Update and investigation

Just thought I'd pass along that the funeral home has added this very nice photo of Kevin Kelly to the obituary they have posted on their web site. Also, I noticed that people have been leaving some nice remembrance comments in the guest book there, if you're inclined to take a look.

—

And, some news: Authorities are apparently investigating Kevin's death, which might not mean much as it could be standard procedure. But they reportedly still have his car and his Blackberry.

It is thought that Kevin was returning home early in the morning after having spent the night with some relatives when his car drifted into the open median of the Interstate and rolled to a stop — a scenario that seems to make suicide a little less plausible. But that information is not confirmed, so it's also possible he pulled the car off the road himself.

In any case, there reportedly was no crash; the car never rolled or anything.

More later, as information becomes available.

Funeral services and obituary

Mom just let me know that the mortuary had posted Kevin's obituary on their web site. The funeral is, indeed, on Wednesday.

I've posted the obit below in its entirety, but if you'd like to see the original link, click here.

—

Kevin Michael Kelly

Born in Pueblo, CO on Aug. 8, 1960 Departed on Dec. 30, 2008 and resided in Colorado City, CO.

Services: 2 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009 at Montgomery & Steward Chapel, Pueblo, Colo.

Kevin Michael Kelly, 48, passed away Dec. 30, 2008. Survived by his wife, Yana Drozdava of St. Petersburg, Russia; mother, Phyllis A. Kelly of Colorado City; son, Michael E. Kelly of Rye; former wife, May Kay Deverich of Rye; sister, Shannon (Ben) Kelly Lung; nephews, John D. (Ashley Doyle) Moore of Portland, Ore. and Vincent R. (Allysha Walk) Moore of Pueblo; aunt, Gwen Boyer of Douglas, Wyo.; and several cousins who reside in Nebraska and Wyoming. Preceded in death by his father, T. Jack Kelly.

Kevin was born Aug. 8, 1960, in Pueblo. He was an international businessman and the president of Integral Systems. He enjoyed photography and spending time with his family and friends.

There will be no viewing. Cremation, Montgomery & Steward Crematorium. Memorial service, 2 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009, in the Montgomery & Steward Chapel with Msgr. Marvin Kapushion officiating.

In lieu of food and flowers, memorials may be made to the Michael E. Kelly account, in care of Montgomery & Steward Funeral Directors, 1317 N. Main St., Pueblo, Colo. 81003. Online condolences, MontgomerySteward.com.

Travel options to Pueblo

Some info as people are pondering whether they can get to Kevin's funeral in Pueblo, Colo. (bear in mind this info is geared toward those who would be traveling from California):

Google Maps put Pueblo about 15 hours from Riverside, or 16.5 hours from San Diego via another route. I've already volunteered to be a driver if anyone is considering a vanpool that would drive straight through.

Unfortunately, the weather might not be on our side. The Weather Channel is reporting that a storm is going to push through the west and into the Midwest this weekend, dumping up to 12 inches of snow across the northern Rockies and accompanied by "pockets of freezing drizzle." Fun.

This maybe makes flying a more feasible option. Having just battled the airports, I recommend looking at Southwest, which won't charge you for checking luggage (almost everyone else does at this point, as I found out the hard way). When I checked out the site just now, they were offering nonstop round-trip flights from San Diego for about $485; and from Orange County for $549.

Otherwise, Orbitz has round-trip, one-stop flights going for about $400; just be sure to only carry on if you're looking to economize on those.

WeatherChannel.com offers a cool way to stay on top of weather impacts on flights, if you end up going that route.

—

UPDATE: United flies into Colorado Springs, which is a little closer to Pueblo. You can get flights there on Orbitz for about $225 from San Diego, but it looks like it will cost more than $500 to fly from Orange County.

Very bad news

I'm not sure whether this is wholly appropriate, but I found out about an hour ago that our cousin, Kevin Kelly, committed suicide. Because I know Kevin always loved coming to the Wilson reunion at Fort Rob — he was basically the official photographer there this past summer — I felt compelled to post the news here.

Since I'm sure this is going to come as quite a shock to the whole family, I thought this might also be a good way to centralize any further information about this tragedy. I'm sure everyone is going to want to know as much as they can about what happened as well as details about the funeral arrangements. So, as I find out more, I'll try to post it here. If any of you have anything to add, please do so via the comments link.

For now, all I know is what I can recall from the brief phone conversation with my dad from earlier this afternoon: The funeral will likely be next week in Pueblo, Colo.

We love you, Cuz.

