my David Cassidy memorial weekend

This is a follow up to my God Bless David Cassidy blog (May 20, 2018).

At about 2:30pm on Friday, May 18, 2018 I got off of the Amtrak Lake Shore Limited train in Schenectady, New York.  A friend waited for me there.  Alicia. I have known her on the Internet for perhaps 12 years, maybe longer. Since I was getting off the train not far from where Alicia lives, we had a nice visit on Friday, and I stayed the night on her sofa. I was a fine time, sharing stories, and pizza.

On Saturday morning new friend Caren picked me up at Alicia's house and we headed for Saratoga Springs, some 20 miles up the highway, where 45 to 60 of us would gather together to celebrate the life of David Bruce Cassidy (April 12, 1950 - November 21, 2017) 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Cassidy

Arriving at a large hotel, in downtown Saratoga Springs, I finally met Susan C. the woman behind the "fans and friends" memorial bench, which can be found at the National Museum of Racing, in Saratoga Springs, New York. This woman collected contributions for the memorial for David Cassidy, reaching her goal amount quickly, and she worked tirelessly to find an appropriate place that would allow the fans who loved David to place a bench in his memory.  A place to remember David in a town he loved, in a museum dedicated to horses, with a statue of David's favorite horse (Secretariat) mere feet away.

And I met Linda, who put in a lot of hard work to make sure the celebration of David's life honored and memorialized him.  The party venue changed just days before the scheduled event and Linda found a new venue quickly.  Linda spent hours, over night, arranging a presentation around invited guests who knew David, and joined us to tell stories of their adventures with David Cassidy, and their wonderful memories of David.

On Saturday, May 19, 2018 at 5:00pm there was a Mass read at The Church of St. Peter in Saratoga Springs, NY for David Cassidy. It was a very nice service. Part of one of the Bible verses was about people gathering together from far and wide, much like David's fans, who came from as far as Belgium, Canada, Kansas, Texas, and California for this weekend that these fans dedicated to celebrating the memory of David Cassidy and his music.

In the evening a group of 12 fans gathered for dinner in Lake George at The Log Jam, one of David's favorite restaurants. Our waiter remembered waiting on David at other venues more than once in the past, and he was happy to tell us his memories of David. Many restaurant patrons stopped by our table to ask about our group, or to say that they, too, liked David's music, or had seen him in the area...they recognized a photo that we each had on the table....

a David Cassidy 'sign', each of us had one on our table at Log Jam

A great meal and some fellowship between David Cassidy fans from far and wide on a Saturday evening.

Sunday afternoon. David Cassidy fans from all over the world, more than 60 people, visited the courtyard, at the National Museum of Racing at 191 Union Avenue, Saratoga Springs, New York.
#nmrhof 

David's benches are in the newly dedicated Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Courtyard at
the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame #nmrhof

David's bench from his fans and friends.  #nmrhof

#nmrhof

At 5:30pm, Sunday, May 20, 2018 we gathered at  The Tap and Barrel, where a dj played a wide variety of David Cassidy songs and recordings.  There were speakers and a powerpoint presentation.  Good friends of David Cassidy in Saratoga Springs talked about David, and told some amusing and interesting anecdotes. Fans who met David Cassidy, and talked with him, told us their memories of David. There were a lot of photos of David. We also heard from and learned about a cause that was close to David's heart: The Thoroughbred Retirement Fund organization, which cares for, retrains (not for racing), or finds permanent homes for retired racehorses.

ThoroughbredRetirementFoundation on Facebook

Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation .org

After the private event (which was what I describe above) the doors were opened to the public, and the music was turned up, and the fans danced and sang along with recordings of David Cassidy singing. It was a lovely evening. David Cassidy was there.... were you there? did you feel his presence?


I Can Feel Your Heartbeat







God Bless David Cassidy

God Bless David Cassidy

For a long time in the early morning a woman stood at the head of the railcar. She seemed to be surveying the people on this car. She stood, looking a bit stern. Our eyes met, she looked past me rather quickly. She is standing because we have all been sitting or trying to lay down –and sleep, for 10 hours. 

