Monthly Archives: July 2009

Wednesday night – I won !

It’s 2Am and I just got back home from a 6 hour drive home from NY. Believe it or not.. I love those drives.. Still.. I’m too tired to write much. One good thing I learned on the way home is that I was one of 6 first prize winners in the Instructables ‘Get the LED out’ contest. Thanks to all of you guys that got the vote out !..   Many.. I need ot sleep.. more tomorrow. Nite all.. nite Sam !
-me

Monday night – Necat Erol

2 weeks ago I was looking for old friends in Facebook I was specifically looking for friends from the time I lived in Vienna, Austria back in 1979-80. I couldn’t find any of my friends name, but I found a familiar last name.., Erol,  and reached out.. it turned out that the woman, Nani, was the daughter of one of my good friends.. and the granddaughter of my Houseparents. Sadly, I leaded that my Housefather, Necat, had just passed away a few weeks earleir at age 87.  Necat was a really great guy.. He was born in Turkey and moved to Austria in the 50s .. he met his wife when he was injured in a motorcycle accident.. she was a nurse.. he didn’t speak german.. and she didn’t speak turkish.. so they got to kow each uther in English.. Necat’s wife, Helga.. .. well.. I should not call her that.. in German you must always be polite even with good freinds.. to me she will always be ‘Frau Erol’  .. was my Hausfrau, mentor, gatekeepr, tutor and fairy godmother while I lived in Wien. I was very close to herr and Frau erol and their kids  but have been in pretty sparce contact over the past several years. Last time I saw them was for Frau Erol’s  was in Wien in 2006 when I showed up iunexpecdetly  to suprise Frau Erol at her 75th birthday party.   Today I called her to see how she was doing. Herr Erol had been in ill health for more than 3 years. At the end she needed to be with him all the time. Today she sounded really good. She was sad.. but also relaxed and rested. We talked about Necat.. and how his passing had effected her. we tlaked abotu her kids and grandkids..   We talked abotu her son Ale who passed away at age 3 and about Sam. We even talked about her  coming and visiting us. I don’t know if she’s ever been to the states.  It was so good reconnecting  .. with all the time I spend on airplanes and international phoencalls.. for soem reason I still feel funny abotu callign soemone overseas ‘just for fun’.. I’m really glad I did taday.. It made my day..
   Do yourself a favor, Call somebody up that haven’t talked to in years. it feels really good..   OK.. all for now.. Nite folks.. Nite Sam
-me

ps. Here’s where The Erols live in Wien (and wher eI lived in 1979-80)

We lived on Graf Starhembergasse, The cross street Kolschitsky Gasse was named for the Austrian general who snuck across the Turkish lines during the blockade of Wien in the 18th century to steel coffee.. That’s supposedly how coffee was introduced to the western world !  I taught at the Gymnasium (high school) 2 blocks up at Waltergasse.

Sunday night – connections

It was a weekend for renewing connections.. yesterday was a great day for hanging out with friends.. we had about 50 folks milling through the house at one point. May friends of Max’s. gabes and even Sam’s..

Last night the fireworks were great..I ran into Pete O. and my old freind and Mentor Terry K who’s in visiting form Schen-zen China. The Lawlors came buy and gave us all sparklers.. .

Afterwards we still had a bunch of folks in the house. I took advantage of the impromptu party to have a quick 3 generation drink with Max…

This morning cousin-in-law (son -of-great-aunts-sister) Billy G. stoppped by to say hi to my folks. It was fun hearing Billy and my folks triangulate on the common parts of our family. I’v ebene really enjoyeign getting to know Billy better throough our work on the Echo center board and .. .more recently… the hBurning Man Time Cycle project. He’s a great creative maker of things !

Abut 1is, my folks decided it was time to head back to boston.. so they gatherd up neice Betsy.. Its been really cool having her here.. she’s so easy to hang out with !

We had to take the obligatory 300 pictures before anyone could drive away..

