IN REMEMBRANCE OF YOU

Today, and every day

I remember you

with love.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep. (Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening - Robert Frost)

This Summer I will be bringing some of Bill "home" to Michigan. I will visit the places he talked about most and spend some time there with him in Spirit. Like the trip "home" for his 40th Class Reunion, this is a journey that must be completed. A promise was made between us and I will keep that promise. Bill was a man of honor, and honor was the topic of many of our conversations. I will honor Bill by taking the trip we planned for this year. Perhaps after that I will be at peace.

Celebrate Life

Memorial for Bill Swan (a Midlander) will be held on July 6th,2011, at 11 a.m. at St. Bartholomew's Anglican Church in Woodinville, Washington.

Scotts awa'

Dear readers,

Bill is no longer among us. He slipped away on Saturday morning at 9:09 pacific time in a Concord, California hospital. He fell ill during a church Synod where we were both delegates. Once he stopped breathing on his own he never regained consciousness.

It is my intention to make the tour of Michigan as he proposed and perhaps to scatter some of his ashes in Lake Michigan. When I go, I will need company.

Thank you for following his writings and for being such dear friends to him.

His wife of 32 years,
Kathy

We probably won't make 2012

Dear readers,

There is no delicate way to put this, so I will give it to you straight: Bill is on life support at a John Muir Medical Center in Concord, California. Bill fell ill during a trip to the East Bay for a church Synod and was admitted a week ago last Thursday, May 19th. He has not regained consciousness at this time. Your prayers for his recovery are solicited and very much appreciated. Thank you for being his friends.

Kathy Swan
(Wife of almost 32 years)

Plan change

Between the last post and now a lot has changed. Most of it to do with upcoming travel: my "summer at home" is now shot through with short trips, though at least they are no further East than Milwaukee (so far). Not that the extra distance to the East Coast makes much difference.

But my European meetings for next year are being set and between Madrid in April and Stockholm around October, well, I just need to take Kathy with me and tour the scenic locales. (My mother has long told me I'd love Spain, and Kathy seconds the motion.) She knows these places and speaks the languages fluently, which is an asset. But those trips alone will blow next year's travel budget.

So maybe the Grand Tour of Michigan will have to wait until 2012.

Goodbye for now

Dear readers,

I should have done this a few weeks ago, but allowed myself to get caught up in the whirlwind of this spring's travel season first. Back a few days ago from the second business trip in as many weeks, I fly out soon for another running through next week... and so on until the end of May after which, if nothing else pops up, I will have a *long* stretch at home before things pick up again in September.

In any event, last summer's visit back to Midland is receding. It leaves in my memory an odd and sad overlay of Midland as I saw it recently on the Midland I remember.

Truly you cannot go home again.

Our thoughts of a second visit next year, encompassing more of the state, remain. But until we start planning that, barring things unforeseen I will have nothing more for the blog. But I will leave it open, and will be notified of any comments.

Later...

Bill