 Mel's job commute to Southampton Hospital was too much. There were no local jobs so we left Greenport and went to Poultney, Vt., where Mel's mother lived. Again, no jobs. We flew to El Paso, Tx., to both introduce Mel to my parents and to look for jobs. Success! We returned to Poultney for our stuff, and back to El Paso we went in her VW bug. Mel manned the store, and I started a do-it-yourself frame shop at Greenfield Gallery. We rented an apartment high above the city with views of Mexico. I spread a tarp on the carpet for a studio. Mel posed many hours for “The Golden Bather.”
 I was on the way to help a friend install an art exhibit in the city. I stopped at another friend's house in Riverhead who was having a party. I left but stopped to call NY since I was running a little late. The installation was postponed until the next day. I returned to the party. When I left, Mel came with me back to the loft in Greenport. She really liked “The Hand of Man,” which I was just completing. Soon we bought a used bed to complement the metal patio table with a hole in the middle, the wooden folding chairs from the Odd Fellows, and a small 3 drawer dresser. A month or so later I was walking home from work when several workers from Preston's Marine Supplies blocked my way. They asked if my intentions were honorable. Mel's family was well known. I gave them a firm “YES.” Mel and I have been married for 46 years at the end of this month.
 This time I got a job through a friend with a dock builder in Greenport, Long Island. We had a tow boat and a barge with a crane on it for setting piles. I found a loft to rent which had been a sail makers loft, then an Odd Fellows hall. The building was cracked in the corner and you could see the street below. I added a shower stall in the kitchen. The main room was 30' x 40' with no posts. I worked during the day and painted at night and on the weekends. People asked me if the man in “Man Running” was running from or running to something. I said he was just running.
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