We had a couple of hours lull which we spent outside doing yard work.. then the next wave of friends showed up. This evening we were really fortunate to have a visit from my old friend Saul and his wife Barry. Saul and I went to graduate school 20 years ago (is that possible ?). In fact .. we worked in an office where we  always had a jewish guy, an indian. and a tall blond guy  for three generations.. I took the jewish spot in the office when Saul graduated.  Saul adnd Barry were on ‘mom and dad camp’ after dropping kids off at camp. It was really great catching up with them..   We spent most of the enveing talkign abut life, kids, and ‘do you remember’… ? Saul and I know many of the same folks from CUM and in our industry..

OK.. it’s abotu 11:30 and I can hardly stay awake.. Time for bed.. more tomorrow. Nite all.. Nite Sam !
-me

Saturday afternoon – I love my small town

I just love my small town. There’s no place like Richmond VT on a beautiful  .. (if not cold and rainy) 4th of july.. We got up ‘early’ in time to make the 10:30 parade.. We dumped the car at Gary and Jean’s then strolled up and down  Main street. Absolutely the whole town was there. Tons of families , new babies (most vermonters calf in late winter or spring), kids everywhere.. THere are folks we saw today that we only see once a year.. and that in a town of just 4000 folks.

The parade began with the mile run. Freinds macx and lincoln were out cheering for neighbor Joe..

It was great having max in town for the forth. He was sportign a Jonesville T-shirt.. (Jonesville is our 300 person ‘suburb’ of Richmond)

The parade was wonderful as ever.. the grand marshal was our neighbor Brittany K.. Miss Tenn vermont.. Our local celebrity.

My mom caught this shot of 3 generation of cohns.

Wouldn’t be the 4th without bagpipes..

… and firetrucks

The floats were simple.. but spirited this year.. I

think the theme was ‘history’.. but they looked the same as last

year…  ..

We sat next to our friends John and Lorraine.. I havne’t talked to the much recently. John helped me fix the weathervane on our house in 2000. He likes talkign to my dad about their navy experiences.

These reninactment guys kept firing their rifles.. pretty cool

Here’s neighbor Louie and his tractor..

Lots of horse

and dogs

Soem old town fueds are acted out year after year… here are the sloans attacking the bressors with water guns.. while they are getting pelted with water baloons.. Richmond is a dangerous place

They’re already advirtising for the New Years celibration

Here’s the boat that worked as our ferry across the winooski as the bride was gettign reparied. .. It got a standing ovation !

No tractor was too small..

or too big….

Here are the local sports stars

We had pigmy ponies (straight out of frank zappa)

and dragons…

and lazy horses…

Hannah was there with her Sam pin (what beautiful smiles they both have.. )

Here’s hannah and her sister (remember that movie ?)  Two beautiful smiles.

And the fez guys… wouldn’t be the 4th without them..

There was a little bit of politics… from both sides…

and some social activism …

And fritz on his homemade electric motorcycle…

Every parade has to end with the ‘Wild Boomers’ They have been in this parade for nearly 30 years.. .. They play these weird broomstick instruments.. with drums, horns. cymbols.. Someday I wonder if I’ll be a wild boomer..

THen our grand anti marshal.. Marshal P.. taking the caboose of the parade as always..

After the parade the rain started in earnest.. we huddled under the trees waiting for it to let up… Finally it did.. As soon as it let up, we headed over to the green. I ran into Jay in his Sam shirt.. The 4th was one of Sam’s favorite holidays.. I’ve been thinking of him all day…

The green was hopping.. maybe a bit subdued because of the weather.. there was the dunking booth ..

and the dog agility show..

The richmond band played american fav’s

But the rain finally drove us home..   We’d invited folks over.. and by 2:30 we had a housefull. Here’s RJ tossing a pizza for Diane.

Max and his buds went down the Huntington on inner tubes.. It was even wilder than yesterday when I did it.    He came back and serenaded us. He’s a monster guitar player now..

I think the defining moment for the day was when diane decided to fight the chill by lighting a fire in the wood stove to make smores.. I love vt summers.. at least if it doesn’t get any warmer than this.. .

OK.. we’re heading back to the green later to see the fireworks.. A quintescential vt mid summer day.. I love it..

OK.. folks.. more later.. bye for now.. love you sam.. I’ll think of you during the fireworks
-me