goodbye

soundboard de cheevo -- June 2004- January 2009

I'll be back at some point maybe.

I've just grown tired of this for now.

passages part one

Tommy Goff at band camp in Warm Springs, Ga. (circa 1987)

I want to preface this by saying that In the time I've been away from the blog, much has happened. It's not of the daily news variety. It's not all fun or light-hearted. That sort of information I now relay on Facebook and I recommend anyone who uses the Internet religiously to get an account. It's free and much more interactive than traditional blog world. That explains a part of my absence and probably some of my future absences from this medium. I feel like this blog is a better channel for more serious thoughts and writing and when those moments occur, they will be reflected here. This series of entries aren't downer as much as they are changes in my life that I need to remember and later reflect on.

The entire season of Fall has passed and with it some people, animals and places who have meant a lot to me in different points of my life. I given a lot of thought to how I would word this to honor them and these words don't come easy at times which is the reason for the long blog absence. I guess this is a matter of quality over quantity.

My first installment of this series called "passages" is dedicated to Tommy Goff, my former band director at Auburn High School. He died September 25 after a brief illness at age 75. This is lifted directly from his obituary, that ran in the Opelika-Auburn News, and tells the story of his amazing life:

Tommy Goff was born June 13, 1933 in Mobile, Alabama. A self-described "C/D student" until he discovered the trumpet and the band, Mr. Goff found that his new passion fueled a pursuit of excellence in other areas of his life as well. During high school, Tommy also made extra money playing dance jobs around Mobile and New Orleans, developing a love of jazz. After graduating from Murphy High School in 1951, Goff decided to come to Auburn University with a friend to major in Aeronautical Engineering. After only two weeks, Tommy realized he should change his major to Music Education.

During his college years, Tommy was active in a number of music-related organizations, including the Auburn Knights Association, a jazz band comprised mainly of AU students, earning desperately-needed side money. Upon graduation, Mr. Goff accepted the position of Band Director for Lee County High School (now known as Auburn Junior High School), which housed students in grades 6 through 12. In later years, Auburn High School was built, and Mr. Goff became the Director of AHS Bands. During Mr. Goff's 32 years in the Auburn City School System, the AHS bands - concert, marching, and jazz (lab) - all became notable for their excellence, innovation, and mature playing style.

Mr. Goff and the bands he directed won many awards, gave a number of invited performances, and in 1987, were notified they had received the Sudler Flag of Honor, the highest honor that can be bestowed on a high school band program. A number of his former students went on to become professional musicians and band directors, which pleased him immensely. Following his retirement in 1988, Mr. Goff continued to stay active in the music field by adjudicating competitions, teaching private lessons, and writing and arranging music for small ensembles. Throughout his life, Mr. Goff was a devoted Auburn University football fan, as well as an active participant in the annual Auburn Knights Reunion held each summer.


Mr. Goff was a legend and I think he knew it, but he didn't ride on it. He was a wonderful mix of a disciplinarian who didn't put up with mischief or excuses, but at the same time could turn around and make a joke on himself or a student who deserved it. His understanding of the importance of all genres of music was and will always be a major influence on my life. The quality I adored the most about Mr. Goff was that he wanted to know what was his students were listening to and many of those songs he transposed into marching transcripts and we performed them. Paul Simon's "You Can Call Me Al," Swing Out Sister's "Break Out" and The Bangles "Walk Like an Egyptian," were trademark songs of 1986 and we performed all three. My favorite was a medley he created of Stevie Wonder songs. Mr. Goff's musical taste range was wide and his interest in his student's musical tastes was an inspiration for me.

I was so nervous during our first halftime show that I lined up on the wrong side of the field before the performance. Fortunately I noticed or someone else did and got me back to my right spot, but Mr. Goff got such a laugh about it that 10 years later when I saw him at an Auburn University basketball game, I greeted him with a hug and the first thing he said to me was, "You were the one who lined up on the wrong side of the field." I guess it's good to be known for something embarrassing rather than nothing at all.

Being in marching band under his direction was one of the happiest times of my teen-aged life. I met many wonderful people, many of whom I've touched base with in the past year through Facebook. I learned musical discipline and how wonderful the feeling is of performing a song that you feel in your heart, one that could almost bring you to tears. I looked forward to our performances, to wearing our marching uniform and proud of the sweat and heart we had all put into those halftime shows.

