Tad came into our lives, as a late night "take out food" off the Internet, one late rainy night in the spring of 2007 & he has been a major figure in our lives since that fateful evening. Tad Williams grew up in West Jordan Utah, one of a five children in a Mormon family filled with dogs, cats, chickens & horses. He has lived in Salt Lake City & Seattle before settling down in Portland. Tad has a degree in sculpture for Lewis & Clark College in Portland & he is an amazing painter & sculptor. He has been working very hard realizing a dream of having his own company- Gilded Age Restoration. He does fine art gilding & restoration, with a specialty in water gilding. Water gilding is a time & labor intensive means of applying gold & other metals to paintings , furniture & objects. The process is centuries old, quite involved, has hardly changed since the Renaissance. He has done important commissions including a ceiling in the Pittock Mansion (an historic, early Portland home), a statue of St. Joan in the Laurelhurst neighborhood of Portland, church alters, & important antique furniture & frames. Tad is deeply involved in Native American Spirituality & follows the Lakota tradition. He is often away from home as he participates in a sweat lodge on sacred ground near Mt. Hood.
In the summer of 2008, the Husband & Tad & I discussed the very real dilemma of our finances & deduced that Tad could benefit from paying less rent (he was maintaining a charming apartment & a studio) & that we could use a little boost as we suffered from the very real effects of the recession. Tad moved in & became a part of our household & family in August of 2008. Our two previous experiences trying living with another person were disasters (to say too little), so we are pleased to discover that we can thrive & be challenged, changed & inspired by having another person living in our home. We actually did very well when the three of us were "snowed in" for four days at the beginning of this year. We watched movies & played Scrabble & Yahtzee, & the three of us got through a fairly long period of time, in a small space, with "No fuss, no fits, no fights & no egos... Amigos! Together!"
Tad added to our home with his amazing late 19th century, red Pendelton Mills sample trunk (which I have been using as my alter) & his stunning art work. He has been helping the Husband finish the many projects around the house that the Husband did 80% of & then moved on. He is very handy with power tools & has a world class ascetic judgment & viewpoint. But... the very best of all, he has brought his amazing, smart & funny Standard Poodle- Louis into our lives. I love all canines, but Poodles were at the bottom of my list for dog love. I was so wrong! I love this dog & his breed, & I count Tad as one of my favorite people ever. Happy Birthday, T. You are as boyish as ever, as you start your 45th year.
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