Starting the Blog Up Again

The Masqueman Blog has been eerily silent since April of 2015 when I stopped writing to do other things. I have been too preoccupied with multiple professional and personal projects including launching my new watch blog and writing articles for www.WatchHunter.org. I am going to make a concerted effort to catch up so stay tuned, and thanks for reading.

A Message From My Father Spirit Wrapped in Black Feathers

It was one year ago that my brother called me and told me of our father's passing. I was sitting in my office and clearly, my ears heard the words, but my brain wrapped them in a web to digest later. I had to get out...

As I sat in my car staring into space, a huge black crow flew through my field of vision and landed in a tree next to me. It squawked at me for what seemed several minutes… and then it flew away.

At moments like this, I can get a little superstitious. Some Native American cultures see crows as liaisons between this world and the next. They are viewed as guides that help the deceased cross over.

I would rather imagine that this was a message from my father's spirit than just a noisy bird who took a keen interest in me sitting in my car. It does not really matter if that is even logical or not… This life is full of mysteries and strange occurrences, and I do not need to know all the answers. Either way, it marked the moment vividly.

Celebrating death anniversaries may be a purely human endeavor. Other animals rarely look back at the end of someone else's life with pride, remorse or joy. Humans may be the only creature that can understand how the past, present and future glide seamlessly through one another changing our viewpoints along the way. 

What a child's parents experienced, may later be felt by the same child once grown. The only time I ever saw my Dad cry was when he told us that his father passed away. I understand more clearly what that moment was like for him now that I have felt the same sting.

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"I am he, as you are he, as you are me, and we are all together." — John Lennon 

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Whether this is what Mr. Lennon was exactly saying, it seems to support my view that these similar shared experiences as humans bind all people and cultures together. We all mark similar milestones in a lifetime, but not necessarily at the same rate or in the same way.

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THE PAST

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At that moment...the past came flooding back to me. All those lessons my Dad taught me, the secret talks and the shared dreams. Pulling me out of trouble and teaching me that the only way to do a job is "the right way". The last time I saw him... the last time we talked... I never knew that would be it.

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THE PRESENT

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One simple call made the present slip into the past as I realized that I would no longer be able to pick up the phone to call him.  I thought "I have to leave right now.... I have to change flight arrangements.... I have to plan what to do next.... I will grieve later.... too much to do..."

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THE FUTURE

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Keeping an eye to the future can help you cope with the present. During the week of the funeral, I kept myself as busy as possible, never letting my brain sit idle. After the funeral service was over, the walls came crashing down. There was no outrunning it any longer, and it was too painful to think about a future without his smile that was seemingly just for me, and his lovely voice of a southern gentleman. I have replayed messages from him just to hear it again.

My Dad's smile, captured by his granddaughter, Kristina

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FOLLOWING HIS LEAD

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Charles Hughes never stopped moving during his life until his medical condition confined him. I believe his last 5 years were purchased with sheer stubbornness and willpower to stay at my Mom's side and raise his grandchildren. He was a man of boundless energy and creativity. He could be a mystery to those who loved him, hiding his true thoughts behind silence or sarcastic attempts at humor. He did not linger in the past, but decided to look ahead with the vision of what was important to him. I want to be like my father. If I see a crow, I will tell him this... just in case my Dad is listening.

Memorial Video of Charles Hughes

This was the memorial video that was played at my father's funeral, and replayed on the one year anniversary of his passing.

I made it with the help of my nephew, Justin who helped me scour the photo albums for the right shots. During the funeral, the video was accompanied by beautiful live music that Justin played on his guitar. Unfortunately, I did not have clean recording of that, so I replaced it with a powerful song sung buy Annie Lenox with music by Howard Shore. The lyrics fit...

In case the video does not come through in email, here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r47-EDM93II

"Into The West"

Lay down
Your sweet and weary head
Night is falling
You’ve come to journey's end
Sleep now
And dream of the ones who came before
They are calling
From across the distant shore

Why do you weep?
What are these tears upon your face?
Soon you will see
All of your fears will pass away
Safe in my arms
You're only sleeping

[Chorus]
What can you see
On the horizon?
Why do the white gulls call?
Across the sea
A pale moon rises
The ships have come to carry you home

And all will turn
To silver glass
A light on the water
All souls pass

Hope fades
Into the world of night
Through shadows falling
Out of memory and time
Don't say: «We have come now to the end»
White shores are calling
You and I will meet again

And you'll be here in my arms
Just sleeping

[Chorus]

And all will turn
To silver glass
A light on the water
Grey ships pass
Into the West

The Priceless Birthday Present

For my 45th birthday I received a surprise treasure from my mother. An unassuming box arrived in the mail, and there was no telling what would be in it because she has a knack for creative presents. This year she sent something of great personal value to her and now to me. It was from a time many years before I was born.

