Salt Castings

I just learned my cousin, Shawn Gier, died late yesterday.  I don’t know what to say.  Unbelievable.  He was such a great guy.  Kind hearted, polite, caring and a wonderful sense of humor.  He was also fearless, tough and wasn’t the type to give up on something until he got it right.  I’ve done a lot of reflecting on my time with Shawn since I first created this post and as a result have re-lived many more memories than I could find time to describe. 

• Trips to Levy in my Jeep Wagoneer to jump off the cliffs and swim; the long, hot walk down the train tracks; Harry’s trunks splitting up the sides after hitting the water with very little material left to protect his modesty; swimming across the pond and getting into a mud fight on the other side.
• Watching Shawn skate in a contest in downtown Kennewick.  He was trying to pull a ho-ho and the board hit him in the back of the head.  He got up, shook it off, and kept going until he nailed it.
• Working with Shawn and a team of derelicts in the corn and sorghum fields across the Columbia Basin one summer for Pioneer Seed Corp.; I’ve never been so hot and laughed so hard in my life.
• Listening to Jane’s Addition, Soundgarden, The Pixies, PWEI and tons of other music at ear-splitting levels in your room.
• Christmas Eves and Thanksgivings at our grandmother’s house on Cascade Street when our parents actually rented both a VCR and tapes to keep us occupied in the back room. 
• Watching Shawn drop into the half pipe he and Heath built in their backyard and wondering if I’d ever have the balls to do it myself.  Answer: still haven’t found them.
• Sneaking into Elliot’s Lake with snorkels and fishing spears, finding some huge bass and then taking turns flying off the rope swing until we couldn’t hold the rope any longer.
• Feeling bulletproof whenever we were together, no matter what the situation.  I never questioned whether Shawn had my back.

Love you, Shawn, and will miss you.  You’re a huge part of who I am today.