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I just got in from a nice long walk… in Vail, Colorado.  It’s about 12:15AM on September 9.  My 38th birthday officially ended about 15 minutes ago.  It was truly wonderful!  I celebrated with family and friends in the past week or so and then headed here to Vail on Sunday, the 7th.  All day today, I’ve received cards and emails and text messages and voicemails and phone calls.  I received wonderful gifts before I left and even more today.  Though I was working today (yeah, it really is work, though I love that so many people view my work as vacation!  I know I’ve got it good…), I can’t complain a bit.  I slept in a little late, headed to the conference space to set up for the event, had a good and healthy lunch, went to a meeting at 5:15PM (it was good, too… just what I needed), came back to this awesome hotel (over $1000/night in the high season for their least expensive room!) and joined my colleagues for dinner.  A tasty dinner topped off with a chocolate souffle that even had a candle.  (It was little and we all split it…  OK, Trainer Mike?)  Then a bit of touring of the hotel and comparing of rooms and we all bade our goodnights.  About 9:45PM, I headed down to the fitness center and did one of Mike’s travel workouts.  Then back to my room where I threw on jeans and a jacket and headed out to wander Vail Square and window shop all the closed stores and such.  (Neat stuff!  I’ll definitely be looking in on some of them when they open.)  Then I made my way to the bottom of the ski slopes.  I was completely alone in all of this, except for one couple I encountered early on at the shops.  It was magical and wonderful and not sad, but something… I wanted Brad there with me.  I sent him a text message:

It’s 11:30 at night on my birthday and i’m at the base of a ski slope, looking all around at so very many stars… And wishing you were here…  I love you!

I watched the sky a bit, feeling what it would feel like to see a shooting star in that gorgeous setting.  (just like I did in St. Thomas, sitting on the rocks at the water’s edge only 3 weeks ago!)  I started walking down a road and there went my shooting star!  Right in my field of view, just like it did in St. Thomas!  Chills!!!  Feeling so very grateful and good, I kept on making my way and taking in all that I possibly could.  Then I came back into this wonderful room and sat down to write this.  Now off to bed, hopefully to dream of stars…  Life is good!

I just learned last night of the death of a kind and gentle soul. I met Kevin a few years ago and he joined me and my friends in running around for awhile. I best remember his smile. When he smiled, I got glimpses of true joy in someone’s heart. Kevin and I had not been in touch nearly as much as we used to. I feel some regret in that. It really saddens me that he died alone; I hope he died gently, without pain and without fear.

I wish we had played more chess.

Kevin Karl Shores

GREENSBORO — Kevin Karl Shores, 47, died unexpectedly of a heart attack at his residence in Shepherd House on Saturday, December 1, 2007.

A graveside service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, December 7, at Lakeview Memorial Park with Rev. Bill Goans officiating. Family and friends are welcome to gather at Grace Community Church afterward.

Kevin was born September 13, 1960, in Hamilton, Ohio. He graduated from Southeast Guilford High School in 1979. He was an artist and enjoyed music. He is remembered for his dry wit and unique outlook on life.

Kevin was preceded in death by his parents, Robert Lee and Donna Lou Shores.

He is survived by his sister, Mae Jennifer Shores of Philadelphia, Pa.; brother, Robert Lee Shores and wife, Mary Ellen of Greensboro; nephews, Gabriel, Ariel and Joel Shores. Also surviving are his aunts, Avis Selzer of Minneapolis, Minn. and Carolee Haskin and husband, Chuck of Yorba Linda, Calif.

The family will receive friends from 6 until 8 p.m. Thursday at Hanes Lineberry North Elm Street Chapel.

Here is a bit of my history. This hair dryer is about 28 years old and I finally have replaced it! It’s a Gillette Supermax Pro 1300 and is still in great working condition.  It’ll likely now be used for drying the dogs or maybe for a murder.  ;-)  My parents bought it for me when I was in the Burlington Boys Choir. I joined the training choir in 1978 or 1979 and then moved to the show choir the next year. Since I would be traveling fairly often and usually overnight, it was time for me to have my own hair dryer. (Ah.. privileges!) I got to help pick it out with my mother and I think we got it at Brendle’s in Burlington, NC. We also picked up a travel alarm clock, too, that I used on up into the early 90’s. I wonder if my new hair dryer, an Infiniti by Conair 217 Tourmaline Ceramic Ionic Folding Handle Styler, will still be around in 28 years…

Eastern Bluebirds and Northern Cardinals are favorite birds of mine because they remind me of two very special people, my paternal grandmother and maternal grandfather.

Grandmother loved bluebirds. I remember someone making her a birdhouse (I may have even helped) and her ensuring the hole was cut to the correct size for bluebirds. To assure bluebirds nested in it, she wrote over the hole, “Bluebirds Only” - I wonder if it worked! This afternoon I took a long walk through our neighborhood and I saw so many pairs of bluebirds. The males’ colors were so intense; they were absolutely beautiful! Every time I see a bluebird, I think of Grandmother and smile a bit.

Granddaddy loved the birds that came to the many feeders in his and Granny’s back yard. There’s a big picture window on the back of their house and a male Cardinal flew into it one day. It was quite stunned from the impact and Granddaddy went and gathered it into his hand and gently stroked it for awhile - long enough for Granny to take a picture of him with the bird in his hand. After some time, the Cardinal regained its senses and flew away. Earlier today I was at a colleague’s home, sitting on his back porch with a fine view of the many trees in his back yard. Flitting and fumbling through some evergreens were two male Cardinals, likely jousting for mating rights. Seeing Cardinals reminds me of Granddaddy and also makes me smile a bit.

