#gary lenowski

[pixelnrd]

Taking their grandmother to visit her childhood home was one of the most memorable experiences of Mac's young life. They felt such a deep connection to their grandmother and their own origin; seeing where their grandmother had grown up had just excited them further to know more about where they had come from.

Back at the retirement home, Heather showed Mac some more of her preserved family photos. She pulled out a very old photo full of people Mac didn't recognised.

'This was my father,' explained Heather. 'And this is him with his siblings and parents. I never met my grandparents on my paternal side... they died before I was born, but I know their names were Eleanor and Gary. And that was aunt Clover - she was very impressive. Uncle Indigo, he passed away young too, it was terribly sad for my Dad. And Aunt Summer, her kids were my cousins and so much fun.'

'Where did they grow up, San Sequoia?,' asked Mac.

'Oh no... see, my Dad grew up in a hippy commune in Sulani, would you believe it. I think that's why he was always such a straight guy - like he was trying to pretend that wasn't his life. There aren't many photos from his childhood, but the ones I do have speak for themselves.'

Mac was fascinated by this bizarre hippy family that they had supposedly descended from. With their grandmothers photos in hand, they decided to take a trip down to Sulani, to retrace their hippy roots.

But when they arrived in Sulani, it was no longer a hippy commune. The township was filled with modern beachfront condos, a haven for retirees and the successful. When Mac showed up at the place their grandmother had told them about, there was no longer a bungalow but a great big glass house. It was like all history had been demolished and replaced.

Mac was disappointed, but they weren't deterred. Visiting the Sulani cultural centre, they hoped to find some kind of history on the origins of the Sulani community. And they weren't disappointed - there was a whole section dedicate to the origins of Sulani in the 1960s and 1970s, and the activism of its community during a time of political conflict and rebellion.

And there on the wall, was a picture of the house that Mac had seen in their grandmothers photo. It was a blue beach shack, and the plaque underneath read:

Original Sulani beach bungalow, built by Gary Lenowski c. 1970

Mac was chuffed to see that the Lenowski branch was being kept alive in history here in Sulani. Even though they could never know, they liked to think that their great-great-grandparents were cultural revolutionaries.

Mac sat on the beach and reminisced on what they had found. River, Clover, Indigo and Summer, the children of hippy revolutionaries. Gary Lenowski, who had built their home. And Eleanor... what was her maiden name? Where had she come from.

Mac pulled out their phone and googled the names of their great-great grandparents, and found themselves reading about The Dreyfus Family band...

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Back in Sulani, time had finally caught up with Eleanor and Gary. They both passed away peacefully at home.

Their 4 children held a small private funeral for their parents, releasing their ashes to the ocean. Clover and River returned to Sulani to say goodbye, and they all held eachother through their grief.

River felt enormous guilt, returning home for the first time since he had left for college. He had never returned to see them, even though he had said he would. Time and work and his marriage had kept him from realising his parents were nearing the end of their lives. And now they were gone.

[pixelnrd]

After the wedding, an enormous reception followed with food, dancing, drinking and fun.

The Lenowski siblings were in top form, and Gary made a heartfelt speech wishing his son all the same love and success in his marriage that he and Eleanor had.

(This is an homage to The Wedding Singer 🪩🕺)

[pixelnrd]

The happy day finally came, when River Eli Lenowski married April Diane Jones.

The wedding was a huge affair, with family from both sides all attending. River's parents came up from Sulani with his siblings, so excited to see their son get married. Indigo was his best man, and April's cousin was her maid of honour.

The Lenowski's took up a lot of space with their large brood, and stood in direct contrast to the straight and serious Jones family.

[pixelnrd]

In Memory of Eleanor June and Gary William

Rest in Peace Eleanor, heir to the 1970s of the Langston Legacy and her life partner, Gary.

Eleanor was defined by her family's fame and her twin sister until she broke free and forged her own path in life. She ran away and lived in a hippy commune with her lover, Gary, and together they had 4 children. Both of them found individual success within and outside of the home and despite their almost-religious adherence to living an anti-capitalist, anti-establishment lifestyle, they were committed, loving parents and hard working people.

I really enjoyed playing Eleanor and Gary's beachside hippy life. It was a new way of playing and took me back to the roots of this Decades Challenge with lot challenges and restrictions.

In Eleanor's lifetime she achieved her lifetime want of Master Maker, maximised her Fabrication, Logic and Cooking skills and reached the top of the Conservationist career. In Gary's lifetime he achieved his lifetime want of Beach Life, maximised his Charisma and Cooking skills, and reached the top of the Political career as Charity Organiser.

Eleanor and Gary are survived by their four children River, Clover, Indigo and Summer.

[pixelnrd]

In no time at all, River and April became boyfriend and girlfriend. As well as being madly infatuated with one another, they found that they shared many of the same interests, including a keen passion for video games. When not studying, they would often go to the arcade in their spare time and compete against eachother. River loved to see April's angry face when she wanted to win.

River felt pretty seriously about April. So much so that River next rang home to update his parents on his life, he was excited to tell them that he'd met someone - that she was so wonderful that she might be 'the one'. His mother was especially excited to hear that her son had found love.

As summer approached, they would hang out on the college lawns and talk about their plans. It was then that April invited River to stay with her family in San Sequoia.

'I'd love for you to meet my folks,' she said excitedly. 'I want them to see how amazing you are.'

River was nervous... meeting the parents seemed like a huge step in their relationship. But he was serious about April, and he wanted her to know that. So he agreed to spend the summer with her and her family, to get to know them better - and hopefully be welcomed in.

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Young Summer was the only Lenowski sibling who wasn't pining for life outside of Sulani. In fact, she loved her family and their creative, alternative lifestyle. To nurture her creative spirit, she was gifted a polaroid camera, which she used to capture photographs of her family - though some were more willing subjects than others.

Summer was proud of her work, and decided that she wanted to be an artist when she grew up.

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The day finally came for River to leave Sulani, and begin his adventure in the world. His parents held him tight as they bid farewell at the bus stop. They couldn't believe their children were grown, and leaving the nest. They only hoped they had done enough to prepare them for the world outside of their beachside home.

The whole family watched River go, his younger siblings envious of the life he was about to start. And River set off to begin his adult life.

We did it! The end of the 1970s! Only took a full year...

River is the heir and his adventures in the 1980s will be coming soon. I hope you're all as excited as I am to watch his story unfold.