It is a love I carry with me today when I play guitar, when I hear new music and when I hear old music that's new to me -- jazz, rock, funk, classical, blues and more. My ears were opened by Tommy Goff and his lessons, ethic and passion will remain an inspiration for me for the rest of my life. God bless Tommy King Goff.

late summer photo backtrack

Sunset at Jekyll Island, Ga. -- Labor Day

No luck, but lots of trying with fishing at Jekyll Island, Ga. -- Labor Day

Me at Jekyll Island, Ga. -- Labor Day

The Orr Park Hoodlums Reunion III, August 16, Montevallo, Ala.

Old school bike representation, Orr Park Hoodlums reunion

Beautiful sunset on 14th Ave. S

Brevard, NC

An apology

Dear blog and random readers, Sorry I have temporarily abandoned you. It's not that there's nothing going on. It's just that Facebook seems to be more fun and interactive. It's not you. I swear.

Happy Birthday Mimi!

Me and my grandparents, 1973, Sea Island, Ga.

Mimi and I making biscuits, 1975, Lyme, New Hampshire. She took care of me for a week or two when my sister was born. Did my smock not rock?

My grandparents at our first house in Auburn, 1978.


Four generations: Mimi, my Aunt Claudia, cousin Laura and her three children, Ryan, Kaitlyn and Evan, 2005. This was taken on a super hot August day in EdwinWarner Park in Nashville (hence a couple of unhappy kiddos).



Today my sole grandparent turns 86. She will never read this blog entry or any words that appear on a computer screen, but that's okay. She doesn't like a lot of attention or sentiment anyway. That's just Mimi.

My grandmother was born Elizabeth Ann, known as Betty, in 1922 in Dearborn, Michigan. She was the first born to a Swedish immigrant named John Eric Noreen and his French Canadian wife Isabelle Elizabeth Chartier. Mimi's father worked for one the Big Four auto companies.

My mother's and my first name are also Elizabeth -- a name that has has been carried on for more than a century. Mimi met my late grandfather, John Charles Wheeler, during the war in Detroit where she worked as a bank teller and he, an architect designing war planes. They moved back to his home land of Middle Tennessee and lived in Nashville since 1945, where my mother, named after Mimi and nicknamed Libby, aunts Claudia and Joan and I were born (and all in the same hospital, the now non-existent St. Thomas).

My grandfather, Boss, as we called him, started his own architecture firm in Nashville in 1953 called J.C. Wheeler and Associates. Their most prominent work was the 28-story First American Skyscraper, now known as Regions Center, was completed in 1969. It's not anything like the skyscrapers that line downtown Nashville today, but 40 years ago it was one of the tallest in the city - amazing to consider seeing how modest it looks by today's standards.

Mimi has four grandchildren, three great-grands and a beloved Scottish Terrier who has been known to be given homemade waffles and syrup for breakfast. Mimi lives independently in a house my grandfather designed and built for the family in the early 1950s where she has beautiful gardens and picture windows, perfect for bird and animal watching on a huge hilly lot in the neighborhood of Oak Hill.

She is a fantastic cook, still very active in her church, First Presbyterian on Franklin Road, and a life-long lover of visual art and oil painting specifically. As a child she fostered this appreciation in me, along with playing guitar (she gave me my first at around age 9) and this gesture of generosity and encouragement is one I will always be extremely grateful for as it has positively impacted many aspects of my adult life, including my chosen field and favorite past times.

Happy Birthday my dear Mimi!

The amazing Audrey Rose, three years, three months

Last weekend my sister and I went to Atlanta, a trip briefly mentioned in my last post, to see our friends Tim and Angela and their two tiny girls. Last time Lindsay and I laid eyes on Audrey Rose was two years ago and I guess there's no need to point out that the difference between the age one and three is as vast as the Mojave. While there have been major changes in my life as well in this time period, Audrey has gone from a somewhat bald just-walking baby to a fully functioning member of kid society with thoughts, opinions, preferences (for many things ultra girlie) and of course many many questions that all start with "Why?"

