1957 Honeymoon in Mexico
Harriet & Cy take off for the unknown and head south to Mexico for their honeymoon despite friends and family trying to convince them to change their plans out of fear of. bandits.
This was the beginning of many trips with the family taken to Baja and Mexico.
1957 Harry's Birth Celebration
Harriet & Cy present the new generation to the grand parents, sisters & brothers. Harry is brought to Shafer Lake where they lived for their first few years of marriage together. Cyril’s Graduation from St. Joesph’s.
People present:
Walkers : Jimmy, Joanie, Carol-Jean
Gulassast: Ma Goo, Pa goo,
1966 Christmas, Picnic & Flight
A picnic with the Wilsons at Golden Gate Park where the kids miraculously don’t fall into the fountain. Glamorous Harriet takes a plane somewhere.. Christmas morning at 6145. (Take note of Cyrille’s Frankenstein walk to her gifts.)
1967 Wilson's Gingerbread House
Christmas celebration with beautifully built and decorated Gingerbread house with kids tearing at what I can only assume is a rock hard cardboard and sugar infused deweling. Followed up by admiring Rodger’s most recent build of an amazing play structure where even the adults want to get in on the play time.
1968 Brian's 6th Birthday, Slide on the stairs
A blow out celebration for Brian’s 6th birthday with kids hopped up on goofy juice, bouncing off the walls and given mini exploding confetti canons. Still not enough? How about adding a steep slide on the stairs with the parents in the kitchen. Includes: The Wilsons, Elizabeth Delphey and some other kids I don’t recognize.
1968 Renaissance Fair
Take a trip back in time 2 times, once to the late 60’s and again to the 15th century. Weddings reenacted, turkey legs consumed like lollypops and historically accurate mimes still didn’t talk.
Location:
Held at Black Point-Green Point Marin County CA
1975 Truckin' #2 - The Pacific Northwest
The Gulassas head north to the Olympic Peninsula for camping in the rain, stacking rocks and catching ferries. Bask in the majestic stubburnness of David at 15 still not wearing shoes but covered in plastic from the rain. See Stefan at 5 claw and roar his way through frames of film. Enjoy the (now) vintage ferry ride to Victoria BC and the totems of the Royal BC Museum. The sun comes out inspiring some soft-shoe dancing from the Californians. Stefan fends off a hoard of attackers only to succumb to his injuries.
1976 4th of July at Uncle Jimmy's
The bicentennial 4th of July celebrated at Uncle Jimmy’s and Aunt Ann’s. The day full of swimming and barbecue. Stefan and Jimmy compete for whose skin is the closest to the “basted turkey” look. Elizabeth joins us in the pool.
Then some stuttering clips of the aftermath of the Idaho Teton dam break in Sugar City that we stumbled upon on a road trip not knowing what had happened.
1976 Farewell Picnic at Temescal
A veritable who’s who of friends and family gathering for a goodby celebration for Miriam Alaska held at Lake Temescal. Finish up with another gathering at Uncle Jimmy’s.
People present:
Gulassas: Harriet, Cy, Lise and Rita
Catherine Porter, Miriam Alaska, Elizabeth Delphey, Michael Grbich, Jimmy & Ann Walker
1976 BMX Oakland CA
Early days of BMX bike racing in the hills of Oakland. See these amazing kids kick ass and go like only the youth can without specialized gear aside from a bike and a helmet. An impossibly long loop that was ridden multiple times, jumps, steep hills and crazy descents wearing leather gardening gloves and jeans. These kids are impressive!!
1976 David & Andy Depart for Mass on Their Bikes
Watch 16 year old David and Andy depart California from Point Reys (where they can dip their tires in the pacific) as they head off for a month of cycling to reach New Braintree Mass.
People present:
Gulassas: Harriet, Cy, Harry, Lise, David, Brian, Cyrille & Stefan
Andy Carl
1977 The Farm - Summer
Hot weather brings on trips to the public pool by the airport. Backflips, diving board antics and tan bodies in green water. Hay harvesting by the kids to earn money, covered in sweat and smiles. David surrounded by his admirers. Back to the swimming pool where the locals appear to be into vintage cars. Brunch & mimosas with Howard Ziff and Maggie Durham and kids. Harry takes on some of the player piano repair that David started. Trailer loaded for the return trip home. Propagation of the cow species in a terrifying encounter with a bull.
