All posts by johncohn

Saturday Night – messages for the fire

Friends…
   Next week marks the one year anniversary of Sam’s passing. On Wednesday, Nov 21st we’re goign to be doing a quiet fire ceremony for Sam at our house. One of the things we plan to do is toss things in the fire as a way of honoring Sam..

We would really appreciate it if everyone reading this blog take one moment right now and give us a few thoughts, prayers, wishes, poems, songs, art  or stories  for or about Sam. The easiest way to so that is by using this  link  . Just enter your name, email (you don’t need to provide a ‘URL’). Then type your short  nessage in the big box. Click ‘submit’ under the box when you’re done. That’s all there is to it.  (or use Sam’s MySpace Comments page if you’re more comfortable with that) We’ll toss them all in the fire on Wednesday with our own stuff. 

Really.. please do it now… We really appreciate it

OK.. On to the day.. and it was a very good one. We woke up latish and worked around the house for a bit. Job 1 was removing all the fireworks from the car…  It felt much safer to drive fter that.. After an hour or so of that.. I drove into town to return the spring board we’d borrowed from Tom and Erika and to drop off the large box of foodshelf items we’d collected at Halloween ( I know, we’re slow) .
After that I went and spent abotu 3 hours at the final ‘Voices for the Lake’ seminar which was being held at Champlain College. We got a great set of demo’s of various blogging, forum, and video cgame technology that we may try to use to promote Lake Champlain’s ecology among folks on both sides of the lake. It was great harign from the Champlain Game design kids again. i’m so impressed with them everytime I see them. We also heard from my friend Michael who helped start Front Porch Forum here in Vermont. Front Porch Forum is an emil based community building program.. It’s pretty cool. The Forum we use for Jonesville doesn’t get much use yet.. I’m hoping by positng this link here we can help build it up.

   I got home mid-day .. I went out for a short run and when I came back. the house was full of people again. it was great seeing all of the college kids returning for Thanksgiving. Here are Carolyn. Liz, Selena and friends…

And Connor , Justin and John

Around 4 we all jumped in the car and headed into Burlington for the evening. I was loved this  bumper sticker in the car next to us..   If you don’t read Thomas Pynchon. you probably wouldn’t think it’s funny. if you do read tom pynchon then you think everything is kinda random and funny. anyway…

First stop was Climb High  to see the premier of Angus, Alex and Max E’s movie the ‘Tonar Project’. Tonar was edited by Angus and produced by his dad Burt.   Climb high advertised noise and distruption.. but we broght our own. There were about 60 folks there to see the movie.


.. but first a word from our sponsors


Lots of good skiing and boarding.. and some spectacular wipe outs.


Even some R-rated parts !  (THis is just before the R-Rated part !)


Our Pirate Float in pond skimming last spring even made the closing credits. My feet got cold just thinking about how cold that water had been !

The whole project was dedicated to Sam..  The real premier of the movie is at the Jericho Community Center on December 1st. All the proceeds from that showing are going to Sam’s fund.  We really appreciate the kids doing that !

After that snow moview, we hurried over to the Flynn to see the lates Warren Miller Movie.. ‘PlayGround’. . I had the honor of having my ticket taken by our  dear friend Abbot , who was ‘ushing’ for the eveing.

Now.. I’m not a ski or snowboard guy.. so I wasn’t sure I was going to like this movie.. but the scenery and music were so good.. that I could have been watching backetweaving.  and still likes it. it was great..

We saw a ton of folks we knew there.. I may well have bene theonly non boarder/skier in the building

There were soem raffles at the Intermission.. One of the prizes wwas a clear ‘Mad River Rocket’ sled… and guess who won !!.. Hey, hey Max !

From there we walked over to ‘A Single Pebble;/   It was Tim’s birthday and we wanted to take everyone somewhere fun and nice.   Single Pebble is my favorite Chineese restruant on the planet.. and that includes all the places I’ve eaten in China ! .

Tim and I got help ordering .. but we got too much help. I think we ordered about twice as much as the 10 of us could eat !!!!!

Nate entertained us by scaring us with his evil glare..

Evil

Eviller

Evilest

I was so stuffed I could barely move…   As we left I put a SamStone in the resturant just for fun..

