Long Shadows...

...cast themselves gently on the south forty

"An Evening Stroll"
(If you are a member of a group, any group...
 just 'clique' to enlarge this photo.
It looks pretty nice when you blow it up, honest!)

of Norcal's famous Campbell Ranch

Making wimps wax poetic
And Badasses wax their Harleys

"Cereal Killer" Molly
Strolls to enjoy her
Own personal swimming pool

The giant mulberry shelters her passage
And keeps the heat of the evening
From her back

The "Badass" (read wimp)
Watches from the worlds greatest
Sun room and home office
Where these words are painted,
Then pasted,
Then saved,
Then shipped,
Then read by a few
Hearty souls who collectively possess
Fine humor and patience

The wonders of life, and wife
Whose middle name is "Forgiveness"
Hold him in rapt attention
While these words are tentatively keyed...

Where shall we go tomorrow Julieann?
What adventures will our children lead us to?
What will we do when the long shadows return?

Dance

“Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you’ve never been hurt and live like it’s heaven on Earth.” – Mark Twain

Old friend Jack Sender posted this quote on his "Warming Trend" blog recently - it got me thinking about Daughter Samantha and son Tyler.  


I'm thinking a person has to earn the opportunity to dance, otherwise it won't be appreciated.  It's the old "work hard, play hard" expression at the least.  At most, it's finding what you love to do and then figuring out how to get paid to do it.  Either way can work... both ways have worked for me I am fortunate to say.  


You just have to remember to dance.
To stop and smell the roses.
To discover then chase what you love and be relentless in the pursuit.


Here is another quote that is very much related:

“To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special.”  Jimmy Valvano - 1946-1993 (former UNC National Champion basketball coach).

This is the message I have for Tyler and Sam - one of you has already made your discovery, the other is still on the search.  Keep at it.  Never give up.  You will fall down. You can and will get up.  It will happen if you are determined to make it so.  Then you will love certain people, you will love what you do, and most of all... you will love who you are.

I want you both to do this.  It is all I ask.

I hope you dance.

'Neath The Fruitless Mulberry Tree

We circled her base with lights
Once for Christmas
Now can't bear to take them down

I repose, I suppose
'Neath the fruitless mulberry tree
Only to find rapture
In a cool summer Delta breeze
That often caresses the Sacramento area
In just the right places

Molly, the Worlds Greatest Goldie
Savors her new tennis ball
In a rooted cradle
'Neath the fruitless mulberry tree

Long shadows provide perfect contrast
Between tree, grass, plants and structures
I begin to wax poetic... to mark the evening
A mood feared by many

This Powder Keg 2009 Cabernet
Aint' too shabby either!

The green tin frog agrees...
With these observations

The Green Tin Frog helps Molly keep an eye on things
in the South Forty

Of the damn fine things in life
I make note that it is speechless with admiration.
Isn't it!?

I named it "Herb" after all those frogs
Jack Sender killed in Ohio
He claims he didn't do it
He claims they went missing
But the truth rides in on the Delta breeze
'Neath the fruitless mulberry tree

Just between you and me
And Molly of course
Because she presides
'Neath the mulberry tree
And Molly knows her frogs

As well as her "Cereal Killers"

Corporal Gupreet Singh, USMC

Corporal Gupreet "Gobi" Singh, USMC
Soldier, Patriot, War Hero

Tuesday, June 28th, 2011
Location: Former McClellan Air Force Base, Sacramento area, California


It was not a typical June day in Sacramento
There was a hard rain coming down
The drops stifled typical noises of the busy city
It was an extraordinary type of quiet...

The small Lear-type jet
Came smoothly to a halt
Just 50 feet from a large open hangar
Where the family of Corporal Gupreet Singh waited.

The Corporal was just 21
On his second tour in Afghanistan
He had arrived in the United States from India in 2000
For four of the following 11 years he was a United States Marine
His father said all his son ever wanted to be was "a soldier" 

In between the plane and the hangar
Some two dozen members of the Patriot Guard Riders
I among them
Had formed a flag line
They were there to honor the fallen soldier
And to preserve the dignity of the moment

The cargo door opened
The young Marine escort
Stepped onto the tarmac
And stood at attention
In full dress greens

The plane's crew of two
Moved deliberately
Through a routine of opening
The side cargo hatch
Setting up their equipment
And unloading the flag-draped coffin

The coffin was protected from the elements in a plastic wrap
The crew was solemn and kept positions of attention
Right hand over heart
At all opportunities throughout the process

The flag line was still
Holding flags at "present arms"

Patriot Guard Riders assembling for services
July 2, 2011

Left hand thumb up at bottom of staff
Right hand on staff thumb down and chest high
They formed an "L" to enclose the space
For the fallen marine and his family

All then departed, wordless in the rain
The Riders did not escort further that day
Out of caution for the rain conditions

Saturday, July 2nd, 2011
Location: Mount Vernon Cemetary, Citrus Heights, California


A more typical day in the city... sunny
Temperature was to hit in the 100's


The Riders began showing before 10 in the morning
Services for Corporal Singh were to begin at noon.

Patriot Guard flag line, awaiting call to "Present Arms"
at Mount Vernon cemetary, July 2, 2011

By 10:30 there were some 100 Riders assembled
By 11 they had formed flag lines around the front of the church
At 12 the Riders took a water break as services were held
At 12:45 they reformed the flag line at the rear of the church

At 1 the attendees began passing through the flag line
To assemble for a brief memorial outside
Just prior, in the triple digit heat
A Sikh elder passed among the Riders on the flag line
Offering small bottles of water - a welcome gesture of appreciation
Shortly after, there were three volleys of seven shots
That sealed the finality of the moment for all present

His father said all his son ever wanted to be was "a soldier" 
But he was much more than that
He was a hero in his adopted country

Obituary


Note: click on photos to enlarge in high resolution