(Note: Title slide says 1976 incorrectly)
1976 The Farm - Early Fall
Chopping wood, cutting grass, hanging the clothes out to dry and picking wild blueberries to complete this pastoral scene. The neighbor harvests corn. Loading cords of wood in preparation for winter. Soccer, school bus and the station wagon is towed off for repairs by the cutest yellow tow truck that had to be an antique even back then. Amazing fall colors reflecting in still waters. Pumpkins are picked out and all hail the arrival of the majestic kerosene lantern! Just in time for all the blackouts to come.
1976 The Farm - Late Fall
We start with Harry & dad moving wood, Mom coms to school and picked up the kids from the clutches of the school bus which they excitedly run from their captor to freedom. The neighbors harvest hay from our property. New snow fall incites a snowball fight. Brian does some bad-ass BMX burnouts. Sheep are brought to the slaughter house, a bee keeper harvests honey. Wood is stacked in preparation of the cold to come and the holy savior itself arrives with dad running it into the house, the wonderful kerosene lamp! Horses break free and return to their pen. A trip to Waterford Virginia visiting Casa Kilcourse with long meals and deep conversation. Back in New Braintree, the first snow has fallen and a cord of wood arrives and we form a bucket Belgrade to unload the wood. Be amazed at the majesty of life as you watch through your finger a calf being born. Chores on the farm include bringing boiling water to the chickens and horses water to thaw it out.
1976 The Farm - Winter
Snow blankets the farm as down jackets blankets the Gulassas. See the Californians enjoy the impossibly deep and difficult snow. Toboggan ride through a tunnel in the snowplow’s pile at the end of the driveway, see horses’ breath in the cold, watch people try to walk and feel exhausted for them. We tap Maple trees with wine bottles and boil it down over the wood stove to make syrup. Celebrate Stefan’s 7th birthday, watch the time lapse of a storm come in. A break in the weather shows the joy of David learning how to drive a Model T car complete with a bicycle strapped to the side. David doing his “Dersu Uzala” impression by cross country skiing through the branches to his Russian hut in the woods. Brain impressed by David goes out on skis alone. Then Stefan does the same only to come home with the skis in his arms. A chimney sweep comes out, a sheep is brought to the barn to give birth to a kid, the family goes to “Cory’s Sugar House” a professional maple Syrup establishment to see how it is done at scale. And lastly, David disassembles the player piano for repairs and amazingly, he pushes through distraction and we actually see it magically put back together and it work!
1977 The Farm - Warm Weather
The weather gets warm enough to take off the storm windows. Mom coyly shows off the massive asparagus she grew. Awe and envy as someone shows off their restored Woody Wagon. The neighbor farmers do the quickest harvesting ever thanks to some movie magic. Flower child Cyrille retrieves the horses and leads them back to their pen barefoot and in a bathing suit. Brian and David ADD evolve a chore of cutting the tall grass into a game of fun and misdirect. Everyone, shirtless and shoeless pile onto a rusty vintage tractor for a trip down to the pond for a swim. Topless gardening and Stefan shows is sent to gather some scraps of hay to for the garden. Chaos abound as the neighbors cows break free and run onto our property. Kids are dispatched to guard the garden from a massacre. Mom said it looked like the most fun the cows ever had.
Off to some sand dunes at the ocean(?) for ankle-snapping fun where the kids jump over and over from hight bluffs. David paints an eagle on the hood of a van – the client with massive sideburns is impressed. Raymond rides the not-fully-broken horse and wrangles it into submission. Martin joins for Brunch of Strawberries and French Toast. Let’s load all the Margret Walker grandkids into the sandbox on top of the station wagon for a trip to the pond for some summer swimming.
People present:
Gulassas: Them all
Martin Verduci, Raymond Rideau
Walkers: Joanie, Nancy, Billy, Nina, Christopher, etc
1977 The Farm - May
May at the farm: when the grass grows high, the horses go rogue, and your haircut might happen next to a woodpile. This one’s a family classic — equal parts rural theater and low-budget coming-of-age drama. We open strong with a high-stakes soap-and-rinse sequence: a swarm of kids descend on Harry’s sports car like sudsy locusts. It’s unclear if the car survives. Haircuts happen (some intentional), cows are paraded to new pastures like bovine royalty, and David — future icon, current liability — takes an unscheduled dismount from a horse in motion.
We also get prom prep the old-fashioned way. A moody indoor birthday scene includes candles, darkness, and no obvious person it is celebrating. Then it’s a pondside dinner picnic for David’s 17th, where he’s gifted a top hat that instantly becomes a shared obsession. Everyone wants it. Lise eventually claims it — tuxedo, tails, and all — and closes out the film dancing solo in the grass like the fabulous gender-fluid mayor of Farm Town.
