Conspicuous by their absence

The butterfly chair is one of those classics of the fifties that was the focal point of so many rec rooms, patios, and swimming pools. It was fun to see someone sit in it for the first time and even more fun to see them get up. Ironically, the people who gravitate to these chairs now are the ones who bought them in the fifties or who inherited them from their parents. It's one of those nostalgic things from our past that triggers so many memories of friends and family who sat in them at one time.

These three chairs in particular are under a tree in front of Lois's father's boyhood home in Cuddebackville, NY. They have seen generations of family reunions, weddings, holiday parties, and memorial services, too. The house and property are still in the family, lovingly maintained by her cousins. We visit the home about once a year, usually on the fourth of July, for a family gathering.

Each year the butterfly chairs are under the tree waiting for Uncle Rusty to tell endless stories that entertained us for hours. He knew everybody's hot buttons and just the right time to push them. I remember how he would make a statement about something, usually political, just to get someone worked up into a rant. You could tell by the sparkle in his eye, that he did it on purpose.

Lois's earliest memories of her namesake aunt, were of her sitting in one of these chairs. Aunt Lois and Aunt Ellie would sit there and gossip back and forth about relatives as they walked by. It was always about how they had changed since the last time they were at Cudde. Between the two of them, they knew everything about everyone in the family past and present, and they were never reluctant to share it.

The chairs are still there, but their three main occupants are gone, yet as we look at the picture, we still see Uncle Rusty, Aunt Lois and Aunt Ellie, conspicuous by their absence.