My visit with Jeff

Wirth, not Odien.

Ah, what a nice visit. Upsetting in some ways. It had been a very long time since we last saw him. I wish that he and Jim could have gotten together again while Jim was still alive. Oh, well. Those little regrets pop up all the time.

Jeff and Jim were quite a pair in highschool. Jeff is an amazing performer (think Bill Irwin) and his and Jim's talents meshed beautifully. The stuff they did together was way beyond what the rest of us were doing in the performing arts department at Ramona.

Jeff wanted to start a theater group. He, along with the supporters of the group, chose Santa Rosa as its home. Jim and I moved up there to be a part of it. The whole project didn't last longer than a few years but we did mount one show and took it on tour around Sonoma County and did two shows in Riverside, one of them on Ramona's stage. I learned a lot from working with Jeff.

They all eventually moved away from Santa Rosa but Jim and I stayed. Jeff moved on to other adventures. He was very interested in the idea of interactive theater and spent the next several years developing that kind of show. Eventually he started giving workshops all around the country. Now he's teaching at the University of Florida in Orlando. He's doing some very exciting things and one day I'd love to visit him and jump into the game.

But it was just great seeing him. We got caught up. Talked about Jim a lot. talked about Jeff's life in Florida, talked about life and death. Just being with Jeff will lift your spirits and he will inspire you. And working with him will blow your mind. I'm so glad we're back in touch.