We’ve just come back from Bolton after the normal Wednesday Night Rider’s competition. Before the competition tonight we had a short ceremony to officially open the beautiful new down-flat-down rail that Sawyer, Neil, Deb and Carter made in Sam’s honor. It’s a thing of beauty !. The guys welded it out of 2×4 square tubular steel… Sawyer painted Sam’s name all over the both sides of the rail . Neal welded the year Sam was born, his name, and the year he died on the three posts that hold the thing up. There were about 50 folks u in the terrain park …. It wasn’t too cold, ..but cold enough that my lips froze to the rail when I bent down to kiss it. We passed out Red Bulls and everyone poured some of theirs on the rail. The stuff quickly froze into a funky greenish goo . After some hoping and hollering, we all balanced our empty Red Bull cans on the rail and Chris Perron (Scooby) came flying down the mountain and plowed them off . It was beautiful and surreal. . Sam’s spirit is so powerful up on that mountain. I swear I could hear him up there tonight… Here’s what it looked like”
After the ceremony, we all hung out and watched the competition then slithered down to the bar to refuel and wait for results. Gabe took 2nd in his age group (yee-ha) and won some mighty nice white and purple boarding gloves. It is such a great family scene up at Bolton.. It feels like a second home, now with all the tables full of our friends… people are continuously hugging us.. buying us food or drink.. Today someone recognized Sam’s picture n Max and offered him a free glass blowing lesson. We continue to live in an extended state of grace.. Maybe it can’t last forever, but the kindness that people extend to us now truly fills us up.
Tonight we saw Ralph and his dad Mark. Mark, Ralph’s Mom. Mark’s wife Robin just came back from Mexico a few days ago. While they were down there they got a friend to go to Chitzenitza and had several more of Sam’s Mayan pendants made for us. They are jus tlike the one that Sam used to ear… beautiful . We plan to all wear them. Whule they were there they placed SamStone in Chitzenitza, Tulum and the Gulf of Mexico. These things are starting to cover the earth. It’s a nice thought.
Well.. I gotta get some sleep tonight. I’m off to Boston for the day tomorrow for a meeting. I get to see my folks for lunch which will be fun. We’re going to a Middle Eastern restaurant I once tried to belly dance in when I was in college… Can you picture it, Sam ?
-jc