Brian,
I had a lovely day spent with the renowned Bryan Colemen. Sadly, at 92, he is quite feeble and hard of hearing; and his wife is in hospice with dementia. So, there's an emptiness to his house, despite the Africana and memorabilia that covers his home. Nonetheless, he was in good sprits; and we spent the day talking about the Golden Years of his time in Africa. We talked about such characters as Brian Herne, Dougie Collins, Antona Allen, and others. I was able to capture many stories during my time there.
He has one of the best collections of Africana books I've yet seen- first editions of Darkest Africa and the White Nile, to name a few. Sadly, it seems destined for the dustbin as he admitted that his only child, a Son, has no interest in Africa.
He lives with his two terriers and still visits his wife every other day. At Sundown, we drove around his ranch and fed the turtles in his pond. This was punctuated by a Sundowner (beer) on his porch and a dinner I had prepared especially for him- "Swahili Fish" and coconut rice; to remind him of the flavors of Africa. When I asked him, "what place would you most want to go back to, if you had the chance?" he immediately answered "Mombasa". So, I found the dish especially apropos.
Lastly, I thanked him for his time; and he invited me back anytime. I took it all in one final time; gave him a gentle hug; and thanked him for everything. Yet knowing, this quite possibly will be the only time a get to enjoy the company of this remarkable Man. I drove back home at night with the windows down enjoying a lovely Texas spring evening; ruminating on this special day I had been blessed to have.
