Happy fathers day folks..   Thanks to those of you who reached out to me today. I know it seems like days like this would be especially painful.. but really. they are just like every day since sam’s passing.. they have a mix of peace and pain. I think it just brings sam’s passing more into other folks minds..  I appreciate folks thinking about us …

It was a good day for me.. nothing exciting.. I spent the day traveling back from Endicott ny where we were attending my nephew’s graduation party. I began the day with a cohn family tradition .. grape juice and orange juice mixed together.. it gives one super powers…

We had a small father’s day cellibration with my father in law, Gabe.. … I even got a card..   I even got soem lattery tickets to help with college expenses.. hey.. you never know !

I even got a card made for pyro’s like me..

Sam was very much on my mind all day.. as he always is ..

We left endicott around 2pm and headed for Ninghamton to see Diane’s uncle Armond.

We  hadn’t been to see Armond at home for a couple of years. I really like the old neigborhood.. It’s an italian section of binghampton where Diane’s grandmother and family has always lived.   It’s got these cool old bars and bakeries ..

Armond and his wife Marion were outside listening to the baseball game in the  field across the street

Here’s the ball field… I remember when it was a parking lot..

It was really good seeing them. Armond gave us a tour of the place.. it’s two houses In the back Diane’s granparents, and their 6 kids and Diane’s greatgrandmother lived. Diane’s folks lived in the front house for a while.. Diane actually lived there for her first 2 years.

Here’s Diane’s grandmother’s house ..

And her beutiful roses.. Diane has a cutting of those roses growing here in vermont.. they’re beautiful .

The place is also now home to about 19 ferral cats.. these guys are cute !

We got a tour of Diane’s grandmother’s house.. I remember my first vist there 26 years ago.. I remmebr a great thanksgiving dinner.. where most of the good conversations wwere happeing in italian !

Here’s grandma mariano’s old wash machine..

Armond showed us his grandmother’s old trunk from when she came over from Italy .. that would be our kid’s Great-great-grandmother.

It was full of beautiful hand made clotes.. even soem baby swadlings

He then took us into the basement .. I remember it so clearly..   Here are the big casks where Diane’s grandfather used to make wine.. One of them was still half full.

Here’s the old stove where grandma mariano did all of her cooking. I can still remember her pizzelle’s

And here’s Diane’s grandfather’s beer brewing stuff. He (Constantin) married Diane’s Grandmother after his first wife passed away. Diane’s Grandmother Peirinne came to this country after two of her suitors had a duel and one of them killed the other !
She was such a colol and wonderful lady.. always taking care of folks.. always feeding them.. She always used to say to me.. ‘Sta bon’.. “be good’: she always thought I was up to  mischief .

Armond also had an old trunk of his from his time in the army.. 

Inside he had an old IBM Think book form the 40’s !

Here’s Diane’s Granfather’s chair.. he passed away when Diane was just a baby..

We then went up in the attic.. Here Armond is showing us where Marian’s granfather used to make shoes in the early 1900’s..

Then we went into the front house, the house where Diane lived until she was 2.   Here’s her old kitchen ..

Here are soem of Armonds shields from his 28 years as a firefighter..

Armond gsave max his vintage video disk system.. Max was pretty syched to get a hold of that.. It was the first commercial video disk system..

Here’s Diane’s old room.. Check out the floor !

From there we started the 6 hour trip home.. the drive was pretty uneventful.. just long.. We finished the trip by making a celibratory trip across the newly opened Richmond bridge..   The town is reunited !

Now I’m Home. Diane, Gabe and I are in Sam’s room wathing the first Terminator meovie.. A nice close to a good day.. I better watch.. I’ve lost track of the plot. More tomorrow .. Gnite folks.. Nite Sam.. Happy ather’s day.
-me