—

UPDATE: I'm told the funeral will be on Wednesday in Pueblo, Colo.

—

UPDATE 2: It seems we're not entirely certain about the day of the funeral, so don't bank on Wednesday quite yet. Stay tuned.

Wilsons circa 1972

At my request, Janma sent me a batch of (original) photos to put into her book. I have a bunch, but as I got further into things, I realized I needed more "recent" photos.

In this last grouping, I found the above photograph, and it really struck me. I'm not sure why, exactly. It seemed like a crossroads picture, maybe... just two grandchildren shy... Anyway, when I saw it, I felt compelled to share.

I'm just guessing on the date, based on the ages of the younger kids, whose ages I guessed in relation to my own. Feel free to correct me. Hope you enjoy this one.

*SPOILER ALERT*

I've managed to put off the video editing so long that I pretty much forget how it works, so I'll be dusting off those skills again soon. Lots of clips in the folder — at least a couple good shows' worth. From all the masterpiece skill sets at the Arts & Crafts building to the printing of our young'uns, there's some fun moments to share.

So I don't leave ya hangin', I've posted a shorty below. This one's a quick look-see, with a token Scott moment near the end. (Who doesn't enjoy those?)

Happy Birthday! (again!)

OK... there was a little glitch in the birthday calendar, but I believe all is well now. (Thanks, Becki, for letting me know.)

I should also note that the dates were posted "quick-entry style," so if the date had already passed, it sometimes wouldn't show up until 2009. For example, Mary Powell's birthday was earlier this month, so it won't necessarily show up in the August 2008 calendar, but she's there for 2009. Ben Harless' birthday is Thursday, so his shows up as the first entry since it's after the date I put them all into the calendar.

This calendar is very interactive. Click on the arrows to flip between months, or click on the date and you can flip forward or back to a specific date and it will give you all the calendar listings closest to then.

If anyone else encounters any problems, or if there's corrections to be made, just post a comment on this entry, and I'll get it taken care of ASAP.

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday!

Wow. Two weeks from my last post? Pretty sad. To make up for it, I offer you a couple of new features:

1. A label cloud. This just gives you a quick look at the topics covered in the blog as well as how often: The bigger the point size, the more entries we have on that topic.

2. The self-updating Wilson Family Birthdays calendar, nestled in the rail. You can scroll forward and back, and even print.

I'm guessing the lot of you will be more excited about the second item. As you recall, Kelli brought a big laminated calendar for everyone to mark their family's dates on. She passed it along to me this last weekend, and I told her I'd figure out a way to make it useful for the blog.

As it turned out, it wasn't that hard, at least not in this basic form. If another better format comes along, I'll be sure to update it.

And speaking of updating, please don't hesitate to let me know if there are any errors. I did my best to check myself, but even editors need editors sometimes.

Enjoy the new features. And don't say I never gave ya anything. ;-)

Thanks, Cuz!

Robert and Jack made sure Glenn had his hands full, and Kevin Kelly clicked through it all. Thanks to Kevin, there's lots of cool series shots like these in Slideshow Bob.

—

I got Kevin's DVD of pics a couple days ago and finally got all the Ft. Rob ones loaded into Slideshow Bob. I MIGHT get them captioned someday. Or not. But they're there for your viewing pleasure.

These are fun to watch in slideshow format (third link on the right, if you clicked the above link), given a lot of the pics are consecutive shots — like those above of Glenn getting mauled by a ferocious Jack and Joe-Bob. You'll definitely pick up the expressive nuances that way.

Again, a big thanks to Kevin Kelly. That guy's got talent. Must be related. ;-)

Killer Bunnies, Chapter 1: Delay of Game

Kim, Evan and I were the last to arrive at Ft. Rob, rolling into the park around midnight (local time) July 28.

Much to the shagrin of Dryden, who had managed to hold off the big Killer Bunnies match in my absence, according to the Twitter feed.

DrydenTheMeints: "Dryden is making it so that gina gets to be in on the first killer bunnies game. Mental note: make sure she thanks me. Hehe" (10:02 PM July 28, 2008)

As it turned out, thanks weren't entirely necessary as I staved off later games until Dryden could return from consecutive nights spent attending the Fort's musical productions of "Guys & Dolls" and "South Pacific."

designerGina: "Eric [Reed] wants a practice round before dryden gets here.... i smell fear." (09:22 PM July 30, 2008)

And this was only the beginning.

—

NEXT UP:
Killer Bunnies, Chapter 2: Enter the Spatula

CHEEEEEEEEESE!

