Slow day… I woke after some hard trdreams. My dream had soemthign to do abut having to go back to Tampa Florida.. and me not wanting to go because of Sam. It stuck ith me until about mid morning.    Diane and I puttered around the house for a few hours waiting for Gabe to wake up.   We started to work on a new guitar for the sculpture of Guitar Sam I welded in the front yard. Diane has recently replaced the lights on the sculpture. We were trying t figure out what to use to replace the guitar shaped wreath we’d gotten last year from Puckett’s mom. Conincidentally,as we were thinking about it, Neighbor Amanda dropped off a guitar shaped CD rack of the perfect size and dimension. Diane and I spent an hour rigging up the srings with light up wire.. only to find out that the power supply was bad I’ve just ordered some new drivers for it so it should be up laste this week.

About 10 our friends Kathy and Lau called up to invite us for a dog walk up the long trail.. It was a perfect day forfor a walk in the woods. It was also really good hanging out with Lou and Kathy and dog Sophie..

As we walked, we talked abit about our plans for the anniversary of Sam’s death.. It’s even hard for us to choose which date to recognize.. the 20th, 21st and 22nd all have significance. It’s so for me to think abotu that .. I know ithat the anticipation is oftne much worse than the event itself.. I think the reason that milestones like this are hard to anticipate is that you can project yourself to a specific point in the future then imagine how you’re feel. The fact is that if I chose any arbitrary Tuesday in the future and thought about it enough it would be painful… every day is painful… It’s just that days lie Thanksgiving make it easy to imagine yourself there. We’re still thinking about how best to mark the year.. It all still sems so unreal…

We climbed up to a good viewsot.. and found a nice bench deadicated to a guy who’d died quite young.. These dedication plaques now really mean something to me.. I loved the Dylan quote.. We placed a SamStone near the plaque for safe keeping.

After the viewspot, we decided to headback down. As soon as Chai realized we were on or way back down she grbbed the first tree branch she could and started to run down hill with it. It’s sort of a game with us.

We got to the bottom of the trail and I ran home just under 4 miles.. It felt good to be out runnign on a day like this.. As soon as I got home, I got dressed and took Gabe, Hannah, Avery and Matt down to Homer’s we’re all working on making two copies of the wind-powered snowboarder whilrygigs for sale at the JDK Frineds of Sam event on the 30th. It was greatworking with Homer in his shop/ H REALLY is a mad scinetist.. Hisworkshop is like the one from mythbusters.. it has everything ! 

Homer’s great with the kids, we spent about 3 hours rebuilding two old whirlygig echanisms. We had to straiten the frames. reinforce them, replaces some bearings and grease them all.

We were all marveling at some of Homer’s other artwork..   Like these wax faces.

It was fun getting our hands dirty on these things.. we were all pretty dirty by the end of the rebuilding processes

Gabe and Matt spent soem time workign Homer’s flying camera…It allows you to slowly and smoothly pan a video camera very close to objects on a table. The effects can be dazzeling . Everyday objects come out looking like flying over the Grand Canyon. it’s a pretty surreal experience

Hannah stole my camera and went out side to mess around. She got soem pretty cool pictures of the kids running around in the field .

In the end, we were able to rebuild 2 new snowbarder mechnaisms. Hannah and Avery have the job of decorating the the new snowboarders bodies.. Theyr’e goign to be cool.. I’m srue that someone will really lke them at the Auction.

Speaking of the Auction.. we really need help collecting cool art to sell in the silent acution…   Here’s the annoncement we’re sending around. Please send it to you your friends !

Artwork Needed

 

“Friends of Sam” is soliciting artwork for a benefit auction to help the Vermont Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf.  We would appreciate any and all artwork: from kids to adults, from amateurs to professionals.  Please consider submitting photos, pen & ink, paintings, sculpture, or whatever fun and funky pieces that you may have.  Artwork needs to be in by Sunday 11/25/07.  Please contact us with any questions.  Email:  FriendsofSamCohn@gmail.com or the Townsend family at 434-6421.  Thank you!

