Photographs of Robert Bell's Life
Robert and Alice Together
We had just celebrated one of our birthdays together; Robert was very affectionate & I love every minute of it.
I made a Christmas house which had a roof the opened up, full of goodies that my father absolutely loved, like various cheese, crackers, chocolates, herring etc.. We hung Christmas lights on it too.
We loved Golden Gate Park & sat at a table in the  garden of the arboretum during the Christmas season.
We went to Arizona to visit my Aunt & Uncle in our earlier years together. We loved any kind of traveling; new venues lent variety.
Living with Robert was a very joyful way to spend my life.
We loved to dress up for Halloween; Robert loved being a joker so his costume was quite appropriate; I found long a blond wig & put plastic spiders n my hair.
Robert loved all of the holidays, especially Halloween.; he enjoyed dressing up a little. I added his freckles so he could be a farm boy with his hot sun teeshirt & golden haired wig. Every Hallowe'en he's say, "Oh, not this year" but then he'd see me dressing up & create some costume from what we had around.
Robert had never been to Disneyland, so early on in our relationship we went to L.A. & we had a really great time.
Robert tried out the machine that takes pictures of auras & you can see some great colors surrounding him. His inner joy & energy  just jumped out!
Nature was truly a mother to us; the more we were outside, the happier we were.
Trees were strong silent partners with us; we had quite an affinity for them.
We celebrated my 60th birthday together with many friends; I loved Robert's cat eyes shirt.
Bota kitty was part of our family when we moved & he got to be the one and only kitty at that time.
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We were both in pink, the color of love & peace.
Robert was al lot of fun to kiss; he was so wholehearted.
Nothing like a little mistletoe to make the season brighter & warmer.
Robert was holding our ring bunny at Calistoga Rd. on our wedding day; this was his first suit & tie occasion.
Our first Christmas on Beaver St. where we lived for awhile. The cats loved the tree too, to hide in and behind.
Robert truly loved celebrating & his birthday was no exception.
Robert weighed less than me, I hate to admit & he tentatively sat on my lap;  my knees took it quite well.
The late Raymond Burr had some gorgeous orchids at his estate in Healdsburg;  we took a lot of photos & posed with them too.
We went to a retreat in Watsonville, CA & were able to get a photo with our spiritual Master, Gurunath. Nath took Robert to the Other side on Aug. 30, 2017. I miss Robert a lot but will join him one day when I am deemed ready enough to leave. I still have lots of art to do while I'm here..
This is one of my favorite pix of Robert; he was a sweetheart in every way; I miss a lot of things about him but especially his sweet kisses on my neck.
I have especially loved this picture of Robert & I together; he looks so gentle & mellow, holding me close, protectively even, in a state of pure serenity.
Robert Could Do Anything He Put His Mind to...
Robert always amazed me with his foot & toe work; he loved to be naked & barefoot; he was my feet and I was his arms. We were a great physical team together.
From carrying rocks to gently finding the right place on the t.v. remote, my Honey could do it all!
Robert enjoyed metal detecting; he helped people find things too. He figured out the sound signature of many objects.
Robert had strong leg power & plenty of determination. He didn't say no when trying new activities.
No task was too hard to at least give it a good try.
When I got too busy in the kitchen, Robert gave me a foot!
Robert was an excellent driver; he would drive & I would sometimes navigate & feed him snacks.
Robert held the pen between his forefinger & middle finger; he had legible writing too.
Robert's back was a lot stronger than mine. Sometimes he would loop a rope with knots on the ends, around the box & hold the knots & lift; he carried some heavy weights that way.
Here he is,  balancing on rocks in a storm; he was very sure-footed.
Robert truly loved to garden; he tested the soil with his big toe to see if it was damp enough; he  pulled weeds out  with his fee and he talked with the plants, thanking them for their harvest & encouraging them to grow--and they did!
He was good at Chinese checkers & beat me at the game, most of the time. He was unique with everything he did.
He pet the kitties with his feet; the cats were fine with that because they could sense how much he loved them.
Sometimes he lifted his hand to pet them because he didn't have the muscle strength to lift his arm. 
Zephyr's (Robert) Early Years  1948-1993
Robert celebrated every Christmas with a  cut down tree, before I met him. It was fun when we got together because we had a live tree every year & decorated every inch of our homes with Christmas cards, red bows, Nutcrackers ornaments, wall hangings & memorabilia.
