7/23/06: Parade Requests 'Do' Opinions

FINALE CELEBRATED -- Weeks later Clay Aiken fans are still celebrating
the AI5 Finale performance portrayed in this blend by Amazing_CA.

AI5 Finale Buzz Continues

Parade Requests 'Do' Opinions

Clay Aiken fans, as well as everyone reading Sunday's Parade Magazine newspaper supplement, have an opportunity to impart their opinions about our singer's new hairdo as revealed during his American Idol 5 Finale appearance.

Thnx to a magazine scan on Friday, the Clay Nation had a head start on responding to the query in Walter Scott's Personality Parade:

Q: What do you think of Clay Aiken's new hairstyle? -- Chris V., Spokane, WA.

A: We think he should lose the bangs. At 27, the 2003 American Idol runner-up has lost his boyish charm and allowed himself to be overstyled. Readers: What do you think? Go to parade.com/pop for our pop culture poll and sweepstakes.

Clickable (2x)

According to one of the responders, there were well over 120 responses by 10:17 p.m. Saturday night; and the replies continue to roll in. A few of my favorites include:

CLAY'S NEW 'DO' -- So this is the guy I've been hearing so much about! No wonder women are swooning over him! He looks HOT!

CLAY AIKEN'S HAIR -- Clay Aiken is 27? Oh my gosh, he is ancient. The hair cut is a "MAN-SHAG." I guess you better tell Keith Urban, Jim Carey, Hugh Jackman and several other male celebrities in their 30's and 40's that they are way too old for this hair style.

HAIR SCHMAIR -- Why don't I know that there is a new CD coming out? The hair is great, but that voice is the bestest!

CLAY'S HAIR AND MORE -- Yes! I love Clay's new hair! I love Clay's voice and I love the man. Can't wait for the new CD. Bring on the tour. Please, tell the world what a great human being Clay is.

SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL -- It is silly talking about Clay's hair when we could be talking about his beautiful VOICE. Or we could be talking how he's working with UNICEF. Did you know that 1 out of every 166 children born, are born with Autism? He started the Buble/Aiken Foundation to try to help these children. I would rather read about his new CD that's being release in September. Or I'd rather read about his work as a humanitarian but you want to know about his hair? Well, Clay's hair looks GREAT! Everything included with all that hair looks GREAT! His voice, heart, sense humor, they all look great to me!

Clickable

To win a Panasonic 42" plasma HDTV, readers must answer 15 questions of the Pop Culture Sweepstakes Questionaire, including "Which of the following was the best celebrity transformation?" Before/after photos are shown of Clay, Britney Spears, Kevin Federline, Janet Jackson, and Ashlee Simpson in the clickable above.

In May, visual artists on CA message boards immediately began creating amazing graphics from the screen caps of the two-minute AI5 performance plus a handful of photos from the singer's attendance at a Carolina Hurricanes game a few weeks later. Not surpisingly, Clay's quote about appearance and image, as shown below, lends much more weight to personality, actions, and beliefs than to physical looks.

PHOTO INTERMISSION: Adorning today's clickable interlude are the following graphics created from the AI5 and Canes game shots: Cindilu2 (1); Clayquebec1 (2); Amazing_CA (3, 4); and Claystruck (5).

AI5 Finale Receives Rave Reviews

It's been two months since the world was introduced to Clay's new look and same glorious voice. As tremendous as the media buzz surrounding his rumored appearance was prior to May 24, it was nothing compared to the avalanche that followed.

The AI5 performance at the Kodak Theater served notice to the world and the AI family of a new, "hipper" Clay Aiken, adding legs to the media current that was well underway. Just as exciting was the fact that Clay received rave reviews from young fans and previously non-fans.

This paragraph is from an AP story appearing on MSNBC, CNN, and a host of online news sites: Second-season runner-up Clay Aiken, with a slick new look, performed a “duet” on “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” with his alter ego, a wannabe “American Idol” contestant who evoked the originally geeky Aiken.

Media Gives Appearance Thumbs Up!

From Topix.Net came a more thorough description: While in general the comedy skits on American Idol 5 lacked in comparison to American Idol 4’s roast of Corey Clark, there was one shining moment that will likely go down as one of the funniest moments in American Idol history. In a re-occurring segment called the Golden Idol Awards, Ryan Seacrest presented candidates for “Best Impersonation.” The nominees were Kenneth Maccarone as Cher, Seth Strickland as Michael Jackson, and Michael Sandecki as Clay Aiken.

