Claire Gadbois wrote to share this video tribute to her late husband, Bob Gadbois, that was shown at the Our World Underwater convention evening film festival last month. (Bob was my father’s cousin.)
I last saw Bob and Claire at the 2017 Zuiker Family reunion in Tennessee. As with previous family gatherings, they came prepared to show photos of their world travels. That summer, they especially wanted to share their excitement for the solar eclipse that was coming up. We gathered in one of the cabins, and they explained what would be happening when the moon moved between the sun and Earth. I snapped a photo and posted it that day to my microblog.
The next day, Bob and Claire were part of the family’s excursion down the Little Pigeon River. I slid into my tube and kicked down the river and was sipping bourbon from my flask as I glanced back to see Bob, sick with cancer but suited up anyway and camera around his neck, sit onto his tube. Oliver was already speeding down the river ahead, so I went after him, inspired by Bob’s love of the water.
© Anton Zuiker