My sweetie smiled a good amount of the time or stuck out his tongue occasionally. He is here with his long time friend Boots. Robert had a positive outlook on life & admired the unconditional love &  presence of animals. When we got together in 1993, we chased away the loneliness, had a zoo of 5 kitties, 5 rabbits & 4 sets of pet ratties in two's & threes"; we lived together for 24 years, 21 years married.
Robert must have been going to something formal when he wore this fancy shirt; the only time he wore a tie was at our wedding. 
Before we met, Robert dressed in a "fancy suit" for Halloween one year & blackened his front tooth; he was so playful & such a ham.
This is Buddha cat, enjoying Robert's warmth. I loved the names that my Honey gave to his kitties.
Robert loved to relax when he could.
This is a younger version of Allie Barkalow,  a long-time friend of Robert & these are her two children, Tara in the middle & Jared, now both grown.
Robert really believed in this quote; he had it in a few frames around his house.
I had never met Robert's two dogs; one was named Charity,
a lab & the other was Little Dog, shown here, a coyote-Shepherd mix;
​ she was way smart! Robert had a lovely way with animals.
This was Bill the cat, a kitty I had never met but the stories about him were great. He was a stray & became lame in a car accident & left to fend for himself. One of his legs couldn't bend anymore so Bill the Cat limped, but, he was very fast on the legs that did work. All he ever wanted was  a loving home.  In his earlier days, Robert understood abuse; he brought Bill the Cat to live with him & gave him what he needed, a loving home.
Robert pointing out himself in the circled picture of him in either 5th or 6th grade;  he was such a cutie then & got to be a fun adult version of a great cutie!
Robert, in either 5th or 6th grade; he was a cutie then too.
Robert, a younger version here but with a mustache,  was very handsome to me. His ready smile & "we can do it " helped us get through a lot of difficulties.
Robert was about 22 years of age in this CA ID picture. He looked a little like a Beatle with his hair.
Robert was a little older in this Santa Rosa J.C. ID, looking wild & woolly. 
Robert looked even Wilder, very woolly & very happy.
This is my second favorite picture of Robert; this is a driver's license that actually looks great; my handsome Robert is smiling as usual.
Robert's Love for Animals, Gardens, Celebrations, and His Hobbies
Halloween was one of Robert's favorite celebrations; he would carve 30 or 40  pumpkins every year, each with a different face.  Robert filled large bowls with lots of candy; the kids came 2 & 3 times that night to get candy & see all of his pumpkins. Robert had a reputation for a wonderful Halloween every year.
This was our home on Beaver street with a few of the many pumpkins Robert carved for Halloween.
Robert is  proudly holding one of the pumpkins he carved.
Robert filled several bowls like this one with candy for the kids; they came back and forth a few times to survey the pumpkins & get very generous servings of the goodies.
This was Cosmo, one of Robert's favorite kitties, being pet with Robert's foot.
Jasper bat was tossed out of his mother's nest because he had some problems she foresaw. We rescued him, fed him the best we could & brought him to Pat Winters who took care of rescued bats. He never did learn to fly.
Jasper bat on Robert's finger
Here are some of our kitties; Honeybird , upper left, Ka-Win in the Miller box, Annie Kitty on the bottom left, (we got her just before one of our wedding anniversaries, and Snoop, bottom far right. Each had their cat-person gifts.
Ka-win was forever hungry & was taking a morsel from Robert's lips.
This was a newly born bunny; her mother let her go because she was sickly at birth. Of course, Robert & I rescued her & here is Robert trying to feed her some little bunny formula. She was in an incubator but we didn't know much about the temperature & she didn't make it. We called her Lydia bunny & grieved her passing.
Here is Robert with either Tia or Flossie, when she was very little. We had 5 bunnies at one time; they loved veggies & also ate alfalfa pellets. They loved roaming within dog fences & liked burrowing. We almost lost them that way too, digging way, way underneath the ground.
We totally loved our ratties;  they each had their special personhood. We found ratties to be very sweet, affectionate (they really loved Robert's beard) & intelligent. These little beings were so much fun to play with. The cats we had did not disturb them.
Robert loved crystals & was able to hear the entities in his own intuitive way. He taught me how to rest with them, & cleanse them once-in-a-while. Robert had a lot of faith.