As Michael warbled through “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me,” the stage doors opened up to reveal Clay Aiken. Surprised by the sudden loud cheering, Michael turned to see Clay Aiken and appeared to nearly go into shock on the stage. As Clay Aiken joined Michael in song, Michael excitedly jumped around the stage. Seacrest eventually re-appeared and sat Michael down, while asking him if he was OK.

Reporting live from the Kodak, the local reporter for the FOX station in Houston summarized the evening with this quote: Hands-down, the favorite reaction from 33 media crews watching the live show -- Clay Aiken!

Clickable by Amazing_CA

Spin Inspires Fans, Montage Makers

For days, the buzz was spun by TV entertainment shows, talk radio, mainstream TV, print media, online bloggers, as well as in workday water cooler converstaions. In the midst of a five-month drought during the recording of Clay's sophomore CD, A Thousand Different Ways, message boards suddenly were infused with exhilarating romps, thuds, and much pent-up releasing of some long overdue EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE's!

The AI5 Finale also inspired the fandom's montage makers, and many new videos were shared across message boards and at YouTube.

In What a Feeling, as sung by Irene Cara, Aspiegirl captured the magic of May 24's confetti moment, artistically transitioning to it with memorable highlights from the beginning of Clay's Idol journey, the Atlanta audition. You can watch it here, or click on the YouTube symbol in the right corner and link to the site.





WHAT A FEELING and what an awesome time to be a Clay Aiken fan!!!

Caro

7/20/06: A Thousand Different Ways

ALBUM DESIGN -- Cindilu2 is one of many graphic artists who have created
possible CD covers for Clay Aiken's much anticipated sophomore album.

Acronyms Rule!

A Thousand Different Ways

We live in a world of acronyms and codes -- governmental, zip, area, airport, HTML, Morse, organiztional, professional, military, recreational, you name it. The list is literally boundless and would probably read like a foreign language to our ancestors.

As a music teacher, I have been a member of several organizations -- MTNA, TMTA, NAMTA, MENC, NCMENC, ASTA -- with well-known acronyms. NAMTA and ASTA are pronouced as words, while the others are known by their initials.

Occasionally, a student approaches learning to read music as if he or she is cracking some obscure, cryptic code. Actually, notation is very logical and quite simple: there is a seven-letter musical alphabet of ABCDEFG; notes move up and down a staff of five lines and four spaces in alphabetical order; adjacent notes use neighboring letters; each clef has a guideline note that identifies a specific location -- G for the treble clef, F for the bass, C for the alto and tenor clefs. Simple, yet Greek to many.

Native American Code Talkers

During World War II, Native American code talkers, bilingual Navajo language speakers, were specially recruited to serve in standard communications units of the US Marines in the Pacific Theater. Code talkers transmitted secret tactical messages over military telephone or radio communications nets using formal or informally developed codes built upon their native languages. Their story has been preserved in the movie, "Windtalkers."

According to Wikopedia's article on Acronyms and Initialisms, the widespread use of accepted abbreviations and codes -- NATO, FBI, SAT, JPEG, for example -- is a relatively new linguistic phenomenon in the English language.

When you add chat, instant and text messaging codes, the list really does become limitless -- AIUI (As I understand it), AYPI? (And your point is?), BWTHDIK (But what the heck do I know?), BRB (be right back), ROFL (rolling on floor laughing), ROFLOL (rolling on floor laughing out loud), etc. See how many you know in this Internet Acronyms Dictionary.

Just for grins, I typed in ATDW in an Internet Acronym Finder. Lo and behold, there is no match -- yet! Currently, this site has 2,995,000 definitions in its database. CA fans converse in code amongst ourselves and with our favorite singer.

True fans have no problem deciphering the acronyms from Clay's huge musical repertoire (BOTW, TITN, DLTSGDOM, etc.) or in reference to his tours (NAT, JBT, JNT04, JNT05).

NANA Contest at the OFC

Of course, the most recent usage of acronyms at the OFC (another one -- Official Fan Club!) began when Clay announced the NANA (New Album Name Acronym) Contest on July 4. In a series of blogs at this site, OMC (Our Man Clay) maintained a running commentary on NANA's progress.

Reminders from Day 1: And don't try your sneaking, snooping around, and going through your "channels" to find out the album title. Only about 4 people know. I haven't even told my mother. So your normal "contacts" will steer you wrong!!!