Carol and Charlie "JUST MARRIED" in 1960

 Back in 1961, my parents were newlyweds and financially strapped like many young folks. The stuff we take for granted today would have been considered luxurious for them at that time of their lives, especially since they were spending their summer working at Sky Ranch, a camp for "challenged" campers. Some of these young kids had no arms or legs, or suffered from the effects of polio and birth defects. My mother said that these children taught her and my father so much and made the summer a memorable experience.

Carol and Charlie Hughes in 1961

Having little money, my father got creative for their first wedding anniversary. He made my mom something with his own hands. In a way, these kinds of gifts represent an investment of time and love. Not to say that a store-bought gift is not appreciated, but in our product driven world, most people have stopped making things themselves. My father would continue to make her gifts for the rest of his life as seen by these whimsical butterflies made of crushed rock, wire and wood.

My dad carved for my mother a small wooden figure of woman carrying a baby on her back. For anyone who knows my Mom, they will know that this has more than a surface meaning. 

She has raised 4 of her own children, 4 grandchildren, a gang of neighborhood kids and several stadiums worth of teenaged counselors and campers. Not only that, she was the oldest of 8 siblings and helped with her mother with baby raising duties.

The timeworn face of a mother

To me, the figurine of a mother carrying her children symbolizes her perfectly. I suspect my father knew this when he carved it. My Mom  put her children before her own concerns. The weight was heavy as you can see from the stooped back, but she did it anyway... and is still doing it today in her late 70s.

You may never meet a more caring, insightful and funny lady. Many of our late night calls are filled with laughter and funny yarns filled with juicy details... just the way a good tall tail should be told. She is the type of person who knows who everyone is at somebody else's family reunion. I am sure she has introduced cousins who did not even know that they were related. My mom will make strangers feel welcome, and always let you know how much she loves you. I kinda feel sorry for the rest of the world, because I have the best mom out there... just saying.

Executive Portraits for Spin-off Healthcare Corporation

If you have not heard, last year Kimberly-Clark Corporation spun off a $1.8 billion healthcare division resulting in an independent, publicly traded company named Halyard Health. This new entity will be  focusing on preventing infection, eliminating pain and speeding recovery for healthcare providers and their patients.

I was hired to create executive headshot portraits of the international board of directors. I would only have a minuscule 30 minute window of time to do it since their day was crammed with obligations. This meant showing up the previous day to set up my portable headshot studio consisting of a backdrop, 4 lights, a camera and a photographer... that's me.

I had to cut the set-up short because apparently the flash was bouncing into the board room making people think it was lightning outside. To put it mildly, this was distracting during an important Powerpoint presentation. We all had a chuckle about this later... but not then.

I showed up 2 hours early the next day to finish the setup. Then, during a short break in the meetings, I took all the portraits, packed up and hit the road. Mission accomplished.

A New Watch Blog is Born at WatchHunter.org

A perfect storm of watch collecting, photography and blogging has come together in a pet project of mine located at www.WatchHunter.org. I just launched this blog last week and am trying to fill it with at least an article per week.

I started this to have an outlet (other than my patient wife) to write about my passion of being a horologist... also known as a watch nerd. You can often tell a watch nerd by the way he wears his sleeves just above the watch. He does this so that he can gaze upon the amazing timekeeping device on his wrist, much like a proud parent may look at a newborn. 

This can quickly get out of control with the advanced watch nerds skipping the wrist watch altogether and opting for the ultimate neck watch. Of course, you have to ask someone else "What time is it?"

Photo by Comedy Central

My plan is to write about the watches I own and ones I would like to own. I will have different series within the blog including "Strap Swap", "Meet the Watch", "Watch DNA" and perhaps a sales corner with product recommendations. The subject is limited only by the time I throw at it.

The www.WatchHunter.org blog will also create photo studio projects for me to hone my watch photography skills. Watches can be incredibly tricky to shoot. Believe me, every spec of dust, microscopic scratch and unwanted reflection tries to photobomb the shot. There are also industry standards as far as how the hands are set ... usually at 10 and 2 just like they taught you in driver's ed. Of course, rules are meant to be broken as seen in a sample above.

If you have an interest , please check it out and subscribe. 

Web Site Design for a Large Manufacturing Conglomerate

Some websites are designed like simple calling cards to hold position on the world wide web. This was the case for site I designed at Graphic Works for OCI Enterprises Inc. This manufacturing conglomerate has several corporate layers under the main umbrella company.