He grew into a tall blond child
With eyes the color of a California sky...

Soon he graduated to a Big Wheel. The sidewalk in front of the house became his race track. One of his favorite things was cycling with his father. Pierre would put Nuçi in a back pack and K.P. in a child’s seat on his bicycle. Off they’d go - to the golf course, to the hospital, to the runway to see the airplanes. They became a familiar sight to the armed guards protecting the base. Both boys loved music. Whenever I think of those years, I can hear Dylan, Buffy Saint Marie and Simon and Garfunkel. Bedtime was their favorite ritual. Pierre would gather Nuçi with blankie, K.P. with Snoopy and Bijou and off they’d go to listen to Pierre’s cleverly made up stories. The stories were usually sequential continuing from night to night. One of their favorite characters was Nuçi Balducci, the bald headed acrobat. Pierre also turned operas like the Magic Flute into stories that both boys learned to love.