Also includes: barefoot running, unsupervised dog energy, a toast to Lise’s 17th, replete with alcohol. Be there for unsupervised chainsaw action and a vibe that says “off-grid fantasy meets mild tetanus risk and the eternal question, “Is Lise’s haircut even symmetrical?”
1977 The Farm - April May
Snow still on the ground protected by the shadows, baby sheep on wobbly legs nursing and Cy teaches Bernie how to chop wood only to see his prodigal student excel in front of him. We visit some old town and take tombstone rubbings in a graveyard to start the Kilcourse lollapalooza. Cyrille’s 13th birthday with the infamous HORSEY CAKE, who like Helen of Troy, launched a thousand whines from Stefan due to no one saving him a slice. Harry’s birthday follow with applause as he turns 19 years old. The Slavic traditions continue with a pysanky egg decorating and easter baskets only to see the puffy purple jacketed easter bunny in a floppy felt hippy-wizard hat hide the baskets in impossibly hard places to find them. But fret not, each was found (perhaps David was given a hint seeing as thought it was hidden in a chimney). A red sports car gathering with hoods up as they are tinkered with. A visit to a living museum where David, Lise and Molly Hill understood the assignment and despite not working there, dressed in 1700’s attire. Back to the pond where David paddles the most rickety kayak around with a smile on his face. Neighbors till the soil for mom’s garden to come and David hangs the laundry despite being a a foul mood. Cyrille’s impressive horse riding skills and the layout of the grand garden begins. We wrap up this reel with a visit to the Boston Marathon 1977.
People present:
Gulassas: All of them.
Kilcourses: All of them
Molly Hill
1978 Top Hats in Oakland
The Gulassa’s celebrate their fancy side by donning long dresses, tuxedo’s with tails and top hats. Nothing shouts aristocratic upper crust like drinking mimosas, eating deviled eggs (off the floor). Not long before David’s shirt is open to reveal his muscles. Aggie shows up in a ball gown, tiara and fur shall where her and Gary dance a jig. Stefan’s soccer team the Rockridge Roadrunners zig back and forth chasing the ball. Tag along on Cyrille’s paper route and see David and Andy Carl work on the dormer defying the deathly drop.
1979 Summertime with the Wilsons
Wonderful gathering at an outdoor table filled with a feast and good conversations. Lots of glimpses of everyone, however at 1:15 a moon-faced boy in a rugby shirt arrives with his stitched on face and you can skip the rest. It is just Trevor loving him then beating the stuffing out of him.
1980 Work on 6145 Harwood - The House
See David save $1 worth of wood with an hour of labor practicing Japanese Joinery to make two boards as one. See shirtless teenagers wrestling the larges pile of ivy pulled from the house into a dumpster. Rebecca avoids the camera unsuccessfully. Brian washes the old bubble skylights while flashing a big hole in his pants. De-roofing the back porch, a timelapse of the painting of the house and Harry fends off bees with the torch. Dumpsters are filled and taken away. Frisbee at Alameda beach followed by the gun show back at the house. Cyrille gives David a run for his money.
People present:
Gulassas: Harriet, Cy, Harry, Lise David, Brian, Stefan
Wilsons: Kit, Chris, Rebecca
Andy Carl, Martin Verducci, Kyle Carlisle, Andri Pasternak, Toby Weare,
1978 Baja with the Brennemans
All windows open for a windy drive down to San Felipe. Admire the hi-rider cars and scenery as it is dragged by. Stop at the hammock restaurant on the estuary. The world’s largest slingshot that takes 3 people to fire, slings cans at a sand castle. Dad scrutinizes Andy and Davids dish washing. Brian and Kirk Juggling, Brian sadly drops his apple. Picking up ice at the plant, Ash Wednesday on the beach and Gary takes the kids fishing off the jetty. Aggie’s mom sorts shells with the grandkids. We drive at top speed down the unfinished airport’s runway with all the kids hanging out the windows.
People present:
Gulassas: Harriet, Cy, Lise, David, Brian, Cyrille & Stefan
Brennemans: Gary, Aggis, Lisa, Amy, Aggie’s mom
Kirk Vanmoon, Molly Hill
1980 Brian & Stefan's Birthday
Birthday celebrations for Stefan’s 10th and Brian’s 18th. Light bulb exploded over the dining table feast, Wilson’s and Martin help clean. Playing cards in the room off the kitchen. Cyrille off to something special dressed like a 1980’s goddess.