Then he kept tabs on acronyms submitted and gave the statistical odds for a fan even guessing correctly -- 456,976 variations in the beginning.

He also provided further hints -- Does NOT spell a known word, first letter is a vowel, last three letters are not vowels -- and brought the possible options to less than 46,305.

There was encouragement for his industrious fans in several progress reports: A few people now have gotten at least two letters in the right spaces, using what I imagine to be the "lotto strategy" on 7/5, followed by Four folks have all but one letter correct and in the correct place on 7/6.

We Have a Winner!

Finally, on 7/11 came the announcement: We have a winner! I'm warming up my dialing fingers to make a call very soon! And warming up my creative juices for a "follow up" contest!

On 7/14, Santeyamor enjoyed a 20-minute phone conversation with Clay, just one of the many rewards her correct acronym won. Clay blogged that his winner is to be applauded for her work with the elderly and low income families in her city. I think OMC is the unofficial president of this lucky lady's fan club.



On July 17, both Clay and Jaymes Foster, the CD's executive producer, put the icing on my birthday cake by announcing the name of the sophomore album -- A Thousand Different Ways. The beautiful clickable graphic above was designed by Amazing_CA.

After discussing their journey, the process, the album's two distinctly different musical paths, the great respect she has for Clay's talent, Jaymes (Clayandr) shared this information with fans:

YOUR ALBUM

I have been very fortunate in my career to work with or along side of some of the greatest singers on the planet – Celine, Barbra, Andrea Bocelli. And I believe (as you already know) Clay is right up there next to those amazing singers. You all expressed to me that you wanted me to be sure that his vocal shined through on his CD as if you were listening to him live. I think we accomplished that.

And, I think he made great choices of songs on his album to showcase that. As much as I know it will frustrate you, unfortunately, I can’t tell you what those are at this point….you’ll have to find out for yourself when you get the album. (Or, since I know you want to know as much as you can, I’ll try to give you more information here when I am allowed to.) But, I believe you will hear him singing in ways that you have never heard or even dreamed of. His musical talent, instincts and abilities have astounded me.

While you will have to wait a little longer for the record label to firm up the final release date, I can tell you now that Clay and I are sure that you will love this album in "A Thousand Different Ways!"

PHOTO INTERMISSION: Today's clickable interlude features graphics by Amazing_CA (1, 5); Pixieglitter (2); Claystruck (3); and Aspiegirl (4). Photo credits include Twicetreasured (2) and Invisible926 (4).












Same Wave Length as Macca

Interestingly, Clay Aiken's NANA contest parallels that of pop music icon, Sir Paul McCartney. This is an excerpt from The Express on (er um!) July 17 and should sound very familiar:

Beatles Code Riddle for Fans

Beatles producer Sir George Martin is challenging fans to crack the "code" in a new Fab Four album produced for a Las Vegas show.

Sir George and his son Giles, who say only they and Sir Paul McCartney know the answers, have hidden more than 130 Beatles songs within their 90-minute soundtrack to Love - the new Beatles/Cirque Du Soleil production. Every sound in the show is taken from a Beatles recording, both famous and obscure, with some excerpts played backwards.

A prize will be offered to anyone who cracks the code when the CD soundtrack is released in October. Sir George, 80, told the Sunday Express: "I really don't think anyone will ever get it."

There have been other messages from Clay that could be considered codes of sorts -- the suggestion we ponder a specific Bible verse to "stand tall in the face of adversity," a simple "thank you" in the midst of overwhelming support during some rough times, and the Valentine's Day blog that ended with this postscript that just may have been a veiled description of the upcoming CD:

Come to think of it, most of my favorite songs of ALL time are LOVE SONGS! .... hmmm ..... now there's an idea!

I can't wait to start compiling new song and tour acronyms from Clay's sophomore CD. Meanwhile, many of us are still trying to decode "quite soon."

Caro

7/17/06: My Very Special Day

Clay Aiken's American Idol 5 Finale appearance -- Graphic by A Beautiful Mind.

NAT Gathering Recalled

Memorable Events Mark Birthday

Monday, July 17, is my special day -- the anniversary of my birth. Through the years, the 17th has been marked by many memorable events.

My sister's first daughter was due around this date and, in fact, was born very late on July 16. When I spoke with the new mother in the hospital, her first words -- after 23 hours of labor -- were, "I tried to wait until the 17th, but the baby wouldn't!" Now that we live in the same area, we usually celebrate with a joint family dinner.

