Our guests lined the top of the levee behind our house, with a few thousand other Rome citizens,as the fireworks began a little after nine Sunday evening. I really like this picture.
Charles Reichel attended the Fourth of July get-together several times with Sharon in recent years. Their daughter Carlyn is a dear friend of Brannon and one of our "extra daughters" from Brannon's school days. Their other children Carsten and Cara are former students of mine from my days in the gifted program. Cara and her husband Peter Mills, are the founders of Prospect Theater with whom I performed in a musical theater revue about ten years ago. Charles was the director of the National Creative Society, a Lutheran pastor, a loving husband and father, and a man of deep commitment to all those roles. Charles died of a sudden heart attack.
Here are a few of the early arrivals at last year's celebration. We grieve that we have lost three dear friends this year, each very suddenly: Cleve Burton (facing the camera in light blue shirt at the right) and Wint Barton (suspenders and cane), and Charles Reichel (not pictured)Then just a week ago Thursday, Cleve Burton, my good friend since 1962 (another, another, another) was struck by a massive heart attack in the middle of the night. His funeral came one week before the Fourth. I was unable to attend because of my involvement in a Rome Little theater show.
Cleve, a lawyer, was a person of remarkable integrity. He was scrupulously ethical in all his dealings. He loved the law. The Constitution and legal foundation of our country were precious to him. He would have made an excellent judge.
Cleve and I performed folk music together when we were in high school. We were MYF friends. At one MYF party at Cleve's house we got to watch a movie from his glassed in porch. They had sold West Rome Drive-in the property and had finagled the glassed-in porch and speaker as part of the deal. We went to Camp Glisson together. I bought my first guitar from Cleve.
Cleve and his father, Joe, taught me to play poker. Cleve's brother, Mike, became (and remains) one of my closest friends after Sheila and I moved back to Rome. Cleve's wonderful mother, Burnita, arranged so many singing engagements for me that I jokingly referred to her as "my manager."
Cleve and Terri have two children whose ages match those of our children. Keenan and Brannon were best buds in their preschool years. Daphne and Lillian were inseparable from toddlerhood through elementary years. We visited each other's houses for game nights, birthdays, chili, etc. Cleve and Terri make one of the world's great chilis. Sheila and I took squaredancing with the Burtons for several months in 1986.
Cleve and his family were almost always in attendance for our Celebration on the Levee from its inception in 1993. We grieve for him and will sorely miss him, especially at this time each year.
David had already removed most of the meat by the time I got a picture.It sounds as if it would have been difficult to wedge in one more drumstick the smoker was so full!
About 150 old, new, and renewed friends joined us for the celebration and barbecue. This is taken from the levee.
Fireworks over the world's greatest barbecue smoker.You soon can read about and see more pictures of our
2010 Independence Day Celebration on my Facebook wall.
Here's a bit of John Adams for your Independence Week viewing:
Tersi Bendiburg
Sounds "delicioso" Terrell!
Terrell Shaw
Drive up and join us next year!
Terrell Shaw
Oh, Teresa's Brunswick Stew!!!! Oh, my!!
Jann Heaton Skeen
I LOVE banana pudding. My granny made the best! Hubby loves brunswick stew, but me, not at all.
Ginger McClure
It was truly awesome! The fun of being with wonderful people and the great food...and the fireworks on the hill!!! Fantastic! Thank you, "husbands" for inviting us!!!
Mary Nisbet Asbury
The ribs were rockin' !!!!
Barbara Jean Smith
had lunch with Ruthy Countryman today and she said it was a great party!
Christie Hufstedler Boyd
Loved it all, especially the vinegar based bbq sauce! Do you think you could get me the recipe? I haven't hit on one I loved yet and I really loved that one. Thanks for hosting the best party in town.
Lyn Davis
We had a great time!
Terrell Shaw
I feel like I hardly spoke to you and Ricky! Glad you had a good time.
