Peter introduced us to 'Alaska Thunder-Fuck', because we did a good Latin class.
I met Peter because us kids wanted to learn Latin. That winter's night, attending class in his Valdez home I heard a great gurgle come from a big vat of fermenting fluid. Chokecherry peyote wine it was.
We teenagers marvelled at a man who was an adult, but was one of us. Somehow Peter transcended the barriers of age and such. It seems whomever you were he looked you eye to eye as a person.
Peter had the magic. He did what came his way.
When I was a kid he told me he and a friend would take long drives in the fall to see the colors on mushrooms. I loved this. We talked of all-wheel-drive subaru's and optimal road-trip vehicles with great zeal. When I got my little 2.6 liter 4wd truck he expressed his admiration. He asked- 'What size gas tank does she have?'. We estimated how many miles I could go between fill-up's, in my vehicle of new found freedom.
That year at Chamisa Mesa high school we went to the Bodhi Manda Zen Center in Jemez Springs on a 'retreat'. The Hail-Bop comet was burning across the night sky and Peter was the magical Jester reflecting its cosmic illumination here on Earth. At the end of the retreat he told us he really appreciated his time with us kids, and the comet, amidst the sulfur smell of springs, Zen rituals, and 'hippy-high school 'repertoire. I felt what he was saying.
What began as our 'independent' Latin class with Peter led to him teaching at the high school. His class became part of the curriculum and he a fixture at school. We would drive down Blueberry Hill Road to Rita's to scarf down chicken mole burrito's. Herb and visine later we'd go back to school, Peter slinking in with the rest of us kids.
He is probably the smartest person I've ever met. His mental acumen was razor sharp. Remembering Latin declensions, events and dates in history, botany, lay-lines, books and poems.
He was a true radical. Walls of convention did not restrict him. He did what came his way, peacefully, and with Love.
Thanks for everything, big brother Peter. Big Love to you and your family. I think I'll pray to you from time to time. Love, your student, your friend.