One Year Ago Today

I can't believe that it has been a year. It doesn't seem real and sometimes I think the distance makes it seem less real to me than to the rest of the family.

I miss Dad and his welcoming hug and the the cat play by play updates that he would give when I called home. Some guys, relive the game play by play and who did what and what resulted and who won. For Dad it was the cats: Blackie, Whitey and Orangie (a.k.a Cinder, Snowball and Pumpkin). "Blackies got Orangie down, Whiteys on the sidelines watching...whoa Whitey is in! Whitey is IN, and they are all rolling around. Blackies got Orangie by the tail..." It sounds corny, and it was, but I miss it.

Still healing and I'm still crying as I think about Dad being gone. 2008 was a difficult year, but refining. I was never more proud of my family and friends than in the time around Dad's death. There was so much that I learned about family and friendship as we prepared for the auction and sat around at the picnic tables on the patio with everyone that came to help. In short I am blessed.

I may have at times tears of sorrow but I find more joy in the incredible memories and relationships.

I put some video's that we showed at the Celebration of Life Service online. Next year I will put the rest up.

New England Excursion

We met up with friends of mine that I met in Oaxaca, Mexico in Boston. So nice to just hang out together for awhile.

Boston the streets overflow with history and you really come to understand and respect the quest for freedom and the importance of local governments.

We stood on the street and watched as the hearse carrying Senator Kennedy passed by. As all four brothers died while in service to our country it was an honor to pay our repects the the family.

We ate at Mike’s pastry—this was on par with every pastry that I had in Europe! AMAZING—Cannoli of Mike’s Pastry Shop you are in our dreams :-0

Vermont was as I remembered. Brattleboro is such a great little town and the wedding was beautiful and held at the bride's family farm overlooking the rolling hills across a covered bridge.

The whole trip just begged to be completed again on a bike leisurely exploring from town to town and following the “Midnight Ride”.

The trip was short but had everything that makes a trip complete. We returned feeling refreshed and excited about the great places we had discovered.