Love in the Time of Corona

By Larry Carlin

2/14/22

If Nobel Prize-winning author Gabriel Garcia Marquez can earn accolades for his 1985 novel “Love in the Time of Cholera,” then maybe I can get some plaudits for my novella, “Love in the Time of Corona.”

With Valentine’s Day being today, the timing seems right for a COVID love story. The short version is – after 27 years of courting (or, as my cousin Tom Byrnes says, “That must be the longest engagement in history!”) – Claudia Hampe and I are now officially married. We recently had a small ceremony with our guitar player, Gary Bauman, as officiant, and his wife, Sally Bauman, as the witness. The paperwork was turned in on January 28th, with the legal date being 1/22/22.

As some of you may have been aware, for the first 25 years of our relationship I spent time between my place in Sausalito and Claudia’s house in Mill Valley, which is the next town over. However, since the pandemic began, I have not stayed one night at my pad due to the virus. Lo and behold, along the way we discovered that we can co-exist in a 1,000 square foot cottage without getting on each other’s nerves! So, COVID brought us closer together, both literally and spiritually. With the average marriage in the US lasting just eight years, we figured that we’re now good for what’s left of the long haul.

As the attached photos show, contrary to how we may feel, neither of us is getting any younger. And since neither “The Bachelor” nor “The Bachelorette” TV shows ever called, we figured that it was time to tie the proverbial knot. And truth be told, at our advanced ages, the term “until death do us part” rings truer than ever…

It was a modest event: outdoors on a beautiful sunny day, with just us two couples. No rings, no rice thrown, no tin cans tied to non-existent car bumpers, no cake, bouquet, dress, tuxedo, etc. Save for the unexpected sound of an electric chainsaw (was this an omen?), the 3:17 minute ritual was perfect. Afterwards we toasted with some of Gary’s delicious homemade Hampster Amber beer.

I discovered over the years that Claudia has that one special virtue that most partners don’t possess: She puts up with me!

Once we get beyond this COVID calamity we hope to celebrate both out West and back East. We plan to go back there sometime in April, when she will also turn 75 on the 21st.

Suddenly, without any warning, we went from being longtime, single adults, to just an old married couple! Or, as the saying goes, “better late than never.”

The photos are in chronological order and, save for the last one, are in five-year increments, with the first being from shortly after we met in 1995, and the last being from a few months ago.

For the uninitiated – or those with foggy memories – the longer version of our story is that we grew up about two miles apart outside of Philadelphia in the suburb of Wayne, PA, but we did not know one another back then.

And here’s a riddle: We both attended the same elementary school, in 1959, but not at the same time.

Fast forward to 35 years later, when, 3,000 miles away, in Mill Valley, CA, we were introduced outside the original and venerable Sweetwater nightclub by our mutual friend Suzanne Shelhart, who said, “You two are from Pennsylvania, so you should meet.” We established that we grew up in the same area, but that was the extent of the conversation. Then, some months later, we were both at the club again, this time to see the legendary Peter Rowan perform. I saw Claudia sitting at a table, so I went over and re-introduced myself, saying, “Hey, you’re that gal from Fletcher Road in Wayne, PA!” She gave me a look that said, “Who the heck are you?” I then reminded her that we had met before, and then we chatted a bit about music, and I told her that I was going to be performing at the club in two weeks if she wanted to come and see me play.

If she hadn’t turned up at that later show, there would have been no “rest of the story.” Instead, she watched the band play, and afterwards I, and a couple of friends, went over to her house nearby to play some songs, and it was then that I suddenly realized that I may have a new singing partner for a side project that I was trying to develop. We knew a lot of the same songs, and her soprano singing range was a perfect complement to my tenor. So, we started getting together to sing some more, and before long some non-musical sparks began to fly, and here we are, almost three decades later.

Along the way we had (and still have) our duo, Keystone Crossing; we a had five-piece bluegrass band for about 12 years called Keystone Station; then for five years we were part of country band called Blithedale Canyon; and now we have an acoustic Americana trio called Keystone Canyon, with our officiant and lead guitarist, Gary Bauman.

And now we have a new name for our offstage duo – husband and wife!

Since for the past two years most everyone has been sheltering in place and staying away from others, we defied the odds and have finally found true love in the time of Corona.

And, like everyone else, we’re beyond ready to get back to some kind of normalcy.

Happy V-Day!

LARRY CARLIN AND CLAUDIA HAMPE 1995

LARRY CARLIN AND CLAUDIA HAMPE 2000

LARRY CARLIN AND CLAUDIA HAMPE 2005

LARRY CARLIN AND CLAUDIA HAMPE 2010

LARRY CARLIN AND CLAUDIA HAMPE 2015

LARRY CARLIN AND CLAUDIA HAMPE 2001