Hi Pat. Your comment brings back a lot of memories. I didn't realize you were so close in age to Carol -- I was also close to her, even though we were ten years apart in age. Of course I remember Aunt Kit and Uncle Elmer and the visits to the homestead in Thomaston. I have a mental image of helping Grandpa LeHane (Lawrence) pick up the leaves on a fall day on Jerome Avenue -- came back very clearly for me last fall when my son Devin and I were doing the same at our house in Massachusetts. I've been exchanging Facebook notes over the past year about her experiences with her dad, Barney, and my own with my dad, Jim. It's been a long road with a rich family heritage. Thanks for sharing your comments.

Bruce, we spent a lot of times with the relatives in those early years. Good that you were able to stop by later than that. Ed was a good man - one of a kind in his own way.

Hi Bob. Greetings. I think we all have fond memories of Ed's energy and joie de vivre. The family fabric is strong and worth investing in. I hope the extended family can gather again soon and celebrate both the living and our heritage.

Hi Sia. It's fun to combine my interests in writing and personal technology. Sometimes a small adjustment can make all of the difference in getting more out of a software tool. When I was a technical secretary for several standards groups, I would use a separate word doc with hyperlinks to connect to a collection of separate word docs. That way, I could write my newsletter and client reports, and not have trouble finding the original documents. OneNote is probably a better tool for doing this kind of organization now, since it has good hyperlink capabilities. Tim Berner's Lee originally invented the World Wide Web to enable links between different research documents and we can use hyperlinks to do the same kind of organizing on our hard drives.

Hi Pat. They take the mystery out of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). But social is a fast-moving field, so you can use their tips and extrapolate how to apply based on more recent changes to sites like FB and LinkedIn.

I can personally attest that firms funded by LBOs and private equity are squeezed by the need to continue to pay down the debt. As you note, a downturn can make it very difficult to continue to pay down the debt and the typical result is a reduction in force. A firm with a less leveraged balance sheet should be able to a better job of keeping their best people.

I'm reading the book "Inbound Marketing" and it's packed with useful information for anybody who uses social media for marketing or building a personal platform. It'll be fun to put the ideas to work.

Carol rarely took the easy road. She had her areas of passion and put a lot of energy there. For example, even during this week, I've been going back to historical family materials Carol assembled as various far-flung relative have been checking in. Thanks your thoughtful comment, Renae.

Sia, Carol was a person who touched a lot of people. She had flaws, but also had special gifts which she shared with many of us. I'm glad you managed to get a sense of her from this. I appreciate your kind words and support.

Pat, we remember and we grieve. Thanks for stopping by.

Hi Maura. The LeHane brothers and sisters of Carol's generation have always been tight. Bob and Carol were both special in their unique ways. Thanks for sharing your thoughts about him and his feelings for Carol. Indeed, there is strength in family.

Thanks to all for coming by to read and comment on the post. Carol connected with several deep threads in my life, so I wanted to share a sense of those connections.

Hi Pat. Carol was one of the most unique people I've known. Putting together a few words to remember her made that even more apparent.

Hi Bob. It's nice to hear from you. During times of loss, we can reach out to other family members for support.

Hi Jill. Yes, we remember and the stories get passed on.

Hi Jamie. Yes, it was surprising how we moved in similar paths over the years. As you say, we were kindred spirits in several ways.

Sia, I've always loved music festivals and it looks like my peer group (baby boomers) agrees. Newport has a gorgeous setting on the harbor, so it's pleasant even on a hot day like Saturday was.

Thanks, Pat. The jazz fest has become a summer tradition for me in recent years, taking me back to my roots in the the music.