As a school girl, I remember envying those with September - May birthdays because their mothers could provide cupcakes for a full class celebration. I guess the tradeoff was that my summertime parties were always beach gatherings, complete with ocean waves, inner tubes, lunches of hot dogs, homemade chili, and a birthday cake with candles blowing in the midsummer breeze.

In Nashville, two musicians and I formed The Cambiata Trio, a chamber ensemble that performed everywhere from weddings and bridal shows to concerts in the park and the Governor's Mansion. The flautist, whose birthday is on the 13th, and I always celebrated this week by splitting the difference with lunch on the 15th. Those were very special times.

Clay Sings for NAT Birthday

This weekend is also the second anniversary of one of my happiest birthdays ever. In 2004, Clay not only came to Greensboro to sing for me on the eve of the 17th, but numerous fans who have become friends also gathered in my city for the Not a Tour Concert and a message board reunion. Prior to the show, we met for dinner and celebrated several July birthdays within our group. Here is a clickable of that special cake:

The NAT weekend's fun stories and "misadventures" began when I met some early arrivals for dinner on the 15th -- Anntherese54, Valeda, Wildaboutclay -- and we decided to tour the coliseum area for "dessert." After getting a load of Clay's name on the coliseum marquee, we located the road crew unloading the stage setup, but wisely decided to drive on by. After all, we didn't want to be banned form the next night's main event!

Super Sleuths Locate Buses

On the prowl for tour buses, we immediately spotted a pair in a hotel parking lot just down the road. There is nothing braver than a quartet of middle-aged Clay Aiken fans, so we parked right behind the second bus. While pondering our next move, we noticed someone walking toward the bus. My friend WAC hopped out of the car and promptly informed the young man we were CA fans and wondered if these were part of his entourage. From his accent, we amateur sleuths deduced that we had stumbled onto part of Cherie's group.

That weekend I played taxi driver to many and host to friends from both sides of the country, Canada, and Abu Dhabi.

PHOTO INTERMISSION: Today's clickable interlude features the graphics of Claystruck (1), Amazing_CA (2,3,5), and Invisible926 (4). Photos credits include Barb123 and Twicetreasured (1), Tasapio (2), and dc4clay (3).

A Poignant Reminder

Last year my birthday followed by two days the burial of the woman who gave me life, making the occasion all the more poignant. The leading character of my "Sail on, Silvergirl" blogs would have allowed me all of five minutes to ponder the sad correlation of the two events before tapping her toe, wagging a finger, and insisting that it is time to move on. And then she would add ... "Whatever!"

One of the kindest remembrances last year came from my San Jose sleuthing buddy, who had my avatar made into a key chain engraved "To Caro .. From WAC." This special gift was sitting in my mailbox when I returned home from my mother's funeral.

A box from Aspiegirl has been sitting in my kitchen for about five days. Somehow, I managed to wait until the birthday morning to open a special mug and pillow. Despite alignment issues, I am recreating the latter's message for teachers everywhere:

2 Teach is
+ 2 Touch a Life
4 Ever!

Thank you, Aspiegirl -- one of my star HTML code pupils. Thnx for all the good wishes that began popping up on message boards and in OFC blogs early this morning.

Here is a thumbnail greeting just in from OMC by way of Amazing_CA that I hope you will enjoy passing along to other Clay fans on their birthday. Thnx again for all your good wishes!

As Clay often says, CA fans are the best in the world. I could not be more grateful for the very special friendships we have formed and all that we share every day of the year because of him.

Caro

7/14/06: Musical Heritage Passed Down

PIANO MAN -- Clay Aiken is all over the grand piano in Amazing_CA's blend
of these Jukebox Tour photos by Tasapio.

Grand Old Upright Piano

Musical Heritage Passed Down

Some of my most memorable moments as a young girl were twirling around on a piano stool and learning to play the grand old upright whose tradition in our family dated back to my mother's childhood, as well as the previous generation of my grandmother and her six siblings. Oh, the stories that piano could tell!

Until the Chapman clan moved into town, the children were educated at their home in Pitt County by a teacher their Papa hired. Not only did this person instruct them in the three "R's," but she also taught them piano. My Great Aunt Lill informed Papa she knew more than the teacher, so he promptly sent her to Atlantic Christian College (now Barton) to study.

The family eventually moved into Grifton where there were public schools, but lessons continued on our family's grand old upright, producing several outstanding musicians -- including my grandmother, Aunt Lill, my mother, and her sister, Aunt Gladys.