I'm sure all of you recognize the above image...
HI KEVIN!

—

I exchanged e-mails with Kevin Kelly earlier this week, wherefore he informed me he had dropped a DVD in the mail for me. So as we speak, a plethora of Kevin's Ft. Rob '08 pics are making their way to my mailbox. Yay!

I believe he extended the same offer to the lot of you, but I'll still put some up here on the blog for all to see.

Thanks, Cuz!

-G

OLÉ!

No two words get this family's taste buds kicked into overdrive like...
TACO TOWN!

The Powell family generously imported Taco Town enchiladas to go with our tacos for the first night's supper. YUM. The leftovers helped Jeff truly appreciate the power of Twitter when he received immediate responses to his txt:

JeffWils: "Leftover enchiladas still good. What do they put in these things?" (01:04 PM July 30, 2008)

That powerful message got Dryden out of bed —
DrydenTheMeints: "Omg! I'm awake!" (01:09 PM July 30, 2008)
— and I heard Paula reported immediately to the main house.

I put Jeff's Twitter name in wrong, so I didn't receive that message in a timely fashion. Boo. But there were lots left over so I did get one of the leftover enchiladas. Yay!

An hour or so later, I was across the way sitting in the "Barista Kitchen" with Kelli, waiting for my latte to brew (thanks, Michelle!), when Ben Harless came in, a paper-towel-wrapped enchilada in each hand.

"Where's the microwave?" he asked. (Yeeeah... it's OK. Kelli and I both laughed, too.) He resigned himself to just eating them cold until I told him he could have a hot one (OK... well... fairly warm, anyway) in about seven minutes. Patience is a virtue, but leftover Taco Town enchiladas are a gift.

—

MUCH GRAS
While I'm thinking about it, a big thanks to Generation Three for providing the evening meals. That's a mighty big task, preparing a meal for 70ish people, so thanks for all your hard work.

Box hockey drama

Evan Johnson really got into the box hockey. Actually, he liked the sticks a lot better. Carried them around for hours whenever he could.

—

MONDAY JULY 28 — There were cheers to the east as Paula's Twitter reported the box hockey was loaded and ready for travel, followed shortly by an update that it might have fallen off. Such a scare prompted a call for prayer, Twittered immediately by Dryden:

DrydenTheMeints: "Dear lord, please protect and keep our sweet sweet wooden playing field..." (04:40 PM July 28, 2008)

BEHOLD, THE POWER OF PRAYER: The box hockey arrived safe and sound, and was a source of great fun for all, as expected.

All a-Twitter

Despite a few snags, I have to say that I was pretty pleased with the overall Twitter experience at Ft. Rob. I myself didn't get the mobile Twitter nuances quite right and so ended up out of the loop during the last leg of my journey, sending in a message or two here and there along the way that led some to believe I was receiving every one of their messages.

(A special thanks to Dryden for postponing the official Killer Bunnies rematch until Gina's arrival.)

Anyway, I'm sure some of you found the Twittering slightly annoying, but hopefully more of you found it to be a boatload of fun. (I know I did.)

I'm guessing so since I think some must have gone into Twitter shock... My notice about some new blog postings stirred up more than a couple of responses — followed by two notifications indicating Glenn Harless was no longer into it. Heh... teen-agers...

So the Twitters continued sporadically days after we'd all parted ways as a few participants checked in along their journeys home... with the rest of us jumping in. Fantastico!

I'll be pulling some Twitter gems out in future postings for those of you who might have missed out...

Feed the beast! (or, "A surprising lack of photos")

Where were stayed... a full house and a half. :-)

—

I was shocked to find out how few photos I actually took at Ft. Rob. Felt like I was always shooting, but my stockpile indicates otherwise. So I updated Slideshow Bob with what I've got, but...

I NEED MORE!

Kevin Kelly has my address and is sending me a CD of his pics. Until then, if anyone would like to contribute to the album, don't hesitate to e-mail me your pics: a1warlord@gmail.com.

Aaaaaand... WE'RE BACK!!! (or "WEBFAIL!")

Ahhhh.... air-conditioning and fresh towels. All the fresh towels I want, even. No charge. (Thanks, Kim and Craig!)

It was really great seeing everyone, and I look forward to combing through my photos and video clips. Probably not quite the selection Kevin Kelly has (I hear he's promised to send CDs...), but we'll see what turns up.