What fun birthdays were for Robert! He enjoyed them more than kids did. He was a joyful man & is still present with me, ready to party!
Robert & Gil Boyne, master hypnotist, who taught some of Robert's classes for certified hypnotherapists.
Robert with one of his graduate hypnosis groups; he took 2 different types of hypnosis classes & garnered many, many intern hours-- in the end, he decided that he didn't want to get into other people's heads.
We loved to go camping--you can see the edge of our tent on the right. We arranged our bodies as best we could on our sleeping bags planted on the hard ground. It was still fun when we were younger & our bodies could take it. When we went as seniors, we did "old people camping": stayed at the camp site all day, made our fire & at night went home to sleep together in bed!
Robert in his earlier camping days, before he met me; he was totally in love with nature & enjoyed so much of what the Mother offers us in her great outdoors. Robert had long hair then & loved to rough it as much as possible.
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Robert had so much fun just checking things out!
He loved beauty as much as me, and that's saying a lot; he found beauty to be a splendid, inner calling from Mother Nature to fill & satisfy the soul.
Nature contains all, especially Robert's handsome face.
Trees spoke many volumes to us; they guarded & educated us.
Buddha cat hung out at our Equinox & Solstice ceremonies as well as new & full moons. Bota kitty was our second to last kitty & he loved to snuggle with us under the covers.
Robert was a Leo & the number one cat; he was definitely leonine & majestic, sometimes a quiet & knowing presence in my life. I dearly loved that man of surprises!
Robert was married to me & to nature. We made many visits to Doran Beach & other water places; we felt enriched by the Mother who sustains & enlivens us.
Robert took some chances & did what he liked. I admired that, though at times I wondered if he would get caught.
Robert had one more ride on the carousel of life; how was I so lucky to meet such a joyful man?  We are forever partners and so it is!
Robert's Art

Robert took a  photography class & enjoyed it very much; see below the few photographs I could find from his class that I hadn't seen before; sometimes he used a monopod to hold up the camera. ​

Robert loved the magic & mystery of fog at dusk.
Robert tried this shot at night with an interesting light on our home on Beaver St.    My little VW sat in the light from the street lights outside.
This was one of his lovely reflections in water; we both loved reflected images.
Unusual trees were favorites for both of us; we loved their aged hardiness.

ROBERT'S DRAWINGS

 Before I met  Robert, he had  taken a drawing class from Holly Downing & I was especially pleased to see his beautiful work. He was excellent at charcoal, graphite pencils and pen & ink drawings; he drew almost every still life subject, like fruits, fabrics, bones & geometric wood shapes. He also drew plain air, outside with scenery like Spring Lake, one of Sonoma County's treasures & he also created imaginative landscapes, something that I had a difficult time doing. His thumbs were very short without a muscle to hold art mediums or anything else, so he drew his art holding a piece of charcoal, a pencil or a pen between his forefinger & middle finger.

​I admired his shading & volumetrics very much. He tried to encourage me in that venue but I was too excited about color to give it much of a try. He drew amazingly well, even with short arms. I didn't really see his work until lately & I was very surprised at his talent; I learned more about him when I saw each drawing. I wrote simple little descriptions next to each piece; Robert on the other side is probably shaking his head at me, saying that that wasn't what he was trying to draw. Oh well. Next time around, Robert, don't be so modest & show me your work while you are alive & tell me what I should know about it--o.k.? He spent a lot of time encouraging me instead.

If you would like to have one of his drawings, let me know through the contact page. They are unframed & most are on 11" by 14"  drawing paper; they will be a memory gift from him & me.

This little landscape with its cheery tree seems like it would be a good place to sit under. It is marked #21.
This piece had more wet brush technique; it is labeled both Foliage and Clouds & marked # 22. 
There are many pathways leading up to this lovely, & both small & monumental tree. It has may tiny markings of flowers & foliage and delightful shading!  #24
Robert used a wet brush with ink for the grey & then added tiny ink marks over that for even more shadow & texture. No page numbers on this one.
Fabrics are hard to draw because the folds require delicate volume & shading. This was charcoal on 11" x 14" paper, on page 39.
This fabric was unusual & complicated  in all of its many folds. Again charcoal with very tiny line marked to give it the little shadow of stitching on 11" x 14' paper, page 37.