Upon graduation at age 20, Aunt Lill began instructing piano at ACC and eventually taught multiple generations of students in her home studio in Wilson for the next 69 years. Later, when I started my own piano class, she was an exceptionally helpful source. We exchanged several informative letters, teaching techniques, and methods.

In our home in Wilmington, money was tight; so I only received about one year's worth of piano lessons. My sister was only interested in the flute, and my brother chose other instruments, too. Prior to the year of lessons, I had utilized my treble clef knowledge from clarinet studies in the school band and quizzed my mother enough to figure out the bass clef on my own. Hymnals and a stack of her old Etude magazines were my training ground; so when I actually took piano, I didn't fit the beginner mold. The teacher finally started me somewhere in Book 2.

From Day 1, I loved sight-reading new music more than the repetitive practice required to polish pieces for lessons and recitals. Even after the instruction stopped, I kept reading through those Etude books of classics and anything I could get my hands on. A side benefit was that I was often relieved of evening dishwashing duties because I was "practicing." I, of course, have passed this hint on to my students.

Sightreading Every Sunday

My knack for sightreading came in very handy when, during my high school years, I accompanied the Sanctuary Men's Sunday School Class at our church. The song leader, who just happened to be the Mayor of Wilmington, picked any hymn in the book and took a number of requests from the class every Sunday. I became really adept at transposing hymns with too many sharps to their parallel flat key (i.e., E with four sharps to Eb with three flats). Those dear men sent me to college with a portable typewriter that I used for years.

I started college planning to emphasize English and journalism, but instead "lived" in the music department performing in various ensembles. As a sophomore, I changed my major to instrumental music and was thrilled to learn this included a piano requirement. Once again, the professors had a time fitting me into the curriculum because my abilities and deficiencies did not match their mold. I was soon making up for lost time in the scale and arpeggio department while playing the same literature as many of the piano majors.

PHOTO INTERMISSION: This clickable interlude incorporates current blends from the AI5 Finale, the Canes game, and NANA, as well as photo memories from the Jukebox Tour. Featured are blends by Amazing_CA (1, 2, 4, 5) and A Beautiful Mind (3). Photos for the Jukebox blend were taken by Tasapio.

Piano Teaching and Motherhood

Mr. Caro and I taught band and orchestra in Texas prior to our move to Nashville in 1973. The stork located us almost immediately in Tennessee, and I turned to piano teaching as a means to supplement our income while raising our young daughter.

With neither keyboard lit nor pedagogy courses in my background, my sources were my experience plus Aunt Lill and several piano teaching friends who shared tips and techniques. I also spent several days at a local music store studying methods and devising my studio's course of study.

Like my Aunt Lill, I taught approximately 50 students a week -- some before school and some the minute they could get to my studio after the dismissal bell. Our house became a school bus stop for many.

As discussed in an earlier blog, Two Parakeets and a Poodle Mix, my teaching "assistant" was Button, our daughter's four-legged fur ball who loved to hop up on the bench beside students in hopes that between passages she would receive a back rub. She often got her wish.

Through the years, my students have won lots of awards and top ratings. Almost all presented 10-piece programs for an adjudicator each spring. In an agreement between the Nashville Area Music Teachers and Davidson County, several also received high school credit for their lessons.

Daughter Finds Own Niche

The only student I never got anywhere with was my own daughter. We tried everything -- from having her walk out the front door and enter via the studio door just like other students to calling me "Mrs. B" instead of Mom. Fortunately, she later found her musical niche with the cello.

Regarding the dreaded word "practice," I have had some very ingenious students. "The dog ate my music ... My mom accidentally put my Mozart through the washing machine ... You'll never believe what happened this week ... " And on and on!

The manager of a music store when he wasn't drumming, Mr. Caro said not a day went by that he didn't hear these words: "I wish my mother had made me keep taking lessons." These regrets were usually expressed by a parent hoping to interest his/her own child in learning to play.

Following much light-hearted banter about his shortcomings with piano studies, Clay was presented a Piano Lesson Dropout shirt by Clayversity at an Atlanta Joyful Noise Concert in December 2004. The shirt, as well as the front and inside pages of a card designed by Sally888, are shown below. Reckon this t-shirt inspired Clay to perform "Love Me Tender" on the Jukebox Tour? I wonder what his encore will be!

