A year gone by. welcome 2013

Dear Pat,

In a few days it’ll be 4 years since we chatted.  I miss you.  We used to figure out life’s simplest problems,  world issues were brought down to size.   Crazy how fast time goes by.   I think I’ve had at least a dozen shots of Johnny Walker Red with each of your birthdays, celebrations and each January 5^th.   No, it has not gotten any better tasting.  J  If only you were here, I could avoid those shots. 

I thought I’d let you know with the end of this year a little bit about how the family is doing…Let me tell you this about that (as you would say)…

Your Bubs, Mom, Ginger – you would love her more now than ever before and be proud.   Mom has never stopped begin positive every day.   She has continued to be interested in everything and everyone who crosses her path, no surprise, right?   She has made her little house in Ojai a welcome home to us all, including her collection of unique friends and dogs and cats.   Mom had her knee replaced and bounced back from that, next month she’s getting her other shoulder done and then she’ll have one more knee.   I’m pretty sure she’ll reach Bionic Woman status with one more replacement.    In the meantime, she and I took a writing class earlier this year – we both wrote scripts (and are still working on them) but then recently Mom wrote her book, Flying Into the Sun, into a screenplay.   She’s determined to make sure I have a pool of projects to produce.   Now I have to do my part!   Mom and your Little Buddy Ramsey have been joined by Harry, a dog who started as a month or two stay and now a permanent resident.   The kittens, Leo and Johnny, are now cats and have settled in too.    Mom’s still addicted to books, facebook, has learned new games on Skype, takes classes with Adidam and so much more.    Eventually, when she’s ready, we will take a trip to Ajijic and New Hampshire!

Laurie is as busy as ever, zipping around, as you would expect, helping everybody, especially to get organized.    Her apartment’s rent went way up once Jack, her landlord died last year, so off she went to San Diego – she’s working with her friend Amy and in her off time is keeping an eye on Mom.    Every once in while she’ll sneak in a well deserved rest.   Belle is looking good despite her ailments, she’s got lots of cousins to deal with now that Laurie is living with Amy, sounds like they’re all getting along.  

Patrick turned 30 this year!  (Shhh, don’t say it too loud)  He has so many great ideas and inventions.   He is an amazing photographer.   He’s been gripping too, which has taken him to Alaska for one show and Nicaragua for another.   In between time, he’s got so many other projects happening.    He works with his dad too when not on some adventure.  Nixon is still bouncing around.

Tanya has been traveling out to California many times a year, earlier this year the whole Rinck family was here (that's the picture up top) and we all got together, fun times.   Of course she saved me on my 50^th by taking on the food for the party!    The Hamblin Road gang is doing fine and seems like they’ve had a lot of laughs.    Tom and Mom are competing for how many body parts they can get replaced.   And odd competition but they seem to be serious about it.    Phil and Jane say hello often and keep me up on the Rinck family news.  

Brittany has been traveling the USA with her nursing, she has friends everywhere.    One of these days her traveling nursing will bring her out here.    She’s got a boyfriend, Bill, who I’ve just met through facetime (yep, skype has competition) but he promises he’ll be out her to visit when her job does bring her out here.   They’ve been having a great time together.   Brittany is as amazing and beautiful and adventurous as ever.

Tyler has now lived in Bakersfield for over a year!   Who would have known that Bakersfield was going to be his new home?   But he’s been doing great.  He’s working for an oil company, learning multiple jobs, taking classes and plans on working his way up.   He’s riding a motorcycle that he looks pretty cool on, he met a girl and is taking things one day at a time.     He’s 21 already going on 22.

Connor is going to Bentley, playing football and continues to come up with money- making ideas.   One of them is going to fly and he’ll be on his way.   He’s going to be a very serious, smart businessman.   I’ve got my fingers crossed for him although he probably doesn’t need it.

I haven’t talked to Tim and Sally recently, I know the kids are growing up, Mom and Laurie can fill you in there.

Kim and the whole family were here to celebrate my 50^th with me, she and I are going to get together for fun soon.

Russ and Prish are taking care of Ojai and watch out for Mom.

Fortune and Kenny are as busy as ever.   Fortune with her teaching and traveling, Kenny with his art shows and both with music events and seems like so many other things.

Oh, one fun note, Marge, my elderly neighbor, is now 97, imagine that.   She’s feeling old.  J   But she’s funny, playing poker, she remembers how delighted you always were when you knew she was making cookies for you.  It's the little things folks remember the most.

