Scroll down for Birthday Blog... this is just the tubing ride videos. Also, to pause the music, scroll to the bottom of the Birthday Blog and click the little 'Play' button (looks like >)
Alright now, it's my 25th birthday today... hahahahaha Yeah, I'm a quarter of a century old today, another step closer to the deadline, and another step younger inside. I can no longer pass for a young punk or any of that... people actually start taking me really serious now.
Gonna live it up for a little while today and enjoy the sunshine and breeze and my Starbucks cofffee with my Mama here in Ohio.
I'm leaving for Charlotte on Monday, then flying to California on the 5th from there, where my van is waiting patiently for me in Southern Cal, where it will be employed again. I'll be in So Cal through September, then I will make the long trek east, Charlotte bound. ______________________________________________
Music Quotes time:
"I was so much older then. I'm younger than that now." Bob Dylan - I'm younger than that now
"25 years and my life is still; trying to get up that great big hill of hope... for a destination." 4 Non Blondes - What's up
"I have run, I have crawled, I have scaled these city walls, but I still haven't found what I'm looking for." U2 - I still haven't found what i'm looking for
"When love comes to town I'm gonna jump that train. When loves comes to town I'm gonna catch that plane. Maybe I was wrong to ever let you down, but I did what I did before love came to town." U2 - When love comes to town
"It's times like these you learn to live again. It's times like these you give and give again. It's times like these you learn to love again. It's times like these time and time again." Foo Fighter - Times like these
"Let's get off this. Let's get on with it. If you wanna change the world shut your mouth and start this minute." Cracker - Get off this
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So I took a trip to Canada with my cousin Paul (Dad's sister's son) who just got out of basic training for the Marines. We had the time up at this cabin on a tiny island that we had to take a boat to. While there I hiked, trained, kayaked, swam, played the pipes on the beach, bathed in the clear waters (which was actually pumped up to the cabin and used for tap water as well), cliff jumped a 50-foot cliff, water-tubed (I've only water-skied once, so I wasn't really willing after being thrashed around on the water tube - see video - glad they enjoyed it!) On top of that they had a lot of games around, cornhole (definitely an Ohio game), mini table tennis (used one of the boards for the windows on a table top with a net), chess (Devon took me to school. Thanks Devon.)
Oh yeah, and Paul and I stopped in to check out Niagara Falls along the way (see pics.) We drove up in my ol' Bimmer, in which Paul insisted we have the top down the entire way... 12 hours, that is (check my hair out to prove it.) We also ate fudge and dined at none other than Don Cherry's (see pic.)
Better sign off now since they say a tornado is coming...
"He lived every moment and left nothing to chance."
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It has been a week and a half now since my Grandfather, Richard W. Mann Sr. (known as Grampy to the grandkids) past away. I'm dedicating this blog entry to him.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fishing with Gramps!
Grampy's Funeral Service was on Saturday, August 11th. It was traditional. They had a viewing first, then a Memorial Service, then the motorcade to the Gravesite (Dawes Arboretum), then the Gravesite Service. Grampy was in the Navy for 21 years and highly decorated, so he was given a full Navy Gun Salute and folding of the Flag. I was honored to be asked by my Grandmother (Grammy) to play the bagpipes for both the Memorial Service (Amazing Grace at the end) and for the Gravesite Service (Eternal Father and Taps.) I couldn't have imagined a better place or time for a funeral. The sun was shining, the temperature stayed in the upper 70's, a light breeze consistently blew, everything was in bloom. The feeling was surreal.
Below is what I wrote for my speech about Grampy at the service:
Well as I sit here in the passenger’s seat of the Quality Pools truck with Dustin driving us back home from Virginia, I reminisce.
It has been an interesting week… many things have happened, and many things are yet to happen, but I want to speak on what I remember about my Grampy.
Grampy was always a man who demanded my attention and respect. Ever since I was little I found myself looking up to him. I remember when I was very little and decided to crack one of the walnuts that were always gathered on the living room coffee table. I did so, and with my Mom and Dustin as my witness, I’ll be darned if there wasn’t a $20 dollar bill inside! It didn’t seem to be 30 seconds until the word got out and every brother/cousin/friend was there at the table cracking walnuts. Grampy never said a word about this, but we knew it was him who seamlessly cut the walnuts and glued them back together again with cash inside, in such a fashion that nobody could tell they had ever been touched.