One of the cutest little girls ever to sit on my piano bench had a habit that caught her teacher by surprise every single time. Invariably, when she made a mistake, her immediate response was, "Oh, SHHHHHHHHHHHH .... ugar!!!" I never did break her of that habit.

This blog no doubt was inspired by the week's continuing reflections about my mother. I am grateful for the musical heritage of my family and have enjoyed passing the joy on to my own child, as well as to many others.

Have a great weekend, Clay Nation!

Caro

7/11/06: A Mother Joyfully Remembered

SAIL ON SILVERGIRL -- Bridge Over Troubled Water graphic designed by Katt45.

Sail on Silvergirl, Sail on By

A Mother Joyfully Remembered


Many of us go to our grave with our music still inside of us.

Not Alleen McDonald ... Mama Mac ... our family's Grand Dame ... my mother.

For weeks, July 12, the first anniversary of my mother's death, has been niggling intermittently through my mind and around my heart. Just as her 93 years of life were celebrated at her funeral, that is how I have chosen to spend this week.

With each passing moment, my siblings and I can recall last year's meetings with Hospice, the careful explanation that our mother's body was slowly shutting down, the labored breathing as she involuntarily fought to stay with us. Just before she died late on the evening of the 12th, we were summoned to the nursing home. Neither my sister nor I arrived in time.

I remember sitting by her bed, looking at her tired frame and feeling a mixture of sadness, relief, and peace. Mama Mac's ship had sailed to the next port, and she was free. "Sail On Silvergirl, Sail on By" would play continuously in the background of my thoughts for many days to come.

Many of us go to our grave with our music still inside of us.

The tales about my mother could easily comprise a book, but wouldn't everyone's life? Some of her experiences have filled at least three blogs here -- my fourth and fifth entries, 7/12/05, Mama Mac Still Singing Harmony and 7/16/05, Sail on Silvergirl, Sail on By, as well as A Mother's Day Remembrance on 5/12/06.

As a wife, mother, grandmother, teacher, musician, gardener extraordinarie, Alleen McDonald, affectionately known as Mama Mac, worked hard and lived a full life. An alto in the First Baptist Church-Wilmington Chancel Choir for 42 years, she appreciated good music and was a very enthusiastic fan of Clay Aiken. Among the most enjoyable moments of the final two years of her life were spent watching and listening to him sing. She especially loved Clay's rendition of "Bridge Over Troubled Water."

We miss our spirited matriarch, also known in family circles as "The Grand Dame" (pronounced "dahm"). Besides her three children, five grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren, Mama Mac was special to a large extended family of friends, former students and coworkers, the caregivers at Wesley Long Nursing Home where she lived following a broken hip.

My brother, sister, and our Aunt Gladys, 91 years young, shared memories for this blog, some of which I didn't know or had forgotten until this weekend.

Many of us go to our grave with our music still inside of us.

Our grandfather was electrocuted on his job with the power company in Little Washington (NC) when his children were 9, 7, and 5; so my grandmother moved the family back to her Papa's home in Grifton. Lunch was a huge meal for her brood and the 6-8 adults still living there.

"Mother was an excellent cook, but she always used every dish in the house," Aunt Gladys recalled. "Alleen and I had to wash dishes everyday, and this usually took us two hours. She washed and I dried; she sang soprano and I sang alto. We went through every hymn and old song we knew every afternoon.

Once every summer, the family went to Morehead City to enjoy the ocean and bring home soft-shell crabs. The children swam while the adults stayed cool up on the pavilion.

"The adults didn't worry about us because there was a lifeguard," Aunt Gladys said in our phone call Sunday. "One time I swam out too far, and the undertow was taking me down. Alleen reached out and pulled me back to safety.

She literally saved my life."I listened as she recollected their childhood -- picking tobacco, cooking on a wood stove, reading Jane Gray books, sewing their own yellow organdy dresses for a special trip to Chapel Hill.

"The first year your mother taught school, I visited her in Roanoke Rapids," my aunt continued. "I walked into her classroom and was floored. Her 5th graders were singing the most beautiful three-part harmony I had ever heard."

PHOTO INTERMISSION: This clickable photo interlude features graphics and blends by Clayquebec1 (1); Amazing_CA (2, 4); and Cindilu2 (3, 5). The middle graphic was designed especially for this blog's Mother's Day Remembrance.

Many of us go to our grave with our music still inside of us.

