I had the great fortune to live next door to the Vonneguts on Cape Cod. This was back when his son, Mark, and I were schoolmates and Kurt was selling a strange new car called a Saab - late 50's. Later, when their family doubled in size overnight, the Vonnegut household was the place for all to congregate. Kurt would be right there, leading a group of 20 or so 5-6th graders on a tromp through the marshes - sinking in mud up to our waist. Other times, he did things like play Santa on Cristmas eve for the 3 or 4 families that gathered. He would often read us poetry (James Tate - The Lost Pilot comes to mind), as we all gathered around the giant round coffee table in the candle lit living room. It wasn't much later that we all found out that Kurt had gone and made himself a famous author. He was not always an easy person for a kid to be around - he did not let "wrong thinking" go by unchallenged. Other times stand out with amazing clarity even now - almost 50 years later.

Bee-dubya-ell, got it right above.....and so it goes.

dw