Constance Keeley Rodrigue
On Siphnos
Connie's 2011 Autobiography
Mémoires inachevées…
At first I thought, « Oh no, I can’t do this. A life of 33+ years of alcoholism and addiction = a black hole of despair. NOT interesting. And then, and then, I started looking over my photograph albums. What richness I found! I have lived in stunning places, travelled all over the world, made friends with fabulously interesting people, and collected so many really beautiful memories that I could die tomorrow and be happy.
Most unfortunately my collection of photographic memories is already at 31+ pages and I’m not anywhere finished. So – I decided to pick out some photographs, higgledy-piggledy, and caption them. I hope you can get some sort of idea of my life – which has NOT been a life of achievement but rather a life of learning and pleasure.
My grandfather-in-law bought 450 acres of forest with 3 lakes for hunting and fishing in the north of Wisconsin, right on the Canadian border. Paradise. I used to lie up in my hammock overlooking the apple trees and vegetable garden, with Bomber beside me, and read. Bliss.
me & bobby mcgee (Bomber von Lindwahr)
In Westport I made many wonderful friends and learned so many things: I continued on with my music lessons (ending up with the oboe and the Choir), continued with modern dance, learned riding, tennis (sort of), field hockey, sailing, and I don’t know what all else.
Staples: music (yes, I played too and even more afterwards)
At Staples – my father said that I looked like “ a blond Ava Gardner (after a hard night)"
Then I went on to Wheaton College in Norton Mass., where I majored in weekends at Harvard, English Literature and Philosophy. Here with my best friend (of my class) Kathy on Commencement weekend.
For the rest of my life up to now I have travelled all over the world, learned a lot, made some fascinating and very good friends, some - alas - now dead. Can't travel very much any more because have ephysema and CFS and am NOT happy about that, but make do. I am an alcoholic and addict - clean and sober since 1986.
My baby Mungo whose name means "dearly beloved friend" in Scottish Gaelic
"HRH" Rafa
My passport photo