FIFTY Going on Eighteen

As I write this I’m FIFTY today. 

Wedding Day

   Every year for at least the last fifteen plus years I have been receiving a Halloween /  birthday card and well wishes from a long time customer, Jim Colson. As I will sometimes do I always responded to him as “Jimbo” which has stuck all these years. This year  was no exception as Jimbo sent me another card this week with the Halloween stickers adorning the orange envelope. This must really be my year though ‘cuz this one has an official us postage stamp of Pixar’s “The Incredibles”  in the corner. Hey, the day’s young.. let’s see what it brings. If the Pixar theme continues I might get enough balloons to lift the house!

 

   

What is FIFTY? I dunno. I can only tell you that I don’t feel twenty-five, thirty seems young to me, and it’s a few shades different than forty. Be that as it may, the mind is still planted in my teens (which may explain a lot) so it’s all working out pretty good I think…

In the grand scheme of this thing called “life” I feel very fortunate. I’ve got some great kids (mostly adults at this point J) that I’m proud of, a wife who looks out for me in so many ways, and some of the best friends any person is lucky enough to have. One thing I have learned is: there’s the family you grow up with, and the family of friends you gather along the way. In that respect I’m the richest guy I know. 

Brothers, Sister, Mom, Nieces, Nephew at
Atlant's Olympic Park

Oh, wait, phone’s ringing… it’s Mom... I’ll be right back.

Dad Hinch

   I don’t care how old you are, when you’re with your Mom, you’re a son or daughter again. They know all.. or enough.. and they’ve been with you on this trip that we’re still travelling on. Be sure to let your mother and father know you appreciate them. It may not always have been easy, but they’re your mom and pop. 

   So Mom reminds me I was a little over 8lbs 50 years ago today. Man how things have changed.

BOYS to MEN: John and Ian, my first two.

During birthdays Mom used to give us cards with dimes within… you remember those cards? This card is the one that spreads delight when as a young one you open the card to see all the glittery money sitting in the cut-out pockets within. Those were very cool surprises, plucking the dimes to feel our new loot (card? What card?).  Eventually the change  turned to dollars, and the dollars matched our current age. For some reason I remember receiving 23 dollars on my 23^rd birthday… but I don’t really remember receiving more bucks in future years. It’s okay Mom, I never expected it to go on forever ;-). The fact that you’re the mother of five children, the yearly dole becoming ever larger on our anniversaries, well, who could keep up with that? At some point I’m sure the bank clerk knew Mom by name. “Good morning Anne. Another withdrawal? All in one’s I take it? Oh, two tens and three ones this time eh? They do grow don’t they?”

   One ringy dingy... two ringy dingy... it’s Lee and Sue, my in-laws, calling to wish me the best on my day of FIFTY. Lee, or “Pops” as he’s called, is singing to me from Panama City Beach, Florida. “Just called to wish you a happy FIFTYith Dave, but can’t talk long.. we’re on our way out the door to Hunt’s Oyster Bar for lunch and we’ll be thinking about you when we munch down a dozen Cajun’ baked oysters with those garlic, buttered new potatoes you like so much. In your honor of course.” If you know Pops, you know he’s grinnin’ on the other end of the line. Me, I’m already droolin’ after one of my favorite moments that will come in the future when we get back down to Florida. ‘til then I’ll just have to savor the phone call from them today. Somebody pass me the cocktail sauce and some crackers, and a Tecate with lime…. I can dream can’t I?

Four Brothers Hinchberger, youngest to oldest.. some time ago.

   In 6^th grade we lived in Jerome Prarie, Oregon. A little community in the South of the state where my Dad was going to college and we lived for short time. My sister Heidi, who was 7 at the time,  pronounced it “Jah-rome, Pah-rare-ree,” I’ll never forget it.  I clearly remember that school. We lived so close that I could walk to and from school every day. I remember sitting in math class one day thinking about how old I would be in the year 2000 – a thought that was truly “science fiction” –  as that was “forever” to come and so far out of my mental reach. At the time, it was. Nothing could come fast enough when you’re young. You see the possibilities, earning money for all the comic books, toys and bubble gum you want. Girls were starting to show up on the radar, but still too early to see any financial issues in that area. Rent? Utilities? Car payments? Never entered my  mind of course. Mom and Dad took care of those things.  Thirty-Eight was to be my number for the year 2000. Man…  no problem.. I’ve got lots of time.

A GREAT and WONDERFUL DAY!
The Groom side from 2007, June 23rd.
Kyle Smith, Clay Culver, Pops, Dr. John, Reece, Brother Chris,
Groom Chick Susan!, Gene Byrum, Ian, John, and Kevin

ON TOP OF THE WORLD MA!
Dave and Clay with the family at the
Space Needle in Seattle June, 2012

   The phone rings yet again ( I should be so lucky). It’s my buddy Kevin. We met while we worked at Relativity Records. That’s almost twenty years ago. Again, another weird moment as time pops up it’s ugly head. I’ll call Kevin back. I’ve got to finish this blog, a newsletter, and then get ready to go see my 16 year-old and the Hiram Band play in competition today. It’s a gorgeous day and the best part is I get to go with my sweetheart, Mrs. LeeAnn Hinchberger, and see our boy and his band play their stuff. Ironically they’re playing “Mad World” by Tears for Fears in their repertoire this year. That was one of the first bands I worked with at Polygram Records back in the mid 80’s. Working on that record, and at that company, was a grand time for me. Thank you Larry Hensley for making it a great place to work. It was the time of my life. It changed my life. Now I get to revisit it with my son today as he plays Tears for Fears on the field. It doesn’t get much better than that people.

This is some of what makes me happy at FIFTY.

   Now it’s FIFTY and my life is so full it’s amazing. I don’t have enough time to see, do, and read all the things I want too. And there’s some old friends I’d like to catch up with. I have to make the time. There’s nothing like good people in your life. 

Trey and Pop on the wedding day!
June 23rd, 2007

Seriously. If you think about your life in years, let’s say I’m here ‘til eighty. Good safe number. That’s thirty years. Seems like a lot right? But if you break it down to weeks I have 1,560 weeks left. That puts it in a whole different perspective. “Years” seems huge. Weeks? Well those go by pretty fast don’t they. That’s not a question, they do go by fast. This isn’t a concern but an observation.  I’ve got some kind of back log on reading that I “want” to get through. I would say out of everything this is what does concern me. Why? Because I enjoy it, but with work and life, there just doesn’t seem to be enough time.
   Thankfully I have enough time to sleep!

   I’ve posted a few photos here. This isn’t a slide show of my FIFTY years – did you notice that FIFTY is prominent in this piece?  Just giving it it’s due ya know – if it was we’d never get out of here.. you’d be stuck for awhile ;-) But some people to recognize that is my family and life today. 

   Thanks for stopping by and visiting with me on the big ol’ day. As David Byrne says “It’s the same as it ever was,” it is.. but it isn’t. If it were wouldn’t that be boring? No time to lose (literally!) so y’all have a great day too and I’ll catch ya on the flip side. I’ve got to save a house from burning and get those FIFTY candles blown out before it all comes down.

   Oh, and my Mom also said when she first took me to church back in '62 a lady said “what a beautiful baby”

Man.. how things have changed ;-)

Thank you for a great day. Thank you for a great life. Love and hugs to all.

Dave