 

Event:  Friends of Sam Silent Art Auction & Cocktail Party

 

Hosted by Jager Di Paola Kemp (JDK), Burlington, Vermont

 

Friday November 30, 2007

Proceeds:  to benefit Vermont Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf

 

“Friends of Sam” is a nonprofit group of kids helping other kids in the spirit and love of Sam Cohn.

OK..   That’s all for now…   Gotta sleep now. Gnite all.. Gnite Sam
-me

I woke up today with such a funny array of feelings.. This is November 1st.. the day that I officially start my new assignment at work.. I feel excited and scared to be doing something completely differnt for the first time in many years. It also feels  like a huge weight has been lifted from me. I’m really excited about being able to work on something that might help society out…   It’s also the beging on fthe month that marks the year anniversary of Sam’s passing.   That feels wierd.. in some ways the anniverary scares me.. how will it feel ? In others, I know that it will hurt like every day hurts.. I’ve learned not to predict how I’ll feel

What ever the month brings, today was a good start..   It was full of chance meetings with friends.. That’s always a good hing. It started with me talking to Phil and Shawn at Road ResQ in the five corners while I got one of the cars inspected. We got on the topic of blowing stuff u.. always a favorite topic. Phil showed me a very cool pcket size potatoe launcer he’d built .. very cool

In the middle of the day I had to run out to buy liquid nitrogen and ice cream makings for Ron Rose’s quaeter centruy celibration at work. My buddy Jason came with me as we tried to find where to score soem liguid nitrogen. The cryogneic gods were not smiling on me as I tried to get the dewer filled.. one place had no one to work the pump.. the next place alost wouldn’t sell it to me since my dewer lacked the appropriate top.. In the end they did fill it for me.. but just this one last itme  (as they’ve said to me the past 5 times) …
   I then had to run into the store to pickup the cream and choclate I needed.. I was happy to run into my friend Juergen in the parking lot. He was heading back to Germany today.. his suitcase was packed with steaks !  He told me that he hoped that his luggage wouldn’t get lost.. (it would give new meaning to the words ‘carrion luggage’ … (get it ? ))

Speaking of meat.. i ran into my friend Joe in the store.. he and I were treated to a cool demo of a bag vacuum outer thing by a woman named Lorraine.. we were facinated that she’s made the fake hambergers out of play-doh.. pretty cool ..

After work I went back to Champlain to see a demonstration of 4 kids who wrote 3 video games in 3 days at a conference a few weeks back. It was really, really cool. The kids were set up at a table at this major Leanring conference… they clicited ideas for the game from the conference attendees then coaded round the clock .. What they came up with is pretty amazing.. I’ll try to post my favorite one here when it coems out on their website in a  week or so.   I figure i need ot spend more time with these kids if I’m goign to become an expert in video games… (which is sort of my job now !)

From their I drove home and piked up Gabe.. We’d made a date to go out to Bridge Street for dinner…  The place was full of our friends.. Including Casey , Jake, Justin. and Alex L..

After dinner we sauntered over to Film Buzz to help thme celibrate 5 years in business.. and Kelly’s birthday… SHe’d set up court ou on the street.. pretty wild !  They served us champagne.. and showed us soem of Kelly’s very cool paintings.

So.. that was the day.. one theme goign through my head all dayt was about pririties. Itfelt strange not worrying abut the things I normally worry about at work. I heard som many conversations today.. as I do every day.. of folks arguing, cursing and gernally worrying about such small stuff eithera t work or in their lives.. I had a wonderful case of ‘so what’ today.. and it felt great.. It’s a good perspective..I hope you can borrow the feelig from me and apply it to your own life..   