And I am fine.   Ready for a new year.   I just got back from a two month job in Miami on a show called “Magic City”.  It came at just the right time.   It’s a cool show, I met a great new cast and crew and it was a perfect way to end the year.    It’s been a year of ups and downs as always but with my 50^th birthday celebration and ending with a show, it’s all good.   Keeping positive for next year.

I wish you were here with us and laughing into the new year.    It’s a rare day that you don’t come to mind for so many reasons.    Others have lost loved ones this year and it continues to remind me to appreciate the times we have now and to not put off something I really want to do.   

I’m happy for new friends, old friends and everything in between.    Happy New Year.  2013.    Obama is president again!  

Love you lots,

Xochi

PS  All my facts are based off of my memory so hopefully the family will add notes if edits need to be made.  xxoo

Happy Thanksgiving Pat. 2012

Well Hello Pat.    I haven't written in a while but not for any reason.   I talk about you often and think about you more, wishing you were here, thankful you were in my life as long as you were.

You know I've had a lot of time lately but then time goes by and I look back and wonder what I've done with all that free time.     And then just a few weeks ago, I got a call, packed up and a day later I was in Miami until Christmas.    I keep telling people of our Christmas in Coconut Grove, FL (isn't that right?) before we headed off to Abaco Island for "Day of the Dolphin".    That was a good Christmas to remember during one of those times at the dinner table you would say "Do you remember where you were last Christmas?"  Or 5 years ago.   Or 40 years ago?

I thought I would spend Thanksgiving by myself this year, here in Miami, as someone who just got dropped into this show, Magic City.   But then I got invited to the most wonderful Thanksgiving gathering.    I walked in to the Host greeting me with feathers on his head and offering up feathers to me or a pilgrim hat.    They were all cooking up a storm, a delightful group of guests were arriving.  I think you would have enjoyed it.   You'd especially would have loved the view, right there on the river, the 75 degrees and the food which was delicious!     I'm not describing it as well as it was but if you were to ask me "Where were you last Thanksgiving now", I'd definitely remember this one.    I told my hosts as much, they were like you and Mom were, inviting someone new into their house and making me feel at home.  

The other fun part was that meanwhile in Hollywood - another part of our family was gathered around another dinner table and in the North East yet another part was gathered around another dinner table.   We all connected throughout the day and you'd never know we weren't all together.

Perhaps you were at the 4th table with even more family.

Here's some of the family now!

Anyway, everyone here is fine, zig zagging around the states...no moss gathering on our family.

Love you lots,
Xochi

PS This was always true with you.   Always.

Warren

Dear Pat,

I've been putting off sending this note because it's sad news.   One of your pals is on his way to you.  In fact, by now, he's got to be done with all his paperwork and chatting up God, you're probably talking about old times right now.    Warren Bateman died July 15.    He sure was tough and got through so many close calls but this time he didn't stay.    He was funny and caring and checked up on me as often as he could.    The last time I saw him he showed me the way he kept count of all his walks around the yard, a contraption he set up for each time he got back to the garage.   It reminded me so much of your various inventions.    He never stopped telling stories about you guys and all the great times and adventures you had together.    The Batemans are and always will be an extension of our family.    They've always included me in their family get togethers, making sure I was always invited, especially when I was the only Blymyer on the west coast.    Guess that's what real friendship is all about, watching out for each other.   Warren's funeral is September 1st in Carpinteria so we will all get together then.  (1p Carpinteria Community Church)

I've also put this off because I've been working lots of hours and haven't made the time.   Silly me, I thought working hard and doing my best would assure me my place in this world but it seems that's not true.    Mom is disappointed by how people are treated in our business and easily cast away and you would be too.    The man who took my job away was even telling me how wonderful you were and then turns around and tells someone else I'm not the right person for the job.   Not that I was doing anything wrong, I just wasn't the right man for this position. 

Next weekend I'm having a 50th birthday circus celebration, bringing back the big summer bbq.   I think you would have liked to be here.   All the family that can will be here along with many of the Batemans and of course lots of friends new and old.   

Hope you and Warren have a good reunion and tell lets of good stories.   Miss you and love you lots.

Xochi

Mom's Eclipse Photos For you, May 20th, 2012 Eve

Hi Pat - Here's some of the pictures Mom took tonight.  She's quite the photographer these days (along with getting them on the computer AND emailing them!)

Quite a neat lighting job you did there.

Mom spent the evening with Norman and Tanya Lang.  Sounds like they had quite a nice time celebrating your birthday and the eclipse!   

xxoo

Happy Birthday Pat - May 20, 2012

Happy Birthday to you Pat!

