Rise and shine.

Ahh, Sunday morning, August 13, 1995. Sonnie was ready. Not a cloud in the sky. Clear and crisp. A good day to again visit the mountain. To again linger and rest there listening to the breeze whispering through the tree limbs and the singing of the birds.

But first, something to eat? To cook one last time. Don! Cote??? Wake up!! Where are the pots and pans? Pancakes anyone? Seems this fellow Cote wants to sleep forever. Doesn't he know there will be time for sleeping later? Oh well, let him rest awhile now. He'll travel to his mountain soon enough.

THE MOUNTAIN

The mountain crew.

All were too winded to take pictures on the way up. It was quite a hike though. The line stretched out for yards. Sonnie and the rest were worried about Tom. That's Tom Laflamme on the right. He played in Jack's first band too. Sonnie thinks Tom was one of the most talented musicians he's seen. Tom thinks a lot of Sonnie too and feels the world is better because of him. Tom is right. To prove his devotion Tom made the mountain. He didn't let one heart attack stop him. Like the little engine Tom thought he could and he did. Sonnie was pleased.

The rest of the contingent? Rick Judkins, Fenton and Jerry's son, Diane Ackerman, standing in for Dick who couldn't make it. Jack, John, Jay and Jeff. A good team. Not the old guard or friends Sonnie grew up with and never forgot. He could remember names. This was a new cast.

The mountain. Mount Belknap in Gilford, NH. Where Sonnie stopped to rest, Rick's altimeter read 2370 feet above sea level. Sonnie chose a nice area. It's among a little stand of fir trees. Shaded and quiet. It will be cool in the summer and protected from the biting winds of winter. Firs do not lose their bristles when it is cold. A good spot. Two pieces of granite nearby on which guests can sit when they stop to rest. Sonnie will likely talk their ears off if they will listen. He has a penchant for talking. His voice will be in the wind, in the sounds of animals and in the rustle of leaves.

Continued—»