This was complicated but the values were interesting. It's also unfinished--looks like fabric with indentions etc. using charcoal pencil, on 11" x 14" drawing paper, marked  page 38.
This was equally complicated, especially since it was also unfinished. Numbered page 36, done in charcoal on 11" x 14" drawing paper.
This bone reminded me of a foot with toes; it's an unusual bone, for sure. In this particular piece he combined charcoal & black ink to accentuate his darks. This was numbered 33.
I like the depth in this particular bone & the shading as well. He used both charcoal & ink & numbered this piece # 32.
All of these mellow hills remind me of Sonoma county's hills and valleys. The tree on the left needs a shave--no just kidding Robert. With all of this beautiful detail, it must have taken hours of drawing & patience. Also pen, ink & wet brush, measuring 6" x 8", on pg. 31.
The stands of these trees is interesting with great background& foreground indicated by darker & lighter values. Robert also wants to renovate this as well. Also pen, ink & wet brush, measuring 3" x 4", on pg. 29.
The tiny details in this piece are quite beautiful. Robert had ideas on how to renovate this work. Maybe he went to Spring Lake to draw this. Also pen, ink & wet brush, measuring 3" x 4", on pg. 29.
Perhaps there are a few birdies in the skies. The teeny, tiny ink markings make this a gem. Also pen, ink & wet brush, measuring 3" x 4", on pg. 28.
This piece is very imaginative with its "trail" of earth or water or stones.I don't know exactly how Robert kept the whites between the stones so clean--it's very intriguing. Jessica thinks he darkened the grey just a tiny bit around the edges to make it stand out. Also pen, ink & wet brush, measuring 3" x 4", on pg. 27.
These trees render the light beautifully; I would love to climb this path to them. Also pen, ink & wet brush, measuring 3" x 4", on pg. 27.  I will keep this one & frame it myself--it makes me smile a lot.
What a powerful path of water up the divide & a fun tree by its side. Also pen, ink & wet brush, measuring 3" x 4", on pg. 26.
Another wonderful path surrounded by some bushy trees & plants. Also pen, ink & wet brush, measuring 3" x 4", on pg. 26.
Water flooding over the rocks, supported well by a handsome tree . Also pen, ink & wet brush, measuring 3" x 4", on pg. 26.
The landscape is separated into lovely sections & embraced by a strong rooted tree & small bridges. Pen, ink & wet brush on pg. 25, measuring 3" x 4". It made me think of a telephone pole mirage. Sorry Robert--it's still a very sweet image right out of Robert's fine head or is it a view of Spring Lake?
I see tiny reflections of the trees and bushes in this lake of moving waters. Also pen, ink & wet brush, measuring 3" x 4", on pg. 25.  This reminds me of Spring Lake with reeds and rocks.
Some more little reflections of trees & plants in this lovely lake with rocks in front. This was pen & ink & a wet brush, measuring 3" x 4", page number 25.
I especially liked the excellent volume of this cylinder & there is a variety in the values of all the pieces, using graphite. This piece measures 3" x 4" on page 14. 
The funnel & other shapes are quite interesting in this well designed composition that has lovely movement in it. It measures 3' x 4", graphite most probably on page 14.
This cup, ruler, book & other implements are very interestingly combined. This measures 3" x 4" on 11" x 14" drawing paper, again probably graphite, on page 13.
This vase & shell are very intricately drawn--bravo Robert! I love the delicate whites surrounding the grey curves on the shell. This piece measures 3" x 4" & is on page 13.
The composition & diagonal directions of these still life pieces is quite exciting; this piece measures 3" x 4" & is probably graphite on page 13. 
I love this happy  tree with its outstretched branches of welcome--definitely pen, ink & a wet brush marked with number 19, on 11" x 14" paper. There is a tiny tree in the left hand corner.
I think Robert renderend this plant life very authentically in pen & ink; he had such patience. It looks like he was practicing for one of his larger pieces. This measures 11" x 14", but was on only on a small section of the paper. This was # 16.
There are several samples of what Robert wanted to incorporate in his pen & ink drawings on this page. This was number 17 on 11" x 14" drawing paper.