I think I scanned that picture a few months ago when Granny and I spent a day scanning many of the old photos she has and writing a bit of the stories that go with them. I’ll post it here when I jump into organizing all of those for distributing to the family.

I remember:

• Playing bumper pool in the basement.
• Paddling around the pier in a kayak that was attached to the pier by a 20 or 30 foot rope.
• Sleeping over and faking a dream where I was calling out the name of a girl I kinda liked in elementary school. I forgot I’d done it and everyone was picking on me the next morning.
• Their big ol’ Basset Hound lazing on the side porch.
• Riding in the pontoon boat.
• Huge family get-togethers there. We played egg-toss in their huge back yard.
• Someone sitting a baby bare-butt on the pier and someone else hollering he was going to get splinters in his butt!
• Watching family members water ski. I think I tried, but couldn’t quite get it.

I had a dream about Drok last night. (o = ah - though I really don’t know how his name was spelled) Drok was a huge German Shepherd that lived near Daddy Bob’s house. I don’t know if he belonged to Kenneth and Sandy or to Uncle Dwight and Aunt Bea - though I think the latter. I was just a wee thing when Drok was around, so I imagine he’s not nearly as big as the little Sam that knew him remembers. Drok was an old fella and one we kids were advised to stay away from. Still, I’ve got some strong feeling that I used to get to pet him when I would visit with Uncle Dwight on their front porch. I haven’t thought of Drok (or Uncle Dwight and Aunt Bea, for that matter!) in many, many years. I wonder why he came to visit me…

I remember visiting Uncle Bill and Aunt Betty Jo at their lakehouse on Lake Gaston. I was probably 5-7 years old. My cousin, Dan, taught me how to catch brim with just a line, a hook and a little bit of bread. We fished in the boathouse and caught probably 15-20 of them and had them on a stringer. It was late in the evening when we left them in the water, on the stringer, tied to the dock in the boathouse. The next morning, either my uncle or my father showed us a “magic trick.” The brim were all gone! (well, except for some, uh, scraps…) He said the catfish had eaten them during the night. I suppose it’s just as well, ’cause I’m sure we weren’t going to eat them. Today, I’d let them go.

I also remember my uncle showing my cousin how to hold a catfish and not get stung by it. I don’t think I held one.

Another memory is of my father swimming in the lake while wearing funky Hawaiian print swimtrunks. They had little bits of yellow in the design. He got startled when something started nibbling at him. Then he realized it was brim nibbling at the yellow spots on his mostly dark swimsuit. It was funny.

I vaguely remember, with less than a glimpse of an image, being in the YMCA swimming pool with my mother when I was very, very young. I remember her holding me and showing me how to take a big breath and hold it just before we briefly went underwater.

Here’s the content of a little something I made up for Daddy Bob this morning:

I Remember…
Running up the walk to feed the dogs with you,
Being in your dog office, watching you tend to puppies,
Riding with you to pick up Dustri’s Carolina Sam,
Sitting up in your store office, watching through the little window,
Coffee milk and ham candy,
Biscuits with creamed strawberries or creamed peaches,
Sawdust on the store floor,
Counting change to customers,
“Helping” you mow the yard,
Being pulled around your driveway on the tricycle by Coco,
Your daily letters when I was in the hospital,
Cleaning stock on the lower shelves, ’cause that was all I could reach,
Getting that slice of bologna or cheese when you were preparing an order,
Eating Beanie Weenies and a bologna or tomato sandwich for lunch at the store,
Sitting on the ice cream maker while you cranked it,
Running through the woods so many times to visit, even for a minute,
Helping look for Rebel when he ran away,
Sitting in church with Grandmother and seeing you in the choir loft,
Finding money in the newspaper rack, telling you and our telling the newspaper folk,
Watching you make signs for the store windows,
Learning you had streets named after me,
Riding with you to deliver groceries,
The occasional peeks into the smokehouse (Had to keep out the flies!),
Playing Scrabble at the dinner table, putting the board on the lazy susan,
Delivering a shopping cart full of sodas to Graham Underwriters,
Cheese hoop money (It must’ve gone into the hundreds!),
Taking deposits to the bank for you (What a responsibility!),
Working with you in the garden (Especially the okra!),
Climbing up the ladder to look at the bee hive in the tree you helped cut down,
Your pride and smile when I told you I’d bought my first home,
Your phone calls just to check up on me when we’d not been in touch for awhile,
Your stories about family,
Lessons not just taught, but shown,
Safety and protection,
Helping people,
Happiness and joy,
Comfort,
Love.
Thank you for all of these memories and for so many more.
I love you, Daddy Bob!

I remember going to the beach with Granny and Granddaddy. Granddaddy (or I) had caught a small ghost crab and I was keeping it in a disposable cup while we were driving to the hotel from the beach. Granddaddy was driving and Granny was in the front seat. I was in the back seat hanging over the front seat, holding the cup. I dropped the cup in the front seat and the crab escaped. Oh man! The fortitude Granny must have had that day! We never did find the crab.

On the same trip (I think), we stopped at a bridge where a river (Cape Fear, I think) emptied into the ocean. At the shore/bank, we found a huge colony of fiddler crabs. Granddaddy used his pocketknife to dig several of them out of their burrows (more than a dozen) and we put them in a small Styrofoam cooler, along with some sand, shells and driftwood. They made it home. We set up a short, wide fishbowl for them and I kept them in my room. I had them for a long time and they were a really cool thing for a young boy to have. However, my poor mother had to deal with the stench!