Thursday, October 22, 2015

Remembering Birdman

Cemeteries in Naples are much different from New England.  Up there, we have somber gravestones. Down here, the cemeteries seem to have urns with colorful flowers, real and plastic.
This is the Naples Memorial Garden.


And, today I am remembering Mark L. Norton, a fellow City Daily Photo blogger, who passed away suddenly earlier this week.  Birdman started his pORTcITYdAILYpHOTO blog on January 1, 2009, and posted one photo per day every day afterward.  Birdman regaled his loyal followers with memories of growing up in Portland, Maine, and witty observations about current life.

Birdman wrote lovingly of his art teacher wife, Elenka, and his son, Justin.  He was only in his first year of retirement from teaching English for 41-1/2 years.  Birdman, you will be missed.
His obituary is here.  His family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to
Animal Rescue League of Portland, P.O.Box 336, Westbrook ME 04098.

24 comments:

Kate said...

Thanks for posting this, Jack. Despite not meeting him personally, it is obvious that he was a favorite among CDP bloggers. Saying he will be missed is an understatement. Life is so very fragile. A truism but one I feel deeply over and over again as I watch friend's leave the bounds of earth.

Karl said...

It makes me sad to hear this. RIP

PerthDailyPhoto said...

Very sad and unexpected.. thanks for posting the obituary Jack, Birdman, as we know him, was much loved.

Luis Gomez said...

Thank you Jack for posting this. I always loved his witty comments.

RedPat said...

Thank you for posting this, Jack. It's funny that although I never met Birdman he had become part of my daily routine that I find I am missing terribly as we all are.

Lois said...

Wonderful tribute Jack. I still can't believe it. He certainly will be missed by all of us.

Lowell said...

A beautiful photo and tribute.

LOLfromPasa said...

I'm still on vacation but your post today caught my attention. Fine tribute to someone who will be missed.

Sharon said...

What a wonderful tribute to our friend and colleague. Thank you for providing the link to the obituary. Some people leave an imprint even if you only knew them through their words. He was one of those.

EG CameraGirl said...

Thank you posting this and the link to his obituary, Jack! It was a shock to learn he had passed away.

Virginia said...

Oh i"m heartsick. "Bird" as I always called him was always a delight to visit and read his blog posts. He was a faithful commenter on my blog as well. I"m really sad to lose this friend.
V

Sylvia K said...

This was a shock for me to learn about, too!! Thank you for posting and the link.

Merisi said...

Thank you for this loving tribute, Jack!
My heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.
He will be missed.

cieldequimper said...

I miss him and his posts, really.

VP said...

Reading his posts was a pleasure, they always sounded familiar, wise and funny at the same time.

jennyfreckles said...

How very sad. I didn't really follow his blog nor he mine, but I enjoyed his pithy comments on others'. Blogging until the end.... I guess that's the way to do it but such a sudden bereavement is terrible for family and friends. RIP Birdman.

William Kendall said...

Thanks for posting this, Jack. I miss him already... he was such a character.

Michelle said...

Jack, thank you for posting this. I always enjoyed his comments and quips on my blog. I miss his posts already.

Bob Crowe said...

Beautifully said. And, of course, the feeling of a New England cemetery is so much more somber.

Linda said...

Thank you for getting this info and posting it.

SRQ said...

Wow -- such sad and unexpected news. He could weave a childhood tale like no one else. He'll be missed in the CDP community.

Tanya Breese said...

a beautiful tribute to our birdman...

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this. Seems so unfair, as he saw many adventures in his future. But, had I written that about someone else on his blog, he would have answered back with something gently humorous and philosophical.

Kay said...

It's a tribute to Birdman that he's left such a sudden and painful gap in our lives. His posts were so often elegant commentary which opened up so many parts of his life that he was a real and palpable presence in our lives.