Shocco Springs

I wrote a wonderful blog the other night while I was sitting up in my bed with my computer on my lap. The setting was Shocco Springs where I was present for a trustee summit, and since I serve as a trustee for Shocco Springs Baptist Assembly and Camps, I thought perhaps a few of us should attend. However, attempting to correct some spelling or grammar, I must have hit two buttons at once, and those wonderful words went to ethernet land, whereever that is.

First of all, let me tell you that I LOVE SHOCCCO. It is a long lasting love affair.
My first visit/stay was in 1961 for Church Music Week. I stayed at the then 'new' Mt. Moriah Hotel. It was nice for the time period. We took a group from our church. I "studied" beginning music reading and beginning voice. Our project for the week was to learn and sing Mendelsohn's oratorio, Elijah. David Ford, then a young man, was the baritone soloist. Charles Crocker sang the tenor solos. Eleanor Ousley was a soloist as well, and Dr. John Sims, directed the mass choir. I remember the great family style meals, the swimming pool adjacent to the snack bar in front of the auditorium, filled with cold green spring water. I remember the old hotels "500" and "400" and the cottages. RA campers were in cabins up the hill and Mr. B (F. Eugene Brasher), our minister of music, took us guys up a hill through the woods (seemed like forever) to a field to play football.

My next trip came during the Spring of 1968, as I delivered the Jacksonville State Baptist Student Union Choir to sing at the Spring Leadership Conference for BSU leadership. Of course, we sang and got back on the bus and I took them home. The next year, however, I was an attendee at the conference. During those days, we stayed in the cottages where you did not have any heat, and you had to furnish your own linens. Those were fun times, except when it turned cold.

The summer of 1968 I worked at the adjacent Royal Ambassador Camp for boys. That camp was operated separately from Shocco by the Brotherhood Department of the State Baptist Convention Executive board. Our outstanding director was Clayton Gilbert, a super individual who taught me many things (maybe a post for that alone)about leadership, myself, and serving God. I will also save RA Camp for another post.

During those days the Shocco summer staff was composed of a few college students and many high school students. The GA (Girls Auxiliary) Camp was up the hill behing Shocco. RA staffers often dated the Shocco staffers or the GA staffers.
Dr. Waymon Reese was the director the first two years I was at camp. Dr. George Ricker came in 1970. Dr. Reese usually had a couple on staff who helped chaperone and manage the summer staff. He did not put restrictions on some of the college students, and I remember a few who lived in cottage "G" and they did not have a curfew. When Dr. Ricker came, he stated very convincingly that he believed in the Virgin Birth, the Inspiration of Scripture, the Second Coming, etc, AND CURFEW.

Helen came to work in the office the summer after her freshman year at junior college. That summer I was the assistant director of RA Camp and Stan Stepleton was the director. Mr. G had resigned and left in May and we were quick fill ins.
One of my jobs each day was to pick up the mail, both at the post office and at the Shocco office. So, I got to know the girls in the office. They were a very friendly bunch. I was not. But they managed to engage me in some conversation, though since I was a college grad, I thought these were just kids.
Well, later I double dated with Helen, Debbie G. and Johnny C. We went bowling.
Nearer to the end of camp, I wrecked my Opal Cadet on the camp road. Helen offered to sell her car to me, but I would have to take her home after camp was over. Well, she has been my wife for almost 36 years, so you know Shocco is special.
When I wanted to take her to Jacksonville one day and evening to meet my friends, Dr. Ricker got her to get her mother on the phone to get permission. He did look after his staffers.

Five summer on camp staff were enough for me, but that did not end my Shocco days.
We took college students there every Spring and some Fall's for 19 years, took a youth retreat there, and I spent numerous cold days in January at staff retreat.
I have attended Sunday School conferences, Brotherhood conferences, music and youth conference, campus ministry retreats, associational leadership retreats and many other events there.

This past December Shocco celebrated our 60th annivesary. Helen and I sttended the weekend and reuninted with some old friends and made some new ones. Dr. Ricker released his book on the history of Shocco. (It's a great read.) We reunited with another couple that met at Shocco. They married in the chapel in 1969 and I served as best man. She had been the food service manager and he had served with me at RA Camp. Back in the early 90's, our sons were in the same camp group at RA Camp one week. Talk about coincidences, or is it Providence.