Christie, I just had some chicken off the ol' Geo Foreman, with storebought BBQ sauce & thot: "I need to get David's recipe!"
David, if you read this, share!
Terrell Shaw
BTW Christie, did you deliberately duck when you saw my camera? I don't think you are in any of the pics.
David Shaw
email me at david(at)3datum(dot)com. I might not give you my exact recipe, but I can give you a really good starting point for either the vinegar based or the tomato based sauces.
Christie Hufstedler Boyd
Terrell, I didn't duck, I promise. And David, e-mail is on the way.
David Shaw
I didn't get to sample a lot of the food, but the Brunswick Stew and the Banana Pudding were incredible!
Angela Jones
Terrell it was so nice of you and your wife to open your home to all of us the way you did. We absolutely had a BLAST! Thank you once more for the kind gesture and for your friendship as well.
Tina Brinson
Thank you so much for letting my family join in the festivities of the 4th at your home. It was amazing. My girls are still talking about it! It was the perfect ending to our run at the theatre with BS3!
Terrell Shaw
It was great to have you and Paul & the kids here! Please come back. Did you look at the pictures I posted? Also great to have Angela & Wayne. And all the Brinsons! Y'all come again!
More Pictures:
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| Vicki and Alec |
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| Jessica and Alec |
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| Katie Shaw Comment Lillian Shaw Pretty picture, pretty girl! |
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| Gregg working in the kitchen. |
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| L-R: 1- Allie Whiteis 2- 3- Haley Shaw 4- Joseph Smyth 5- 6- |
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| L-R: Teresa Ware, Richard Ware, Max Medley |
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| From Jim Ellington: Actually, it's my granddaughter, Chloe Ellington! |
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| Haley Shaw |
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| Ginger Burton Whiteis |
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| L-R: Gola Burton, ?, Katie Kimbrough, Michael Kimbrough |
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Mike Burton and Michael Kimbrough
Comments
Katie S. Kimbrough
Dad is on FB... if you already know that?
Terrell Shaw
Great, I'll "friend" him! It was good to have y'all with us. Come again!
Katie S. Kimbrough
I had so much fun and I would love to bring my mom to see your place! She loves old houses!
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| ? and Jesse Kindred |
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| Ty and Caroline |
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Ann McRay and Anita Stewart Comments Anita Stewart |
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| Comment Patricia Canada OMG love this photo. my dear friends |
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Comment Ann Allee McRay
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| Steve Craw |
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| Angela and Wayne Jones |
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| Teresa Ware, Max Medley, and Sam Smith |
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Comment Mary Nisbet Asbury Pretty girl!!! |
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| Don Rusaw |
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| Jonathan Chisholm |
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Comments Mary Nisbet Asbury
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Comments David Shaw |
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| In foreground: Richard and Teresa Ware and Nick Douglas |
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Anita and Quillian Stewart Comments Terrell Shaw
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Other Comments:
From Mary Nisbet Asbury's Facebook:
Thank you again Terrell for having ALL of us to your lovely home for your 4th celebration!!! As I said before that was the best party I can remember since coming to Rome and by far the most fun. Thanks for the great food and hospitality. I have enjoyed working with you and hope to be on stage with you again!!!!
Terrell: It was great to have you & Greg here! BSIII WAS great fun. wasn't it?!
From Melissa Booth Witsell:
Terrell, Thank you to the Master (and Lady) of the House for your generous hospitality last night. We had a fabulous time!!
This is a lovely story about dear friends. Cleve was a good friend and his mother, Burnita, worked every month in the Community Kitchen with me.
ReplyDeleteCharles Reichel was a wonderful gentleman too. I knew him before Nicole got to RHS through his children when they were involved in RLT.
Uncle Wint was one of my favorite characters in Rome. He was Leland Bagwell's uncle and I have and treasure one of his split oak baskets. He made it for me and it is signed.
I guess there are always some that we miss from year to year but all three of these men were exceptional people and wonderful ambassadors for the Rome/Floyd County area.