Audrey and Johnathan Reynolds to 2012

 

1981 AK Echo Cove John, Shunka, Nur, Audrie1.ti

      Family outing to Echo Lake, north of Juneau. Our dog Shunka (Shunk Tanka Wiun) considered herself to be part of the family even to the point of unsuccessfully trying to climb onto a hammock where Audrie was lying. Shunka was a lover of humanity and showed her affection. She would pull a sled with Audrie shouting, “On! On!” as they bounced over snow.

1983 AK Nurullah, Audrie & Johnathan.tif

      Family portrait. Don’t we all look so very dignified? Audrie was the strongest binding force in family unity as she was in LSA meetings and with our friends throughout Standing Rock and the many other places where we lived.

1985 SD Larry Scott.tif

      Dear Larry Scott. He moved into the same apartment building in Fort Yates as we had lived from 1963 to about 1965. He soon became a very frequent visitor to our supper table and attended many firesides. Vera Barron from Jamestown, when visiting us, would scold him, “Larry, you know you are a Bahá’í. Why don’t you sign that enrollment card?” Larry would just smile and flick the card in his fingers. This not enrolling meanwhile helping out in all Bahá’í activities, even serving as a teller at LSA elections was part of the wonderful relationship that our community enjoyed.

Later on, at an “Bahá’í ADVANCE” held in a northern community in North Dakota Larry declared. There he stood with tears streaming down his cheeks and a huge smile on his face. Everybody loved Larry. He served with great humility and high intelligence. His gentle humor was always there, encouraging laughter from all.

1992 PK Audrie in #98.tif

      Our flat, #98 Bulvar Ribetskoy Slavi, was the Bahá’í Center for many years. We joked about the picture on the wall, explaining how excellent the fishing in the lake picture was. So many firesides, LSA meetings, a wedding, frequent visitors, cups of tea, wonderful joyous moments were part of our living there. We were committed to pioneering and this was our final pioneering post. We lived there for nineteen years and witnessed many Declarations.

Audrie served as Auxiliary Board Member for all of Kamchatka Peninsula and had close connections with the several Native groups there. She was instrumental in organizing two Native Gatherings that attracted many people from the native tribes both from Kamchatka, Canada and the United States. Kevin Locke visited two times and created bonds of friendship with both the Native people as well as the Russian people. These were days of great happiness for us and there is now a well-functioning Bahá’í community there.

1999 UK Malvern John, Eric, Audrie

      We visited Audrie’s cousin Merilyn in Malvern, Worcester. Merilyn’s dog Eric has the idea that I come specifically to take him for walks. So Eric is indulged in frequent walks to a small park where he enjoys running about. Audrie has her wide smile. She is a full-blood English person so visiting England is always a treat for her. Merilyn, our perfect hostess, is always kindness personified.

2004 MOSCOW Reynolds & Lyssogors.tif

      Sasha Lyssogor, architect, his wife Nadia and their three children became very close friends for several years and then they moved to Moscow. They all spoke English. Audrie spent many hours coaching Sasha in spoken English language.

Sasha, having been indoctrinated with Atheism during the Soviet Era, gradually promoted himself to Agnosticism. He was very friendly to the Faith. Their children are now grown up, and the youngest one is just finishing university, studying architecture.

On our trip through Moscow Sasha met us at the airport in his car, transported us to their flat and we were guests for our few days there and then delivered us to train to take us to the airport. We still communicate by mail.

2007 Haifa Audrie & Johnathan.tif

      We had permission to have a three-day Mini Pilgrimage in Haifa. We were hosted by friends from Juneau who were doing a year of service while living in Haifa. So, here we are at the top of the terraces with the Shrine of the Báb and the harbor laid out below us. We visited all the buildings and the new Western Pilgrim Center. We had lunch with several friends from Alaska all doing their year of service. Blessed moments.

2007 AK JUN Audrie dabbling toes in a mountain stream

      Audrie enjoys hiking in the mountains around Juneau. She and Nurullah go on these hiking trips together. All streams are produced by snow melting so that water is COLD! But, there is no stopping Audrie’s smile. “Show a smiling countenance to all” said ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

2007 IRELAND Audrie & Johnathan.tif

      This was one trip starting in Petropavlovsk, through Moscow, through Haifa, through England to Ireland, returning to England and then flying to Juneau and then returning to Petropavlovsk.

We took the ferry from England to Dublin where we were met by pioneers Earl Redman and his wife Sharon O’Toole, both originally from Juneau. While in Dublin we visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral where George Townsend had been Dean and visited his grave. Earl and Sharon took us to their home outside Dublin and we visited several tourist areas. Ireland is indeed a very beautiful country.

