I am alive! Just been an executor!

[suecanada]

Hi everyone. Yes, it feels like I've been to the Twilight Zone and completely out of touch with my own life. I have just started to touch the real ground after performing the duties of being the executor to my pack rat Uncle Rod who lived 6.5 hours away. He was 96! He died in his bed with his faithful wee dog not budging from his side until the cops came in 1.5 days after Rod was noticed by a neighbour by his absence. He was driving and doing chores around his small town even on his last day. People there were taken by surprise as were we.
He never downsized in his life...just ran outta steam I guess. Great way to run your life....no stress, no worries.
So I am not ignoring our forum...well I guess I sure was, but I am slowly getting my life back. Luckily, Rod waited till I had all the bikes pretty well stored for the winter and the huge batch of leaves cleared up and gardens put to bed for the winter. Rod was a pack rat and not a housekeeper to say the least. Place was a mess but hiding in there was many a gem. He was a WWII navy photographer and as such had great photos... of U-boat capt. surrendering; Churchill, Monty, Hollywood Victory Bond stars. He was a prospector too. He never ever threw much out and we are glad he kept these things. It is the plastic bags, paper bags, margarine tubs, all bill receipts, magazines etc in a jumble that was a challenge and probably not very safe with all the mouse droppings around. Anyhoo...I am alive and well and will get back on track soon.
I am hoping Monte's son got home and is enjoying being close to his family again!!

[SCJJR65]

Hey, Sue!

I have to admit I've not been posting much on the board the past few months as well.  Having to sell my lovely CLC in May was a real downer, but I at least have a little 1982 Honda GL500 Silverwing to ride around town until next year, when I hope to buy another Beemer for the garage (and might see about adding a sidecar to this Honda).

Glad to hear you are in good spirits (even though riding season is probably long over with up there, right?  I ride the little Honda back and forth to work most days, even though it's just a 6 mile ride thru downtown Greenville.  But hey, a ride is a ride!

Sure hope to meet up with you again and drink a frosty cold one with you!  Next summer, the BMWRA is holding their national rally at the Biltmore House again!  I went there in '07 (I only live 60 miles from Asheville) and had a blast.  See if you can squeeze this rally into your summer riding schedule!

See ya!  [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

John in SC

[montmil]

...I am hoping Monte's son got home and is enjoying being close to his family again!!

Safe and sound, Sue, safe and sound. We'll all be together at Christmas for the first time in many years. Thanks for asking.

[Bob_Roller]

Good to hear from you Sue, been awhile since you've posted here !!!

At first, I thought I read you were an executioner, sounded like you were honing your hangman skills !!!!! [smiley=behead.gif]

Sounds like your uncle lived life the way he wanted to .

[suecanada]

If I could bottle the way Rod ran his life I would be a millionaire in no time!! But, of course, the money wouldn't matter either!

So what does matter....health, family, freedom, compassion and love.... :-/ :-?

[Air4Life]

Hello Sue,

I hope your uncle Rod didn't shock you with his secrets.  Uncles can be strange that way.

Welcome back.

Ange  

[Dave 2]

Hi Sue, What wonderful story of your caring for your Uncle's estate. My favorite and only Uncle Fred gave me the honor of taking care of his estate. Fred was only 76 and had been a fine photographer and all around ageless and entertaining soul. You mentioned feeling out of touch with your own life as I
did. However, having to go through and decide what to do with all his belongings has become a very fond memory of the intimacy involved with that final act of caring for him. Best Wishes and Merry Christmas. D2

[k_enn]

Sue, I understand what's involved, and that it can be a bitter-sweet experience.  Losing a family member is not easy, but it can be sweet finding out some interesting things about the person.  

I am executor for my father's estate, and while cleaning out some files I found I found his original flight log when when he was training as a pilot in WWII in the Army Air Corp.  How cool is that?  Funnist thing thing was that according to the instructrors, he was not as good a pilot as he claimed to have been.  

[Justin B.]

Sue, very sorry for your loss but it sounds like your uncle lived and went out on his own terms.  I hope I either go out in a blaze of glory (quickly) or in my sleep.

I envy your opportunity to go through the wealth of WWII photos you discovered.  It would be neat if you could scan some of the more interesting ones and post 'em up!

[suecanada]

Unfortunately but inevitable for storage reasons and reasons that one cannot keep it all, most of the photos have gone to auction. I do have a couple of Gen. Montgomery and maybe a Robt. Mitchum. I do have them in my memory banks though!! And until I die or dementia takes them away (when I won't know it anyway) I'll always have pictures in my mind's eye and the stories that went with them.
As Christmas gets nearer I was getting more maudlin but I have combated this feeling by declaring our Christmas tree as "the Uncle Rod" tree. All over the tree are situated pics of Rod...young, mid and older pics....baby, kid, teen, Navy man, prospector and photographer! Lots of fun doing it and under the tree sits his wooden rocking horse, yes/no monkey and toy drum and books...for all of them I have been the caretaker for savekeeping for quite sometime now.
I hope we have honoured him well as in life when I kept encouraging him to live long and beat all the ancestors ages!! We had lots of milestone birthdays when his toy monkey was front and centre. We joked a lot!

[Bengt_Phorqs]

Sue, I heard it said once that as long as someone remembers us we are never truly gone.  I like to think that is true.  Having said that, time to shake off the doldrums and cabin fever that one must surely have in the cold, dark confines of Canada.  Grab a handful of airplane and spend a few weeks in sunny Texas.  I'm sure there are some of us who will put you up (right Monte?) and we have bikes to ride.  Everyday!  

[suecanada]

Boy is that tempting!!! I'm tinkin'; I'm tinkin'!!! Even if I don't come I want you to know just how much your kind offer means to me....can't think of another couple of guys I'd rather spend some time with! Well, ok, there may be some others as well but I'm not telling!!