Yearly Archives: 2011

Wednesday afternoon – Rundspringen

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Busy day here in NYC.. I had a very interesting set of work  meetings this morning at our 590 Madison Ave building. I spent the rest of the day doing my normal stuff from the guest offices here..  Very productive.. but I just can’t hack cubicle life.. I’m too loud…

I’m staying comfortably with my friend David. he has a great place just down the street from IBM. He’s graciously letting me stay here. It’s really fun hanging out with him.. We’re off to a Greek restaurant in a few minutes..   sounds good.. i look forward to navigating the city to get there.

One of the cool things about traveling is the opportunity to ‘dip my toe in the onrushing stream of culture ‘ (as friend Rob would always say). That means things like seeing billoards, riding on trains, eating on the street, people watching, etc..It also means watching TV>. which is something I never get to do in VT.. we don’t have it at home.   .. On the way down I saw a show about the Amish.. on National Geographic channel. .. The first segment was on Amish weddings. The show portrayed their lifestyle as simple and appealing. It was followed by a segment on the Amish practice of Rundspringen.. Amish is a bit like low German.. so I’d make that to be something like ‘jumping around’   The idea is the Amish youth are encouraged to go out in the world and look around and then consciously decide to rejoin the faith forever. From what I gathered.. this generally happens around age 16.. some kids head off to cities.. they try drugs alcohol.. maybe sex (the show sidestepped that).. some decide to stay in the ‘English’ world (as they call it ). Most decide to come back to the simpler lifestyle they’ve always known. The camera followed a bunch of Amish kids on their  Rundspringen.. Or some reason the scenes of chaos, noise, temptation, fun, stress delight  and sensory overload are exactly what it feels like for me to walk around Manhattan..   (well.. except none of it looks too tempting to me)

 

Maybe those of us lucky enough to live in the soft green Oz of Vermont need to send our kids on a Rundspringen of their own.. Go try and lieve elsewhere and decide..  I wonder if they would come back..    Would I want them all  too ?

I guess Max is my test case 🙂

 

nite all, nite sam

-me

 

Tuesday night – blessed be

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happy solstice. everybody
this. is the longest day of the. year ….. and. it sure. feels. like. it
I’m blogging tonight. from a Manhattan. bound. L train
… on my way to meet Max am his Ff Jack.  I’ve got 2 days of meetings here. that I’m. actually. looking forward. to.
    in the old days people would take off their clothes. and. dress in animal disguises. dance. around a fire. then go mate in the woods

just. like any evening. in NYC

I do want to send true solstice wishes. to my  pagan friends

I hope it’s a peaceful and fertile. time for us all.

blessed be everyone ..blessed. be Sam
-me

Sent from Lotus Traveler

Monday night -change of seasons

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What a beautiful bluebird day today.. A perfect day for the end of season lacrosse picnic. Gabe had a very good season.. he played hard and got improved through the season.. I never thought I’d be a sports dad…but here I am !

Out thanks to the coaches for making this so muhc fun for all the boys..!


As thelacross season winds down.. so does Sring.. tonight is the last night of Spring.. Tecnnically the solstice is not until tomorrow..but I hope you all have plans to run around naked in the woods or soemthing to celibrate the longest day and shortest night..

 

Speakign os seasons changing.. I came home hungry.. (no veggie food for lacrosse players I guess 🙂 I saw chips and salsa on the counter just calling my name. I took a big bite and almost lost my lunch… (wait.. I ddin’t eat lunch eatiehr).. The bottle said ‘Pace’.. my brand of slasa for nearly 40 years…. but this… this…… this had pineapple in it .. Pineapple..! I can’t beleive my beloved hotsauce hommies would ever fall to such a passing trend..

 

Some seasons were just not meant to change..

 

Nite all, nite sam

-me

 

 

Sunday night – happy fathers day, really !

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today is on of those days that I’m supposed to dread.. and I have for sevral of the last few years.. but today.. I just didn’t seem to mind as much.  had the same mix of happy and sad memories .. plus general spacing out that I have on most days since Sam’s passing..

 

I did  get to talk to my dad today and wish him a happy birthday (love you pa).. I also want to send my love and fathers day greetings ot my father in law gabe. brother Billy and brother in law John.. and all you other dad’s out there.. LOVE YOU ALL ! Dad-power !

 

The big outing today was with Jim, Sue, Dustin and Dannie peters. This is their first Fathers day since Dylan died.. and it’s was a tough one for them. those first weeks, months and years are so very tough. It was good hanging out with them. Our two families went for a bike ride on the stowe rec path..except for me, actually,  My knees don’t take to bike riding.. so I just ran.. They went 9 miles and I went 6.. a beautiful day .the path was crowded which made for good people watching. We all met back up at the Mat shop for lunch and ice cream..


Here’s Gabe through my iced tea glass..

Gabe gave Jim a really nice homemade fathers day preasant.. he made Dylan’s initials ‘DP’ in a sandwich of copper and brass.. he’d worked hard on it.. and I could tell jim was touched..

 

We said goodbye to the peters.. it was very good to be with them.. even though we’re sharing such sadness…

 

On the way home we took a nostalgic stop at the waterbury flea market.. it was closing up.. just a few stands were still open.. but it brought back warm memories of taking the three kids there nearly every weekend in the summer.

I remember Sam always wanting to buy athe biggest baddest knife he could find… (no sam.. not today 🙂

 

We got home around 4.. Given that I could do anything I wanted on fathers day.. I wanted to build/fix something with my family. Diane and I got out early and I got parts to repair a fountain the kids had once given Diane for mothers day.. Diane and Gabe helped me rebuild it. It was a funny build.. metal, wood, plastic.. but one part  involved cutting some steel braces..

 

I marked the hol positions with pen.. then I noticed the progression of expressions they seemed to carry…

ending on kindof a cute and hopeful halfsmile

Later tonight, Gabe gave me a present. too it was  .. a necklace he’d made witht he letters ‘MSG’ (max, sam gabe) which he’d hand cut out in sliver.. I’m wearing it now.. it’s really beautiful. it means so much to me !

ok.. time to sleep.. more tomorow..

 

nite all, nite sam

-me