A baby no more, Audrey is the spitting image of her mama with an intense curiosity about the workings of the world like her papa. She's a proud big sister to seven-week-old Harper Jane and loved having ladies day out with me, Angela and Lindsay on Monday. I feel slightly guilty by not showing more appreciation for newborn Harper on this post, but know in short time we'll be seeing another force-of-nature personality bloom as we have with her older sister.

Some funny Audrey moments that I jotted down in my trusty reporter's notebook:

Me to A at dinner: "Can I have one your curls?"
A to me: "No, you can have pizza."

A to me after I showed her how to build a pyramid out of blocks, "You're such a smart little girl." She was the one that observed the the pyramid from the side looked just like steps.

A to me after I got her stuffed bunny off the top bookshelf in her bedroom, "When I grow up I wanna be tall like you." (Mind you both parents are taller than me, her dad over 6 feet)

A to me at 8:00 a.m. my body clock time, "I think you need some more sleep."
Me to A, "I think you're right."

A to a very groggy morning time me, "But why do you need to rest your head?"
Me to A, "I just do." (this sequence repeated about four times)

Linday to A, "Why do you ask so many questions?"
A to Lindsay, "I don't know." (and runs away quickly)

A to me and Angela, "I want Lindsay Brown to make my breakfast."

A to me in the car after given a piece of after-lunch gum,
"Harper can't chew gum. She's a baby."

As Linds and I were getting ready to leave Audrey took me aside by the hand and said, "I want to show you my favorite toy." I was expecting something princess-related, but she pulls out a battery powered toy chain saw and displays it to me proudly in her sassy little candy striped dress, beaming from ear to ear.



I know I can't let another two years pass before I see this kid again.


July 2006, 15 months, Funny thing is during this time Angela was worried that Audrey wasn't going to ever grow hair. HA!

Through Waddy's lens

How the mother of a toddler and a newborn can rock multitasking to this level is astonishing to me. The quality of her photography just gets better with each passing snap. Angela Georges (known simply by her maiden name of Waddy to myself and Linds) photography can been seen here on Flickr and here at her official professional site.

She did the photography for my sister's wedding and couldn't be more highly endorsed to anyone looking for an extremely talented and hard-working freelancer in the Atlanta area.

Here are some of her photos from our visit last weekend.

summertime rolls --- in more ways than one

It's been a July full of travels and busyness which has made the month fly by and that's okay seeing as we're in the thick of the dog days. My A/C runs non-stop, the power bill is too high and being outside during the day is not recommended for "sensitive" groups such as myself -- referring to my asthma here and not my keen life-long ability to get my feelings hurt quickly. Yeah, I'm ready for fall to get here. We all are in the deep South.

The month started out with an excellent fireworks show on Red Mountain that I saw from the News parking deck with some friends and co-workers. I worked that night and wasn't really in the photographing spirit, but Jeff Roberts at the News got some good snaps.

The next week Clare and I went to Joe Wheeler State Park in north Alabama and caught some bream and me a decent-sized bass. Wheeler Lake is beautiful -- 87 miles long and full of huge fish. The last night I stayed up until 3:30 a.m. fishing, I saw an Alligator Gar that was at least four feet long -- literally took my breath away, but sadly not my hook -- until next time, suckahs!

On our way back to Birmingham, we stopped at the randomly miraculous tourist attraction known as Ave Maria Grotto. The only way to describe it is if the Rev. Howard Finster was a European-born Catholic. The pictures do the place better justice.

The weekend of the 18th Mom and Dad drove down from Brevard for a short stay and we three headed South at the break-o-dawn to Brown family reunion in Clarke County, Alabama. I met some new baby cousins and saw all my aunts but one. Many funny stories were told and enough food was brought and smoked at on-site at the church to feed a few hundred. Afterward we made the short trek to Monroeville, the city that served as inspiration for the small southern town setting in Harper Lee's masterpiece.

And speaking of more road trips and more Harpers, Lindsay and I drove to Atlanta this past Sunday to meet Tim and Angela's new baby girl who's all of 7 weeks. They are getting their own special post to be written soon and starring the famous and brilliant three-year-old phenom known as Audrey Rose.

Sweet Onion

Bush Tours America To Survey Damage Caused By His Disastrous Presidency

Thanks to Christina Tutor for the forward. I heart The Onion more than ever.