Yes, this is my first trip by rail long distance.  I have ridden many commuter trains, so I am not unfamiliar with the sensation.  This train is made for long distance travel… it is a much quieter ride than what Metra offers (Chicagoland).  Plenty of leg room too.  From where I sit, more than 10 cars from the engine, the train whistle is a low hum.  As I write this I am looking out over vineyards and farm fields at Lake Erie, which is not far, as this train is called “The Lake Shore Limited” –it runs close along the shore, sometimes within a thousand feet, or so, but never far from view. 

My 9 year old self never would have believed this…. I am on a long distance rail trip to attend a memorial celebration and the dedication of a memorial bench honoring David Cassidy.  I can remember tuning in, every week, to watch The Partridge Family.  And I have said that as long as I have David Cassidy’s Cherish album I have what I need.  I love those songs, and the mere sight of the titles puts the music and David’s voice in my head.

Here I am, on my way to a memorial weekend private gathering of fans in remembrance of and celebrating David Cassidy.  We gather in Saratoga Springs, New York, where David had a home and where was involved in horse racing at Saratoga Springs Race Track.  David loved horses and was involved in the horse racing world.  Here at the National Museum of (Horse) Racing, on Thursday, May 17, 2018 a pair of benches honoring David Cassidy were unveiled. One bench is through the efforts of people in horse racing who knew David,..the other bench is the result of a campaign begun by a woman who may have loved David longer than any other fan… a woman I will meet for the first time tomorrow…. Perhaps I will write an addendum to this blog, or another blog about this weekend. (stay tuned folks)

At least 40 of us, fans of David Cassidy, will gather together to celebrate this wonderful, beautiful man. There will be a Mass at The Church of Saint Peter on Saturday afternoon, and on Sunday the National Museum of Racing will open its doors for free for 2 hours, to allow David Cassidy’s fan to view the museum and to enter the courtyard where the memorial benches are on display.  And later there will be a (public) musical remembrance celebration of David Cassidy’s music at a local restaurant. 

I the years between (since The Partridge Family ended) I have frequently gone back for another listen, to my Partridge Family albums and David’s Cherish album.  In the last few months, since David Cassidy died, I have woken many mornings singing one of the many songs I know so well. 
It's One Of Those Nights ..  I Woke Up In Love This Morning

I lost track of David for a while, but any time there was anything about him I would stop to read and to look at the pictures of his sweet smiling face.

I happened to go to Las Vegas in October 2000, and when I looked for a show on my one free night, there was David Cassidy! In his own show, at the Rio Hotel and Casino.  And it was wonderful! David Cassidy loved to sing, and he loved to see faces light up with smiles when he sang.  He was a true entertainer. I can’t help remembering his dad, Jack Cassidy, the times I saw him on any program –his profession was entertainer.  

I thoroughly enjoyed David’s Las Vegas show, which was called “At The Copa” (that’s right: as in CopaCabana, that was more or less the story David told), David was acting when he came on the stage in the guise of an old man.  His voice was not, at first, recognizable, but I knew it had to be him. The story he told that evening, and many more evenings over the course of a year, was of a man who had loved a woman.  And he had followed her throughout her career as a singer. And he still loved her, but tragically she had fallen for another.  All of this was interspersed with songs of the 1900s, a variety of songs…. And, in the end, because he knew what his fans loved, David’s own music. Songs he sang for The Partridge Family as well as several from his own albums.  David Cassidy came down, into the audience and sang for us, and to us. And it was a wonderful evening.

http://www.davidcassidy.com/fansite/TheatrePages/AtTheCopa.html

When news broke that David Cassidy was hospitalized, and that his family was with him, it made me so sad.  He’s going. We held watch on the news services, waiting for word. Praying that somehow David would recover.  I brought my Partridge Family and David Cassidy cds to work to play on the computer. And, like thousands of his fans all over the world, I cried when it was announced that he had passed away. Far. too. young.

Thank you, David, for sharing your beautiful voice with us.