Even with all the pre-Ft. Rob scheming I did, I was still thwarted by limited access. I don't think it due to lack of signal, which I had. Therefore, I'll be doing some retro-posting in the coming days, so check back again soon. You'll all be traveling and unable to look at the blog anyway, right? Close enough.

My brother blamed the webfail on me having a Mac, given that he had no trouble getting his IBM Thinkpad fired up and working just fine. I think it was my Internet provider — rather, it's partner in coverage (or lack thereof), Alltel — unwilling to allow me to access the web outside of California. I will be seeking a refund of equipment AND access charges upon my return.

I guess I could have used Chris' set-up, but all my editing software was on my laptop. Plus, I decided I'd be better off focusing on collecting all the footage and photos and experiences AND THEN posting them up here. Or, at least, that's what I'm telling myself to keep the journalist in me from being outraged about the inability to do live updates. *sigh*

But all is well. I have lots of photos. Not as many as Kevin Kelly, I'm sure, but still a lot. I also have quite a bit of video footage to sort through and/or compile. Look for those in coming days... I know there's some good stuff in there.

Also, I'd encourage any of you to e-mail me photos or video clips that you want posted here. I'd be happy to get them up. Comment postings are encouraged as well.

Check back soon...

Aaaaaand... WE'RE OFF!!!

The FtRob Twitter feed is abuzz today with everyone shoving off on the last legs of their respective Ft. Rob journeys, ending about 36 hours of monumental technological advancements.

Let's recap:

*Lots of new txt-ers out there, diving into Twitter just today (welcome to the year 2008, Melissa, Tara, Judy and Ruth), thanks to Paula and Dryden at WWCC (West Wilson Command Center) getting their cells all signed up. A giant leap for the Brewers and Jeff's clan. Maybe Scott, too, later.

*Ben Harless tested the Twitter waters a bit last night. I'm thinking he'll be game later on, which means Glenn will be, too.

*Gina has barraged the Petersens with pleas to get them to join in on Twitter. Might have to get them online on site as well, by force if necessary. Same goes for the Powell troops.

*And yes, we've let Dryden loose on the blog. Well... mostly. ;-)

—

Seems like a few folks have just arrived. Kim, Evan and I will be falling in last, I think, due to arrive sometime around midnight.

Drive safe. See you all there.

(Save me a bed!)

-G

The egg stands alone.

There's only one left.

After days of cooking and baking and slapping of hands, a single egg remains. What shall ever shall become of you, oh white orb of solitude?

Here's how the votes tally @ The Farm (EASTSIDE, homz!)

Gina — Make half a Crumb Cake.
Lynne — Leave it in the fridge.
Mike D. — Eat it for breakfast... I guess.
Lynne — Can I change my vote? BREAKFAST!

Time will tell what the outcome will be. For now, DDNette has mobilized the baked goods into the camper. I was informed that Chris counted the Crumb Cake before he left, so any sampling that occurred in his absence WILL be noticed... unless Gina's vote wins.

-G

2WC Squared OR Battleship remastered

2WC squared: aka West Wilson Command Center. The product of four hours of nigh fruitless toil and little light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.

Objective: Twitter mobilization.

Location: Top secret

I'll explain. Paula and I have been slaving over hot laptops and overworked, underpaid cellphones for FOUR HOURS, sitting across from each other in Butch and Judy's living room. It's comparable to battleship. Except much, much more technological, and much, much more dangerous. Its been a brutal brawl of bandwidth, an intricate engagement of internet, a foul fracas of phones.

The outcome: Twitters have been obtained for all of (count 'em) TWO people. Myself, and my mother. Many questions have arisen, including "What is Twitter?" sent by my mother, uncannily late in the game. They have been forwarded to headquarters, at EWCC, and been turned over to the resident Twitter overseer.

The most eminent danger: All of the previous users are going to have to figure out how to "follow" the new ones, otherwise all our labors are truly for naught. We, being the brunt of the WCC, have legitimately considered using our overpowering numbers (again, 2) and password informant (Gina) to hack into every one of your accounts and force you to follow us.

More later, but as for now... our convoluted web of technology shall continue expanding... enveloping websites and phone lines and eventually... the world.

Twitterpated

(OK, I finally caved and used the obvious headline.)



Got a handful of folks signed up on Twitter "remotely" on Saturday, namely Ben, Glenn, Kelli, Mom and Michelle, with reserved interest from Dryden. Happy to extend the same service to anyone else...

But only on

SUNDAY!
SUNDAY!!
SUNDAY!!!


After that, I'm on the road myself.
Txt @ ya l8tr.

-G