On the way home tow street lights went out as we passed under and then we saw the most big and beutiful shooting star.. Sam was right there with us in some way…

I love you all… love you still Sam..

-me

ps. Please remember to write us a Sam story for the fire… why not do it now  ?

Friday night – snow

Nice day…. Started late last night. I picked max up at the airport about 1:30 this morning. It was SO very good seeing him. It was good having us all under one roof again. We hung out for awhile talking.. then I drifted off to bed… another 2:30 AM night.. yawn…

I woke late this mornign to find the ground covered with snow. It was really beutiful.. I must have slept well because I felt really peaceful. I worked the morning at home. I’m trying to get my head around what I need to do for this new assignment. It’s really fun thinking about all that I have to do… I think it’s going to be fun and challenging.
While I was on a call, a delievry guy knocked on the back door. He was a courrier from DHL shipping. he was holding a box and makign a really wierd face. He haded it to me and told me he was glad that it was out of his truck.. Take a look at these labels.. I’m sure I’m on some sort of list now… actually.. I’m sure I was already on it


This is the one I love….

These are 4 large rocket motors for a big rocket I plan to launch next week in Sam’s honor. This is one like the kind I lunched at his birthday.. the kind you have to call the FAA about… they’re fun and very, very impressive

I quit working about 1 and headed to Montpelier . I’d been invited to be a ‘technology futurist’ (whatever that is) on a panel for the Council on the Future of Vermont. The CVF is a goverment mandated non profit that is considering what life in Vermont will be like in the next 20 years or so. I was on the panel with a guy from Senator Lehey’s office and an evironmentalist. It was a real Hoot. I’ll be interested to see what they do with the info we gave them..

Walking out of the meeting I saw the Music shop here in Montpellior. I used to get guitar stuff here for the boys… The name really grabbed me…

Outside the snow had really started to come down again. it was beautiful..

Since I was already in Montpellier, I took the short drive to East Montpellier to Northstar Fireworks to stock up on supplies for the toast to Sam next week. they were having a buy 1 get 2 free sale.. so I seriously overbaught.. Let’s just say that I did not park anywhere near my house when I got them home… Getting home was quite a chore I89 was covered in black ice in some spots. It was slow going and trecherous

Soon after I got home it was time to go to CHMS to catch Gabe’ s Circus. It’s a tradition that all three boys love. The kids were really great.. Here’s Syndney singing a girlie song.. Se’s got a great voice and great presense

The crowd was mesmerized !

Gabeand freinds where the ‘Coneheads’… cute !


Gabe as also in the 2nd to last act.. ‘the flippers’…they’re flippin sweet ! We ended up borrowign a springboard from our frinds om and Eriksa and Hruskas since the one that the shcool ordered had not yet come in. The guys were really good on the spring board.. Lots of flips and corks.

The kids all took a bow.

One of the acts used the Red Hot Chili Peppers song ‘Snow’… So it was still on my mind we went out to the car.. there was still snow on the ground and on the cars. That song always makes me think of Sam.. we went and saw the Chili’s in Quebec city just a few weeks before he died. I always choke up when I hear it.
The words are perfect

Red Hot Chili Peppers Snow (Hye Oh) .

Come to decide that the things that I tried
Were in my life just to get high on
When I sit alone come get a little known
But I need more than myself this time

Step from the road to the sea to the sky
And I do believe it, we rely on
When I lay it on come get to play it on
All my life to sacrifice

Refrain:
Hey oh, listen what I say, oh
I got your hey oh, now listen what I say, oh

When will I know that I really can’t go
To the well once more time to decide on
When it’s killing me, when will I really see
All that I need to look inside

Come to believe that I better not leave
Before I get my chance to ride
When it’s killing me, what do I really need
All that I need to look inside

Refrain:
Hey oh, listen what I say, oh
Come back and hey oh, look at what I say, oh

Stick:
The more I see, the less I know
The more I like to let it go
Hey oh, whoa

Deep beneath the cover of another perfect wonder
Where it’s so white as snow
Privately divided by a world so undecided
And there’s nowhere to go

In between the cover of another perfect wonder
And it’s so white as snow
Running through a field where all my tracks will be concealed
And there’s nowhere to go

When to descend to amend for a friend
All the channels that have broken down
Now you bring it up, I’m gonna ring it up
Just to hear you sing it out

