10 December - From Mistie

I can't say that I know why Brandi liked talking to me. But she must have because we talked alot. I do know why I liked talking to Brandi. She was so damn smart. Now I may think such a thing because I myself am not the sharpest pencil in the can, but yet I believe that there must be truth in the sentiment as I've met some of you all and there's a veritable brain trust amongst the lot. And the thing about those B conversations is that they're hard to pin down in the ol' memory. Yet the rememberance resonates with satisfaction. Talking with B always seemed satisfying. I think there was something inherent in those yammer sessions, some undercurrent of authenticity, some weightiness that lent the process a roundness and umph. The sense of satisfaction was not so much in the talking points as in the talking itself. The process, the journey, the connections. I love you B! I miss you.

P.S. I don't have more B pics to share but I wish she could have seen these two
lovely faces.

Happy Birthday

Birthdays were always really special for Brandi. I remember the unique birthday song she'd sing, "Happy birthday, birthday, birthday...." If she wasn't going to see you that day, you'd get a voicemail with that song on it.

One year, she gave me a ride to work on the back of her motorcycle yelling almost the entire way, "make way, I got the birthday girl on board. Outta the way, special birthday package delivery..."
She was the best when it came to birthdays. And if any birthday gifts had a bow on them, you better put them on your head when you were unwrapping them.

Happy Birthday Brandi. I wish I could sing you that birthday song today.

From Mistie

Brandi was one of the most honest people I know. She was true. I’m sure we’ve all had Brandi conversations. Her honesty and pursuit of the root made the hours melt away and suddenly it’s last call. One more whisky for the road. Then perhaps back to the place to continue till the sun shuffled us off to bed. I relished the one-on-one talks with B. Here we are in the middle of a long Antarctic night, with no sun to announce a close to proceedings. Intense. ~Mistie

Strength of Spirit (A Reflection by Kendall)

Underlying the grief, there is an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. I was lucky enough to be considered one of Brandi’s “peeps” for twelve wonderful years. We met in 1996, as co-workers at Borders Books in downtown Seattle. There was a bond, almost instant. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it at that early stage, but I knew she was unlike anyone else I’d ever known, and I was pretty sure she was going to be an important part of my life. Years later, she told me that she felt we were kindred spirits. I could not have been more honored.

I moved away from Seattle for a few years, and because of my atrocious correspondence habits, it’s a small miracle that we managed to stay in contact while I was away. I must attribute that almost entirely to Brandi’s persistence. I was fairly astonished to receive hand-written letters from her, and it dawned upon me that once she had established a connection with someone, she was not likely to let it slip away. If you meant something to Brandi, she made sure you knew it. “You’re stuck with me,” she once said to me, and I was elated.


On the eve of Brandi’s departure for yet another stint on “the ice” (Antarctica), I asked her why she was going. Again. She didn’t seem too interested in coming up with a list of reasons. Reflecting on it later, it struck me that “why?” was not amongst B’s favorite questions. There had been other occasions on which I had posed it, and it had almost always been met with a half-hearted attempt, at best, to satisfy my request for a logical explanation. And it occurred to me that it really wasn’t a very important, or even interesting, question. Brandi provided me with so many insights, simply by being herself. She did what she was called to do; the strength of her spirit impelled her as she moved through this world, and it was beautiful to behold.

Goodbye, dear friend.

more pics from kendall

Pictures taken at a goodbye gathering at Six Arms in Seattle, just as B was about to move to Maine.

Thanks for sharing, Kendall!