Yearly Archives: 2013

Tuesday night – paying respects

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Around four this afternoon we all went over to Elijah Davis house to pay our respects. There were hundreds of people there. There were so many cars on the family's one lane road that there was no place left to drive. The line stretched way past the house. The family has a beautiful farm on Cilly Hill Road . The back yard was full of kids From the high school Most seem to be doing alright.

We waited for nearly an hour and then actually had to leave to get back for a meeting. Gabe was able to go in to say hello. The crowd was pretty quiet. People talking quietly among themselves. Some tears even some quiet laughter the. Everyone with the same sort of grim smile. There was a lot of love and respect out there. You can tell the family has deep roots here. This town has been through this so many times. We know how to do this… It just doesn't seem fair.

Tomorrow Elijah's funeral will be in the small Congregationalist Church on the Green is Jericho Center. His family is very involved at church ally should play drums and sang. If today was any indication the church and the town will be packed With folks who want to support Elijah and his family.

More tomorrowNight all, night sam– Me

 

Monday night – sam in space

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Long day driving back from  armonk. The whole way back I was thinking about Elijah and his family. Visiting hours are tomorrow and memorial service is on Wednesday..    Can’t get his family out of my mind.. Guess I shouldn’t let them out of my mind..

Seems a strange segue to this story I’ve been wanting to tell.. but maybe not so strange.. I got down to the Vibes late Saturday afternoon . one of the first people I saw was my friend Dave from the Discovery Museum in Bridgeport.     He seemed really eager to tell me something. The last three years we’ve seen each other at the Vibes. Dave and his friend Jeff have set up their 10″ telescope to show hippies the heavens.. it’s been really fun. Last year.. or was it the year before ? .. I gave dave a samstone..  .. He reached in his pocket and brought out that samstone.. then told me an amazing story. he and some students helped design some instrumentation for a low space rocket flight.. Along with the instrumentation, Dave put the samstone. One day in July that payload was mounted on a very large rocket and was launched into sub-orbital space about 60 miles about the earth’s surface.. It left the earths atmosphere.. then a few moments later came hurtling back towards the planet.. it landed somewhere in the atlantic ocean. One of the instruments was a radio beacon.. which allowed the whole instrument package .. including the samstone to be fished from the ocean…

 

The first samstone in space.. can you beleive it ? It’s always been one of my goals to do this.. and now its happened.. It’s amazing the ways Sam’s spirit still moves in the world..

 

 

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I am so greatful to dave and his students for putting this stone in space.. it means so much to me.. I know dave has a movie of the launch. I’ll post that when I get it too !

 

Here are a few views we got through Daves scope that night.. Here’s saturn    IMG_1963

 

and the moon.      IMG_1983

 

it’s a an amazing,sometimes sad , and wonderful world isn’t it.. ?

 

ntite all, nite sam

-me

Sunday night – Elijah Davis

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I woke this morning to the very sad news that a friend of Gabe’s, Elijah Davis died in a traffic accident last night not far from his home. Elijah was a really great kid, he played Lacrosse with Gabe  for MMU. We know his parents and sister from  watching him play. They are a loving and well loved family.

Our hearts go out to Elijah, his family and the many people in the community who will miss Elijah.  I know our community will come together to be there for the Davis’s as they have for us and for others in the past. Please send your healing thoughts ..I don’t really have any good words here.. I know there aren’t any.

nite all, nite sam

-me

Saturday night – town picture + the vibes

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Greetings from Bridgeport Connecticut I’m down at the gathering of the vibes I came at the last moment because Gary had a spare ticket. I’m just here for a day before going to a meeting in New York.

Today Was pretty eventful. It began with the town picture. I believe this week is the 200th anniversary of the round church. I’m guessing about 400 to 500 people gathered to take their picture in that same spot we all took a picture 19 years ago. I’ll try to get before and after pictures posted here when they come out. My friend Louis was the photographer. Up at the top of the crane. It was so great to watch everyone sub organized.

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I was wearing my Samstone. And Diane was wearing her MacSharry because Max couldn’t come up for the picture. They also had a Max Sock puppet.

As soon as the picture was over… I got in the car drove down to Bridgeport Connecticut… By the time I got here it was almost 6 PM Thanks to bad traffic. But now I’m here

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. It’s great running into old friends. I’m on the bus with Gary and his family. But I’ve seen about a dozen old friends. The stamp mobile is here With Ben and aaron?

 

The biggest surprise of the day was when I saw my friend Dave. He’s a curator at the local discovery science Museum. The story he told me is too good to tell quickly so I’ll save that for another day. Suffice it to say it involves a samstone in a very interesting place.

 

You have the museums 10 inch telescope pointed at Saturn right now this is the best I could get pretty ideas but it’s pretty Saturny

 

Okay music is playing. I get the last playing rain and snow one of my faves… So I’m going to head out into the music. More tomorrow. And that amazing story.
Night all, nite Sam.

-me