Step from the road to the sea to the sky
And I do believe what we rely on
When I lay it on, come get to play it on
All my life to sacrifice

Refrain:
Hey oh, listen what I say, oh
I got your hey oh, listen what I say, oh

Stick:
The more I see, the less I know
The more I like to let it go
Hey oh, whoa

Deep beneath the cover of another perfect wonder
Where it’s so white as snow
Privately divided by a world so undecided
And there’s nowhere to go

In between the cover of another perfect wonder
Where it’s so white as snow
Running through the field where all my tracks will be concealed
And there’s nowhere to go

I said hey, hey yeah, oh yeah, tell my love now
Hey, hey yeah, oh yeah, tell my love now
Deep beneath the cover of another perfect wonder
Where it’s so white as snow

Privately divided by a world so undecided
And there’s nowhere to go
Deep beneath the cover of another perfect wonder
Where it’s so white as snow

Running through the field where all my tracks will be concealed
And there’s nowhere to go
I said hey, oh yeah, oh yeah, tell my love now
Hey, hey yeah, oh yeah

OK.. all for now.. . Love you all.. love you Sam..
-me

Wednesday night – What a long strange trip it’s been !

Friends..
   I need to beg your indulgence and get away with a short blog tonight. I just got home from a (great) Dark Star Orchestra concert and it’s now past 2AM. I need to be up for a 7AM phone call.. UGH..   It was a good day. though.. so I want to tell about it.

I had calls all day from 8AM until 8:30 PM.. I did manage to fit in some fun and relaxation. The first fun thing was an internatioal buffet at Gabe’s school. All the kids brought in their favorite foods from around the world. Diane made Chole from India.. It was quite spicey.. I loved it !

After a few more hours of calls I had a massage/Reiki session with Marci.. I maanged to fall asleep 4 time in the session. Marci told me that was a good thing !.. I love going there.. It really helps me maintain balance…

Later in the afternoon I met up with Diane, Deb, Jen and the Friends of Sam Kids.. They were at Hannafords in Tafts Corners filling bags with full Thanksgiving dinners for needy folks in the community. they were using some of the money that was rasied at the wonderful HWH Chile cook-off on Sunday. hte total tally isn’t in, but the early read said that they made over $3700 thanks to a generaous matching grant from HWH.
   It was really fun watching the kids fill the bags. In all they made 42 full thanksgiving dinners for distribution to kids and familysy from 3 differnt schools. Hannaford very generaously donated the bags, the pie makings, the potatoes and half of the turkey !

Here are the kids at the Hannafords store


Here’s Michelle the store manager. She was so great !


Here’s what went in every bag..   plus one turkey !

Ours did have a special ingredient.. A SamStone !
Hannah had made these greate tags for the bag.. Sam was so much part of this !


Filling the bags was fun.. and hard work

It filled my heart so much to see these kids give so much of their time and energy to finding the needy familys, raising the money filling the bags and distributing them. I have susch admiration for all of them !

I left hHannafors and immediatly had to jump on the phone until 8:30.. at that point it was time to head over to Higher Ground for the Dark Star Orchestra. DSO is the best Greatfule Dead cover band in existance. I always see them wehn they come thrgough. Tonight’s show was amazing.. neary 4 and a half hours.. 16 songs in the first set  alone !..  They played Sugaree, China Cat Sunflower, Eyes of the World, Here comes Sunshine, Railroad Blues, Mexicali Blues, Beat it on Down the road.. Cumberland Blues, Wharf Rat, Me and My Uncle, Another Saturday Night and of course, Trucking,  It was so wonderful !>. Live music is so healing to me..


I ran into Jessie’s friends from Plattsburgh, Eric, nick and Gwen


I went in with my buddy George.. We also ran into friends Pete and Shey…

The band was really good tonight.. It was their third show at higher ground this week.. but it sounded fresh !

Sam was so much in my heart tonight… I Called max and let him listen to soem of the music when the band played ‘China Cat’.. But Max and Sam could play that song


After the show, Andy, the manager put up a Sam Benefit concert poster in Higher ground.   (Remember, Sat November 24th at 7PM in the West Monitor Barn in Richmond)

OK.. That’s all I have wakefulness to write..   Gnite everyone.. gnite Sam. I love you !
-me