Whatever sam….
-jc

Happy Halloween.. and it was more or less. I woke up wondering/worrying how this day was going to go. As I’ve said over hte last few days, Hallowen was one of Sam’s most favorite holdiays. How could it happen without him ? Well…. it did..   and I missed him like crazy.. as I do every day.. *and* I was able to enjoy the day with Gabe, Diane and our wonderful community. That’s life these days.. remembering, integrating, moving forward….

The first sign I got that the day was really Halloween was at the security gate at work.. Seems everyone was in the spirit !

The day passed pretty quickly. I had a very interesting lunch meeting withthe folks form the Green Mountain Childrens’ Museum project. GMCM is planning a hands on fun museum for kids 0-8 in the old Moran building down by the waterfront.  I’m goign to help out with the invention theme.

We were readdy to roll about 5 PM…

Gabe and Jack took off for Richmond with Adam while we got the house ready for the 2-3 trick or treaters we typically get..

Diane and I drove down to Richmond and walked back down to Jack’s .. The street was already hoping with Halloweeners.

We met up with the newest trick or treater.. Baby Indira born last Saturday !. Congratulations Ben , Ezra and Rachel !  Welcome Indira !

The kids were getting readdy at Jacks.. this has been our tradiion for the past several years.. normally Sam would already be off with his friends .. and we’d meet up later This year.. it was the trhee of us.. I was thinkign of our earliest trick or treating with Max in Pittsburgh.. (Max what did you do tonight ? )

I had a bit of an equipment malfunction withthe lights I was wearing.  I ran up to Marshall and Gretchen’s to borrow their soldering island.. I was somewhat successful in my fix.. I then ran back down and met up with Gabe, Jack , Austin , Diane, Jack, Gay, Jean and David. The streets were jumping at that point.

Pleasant Street is always Halloween Central. I remember every year standing on that street and thinking how lucky I felt to live in Richmond Vermont. I thought that even more tonight.

Mr.  Rainey is always there adding a bit of Scottish background music.

We ran into Michael with his new ‘Mr T’ hair… now THAT’S a costume !

Martha wante da picture.. so here it is !

Todd serves up hot or cold cider

Ad Gretchen serves up doughnuts to go with them.. That’s a Richmond tradition.

It also wouldn’t be Halloween without a sto in Bridge Street Cafe to see Marvin and family.. and get a quick ‘soda’ .   We ran into Chris while there..

Kelly-aka-Frieda-Kalo was just outside.. (not yet in unibrow)

We eventually worked our way up to Southview. We dropped off the kids then Diane and I went to Susan W’s house to wait for them. They have a nice phot montage of Sam there..  We sat and talked about Sam, Sumner, life  and everything else. She’s so easy to talk to .

Eventually Gabe and his buddies got to the Susan’s and we trundled thme down the hill to Jacks. On the way home we drove by Tower’s in Huntington to get a look at the annual pumpkin display.. another tradition..

We got hoem around 9. I got a few pictures of Gabe’s costume.. Standing and jumping.. He was pretty flashy !

I wnet out to blow out the pumpikins.. Looks lke we’d had a hnadfull of trick or treaters come by.. there was plenty of candy left.

This pumpkin just spoke to me … part of me feels just like he does right now..

Inside, Gabe was counting his loot..

Here are my favorites.. yum !

Gabe told me that he had 272 pieces of candy !  That’s quite a haul !

Things wound down quickly from then on.. I fell asleep on the couch. Gabe and Diane went up to bed… I woke up and remembered I hadn’t blogged. What to say abotut a day like this.. I didn’t feel like I thought I feel.. it’s rarely the things you expect that are hard… Sam.. I felt you with me so much today… It made me happy … As I lay down to blog, I found that Diane had forwarded a picture to me from Rand and Julie. It’s of Sam and his friends at their house one year ago tonight getting ready to go out trick or treating. So much can change so quickly.. Look at these beutiful kids !  I love you guys.. I love you Sam !

-dad