For the past five years I have served on the Board of Trustees at Shocco. It is just one way for me to promote the facility and give back to the place that gave me so many great life experiences.

I met a new cousin/figuring out relationship

Most of the folks who know me know I love doing genealogy, and am considered the source for information among my cousins for information on the May and Quinn families. Last night I had the wonderful privilege of meeting face to face for the first time, Mike and Mary Ellen. We had corresponded for several years via email, and had shared information. Mike and I are fourth cousins-twice removed on the May side. What does that mean? It means that his g.g.g.g.g.grandfather(Philip H. May) is my g.g.g.grandfather. What is totally wierd, is that we are actually more closely related on my mother's, mother's, father's, father's, mother's side. Got that?
We are fourth cousins ONCE removed on the Coffee side. BUT if you go back one more generation, Mary Ellen and I are related, TOO. (yes, that means she is distantly related to her husband - but weren't FDR and Eleanor cousins?)

Here is the easy way to understand - persons who share grandparents are cousins, or first cousins. Those who share great-grandparents are second cousins. If on either side one individual is a generation off, that is once removed. My first cousin's child is NOT my 2nd cousin, but is my first cousin, once removed. My second cousin's grandchild is not my 4th cousin, but is my second cousin, twice removed. Thus Mike's grandfather and I would be fourth cousins, and Mike is twice removed from that. Got it?

Now, to the good part. Mike and Mary Ellen took me to a wonderful steak place for dinner, the Railhead. We had a great visit over dinner, and then a very enjoyable time back at their lovely home. I probably stayed too long, but I just love getting to know my kinfolk. Thanks, Mike and Mary Ellen, for your wonderful hospitality.

Sanding floors

Almost five years ago, Helen and I purchased the empty house next door to her mother. It needed a lot of attention and we wanted to control who lived next door. Since that time I have been working on the house in my (spare?) time. (Helen helped some at first.) That has meant that several other things have had to take the back seat (or the trunk), like golf, visits with friends and relatives, etc.

Last week I decided to try to get some donated cabinets out of the way by working on the kitchen. This meant I had to get the wood floors in shape before setting the cabinets. There was just one problem. We had removed a wall to extend the size of the room, but the old kitchen had linoleum flooring attached to the wood with something like tar, and then had a vinyl on top of that. Originally most of it came up, but there were a few areas, about 12-16 square feet, that did not come up. So, I broke down and rented a sander and got started. I now have a very sore blister on my ring finger.(Yep, I forgot to take off my wedding band as I worked.) But the good news is, with a litte more sanding, the floor will be ready to finish and it looks great! And, I finished setting the cabinets. Thanks to our friends, the Jenkins, I will only have to purchase one 36" wall cabinet, and new countertops. (They donated the cabinets when they renovated their kitchens a few years ago.)

The question I get most often is, "When will you finish?" I really don't know, but I hope it is in 2009.

Here is what we have gotten accomplished so far: removed part of wall in kitchen to enlarge to the back door area and eliminated one doorway leading out of kitchen, completely rewired the house (with very able assistance from my electrician brother in law, Buck), tiled two bathrooms and one laundry room (had to level the floor here), completely insulated the attic, plumbed for new cutoffs in kitchen, completely reworked every window (well, a few are at home waiting their final work) and painted all windows, added storm windows, installed vinyl siding on all outside walls, soffits, and garage, tore off rotting porch on back and completely rebuilt, replaced flooring on front porch, removed unsightly shed over underhouse access, had kitchen and closet re-drywalled, installed new toilet and lavatory in front bath and put in beadboard walls-painted that entire bath, replaced some exterior fascia boards (rest need to be replaced), patched and sealed chimney and painted it, put in handrail for back porch, build new steps between house and garage, tore out fixtures in back bedroom bath and removed window over tub, reworked hall closet to make more space, enlarged scuttle hole to attic in middle bedroom closet(where I fell through and hurt my knee), and kept the yards in order (mostly by Buck).
I am sure there is more, but I really don't want to think about it now. It makes me tired.

What's left? Finish windows, replace fascia boards, reroof, have central heat/AC installed, sand and finish all floors, paint all walls, tile countertop in laundry and paint cabinets, paint and rework closets, install one ceiling fan, route dryer vent to outside,put tub surround on rear bathroom and install toinlet and lavatory, patch and sand walls where needed (lots of places)-pour driveway and repair side porch. Install new doors in a few places and finish redoing door facings, put quarterround down on all baseboard after finishing floors and probably three dozen other things. Any volunteers?

