Better Places

I'm quite certain I heard the big black tree say to the little one next to it, "I AM YOUR FATHER."

A nice evening with Kimberly in Martinsville last night — including an excellent dinner with Mum at The Third Bay Cafe — and a fair bit of hiking and caching in Danville today. We put in a good five miles on the trail, and by the end of the day, I had claimed thirteen caches, bringing my total count to 4,670... at least until tomorrow.

On a sad note, I lost two relatives this week. My uncle Gordon — my late dad's elder brother — passed away on Wednesday, and my great uncle Herbert — my mom's father's last surviving brother — passed away today. In my younger days, I was pretty close with both of them, but I haven't seen either in quite a few years, and from what I understand, Herbert was failing both physically and mentally, to the point he didn't recognize most of the people around him, including my mom when she'd be in touch with him. I do have very fond memories of both of them, but given that both had reached quite advanced ages and lost just about any appreciable quality of life, I believe they're both in a better place.

Uncle Gordon lived in Jacksonville, FL. For most of my childhood years, at Christmastime, the Rainey family would gather in Atlanta at my grandparents' place, and it's those occasions that make up the bulk of my memories of Gordon. He very closely resembled my paternal grandfather, and that resemblance grew more pronounced over the years. I recall on his last visit with my father, who died in 2001, Gordon said, "Whenever I look in the mirror, I see Dad looking back at me." In 1975, I went with my family to Jacksonville to visit Gordon; his wife, Lin; and their son, Gordon III. On that trip, young Gordon, my brother, and I went to see The Land That Time Forgot, which stands out vividly and pleasantly in my memory, and for the first time ever, I discovered the horrible bliss of tearing into a big old Wendy's hamburger. From Jacksonville, we went to Disney World in Orlando, which... rather sadly... I remember being mostly hot and miserable. Obit here: Gordon Rainey, 1928–2012

Herbert, of Gainesville, GA, was an antique car enthusiast, and he had collected a considerable number of them. He owned the 1949 Hudson (as well as its stand-in) that appeared in the 1989 movie, Driving Miss Daisy, which starred Jessica Tandy, Morgan Freeman, and Dan Aykroyd. I remember riding in that car as a youngster, and it was exciting to see it on the big screen those good many years ago. One of the last times I saw Herbert was at his 90th birthday celebration in June 2006 (Monday, June 19, 2006); his 96th would have been next week. Obit here: Herbert Bell, 1916–1912

Here's to better places for all of us.

Uncle Herbert's 1949 Hudson that appeared in the 1989 movie, Driving Miss Daisy.

One of the numerous critters we encountered in the great outdoors today.

Clearly, the birdhouse isn't spacious enough for these two little bluebirds, hanging out at Mum's window.
For them, it's the big house or bust.