When we arrived to Vancouver from Mexico City in 1975, I believe I may have gone to Wreck Beach where I photographed some sand ripples. I made a Valentine’s card and gave it to Rosemary,

Today is Valentine’s Day and Rosemary stares at me from her portrait on the wall opposite of my bed. I just cannot help myself and I have to stare back.

 Because I am really an English speaking Latino I am a tad romantic. Rosemary and I did lots of stuff together where we explored our romantic involvement with each other and celebrated many a time with active shenanigans in bed.

One occasion I remember well is that we commemorated one of our wedding anniversaries at the Granville Island Hotel. We first saw the film An Officer and a Gentleman. I had called the hotel to tell them to have an ice bucket with a bottle of good champagne in our room. It is most difficult for me to forget that were unable to turn off the ice making machine of our room refrigerator and we had a sleepless night with next to no shenanigans.

In our home all the plants (first in Kerrisdale) and now in Kitsilano are reminders of  our gardening relationship. I must admit that before Rosemary told me how to be a garden snob I would buy those silly (without scent) red roses for Valentine’s Day. But I did buy her Belgian chocolates (my faves they were).

Now with her gone I often open my room closet and look at her shoes all in a row. From the very beginning of our 52-year relationship I would tag along when she went to buy shoes and she listened to me when I suggested a pair she should buy.

Another romantic memory is of us going to The Bay to buy sheets, pillow cases and towels. Every time I make my bed in the morning her voice in my ears says, “Alex let’s make the bed neat for the cats.”

I believe that our relationship was a good one as we pursued lots of stuff that we did together. One of them was daily breakfast in bed. We did this for 25 years. I was often very hungry for breakfast as Rosemary was more active in the morning as we were about to wake up (you know what that entailed).

When I look at my cats these days I cannot stop from asking them, “Do you remember Rosemary?” They are a living connection for a woman that I loved.