___________

Are you sleeping my baby?
Just close your eyes and let me run away
Now, don't cha cry
I am leaving my sweet baby
I've been in love with one who's far away
I can't live a lie
I've got something inside of me you know I can't hide
And each day since I left her
She's been on my mind
So take care of yourself and my, my Ricky besides
He's the best friend I had
I guess this is good-bye

Are you weeping my baby?
I let you down but I just cannot stay
I can't live a lie
Now I am leaving my sweet baby
I got my ticket, it won't pass me by
I can't live a lie

I've got something inside of me you know I can't hide
And each day since I left her
She's been on my mind
So take care of yourself and my, my Ricky besides
He's the best friend I had
I guess this is good-bye
This is good bye

--Ricky’s Tune, David Cassidy, 1972

Ricky's Tune

____________

At the National Museum of Racing, Saratoga Springs, New York.

Saratoga Springs, New York was David Cassidy's favorite place on Earth.

Thank You Susan S. Cox for loving David Cassidy enough to make this memorial a reality.

Thank You Susan S. Cox and Linda de Ambrosio, for all you have done to make this weekend a true celebration of the life and music of David Cassidy.

The first Mother's Day without my own mother....

Lillian with her granddaughter (left) and me on the right.....

The year after my mother died I took my cousin, Myrtle, out for lunch on Mother's Day.  We went to the Olive Garden in West Dundee, Illinois.  The same Olive Garden I dined at numerous times with my mother. Myrtle and I had a lovely time. It was nice to have someone so sweet and gentle to spend that Mother's Day with,... that first Mother's Day without my own mother present.  And I know that Lillian was smiling on us, happy that we could have that time, in a warm, comfortable, pleasant place. 

Lillian was 8 years old when her niece, Myrtle, was born. It was a lovely memory that she cherished always. 

One thing about Myrtle was that, no matter where on earth she went, inevitably one would hear a voice say, "Myrtle! What are you doing here?" in a cheerful tone.  Myrtle inspired that cheerfulness, being always a very pleasant lady herself.  It was amusing to all of the family, though, how this happened. It was as if Myrtle was a famous person, everyone knew her.... The epicenter of the Myrtle universe was somewhere in the vicinity of Bartlett, Illinois, so, if you are from the area you might be thinking "Myrtle? that sounds familiar."  

So, we had a lovely Mother's Day dinner, at Olive Garden, early in the day, when the restaurant was not crowded and noisy.  That was the way Lillian and I enjoyed it, and that was perfect for Myrtle too, as she had become hard of hearing.... but I digress.....  as other patrons entered the restaurant I was waiting to hear someone say that line.... "Myrtle... what are you doing here?"  But I was also thinking that maybe we were just a bit too early in the day....

As we were leaving the restaurant, approaching the door... Myrtle said to me, "Gee, we didn't run into anyone I knew..." and at that moment the door to the restaurant opened and a woman said, "Hey Myrtle! What are you doing here?"  Myrtle and I burst into laughter.  The woman wondered aloud what was funny about that....  so I told Myrtle to stay and tell her friend why we laughed out loud, while I would go and get the car. 

So that was our fun, funny moment Myrtle and I, on that first Mother's Day without Lillian.  
It is nice for me to have this memory of that particular Mother's Day.....

And while we dined we had also shared memories of the women we knew, and loved, who had passed..... Lillian of course, and Helen, Myrtle's mother, my aunt,... Aunt Mae, Aunt Winnie, Aunt Lorene,... Myrtle's sisters: Lauretta, Verna, and Diane, as well as her sister-in-law Betty .......because that is what we do on Mother's Day, isn't it? we remember all of the women in our lives, especially those we have loved and lost.

-----------

This is my cousin Myrtle, and I am thinking of her (and how amusing my mother would have found the Olive Garden story)..... 

.....on this, the second Mother's Day since Myrtle went on ahead to join those other women I am thinking of today, in heaven.

Myrtle 12/08/2011

and as I write this I also think of the many other women I have known, some of whom I did love, who are no longer in this realm...........

58 Degrees (a short story)

58 degrees.  I drive to work in a tank top and uniform work pants.  Sleeveless but not cold at all, I notice the moon. He is bright, waned down to between half and a quarter, as I judge him. 

