Videos of Leslie
The first video was recorded in Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico when Leslie, Lukas and I went down there with Lukas’ karate dojo. His sensei in Cedar Crest, NM had colleagues in Mexico and Canada who agreed to hold an “international” karate tournament in Mexico that we attended. It was about 80% beach time for us, and 20% karate, but lots of fun. I just had to hum “Girl from Ipanema” when I saw Leslie walking on the beach. You might be able to hear me offer her a compliment in Spanish on her slender figure.
The second video is of Leslie and I performing at a retirement luncheon for one of Leslie’s colleagues (Bea, as I recall) at the New Mexico Medical Review Association (NMMRA). Leslie had written a medley of parody lyrics to familiar songs that we’d spent quite a bit of time rehearsing. It was a lot of fun for everyone, and I am so glad that we were able to get it preserved on video.
The third video is of Leslie talking with m Dad and informing him that his daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren were on their way to visit for his 92nd birthday.
Albuquerque hosts an International Balloon Fiesta each year in early October. The fourth video is from one early morning, probably in 1977, at the fiesta as the first balloons were being inflated, but before any of them had launched. My son Jeff appears in the video too.
Leslie ran two full marathons. The first was the Duke City Marathon, which she finished in about 3 hours and 50 minutes, as I recall. The second was the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon. She thought she would be able to beat her previous time, considering that the race was at sea level. However, it turned out to be a hot day, and the pavement was sloped in a way that was hard on runners’ hips and knees. Although her time was slower than she had hoped, you can see from this short video that her spirits were high at the end of the race.
After our wedding in 1999, and following the formal reception, we got together informally at our house to play music. Our friends Barrie and Carolyn had come down from Washington State to perform in the wedding, and on this video began playing a medley of swing tunes. Pretty soon Leslie was jitterbugging with her brother Steve, and her other brother Mike ended up dancing with my mother. It was a great time, and I’m glad that I discovered this clip buried in the video archives.