Audrie was wearing a silver and turquoise neck pendent made for her by Franklin Khan, USA NSA member and Navajo. Many wonderful people among the Navajo. We met Jim & Roann Stone, pioneers living in Gallup, NM.

2009 N. Dakota Fargo Marion & Audrie Pumpkin 1.tif

      This trip took us from Juneau to Fargo, North Dakota where we were met by Marion Kadrie. The huge pumpkin was just outside her house. Audrie expressed amazement at the size of the pumpkin.

Marion drove us to the Unit Convention in Selfridge, South Dakota where we met Delores Taken Alive from 40 years before and the friends attending the Convention.

The feeling of being at home on Standing Rock after 40 years away was – well, words are not adequate to describe the feeling. This was HOME. We were treated as guests of honor by the friends and our days as Pioneers to Standing Rock were mentioned several times. They spoke of Larry Scott with great love. These few very happy days live on in our memory.

2009 N. Dakota Fargo Marion & Audrie Pumpkin 2.tif

      During the trip from Juneau to Fargo we stopped at Seattle. We were met in the airport by an employee of Alaska Airlines and a State Trooper who informed us that we were to be taken directly to Virginia Mason Hospital as per orders of our family Dr. in Juneau. We had not been informed of this. Our Dr. had diagnosed that Audrie had an incurable but treatable disease and she was to be examined by a neurologist at the V M Hospital to determine the proper dosage of medicine. We said that we were going to continue on to Standing Rock and would return in a week to enter Virginia Mason. So, on we went to Fargo and returned the next week for a few days at Virginia Mason.

Discussion about the pumpkin elicited questions about the possibility of the small ones to grow larger. It was decided that since they were no longer attached to roots they would grow no more and would end up in pumpkin pies.

2009 PK Audrie & Koutchek 1.tif

      There was this small black puppy crawling across the street toward Johnathan with cars passing by. It was absolutely necessary to rescue him and bring him to the flat. He was immediately made a member of the family. Audrie named him Koutchek, which means “small”. He soon outgrew his name. Sapa, our other dog was friendly at first and then became wary when Koutchek got bigger and bigger and dominated Sapa more and more. But, Audrie was the “Alpha dog” and became the loved boss of both.

2009 PK Audrie & Koutchek 2.tif

      Koutchek is saying in dog fashion, “I love you.” Sometimes the recipient of the method of expression is just a little uncomfortable. We returned to Douglas, Alaska in September 2009 for health reasons and brought both Sapa and Koutchek with us. Mike Ashton, a long-time Bahá’í friend who lives some distance from Douglas visited and he and Koutchek fell in love with each other so Koutchek now lives in Wrangell with the Ashton family.

2009 PK Elena Abravmovna, Audrie, Iraida Ignatenko

      Elena, Archivist for Kamchatka, always brought gifts every time she visited. She declared very quickly after just a few firesides. Iraida is very quiet and easy to get along with. She and her son visited many firesides and then she declared.

2011 AK AUDRIE FELL ON JNU HILL.tif

      Audrie and Nurullah enjoyed hiking up and down the mountains that surround us. Audrie slipped and fell with no injury. Here she is, laughing at the mishap. She never never complained when she fell, as she did occasionally even when she broke her wrist falling on ice in P-K and when she broke her hip. She always had a smile no matter how serious the injury. She is an amazing woman!

2012 AK Audrie Portrait 1.tif

      The unconquerable smile. Audrie kept up her good spirits despite diminishing physical capabilities. Visitors had their spirits raised by her unfailing cheerfulness. Here she is in her favorite rocking chair. She was fed and medicines administered through a tube that went through the abdominal wall directly into her stomach.

2012 AK JUN Audrie in Rocking Chair

      Again, Audrie’s favorite rocking chair. Sapa showed his love, devotion and friendliness to everybody. Here he is showing his age (14 years) with white around his muzzle. He died during the late spring. We were glad to bring in that wriggling all-black puppy during 1998 out of the cold of P-K winter and introduce him to regular meals and lots of love, which he reciprocated.

The piano was brought out infrequently and for short times only. Johnathan eventually was able to buy a real piano and it is played daily.

2012 AK JUN LITTLE HOUSE Audrie in Rocking Chair.tif

      In the lower right corner – Sveta Pepin, (declared in P-K) here visiting with her husband Roger from Canada (former pioneer to P-K). Sveta knitted a sweater for Johnathan. Audrie and Sveta are laughing over something.

2013 AK JUN Kevin Locke

      Kevin danced at the Floyd Dryden Middle School on February 15, 2013. You can see the students applauding. Later, that evening, Kevin danced for a Native American drumming and singing group led by Justin Macdonald, a Lakota. It was a meeting of two men who had tapped into spiritual power and were helping people in spiritual growth. Moments of justification of the Native American Way and its effect on properly lived lives.