us. At least with my family it wasn't as bad as Bill's family where they disowned him. but that's all history now and in this our final chapter we are both so fortunate to still be able to be together. It's so interesting (if that is the right word) that our neighbor and probably best friend we have in the world now (except Pat) is my MAGA Trump loving widowed neighbor Bob. He is always so helpful. Just today he stopped me at my mailbox and offered his help again with Bill if I needed it.
Your wish that our final days are filled with love is happening right now. Peace. Soon Bill will be there and not in the too distant future I think I will be there too. We both have had a good life, more so than many.
Thank you for your comments.
Ron
Enjoyed this blog very much. I am all for celebrating the good times. Oh how good looking you were back then. The pure and innocent look. Now I am going to ask a question that would probably embrass Bill. When did Bill's hairline start to recede and he start wearing a hair piece? My hair started to recede quickly when I turned 29. By the time I reached 40 the top was bare and the rest remained thick and had turned silver gray. Now at 70 I just buzz off what is left. It once upon a time reached to my mid back and i was professionally shown how to care for it and to braid and tie it up. I did have the entire braid cut off and donated to make a real hair wig for cancer patients. I was fitted for about 18 months in my 30s with a hair piece and it looked wonderful. It cost a fortune and I got tired of the maintenance so I just went with the naturally balding look. I hope everyone is being careful not to fall. As we age we can not afford to have accidents like falls happen too often. Its better to not fall at all if we can. Warmest regards from Woody in Ohio
Woody,
Bill started to lose his hair in his early twenties. For fifty years I never saw him without his hairpiece. He was always very self conscious about it but whether he was bald or not didn't bother me, I liked/loved him for who he was. It wasn't until he had his strokes two years ago that I decided to throw out that ratty hairpiece he had for years. Another reason he said he wore a "cap", as he called it, was there is a big dent in his skull from an accident he had with a rifle butt while he was in the Army in Germany. It is quite pronounced but again, it doesn't bother me. I'm so glad times have changed where partially balding or completely bald men are accepted just as other men with a full head of hair. It's interesting about Pat, he has a full head of hair and I think he looks younger and more handsome with his hair grown out as a close "convict" stubble but he insists on shaving his head, especially before one of his band gigs, for "that look." Go figure. Me? I have a receding hairline but doesn't bother me in the least. For too long I had too much hair, which I inherited from my Mother. My father was a blonde as is my one brother. He's bald and my father had very thin hair at the end of his life. My other brother had hair in between us. I prefer the natural look in men. Elton John has a good wig but generally most hair pieces to me do not look attractive. And so expensive.
Again, thanks for sharing Woody. You're always interesting!
Ron
Thank you for telling us about this. I visit sometimes to hear about you and Bill. The previous post was also beautiful. I hope he will die peacefully when the day comes. But not today. I think you and Bill are doing this in a good way, if there is such a thing.
Richard,
Thank you for your comment. My blog is my therapy. I save a lot of money by not paying a professional "therapist" or psychiatrist. Both Bill and I hope he has a peaceful passing. Every day he tells me how tired he is of living. He is ready to go he says.
Ron
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