Even with 35 years in the public schools, all the successful operettas and other musical productions, Mother is best remembered in our Wilmington neighborhood as "the beach lady." On any given summer day, we loaded up her old 1939 Chevy, which she kept way past its prime just for beach outings.

Picture an old jalopy, of the running board variety, bursting with neighborhood kids in bathing suits, inner tubes, fishing/crabbing gear, picnic lunches, etc., bopping down the 10 miles between Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach. Fond, fond memories!

My brother Chuck recalled the scrumptious lunches of our daily beach excursions -- hot dogs with homemade chili wrapped in wax paper, pimento cheese sandwiches made with Mother's trusty hand-operated food grinder.

He also remembers that at age 15, he and Mother were having a very heated teenage-hood disagreement. "I was standing in the door of the bathroom, and the next thing I knew I was lying in the bathtub. Mama had a mean right hook!"

In her later years, that "right hook" became an oft-used, balled-up fist to be shaken at anyone saying something she found disagreeable. No one was exempt, including the preacher, her nurses, therapists, and especially her children.

Many of us go to our grave with our music still inside of us.

Throughout our youth, my sister, Mother, and I were often asked to sing for midweek church dinners. One of our favorites was "Rise Up Shepherd and Follow" -- in three-part harmony, of course.

Mama Mac thrived on her 35 years as a teacher, but she also enjoyed retirement. A member and, for two terms, president of the Sunshine Club at First Baptist-Wilmington, Mama Mac loved taking trips with the senior citizen group. The Sunshine Club members never met a joke they didn't like, so there were always lots of laughs.

Frequently, she drove to High Point for extended visits with my sister and her family. The hand-powered food grinder always made this trip, too, so she could make a granddaughter's favorite carrot salad.

A minister of music, my brother-in-law could count on Mama Mac to drive up and sing a mean alto in his church cantatas, hospital guild, and dinner theater performances.

My sister Linda, who regularly travels to a Raleigh music store to have her flutes repaired, was on one occasion running way behind schedule when interstate traffic further detained her. She could only hope her afternoon students had hung around for their lessons. As she entered the house, there sat the Grand Dame, in her daytime robe attire, teaching flautists.

My family was living in Tennessee, so a 12-hour drive alone was out of the question. However, when my husband returned home from by-pass surgery, Mama Mac hopped a plane to help with his recovery and be with her nine-year-old granddaughter.

Mother was never afraid to try something new. Well into her 60s, she took a little ride on my brother's motorcycle. "The only problem was when I made a turn, she leaned the wrong way," he laughed.

Monday (July 10) was the three-year anniversary of Clay's Rolling Stone cover. We caused quite a stir at lunch when I walked into the dining room at Wesley Long with my newly-purchased magazine. Mother and many of her fellow residents thought he was "hawt."

Many of us go to our grave with our music still inside of us.

One of my favorite Mama Mac stories occurred during National Caregivers Week in May 2005. A month shy of her 93rd birthday, Mother was relatively cognizant 99% of the time, though she occasionally had "moments" -- such as contending she needed to get ready for choir practice or pack for "our" trip to Wilmington.

Awakened from a midmorning nap with a visit by her granddaughter and toddler twin great-grandchildren, Mama Mac immediately began insisting she needed to get dressed for a rehearsal. No one in the family knew that Shekina, a very special physical therapist, had been secretly rehearsing a duet with her for the nursing home's afternoon talent show; so it was just assumed our matriarch was groggy and still getting her bearings.

When my sister dropped by after choir practice later that evening, displayed on Mother's door was a huge lst Place Blue Ribbon. She most certainly did know she needed to get dressed to rehearse. Our mother could sing harmony at the drop of a hat, a talent she shared with Clay and one of the many reasons she admired him so much. That day Mama Mac and Shekina were, hands down, the best!


Granddaughter Jen and Mama Mac

Many of us go to our grave with our music still inside of us.

Mama Mac would have loved her celebratory sendoff. The service was beautiful, and her minister told lots of tales about our mother, a "character in the best way." He replayed remembrances about the "beach lady," her blue ribbon win, the fact that she almost always pocketed little pink packets of Sweet-N-Low "for the church," her usage of "whatever" when anything annoyed or bored her, delivered -- of course -- with a variety of inflections and hand gestures.

Mother would have been delighted that despite stifling temps and typical Wilmington humidity, at the graveside service there was a cool breeze blowing off her beloved Carolina coastline.

Sail on, Silvergirl, Sail on By ...

Caro