Happy Diwali folks.. Tonight is Diwali, the Hindu  festival of lights..   It commemorates when Lord Ram defeats the evil Ravana.it’s a magical story with fyling arrows, spinning fish , banishment to the forest, goldent deers, rings of fire, flying monkey kings and magic birds. I know this because Isha told me the whole story..

I’m lucky enough to be stuck here at the Ruchir and Rashis by the bad weather.. I was on my way up to VT from Yorktonw when the bad weather and lack of sleep made me decide to stop here for the night. It’s a good night to be stuck. It included soem traditional Diwali celibrations..  Including sand painting

Ansd a faily prayer ceremony or puja…

Delicious hoemade sweets.. then a wonderful dinner.. Here’s  Isha.. showing a bhindi (okra) next to her bindi (red dot on forehead).. I dunno.. seemed cool to me..

Finally fireworks inside !.. All part of the Diwali tradition…

Lights outside too !

Hope all have a good and peceful Diwali.. I’m going to get some much needed sleep !
Ashanti all.. Ashanti Sam..
-me

ps.. Here’s another very wierd visual pun/concidence.. Duing my (excelelnt) metings today I ran into many. many friends. One was Audrey… as I passed her.. I realized that I had a used syringe of Heperin, an anticoagullant , in my pocket.. My sister hashad given me the used (and needleless) syringe to use for a scince experiment.. Somehwo I couldn’t resist the photo..I give you.. . Audrey Heperin…  (ugh !)

Greetings from my folks house in Sherborn, Ma.. I deceided to come down here this morning because my bay seeeeeester and her family were about to go back to Mpls. . She’d been grounded here for the last 5 weeks (!)  They were in town visiting my folks when her water appeared to have broken during the 30th week of her pregnancy.  She ended up spending the last 5 weeks in the hospital just laying down.. while her husband John and their two kids Ellery and Jake hung out at my folks.. It has been quite an adventure. Last week , Mary got a lean bill of health.. and  is able to travel back to Minnisota to do the rest of her pregancy. I didn’t want to miss her..

So..  I worked at home this morning.. and about midday started the drive down to boston. I had to stp for two conference calls in bad cell coverage.. but other than that was able to work more than a full day.. and still make it down here in time for dinner. A nice suprise on top of that was . About an hour out of Bostonn Max called to tell me that he and Emma had decided to come in from NYC for the day. They had a few days off from school and felt like explorign so they ended up here. We made a plan to meet in the West natick train station.. He got there 5 min before I did.. it couldn’t have worked out better if we’d planned it..

My folks, and mary and John wee so suprised ot see Max.. it was great..   We had a wonderful night.. eating and drinking and joking  as my family always does…

It was great sing Ellery and Jake !

And they all loved seeing Max and Emma.

We had a big take out Chineses feast… which relaly hit the spot

Ther ewas one fly in the ointment though.. actuly .. it was a roach in the Sake.. We were using a Sake set that my folks had never used.. as we poured the last glas.. out popped a very old an dessicated texas styel roach.. must have been in there sonce their move from Texas…. ewwwwwwwwwwwwww   I drank some of that !!!

After dinner I started look at some of the toys that my neice and newphew were playing wiht.. some of them had been mine nearly 50 years ago !.. Like this handsome couple.. I don’t remmebr them.. but my mother swears I loved them.. which must explain my deep psychological scars 🙂

My mom also brought out the sacred box of toy trcucks. This one has always been one of my favorites.. it must be 50 years old !

And my first 2 hot wheel cars !

I even thumbed through soem picture books of mine. Il always loved this one.. Marina. the trained seal.. This picture always scared the hell out of me.. !

I remember her mom bringing her this boguet of sardenes !.. What a cool idea !

And it ends with this very good advice !

And here’s out fairly tale advneture book !Dragons on every page !

Here’s Mary and Joh’s freind Lilly and Jake.. Nite nite you guys !

Emma and Ellery hit it off wel.. Emma looks really witchy in that hat !

Spookier still !

And the mandatory family shot.. Note the samstone in my hand !

Around 10 I dropped Emma and Max off back near Camridge for them to meet up with their friend Bill.

Bill used to be npth max and Sam’s instructor at camp abenaki !

OK.. Time for me to sleep. I gotta be back on the road early tomorrow. ttyl folks.. ttyl Sam
-me

I spent a wonderful day at home.. just working around the house with Diane. We put up the upstairs windows on.. I now figure that we spend at least 2 full days of window work every change of season. That would make it 4 days per year.. and 25 years we’ve been here.. that’s 100 days of putting windows up or down.. now that’s a thought..

Like everything else we handle.. these windows come with memories.. Here’s the window to Sam’s old room.. now Gabe’s room.

Kevin came by and helped us do some house work which I really appreciated. 

Around 6 we had a bunch of friends over who were going with us to the State Radion show tonight at Higher Ground. .. State Radio has becime afavorite band for our family. Sam dug them.. and so does Max and many of our friends.. We all had Sam shirts and Sam pins on when we heded out to the show. The parking lot had soem good political energy in it. State Radio    and their fans  is a very socially conscious   And their bumper stickers and shirts showed it !

The backup band wsa called Bongo Love.. 3 guys from zimbawe played cool percussion> They were very good. State Radio took the stage around 9:30ish.   They were so awesome. They put out so much music for only three guys. It was a great mix of new stuff and old standards. It’s irresistable stuff.. and it all has either a political.. or a flat out fun therme.

Thhis was their sencond show.. both last night and tonights shows were completly sold out.. Last night , Chad deadicated the last song, Keepsake to Sam. Mason was in the corwnd and called us so we could listen to it.. (Thansk Mason).. Tonight.. .  I’d run into Chad’s sister Farly and she must have let them know we were there so they sang it again and dedicated it Sam. It was wonderful. Her’s a shaky recording.. I was getting pretty emotional so i wasn’t doing to great with the camera. It was beautiful

Avery and Jane Same this same song at Sam’s memorial celibration and Ill nevr forget it.

The band played 2 encores after Keepsake.. then the crowd broke up. As hte crowd was clearign. Chad came out.. and we tlaked for a bit. I gave him soem more Samstones. He’s such an increible guy. He does so much work for good causes like the Elias fund, ventrans agains war adnn other good stuff. I really admire him and the band

Man .. it’s 1 AM again.. and I ned to sleep.. Tomorrow I’m doing the Project-x robot. Seth is the tonight running it with Herb. It sounds like it is getting good reviews now.. which makes me happy.. Hope it likes the rain !

So.. note folks.. Nite Sam
-me

1:30 amand I’m struggling to stay awake. . I just got back from the first night of haunted forest.. and it was .. kind of anticlimactic.. after all these months working on the project-x.. I had hoped for a really strong reaction by the folks who took the tour.. I didn’t get that.. I got some applause.. and some funny comments, but not that many oooohs and ahhhhs   . All in all things worked pretty well. We lost air for about 3 shows. .. and dropped a hand for one. but all other shows it all worked pretty well.

I’m too sleepy to continue typing now.. I’ll talk bout the night.. and the WCAX piece I was in tomorrow

man..  I keep falling asleep..

Right now.. time for me to sleep much more tomorrow. Nite all .. nite Sam
-me