What a great tree spraying its leafy stars  & handsome strong branches for the valley and mountains to see--the roots were evident. Robert numbered this one # 18, on 11" x 14" drawing paper. This was definitely pen & ink with lots of labor & love in it.
This is another elegant use of shading to show the volume of wonderful shapes. This piece could be graphite or charcoal--hard to tell. It feels very centered. It measures 6" x 8" on 11" x 14" drawing paper, marked # 10.
This looks like a perfectly engineered still life of great shapes, beautifully drawn--yea,  Robert! It measures only 3" x 4" , probably graphite on page 12.
What handsome & monumental shapes in this little drawing, measuring only 3" x 4" on page 12.
This bell pepper looks very real. He numbered this page 8. He got the values down solid on 11" x 14" paper.
The balance of these pieces juxtaposing each other is quite fine. It is probably charcoal, marked page # 9 & measures 6" x 8" on 11" x 14" drawing paper.
Robert knew about shadows & roundness, numbered # 5, first pear with background, stem & shadow, on 11" x 14" paper..
The shadows on the pear & its art shadows are lovely. I love the shape of this pear. This was # 6  & his second pear with a stem, shadow & background. This is probably a charcoal drawing on 11" x 14" paper.
This was his first bell pepper on 11" x 14" paper, marked 7; he did this in class. He also did charcoal drawing work at home; I give Robert a lot of credit for his patience & dexterity  because he had  immobile thumbs to do these drawings.
This such an interesting composition with its own great shadows. The drawing itself measures 6" x 8" on drawing paper that is  11" x 14", marked # 15. Is it charcoal or graphite?
This was such an unusual piece; I'd like to ask Robert what it actually was but realize it is also unfinished.  I like the lights & darks in it very much. This measures 14" x 17", & is numbered # 40.
This is another good balance of objects in a great  composition. I don't know the actual direction of the piece, whether it was meant to be horizontal or vertical. It measures 3" x 4" on page 12.
If this were an engineering illustration, it would be perfect; it is a lovely still life with quiet & peace build into it. It measures 6" x 8" on 11" x 14" drawing paper, probably charcoal. Page # 11.
I love the way Robert drew fabrics; I think his patience won out in this piece. He marked it # 41. It measures 14" x 17" on white paper.
I know that the light color green of this paper added to the mystique of this piece; he used  both charcoal & conte crayon or white pastel for highlights. This was marked # 43 & also needs trimming or unfolding of the top & bottom edges.
Robert used a light green paper, 12 1/2" x 19" for this lovely fabric drawing; he wrote on the bottom of the drawing that he did this to make up for missed classes. The shading he did was beautifully rendered--# 42. The top & bottom edges need to be unfolded or trimmed for framing.
Once again, Robert knew how to draw "round" & volume. This is called 1st pear, on 11" x 14" drawing paper..
Practicing the tops of fruits & veggies was important to Robert--he loved to figure out how to do things the right way & he succeeded! This was the 1st in his pear series called 1st stem studies. This measures 11" x 14".
This still life measure 3" x 4" , on page 13. It is delicately done with  graphite pencil; originally I thought all of the drawings  were done in charcoal; however, the graphite medium doesn't adhere to other drawings. #13
He drew some beautiful shadows in this pear drawing. I liked the volume/roundness on this sweet pear. He called this 1st pear with a shadow. He marked this page # 3. This measures 11" x 14".
This is yet another beautifully shaped fruit with its own interesting shadow, created in charcoal. He marked the page with #4. This measures 11" x 14".
This sweet image looks like Sonoma County hills  probably,  plus a lake--maybe Spring Lake. This little pen, ink & wet brush drawing measures 3" x 4" & is marked # 30;  it took 1 1/2 hours to draw.
These were interesting winter trees; they look a little like  telephone poles in a row. Wet brush & light ink ; there are lots of hatch & crosshatch lines to define the volumes. It is number #20. This measures 11" x 14".
This was Robert's final project; it seemed to be an abstract of nature in all of her variety. He may have spent 50 hours working on it. I wish I had encouraged him in his art--he had a fine eye for detail & overall composition. I can even see a foot with toes & a toenail in it, lower part, toward the middle. I have no idea what inspired him but his abstract in black and white was way beautiful to me. This art piece  is on 14" x 17" drawing paper & created with charcoal & some gentle ink markings. He marked this page #35. I am framing this one for me!