This is a picture that our dear friend Van DeLisle took at the first Eric Brace and Peter Cooper house concert, back in 2012.
The figures were the boys’ contribution to the show and were sitting on our mantel that night. It may have been the height of the boys’ Lego fever. They had recently decided to share a bedroom so that the other room could be entirely devoted to Lego. Leo thought perhaps he could give tours of the Lego room at the next house concert. Given that our poster artist, the great Mark Gerking, is, well, brilliant, he designed the poster for the show with a Lego theme. Damn, I love that Mark.
As we’ve been grieving the loss of our beloved Peter Cooper, I’d been looking at old pictures and was happy to find that Van had taken a picture of the Lego Eric and Peter. You can see Eric mention it in this wonderful clip (despite the hissing PA) below.
The boys decided to give the figures to Eric and Peter. I believe one of them availed himself of the Lego room tour. Peter, I think, but I’m not sure. Eric may have been busy eating his moon cake from Heather.
I assumed the Lego figures were long gone, lost in the detritus and vagueries of touring life. When I posted the old picture on facebook, Eric responded, “Pride of place on my bookshelf in the dining room 
,” and posted the picture below.
Then our friend Amy chimed in with a couple of pictures I’d never seen before from that night, the picture of Eric below (with art photo bombs by Julie Sola and Sasha Rubel) and the picture at the top.
Honestly, seeing that picture from Eric just brought tears to my eyes. It’s as though he has a little part of our family from that moment in time sitting on his bookshelf. I am a ‘things’ person. I will never be a minimalist. Objects speak to me and I love what those little figures have to say. Little boys wanting bunk beds so they could devote the other bedroom to Lego. Can you imagine how excited they were? A time when all family travel involved either Lego or trains. A time when I let them tape signs or drawings all over the house. A time when the thrill of live music in our house with people we love was new and intoxicating. A time of creative energy for so many friends and future friends in Nashville. Those little figures represent so much.
All my love to Eric for keeping them all this time. And for understanding.