1980 Baja
Family caravan down to the annual stomping grounds, San Felipe Baja Mexico. Go back in time and be a passenger watching the signs pass by in Mexicali. Wrestling with the wind as tarps flap and are pinned down with bungee cords. Dancing on the beach with scarves, Esperm digs the deepest hole in the sand and chaos ensues as the cabana comes crashing down due to a hammock strung between them. A rush to re-erect it using found materials and David’s ingenuity. Contrasts loom large as we go from sleeping on the beach to living in the lap of luxury as Fernando brews up expresso’s on order. El Faro beach at sunset. Traffic cop directs traffic with aplumb. Back home, “Every one take a load in.”
People present:
Gulassas: Harriet, Cy, Lise, David, Brian, Cyrille & Stefan
Fernando, Kirk Vanmoon
1982 David Leaving for Seattle
Dinner at the Wilsons including Grandma Walker! Stay tuned for a group massacre of the gingerbread house. Kit gifts her ceramics to the guests. Back in Oakland there is the harvest of a fallen tree at the monastery brings all hands on deck to wrangle the heavy oak. They do such a good job that two angles appear! Then the good bye hugs to David as he is about to slip out the door.
People present:
Gulassas: Harriet, Cy, Harry, Lise, David, Brian, Cyrille & Stefan
Wilsons: Kit, Chris, Rebecca, Trevor
Margret Walker, Raymond Rideau,
1985 Baja
Can you pop the cap off a bottle with a shovel? With a spoon? Come with us to get the van stuck in the sand south of San Felipe in the middle of nowhere. Flat tire goblins are visible as they actively destroy the trailer’s tire.
People present:
Gulassas: Harriet, Cy, Harry, Lise, David, Brian, Cyrille & Stefan
Brennemans: Gary, Aggie, Lisa, Amy, their friends Laurell & Caroline, and the Tibetan dog Tiger
Mark and Susan & Kaitlyn, Charles, the Rebenstorfs, Belinda,
1986 Baja
Drive through the first iterations of wind farming on Altamont pass down through the poppy covered hills of the grapevine all to end up sleeping on the banks of the Salton Sea. Awoken on easter by Dad doling out easter baskets to eager campers. Onto Mexico where we were quickly greeted with a flat tire. Harry makes light work of it and we are back off to San Felipe. Sunrises over the Salish Sea, volleyball on the beach, and a lot of of us trying out the windsurfer Dallas brought.
People present:
Gulassas: Harriet, Cy, Harry, Lise, David, Brian, Cyrille & Stefan
Brennemans: Gary, Aggie, Lisa, Amy, their friends Laurel(?) Lisa(?)
Dallas, Molly and brother
Mark and Susan & Kaitlyn
Margot
1983 Baja
3 min of what might be b-roll, clips of Baja.
(Year is not actually known, just estimated)
People present:
Gulassas: Harriet, Cy, Harry, Lise, Brian, Cyrille & Stefan
Margot, Jack & LouAnn
2002 Baja
22 min Hi-8 video by BRIAN
beautifully filmed and excellently edited. If you watch only one Baja video -it should be this one.
People present:
Gulassas: Harriet, Cy, Harry, Lise & Randall, Brian, & Stefan. Jennifer Gulassa , Max, Maya & Rocky.
Brenneman’s: Aggie, Amy, baby Lola, dad Kevin Christensen, Andrea Agué
2007 Baja
45 min Hi-8 video by Harriet
Not a super 8 film. A totally different vibe than the other films. Great footage of the preparation for the local parade. It is wonderfully sweet seeing everyone practicing their routines. There is somehow a section in the middle of back in Oakland but then we go back to Baja. (Some day I will edit this down.)
People present:
Gulassas: Harriet, Cy, Lise, Brian, & Stefan. Jennifer Gulassa , Max, Maya & Rocky. John Potis
Datsun Engine Swap
1978(?) David and Cy wrestle an engine
See a new/used engine installed into the 1968 Datsun 1600 Fairlady Roadster. David and Cy raise and lower and reposition an engine over and over again. Stick around and see the dirtiest, grubbiest, stubby-fingered hands ever as grease makes a clean spot on them. Uncle Jimmy and Ann stop by at the end, and David cleans up for an outing with Andy Carl.
People present:
Gulassas: Cy & David. Jimmy and Ann walker, Andy Carl