I take the toll road exit at Irene Road, turning left and continuing into the darkness of the countryside. Were this in the city this would be considered a surface street, but way out here it is little more than a farm road. The pavement stretches into the distance, flowing over hill and dale of farm lands.
I think about how this drive is different every day. Yesterday I was three minutes earlier and the road was well-lit by headlights of cars going in the opposite direction. Today there are none, and I did not see them at all. Today were all of them gone in those three minutes before I got this far? Or are they later leaving the plant this morning? As I cross back over the toll road, into the light, the plant road is full of traffic, as is normal when the shift ends. Closer to my assigned parking lot now I see that they are a bit slower leaving today; the lots are much fuller than yesterday when I arrived, and the cop is busy at the other end of the plant road. Yesterday I had to drive partially on the shoulder of the road, giving the cop and his victim a wide berth. I think about how sedately we arrive at our jobs, and how hurried we are leaving; fleeing the job site as if being chased by a nightmare.

see Bad Samaritan!

It's true,... I have been shamelessly promoting a movie, and I get nothing --wait a minute.... If you all go see the movie it is a victory of sorts. 

That movie is Bad Samaritan.  I go to the movies wanting to, expecting to be on a roller coaster ride of thrills and suspense.... how often does that happen? almost never.  But this movie.... 
Bad Samaritan ...had me on the edge of my seat... I don't think I took a breath for 109 minutes --the movie is 110 minutes long!

from my facebook persona

"Bad Samaritan is a cautionary tale of two thieves uncovering more than they bargained for when breaking into a house...."   ....a woman held captive... and one of them, the one who actually speaks with the woman captive,..he cannot let it go. He is compelled to try to help the woman captive.  
And it turns his entire life upside down.... Cale Erendreich knows what he is doing, because he has been doing it for enough years to be arrogant and completely self confident. 
Cale Erendreich is your worst nightmare.

The film begins with disturbing, partially seen images, partially heard sounds, and a gun shot.  And that is where I found myself on the edge of the seat, holding my breath,.... knowing that my heart was going to be racing.... 

Bad Samaritan did not disappoint me at all.... I was enraptured, knowing some of what was coming, but it's all out of left field --you don't see what's coming.... how far will Sean go to try to rescue the woman captive... what will happen to the people Sean cares about if he pursues this? Will the woman captive be rescued.... 

I am not here to give spoilers.... I am here to say: if you want to be wrung out, and charged up, and have one hell of a ride in the movie theater.... Bad Samaritan.

If you know me, you know that I just don't get rattled.  Bad Samaritan is a bit disturbing... it left me wondering if I would have nightmares.... movies don't do that to me!  I did NOT have nightmares after seeing Bad Samaritan. But I will tell you this: over an hour after leaving that theater my heart was still racing... my hands were shaking....  this, THIS is what I go to the movies to experience... and I honestly cannot name any other movie that has given me this much of a charge in a very long time.

If you see one movie in 2018: make it Bad Samaritan. Truly, leave the gratuitous violence behind; forget sex, never mind all the comic book blather,... if you go to the movies to feel alive --see Bad Samaritan. 

....... I think I just talked myself into seeing Bad Samaritan in a movie theater a second time!






#BadSamaritan #DeanDevlin #DavidTennant #KerryCondon #RobertSheehan #JacquelineByers #RobNagle

the unexpected benefit

A realization is happening... as I sit here and think about yesterday... when I sat in this same cafe and listened to a fellow patron sneeze, and blow his nose, repeatedly.  I started to think about that this morning while I dressed.  Allergies,... of course. Because the trees are budding and flowering, as  I can observe from where I sit, in this cafe...looking out through big plate glass windows, at several trees bearing white flowers.  Seeing those white flowers makes me want to hide, except for this dawning of realization....

I am not have allergy issues the same as I have in springs of years past.  I am not sneezing,... this brings an old memory to the forefront.... of an environmental allergist I saw, going on 25 years ago.  Dr. O.  ...Dr. O told me to stop eating sugar. I laughed at him. He was deadly serious. 

And now, now that I have quit sugar and a few months have passed... it is a time of year I used to dread, was dreading.  And I am having this hopeful realization... no sneezing, no watery eyes,... sinus headache, but not too bad.  And the headache could be tied to other factors of the lifestyle change....I quit sugar to try the ketosis diet.  The keto thing may not be working but I am finding new joy in no sugar.

that is all.
thank you for reading.