Dustin just saw a shooting star, beautiful! Okay, back to the stories.
Grampy was not a braggert… never once do I remember him brag.
He loved telling stories at the dinner table… How many times do I remember being at the dinner table with the whole family sitting by, just waiting for him to take over the conversation with one of his great shirt pocket stories…yeah, you all know what I’m talking about. I love those times and miss them very much.
I remember the pancakes in the morning… the contests… I remember his laugh that always took a lot to earn, but was such a joy to hear that I worked hard to get it out of him. I remember when he and my grandmother came to my elementary school on grandparents day and my grampy seemed to just know when somebody or something deserved a round of applause, and he was certainly not afraid to say it.
Grampy didn’t live for himself.
I remember the bike rides, the words of wisdom that we couldn’t deny, like ‘you should always have a handkerchief with you. You just never know when you’re going to need it.” This was of course right after I had to blow my nose and didn’t have anything to blow it into.
Now I am so thankful to have been able to see him in Florida, in his last days. His eyes were always tired, but his smile made it all worth it. He loved so much to listen to how my life is going and just about the stories that have made this Journey America Tour. He still wanted to watch the big game on tv (the football game in January, then the basketball game in March.)
Grampy would also tell me much in his last days about how he’s been praying for me. What a tear that brings to my eyes. A man in his last days telling me that he’s been praying for me. What a man(n)!
Grampy showed me what it means to walk the walk.
Thank you Grampy. I love you and will miss you dearly.
He sunk battleships in World War II. He was shot down and imprisoned in the Japanese Prison War Camps. He was born of German parents. His actions were carefully planned and calculated. He was never late. He was perfect by no means, but... He lived every moment and left nothing to chance.
I will see you again, Grampy, but not yet... not yet.
Well here I am, midway through my second week in Ohio. I've skipped the Decatur, Illinois tournament and it looks like I'll be skipping the Milwaukee, Wisconsin tournament as well. This is so that I can build my contacts back up in Ohio (2nd base - 1st base is Charlotte, NC and 3rd base is Prescott, AZ.) The trick to keeping this tour going has been to have good contacts everywhere I go and to build relationships, and this is one thing I love to do.
It was my Mom's blankth Birthday last Friday, so I put together a little surprise party for her... and it was a success... we got her good! It was a small party, with only the essential friends, as it was all planned a day beforehand... the way I seem to like to do things. I played Happy Birthday on the pipes, of course, and everybody sang loudly right along. We all hung out all evening and chatted on the back patio with Dustin's famous grilled hot dogs and hamburgers and all sorts of sides that everybody brought over, not to mention a big cake with coffee and ice cream at the end. It was a really good time (see pic - right after the surprise occurred, a couple of friends missing, my Mom knelt down in the middle.) So now I'm doing some temp work here in Ohio, playing in a little local tournament, training, and hanging out with the old Ohio friends again... and making some new ones too. I've gotten back in gear with my neighbor and pal ever since I was little, David Snow (see pic - David took this of himself after I accidentally left my camera in his car.) We do his Airforce Ravens training program together. Along with that, I've gotten to get the old hitting/training partner, Chris Landouer, to do the old routine again. So it's cool to get to catch up with old friends... just like the good old days.
I was asked to play my bagpipes for last Sunday's church service at my Mom's church, so I was more than happy to do that. It went well (see pics.)
I will be helping my brother Dustin and his wife Crystal move down to Lynchburg, Virginia (where Dustin will be attending law school and Crystal will be finishing her undergrad at Liberty College.) This will be on the 8th. From there I will be heading to Charleston, SC (actually Sullivans Island) where I will be moving to for the few weeks before I leave to California... one coast to the other...
I tell you, everywhere I go, many things remain the same, but also many things are different. Ohio is neither here nor there. It is not as welcoming as the south, but more welcoming than the north. It is friendly, but people seem to have their walls. It is not a boring place, but it is not an exciting place either. It is not an ugly place, but then again, it is not a relatively beautiful place either. It is not a real rainy place, but it is not a sunny place either. Ohio, ever since I can remember, has been exactly what I have made of it. It is neither here nor there. It is my roots.
Well, I've gotta get up at 7 tomorrow so I better hit the sack.
Goodnight from Ohio... where it is neither here... nor there.
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