A GREAT MAN DIED YESTERDAY...MY BROTHER-IN-LAW RON

Name a National Park, a Tennessee/Kentucky/Georgia/Florida state park, or a Southern section of the Appalachian Trail, and my brother-in-law Ron has probably sat foot on it!  He was amazing in his ability to recall the places he had been, but committing to memory every last yard of it was impossible.  

The times I would go hiking with him, and they were many, I, being much more out of shape than he, would ask, "How much further to the trail-head?" 

His reply was always, "Just around that next bend in the trail...I think!"  Naturally, my tired legs were so disappointed when it turned out to the the 3rd or 5th turn!

He knew my capabilities better than I did, so he allowed me to trick him into a stop by saying, "What kind of wildflower is this?  Or, "Look at this flower!"  He would just grin, that wide grin, stop, and come back over trail he had already covered to see my discovery.  He also usually knew the name of the flower!  His memory was sharp and remained so until the very end.

On Wednesday afternoon, when I entered his bedroom, where he lay connected to oxygen and fans running to cool him.  He looked up at me and with a shaky voice asked me, "Why is Corey (my son) selling his house?"  Right out of the blue!  

Why would this be on a man's mind when he had just hours before asked his wife, Neena, "Is this the day?"  

Simple, he cared about people, especially those that had

given him some pleasure and happiness along the way.  Corey had hiked with us several times, camped in the snow with us, and had eaten out with us, after some serious man-shopping, numerous times.  He always got a kick out of Corey's youth, his sense of humor, and enjoyed his company.

"He's just doing a little downsizing, I suppose," I answered Ron.

He closed his eyes and began working hard at breathing once again.  The medication hospice was giving him eased his pain and made breathing easier, but the price paid is conscientiousness.  Before he slipped off again I squeezed his hand, rubbed his forehead, and told him that I loved him.  His eyes struggled to open as he replied, "I love you too."

I told him that "we (the family) were here," and left the man that I had walked a many mile with to get on with the process of leaving this world.  His daughter lay down next to him and they both went to sleep.  His brother Jackson kept watch as others of the family came and went to say something to him, or simply touch him, but sometime around 5AM, Ron slipped away from us to wait for us on the other side.

All the good times flashed back tonight as I scanned my photo files of all the houseboat trips, the hikes, the vacations, the concerts, the holidays, and just regular days we had spent together.  God gave my family a good man to teach us a little about life and what God has made for us all to see and enjoy.

We spent the day comforting each other and remembering, and even raising a glass or two of beer to Ron.  He always loved a good cold pale ale, and traveling around the country trying new local micro-beers was what he enjoyed. 

When we would go on vacations together, he already had a map of where the famous bars and micro-breweries were.  It was great fun...watching the sun go down sipping a "cold beer" with Ron.

There were more laughs today than crying, and that is a testament to him as well; he loved to laugh and to hear us laugh.  He left us with loads of memories full of smiles.

There is a blank space in my heart as I write this, but doing so, and looking at all the happy memories, I am again filled with love and admiration for my brother...Ron.

Ron will be cremated shortly and a little bit of him will be left in some of those places he loved.  I'm so glad I got to visit some of those places side-by-side...or rather dragging slowly up the rear.  However, reaching the summit was always worth the time, and the time was made more special by sharing it with someone who thoroughly appreciated what God has made.

Here are just a few of the good times:

 We love you Ron.  Thanks for the memories!

UPDATE:

Ronald Baldwin, 65, of Kingston, passed away Thursday morning, July 25, at his home.

Ron was a veteran of the Vietnam War, serving in the United States Air Force. He was a retired facility manager with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and was an avid outdoorsman. He was preceded in death by his parents, Edwin and Evelyn Turner Baldwin; and his brother, Dan Baldwin.

Survived by his wife, Neena Poland Baldwin; son, Jason Fine of Michigan; daughter, Jessica Wooldridge of Knoxville; grandchildren, McKenzie and Jaxon Wooldridge, Chandler Fine; brother, Jackson Baldwin and partner, Sandy McFarland, of Lakeside Calif.; sister, Delores Moore and husband, Rhys, of Clearwater, Fla.; many brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews.

Ron requested that no formal services be held. A private interment will be in the Colliers Cemetery in Dunlap. 

In lieu of flowers, the family ask that memorial contributions be made to the Mission of Hope, P.O. Box 51824, Knoxville, TN 37950.

WELL, IT'S FATHER'S DAY!

Yep, it's Father's Day and all I got was this dang Duck Dynasty t-shirt!  However, it does fit my personality!  Jack!

Judy gave it to me, along with a bring home sack of goodness from P. F. Chang!  Wow, I love their SICHUAN SHRIMP OR SCALLOPS.  

I have been cooped up since the last of April from back surgery.  I'm usually seen these days, wearing my cute little back brace.  I have four weeks left to wear the darn thing, but I have to admit, it has wrapped me in its protective custody until I count on it.  It gives me a little confidence and allows me to do some things without an ouch of pain!

My L4 was screwed to my L5, and my L5 was screwed to my tailbone!  There is a little metal plate reenforcing the whole thing, and the spacers he put in gave me immediate relief from leg pain.

I tossed and turned, carefully, for the first 4 weeks, but am now sleeping fairly comfortably through the night.  I can't wait to drop the fetal position for a more normal relaxed one leg stretched out position.  