Christmas is past and I'm exhausted

Another Christmas has come and gone. Well, not completely. My wife's nephew and his family are coming tomorrow, so there will still be some Christmas excitement to enjoy with the kids.
The Christmas Eve service at church was one of the best, very worshipful and the setting was superb.
We had a great Christmas day at our house, from the opening of presents to the steak dinner for lunch. Yep, steaks on the grill. We had already had the turkey and ham dinners earlier, and our daughter requested steaks. Our long time friends joined us for dinner and we had a great visit all afternoon. Then we loaded up the Camry for Meredith's move to Nashville. She and Nic left last night to drive to Birmingham and catch a flight to California early this morning. I must have taken a 24 hour sudaphed instead of a 12 hour one, cause I could not go to sleep last night. It will tell on me today, but I have several errands to run. Wish me some energy.

Can you say "tired?"

I left Montgomery Wednesday mid-afternoon and drove to Knoxville where I spent the night. Then I drove to Newport News, VA to move Meredith's stuff to Nashville. I got there about 5:15 p.m. and we started loading the U-haul trailer (I had pulled all the way from Montgomery) with Meredith's stuff. Thankfully her guy, Nic, roommate Laura and her fiance Josh, and two other friends helped us load. We got that job done about 8:30 and went to eat. Then we went by her friend, Becky's house to say goodbye to her and the kids. After that, we were back at the apartment cleaning up and getting the last things ready for a 6:00a.m. departure on Friday. We were up at 5:15 EST, but my collosal coffee spill on the carpet slowed us down about 20 minutes so we didn't pull out until about 6:15. The Freestyle, Escape, and U-haul were all packed! I mean PACKED! Can you imagine the gas mileage I got the Freestyle (Taurus X) pulling a full vehicle and a jammed trailer? We filled up three times between Newport News and Nashville. and once more in Birmingham. After two stops to unload, once at Meredith's new residence in Nipper's Corner, and once at a blessed friend's parents home in Franklin to store furniture, we stopped to eat in Columbia and then headed to Alabama. We pulled in at 1:15 a.m. CST. That's 20 hours on the road!!!!! Can you say tired?

The Living Christmas Tree

Once again this year I had the privilege to sing in the Living Christmas Tree at FBC Montgomery. I think this was my 5th time to sing, maybe 6th. I sang back in the mid-1980's in the old sanctuary before they went to the 3 trees. I love singing with a choir, but my responsibilities to be in other churches on Sundays prevents my singing regularly in this great choir. I always love who I can see during the tree. Ray Smith, who teaches music at Troy and is a Rotary friend, played in the orchestra again this year. One surprise came on Sunday night at the final performance when I discovered the harpist was the daughter of a seminary classmate and colleague I served with years back here in Montgomery.
I say without bias that this year's choir was one of the very best. I can't wait to see it on Frazer television or on the DVD.
My choir director growing up, Dr. Eugene Brasher, always said you could tell a choir was good if they could sing softly. Listen to "Of The Father's Love Begotten" and see what you think, or the ladies entrances on "Agnus Dei" or "It Came Upon The Midnight Clear."
Check out the spiritual "Some Children See Him" by Michelle Lott and young Jay Spivey.
And, check out the three tenors in "O Holy Night!"
A blessing indeed!!!!

60th Anniversary of Shocco Springs

My wife, Helen, and I met at Shocco Springs Baptist Assembly during the summer of 1971. This weekend we returned to Shocco for the 60th Anniversary Celebration. Close to 500 people registered to attend. Among those were several guys I worked with at the Royal Ambassador Camp between 1968 and 1972, and it was great to visit with them. One had attended our wedding. Another had me as Best Man at his wedding there at Shocco, and the others all worked together while we served at the boys camp.
Also there was Helen's friend who worked in the office with her that summer and who did her best to be sure Helen and I got together.
All around the build there were historical programs and photos, and my own even hung in a few places.
The program was outstanding and the planners allowed a lot of time for fellowship and interaction. The food was superb. Dr. George Ricker, the director there when Helen worked, had just complete his book on the history of Shocco and he signed copies for everyone. Shocco is a wonderful place. I am privilieged to serve now on the Board of Directors and want to express my thanks to God and to Alabama Baptists for providing this wonderful facility.