I'm not sure if it's you or not but I'd like to think since it's your birthday that they assigned you the task of lighting for the eclipse this afternoon.   Who else could take on such a unique lighting set up, right?   They probably weren't prepared for all the little extension cords and cables hanging around but the end result is magnificent!

I met a guy last week, an assistant director originally from Texas.   I didn't think that we had ever met but as we talked about past shows, I mentioned "Leap of Faith" and he said "I Worked on That!  My first show."   It really was his first show working in Groom, Texas as an extra and then a craft service helper.   Anyway, I asked him, as I always do, if he knew you.   He said "Of course I do, he's the one who always changed his shoes and said it was important!".    That was 20 years ago.   You are memorable no matter what the reason.   Do you remember on that show on my birthday, we were in Dallas on the big stage,  you had the painter put up a banner in that huge entryway that said "Happy Birthday Xochi"?   It made me feel very important.   I still have that.

Another thing that happened last week and Mom suspects it might have been you.   I was sleeping.  Or trying to sleep one night and at 1:30A someone walked into my room and stood by my bedside.  That someone seemed to want to talk to me.   Now these past few weeks I've had a lot going on in my house.  The kitchen flooded so the floors were pulled up all through the house, all my stuff has been packed out to somewhere down the road and there have been people in here constantly doing some form of construction and always leaving a mess.   Many leave "The bitterness of poor quality..." although not necessarily at a low price.    I'm hoping that you were there to tell me everything will be alright.   Help me not go crazy.  Ha.   I could use a few laughs with you right about now.

I was thinking today that you will remain forever young.   I went to see "Dark Shadows" today and Mom's favorite Johnny Depp is the vampire,  he remains forever young for a slightly different reason.  

Thinking of you today with lots of love.   I'm celebrating down here.   I see you forever young whistling down the road with a little skip in your step - I'm trying to catch up!  

Lots of love,
Xochi

Islands and Happy St. Patrick's Day, Pat!

Hi Pat!

Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Do you know, it's really pretty cool, that we've been to many different islands together?

I was thinking the other day that this is about the time of year you, Mom and I went off to Catalina Island to work on "No Secrets". It was my first job on a movie, standing in for one of the kids. It was almost like our own island since it was an off time for tourist. We usually had a grilled cheese and chocolate malt on the dock for breakfast and then walked to work wherever the location was that day. All the families came to visit and it was almost hard to remember that we weren't on vacation but location!

Going back to when I was a kid, when I was about 9, 1972, you did "Day of the Dolphin" and off we all went to the Bahama Islands and there we were on Treasure Key for 3 months in the "winter". Tanya and I went to school at the 3 room schoolhouse where we had to say the Lord's Prayer every morning and on certain days of the week my 3rd-4th-5th grade class of 10 students went off to tennis lessons. We hitchhiked to school hoping for rides on golf carts. On other days we would all go to the Conch Shell that was right on the water.

A few years later, 1976, we spent the summer in the Dominican Republic when you worked on "The Sorcerer". While you were working, our days were spent by the pool or at the beach where the pigs also sunbathed. We had so many nights of strolling down the street singing songs. Dinner with the violin player serenading our table. We all had 4th of July at the Embassy. Every once in a while we got to go to visit the set and we'd get to ride the helicopter into the jungle.

Meanwhile, Mom got a job on "The Deep" and headed off to a different island for a few weeks. At the end of the summer while you headed off to the next location, Mom and us went to meet her new friends on a tug boat and staying on the boat, we stayed near Bimini Island for a few days.

There were so many other places. It really was the best thing ever going on location. We were all together and had so many adventures.

I love you and thank you and Mom for giving us such a colorful, adventurous childhood. How lucky were we?

Love and miss you lots,

Xochi

It's National Kazoo Day Pat!

Check this out Pat -

Time for us all to pull our kazoos out and play a tune today.

xxoo

National Kazoo Day

January 28, 2012

National Kazoo Week - January 23-29, 2012

The State of the Kazoo 2012
by
Rick Hubbard

National Kazoo Day 2012 may be celebrated on Thursday, Jan. 26th which is the fourth Thursday of January or it may be celebrated on January 28, or any other day during that period deemed convenient by kazooists. In fact, many kazoo players celebrate the kazoo for the entire last week of January each year.

May you all enjoy a HAPPY NEW KAZOO YEAR!

This year we commemorate the 162nd birthday of the Kazoo --
an American instrument invented in the 1840s in Macon, GA. Legend tell us the kazoo was invented by collaboration of Alabama Vest (American black) and Thaddeus Von Clegg (German-American clockmaker).