I have been driving my Thunder Mule for the last 2 weeks, and it feels good to be back in the saddle.

I also spent one day on a movie set near here, doing stills for a friend who is the writer/director.  More on this when the veil of secrecy has been lifted!

Then there was an evening spent back at the Princess Theatre, taking historical shots for the Foundation.  The band was The Bellamy Brothers, and I had a good time seeing all my old friends, until my back said, "Go home...go now!"  I have paid for that the last couple of days, but would do it all over again.

There is another concert coming soon, and I hope to be in better shape then.

Well, that's a little update from Mushy...he's still kicking, and just had his 67th birthday.  Wow...where did all the time go?!            

MUSHY IS HAVING A SALE!

As most of you know, I have been maintaining a large number of photographic art pieces online since October of 2011.  I greatly enjoy photography, and often surprise myself! 

I am currently offering a 25% discount on all my photographic art “mark ups” through July 31, 2013. 

Click on this link, http://paul-mashburn.artistwebsites.com/, or click below, peruse my galleries for the perfect art for your home or office, and enter the Discount Code: DMKPMV at check out!

I hope you fine something you like!

Mushy

SUPPORT HARRIMAN'S PROSPECT 14 ON JUNE 22ND!

There have been a lot of questions about what will happen to the hospital buildings that are in downtown Harriman. For the past few years the City has been actively preparing for this time by reinstalling the Harriman Industrial Board that was originally formed in the 1960’s, hiring an employee to oversee the maintenance of the properties, contracting with the KCDC (same firm that worked with Knoxville with revitalization of Market Square) to establish an Urban Renewal and Revitalization District downtown and a lot of little things such as pole banners and grants for sidewalk and lighting just off of Roane Street.

We are in somewhat of a fortunate situation in that we own 14 buildings that are being vacated by the hospital. A lot of towns our size continue to struggle with property owners that are non-compliant to the local codes and ordinances and are unwilling to sell or use the buildings. By the city working with the Industrial Board they are able to control each piece of property and SELL rather than auction like a municipality would. The IDB may set the price for each building and be as aggressive as needed in order to entice developers to come back to our downtown, once again making our revitalization easier than other places we have visited.

Along with the big hospital building we also have some along Devonia Street as well as several on Roane Street that we will be making available for purchase on June 22nd. This will be a day hosted by the Harriman Industrial Board so that any interested parties can walk through each building, ask questions and talk with people from the Chamber of Commerce, the City, State and the KCDC. These people will be able to answer questions as to the history of our area, demographics, details about the Urban Renewal District and other things that we have been working on to make our downtown vibrant once again. This day will be the start of a two week process where the IDB will accept letters or requests for use/purchase for each building. Some things that the board will consider will be the proposed use as well as price. We want to be sure that we are attracting and getting quality buyers for these buildings that will add to and enhance our downtown.

Similar to 123 years ago when the East Tn Land Company marketed and invited buyers to come to Harriman to form our city we too are hoping to attract interested buyers to come and start the final phase of our downtown revitalization! These are exciting times, please come out and support us and be a part of the new Harriman!

THE BOTTOM LINE IS:

The City of Harriman has 14 properties located in the downtown district available for your business opportunities. The City of Harriman along with the Harriman Industrial Board will be hosting a Prospect 14 Tour on June 22, 2013 from 10 am - 5 pm. Plan to attend now and get a first hand glimpse during this historic event.

A few of the buildings offer 2nd level housing opportunities and the street level would all be available to retail, restaurant, antique shops, office space, commercial use.

Staff will be available to meet with you to discuss your concept and review the opportunities downtown. We want to ensure that your goals are met.

To read and see more about this event, and the properties, CLICK HERE!

Out And About!

I'm having "posterior lumbar interbody fusion" (PLIF) surgery in late April, so today, while I was feeling like moving, I got out and went "manly-man" shopping with my son.  

We looked at everything from clothes at Men's Warehouse to golf clubs at Dick's!  Corey bought a #3 RZB fairway wood and picked up some super cool sunglasses to wear when driving the Mustang!  A man has to look his best!

We stopped at Silo Cigars to get a little something for Bailey's Sports Grille, and that's when I spotted it!  It looked like 20mm rounds in an ammo can...on the floor of the humidor room!

On closer inspection I saw that it was a special promotion Recon Cigar display.  The owner of the shop actually brought in the ammo can as an addition attractor!  It worked!

The "round", uh the cigar, cost be $20, but I just had to have this conversation piece.  I haven't tasted the product yet, but I plan on it Sunday at a family gathering.

At Bailey's we both enjoyed the "Black Forest" sandwich; he with fries and a gallon of tea, and me with onion rings and Fat Tire.  Man, it was tasty, and the rings are awesome!

We puffed our cigars and talked, and half-watched a couple guys play pool and I took a couple of shots to merge into this HDR renditions.  I love the effect of HDR.

I got to see my granddaughters as well today.  They are so precious, and of course, the prettiest and best grandchildren ever!

I just love good times with my son.  He is special and time with him is very rare and special.

See ya!

CURISIN' HARRIMAN 2013 BEGINS APRIL 13TH

This years Cruisin' Harriman begins on April 13th with new hours: 3:30 to 7PM!

CLICK HERE, see photos from past events!

See you in Downtown Harriman, TN - April through August, second Saturday of each month!