Lost Friend

I realize this isn't going to mean much to any of you, but I needed to vent/share a quick story. As most of you who have paid any attention to my posts might recall, my interest in skiing and CCs goes back to when I was a kid. It was always a part of my life, but the year I really became a fanatic was 1972. I met a friend through swimming, he lived about 60 miles away, so we only saw each other occassionally. But that summer, I was 17, he and I got together almost every weekend to ski. We taught ourselves to barefoot by stepping off, and of course the harder the fall, the bigger the laughs. We didnt have a spotter, so a little handy work with a life vest, a ball for a head and a baseball cap and we had "Rog" our spotter. We were the only ones around that could barefoot and were almost celebrities on the lake. We must have put a thousand hours on the old Mustang that year skiing, footin, and trying just about every goofy stunt we could think of. It was definitely the most fun and most memorable summer of my youth. Tom and I went in and out of touch over the next 30 years, but hooked up once or twice and did some skiing together. I only recently reconnected with him, to find out he had moved to Atlanta. I just got word today that my buddy has died. It fills me with thoughts of that summer of 72. Sorry about the downer post...just one of those days.


        Larry                                                                                         Tom

Rog is a pretty good driver!

Never know when you will go, gotta make the best of it.

I'm sorry to hear that Larry. You're fortunate to have had him for a friend, and to have such good memories. Gret picture.

Larry, Just keep remembering those good times with your lost friend.

Wow, sounds like Tom was a great guy and will be missed, it is awesome he was able to leave a mark on your life Larry, and my guess is you are one of many lucky enough to have known him, let the memories live on forever.

Larry sorry to hear about you losing a friend.

Larry: I think you know I started out the same way...took the same pics...and have many of the same memories.

As time marches by...things change...we move on...memories are what we carry on with us forever. So loved ones never really "die"...they are always alive in your heart thru your memories.

This is one of the BEST things about what we share here. The stories...of these old boats...and old friends.

But the boat dr has a good point...pick up that phone and make a call...whether to a friend or family member. Once today is past it is gone forever...and boy does time pass fast!

Thanks again Larry...for sharing and stirring up some of my old memories!

john

Larry, I'm sorry for your loss. Don't apologise for the post.No one should have to go through it alone.
                        Gary

Larry, Sorry for your loss but all I can add is that you are lucky to have had such a good friend and that you were able to keep in touch through the years. When I look back at pics from the hey days my biggest regret is that I've lost touch with all of the old crowd. This my favorite pic from those day, the 4 hardcores heading out for some early morning footing. If my math is right , the guy standing is now 67. Life is too damn short.

Nice tribute to "TJ". Maybe I was driving the day that picture was taken. Remember when you two jokers put on the following skit for me?... "hey, do you know Art? Art who? Art Tee-shun. Oh, I know Art tee-shun well". Well, maybe you had to be there. I had to spell it phonetically to make the point. Anyway, to continue the story of "Rog", (short for Roger) , he was created in the boathouse lab one erreee night as our flairs had burned out and we couldn't ski anymore that night. We wanted to be law abiding skiers by day and needed a spotter, which he became. The funny part is that small lakes in the Adirondacks were patrolled by the county and we got a retired Calvary sheriff who was 80 if a day. We called him "pops". And to him Rog was real as rain, even up close and believe me, we spent a lot of time tied up next to pops showing him our "reg-is-ter-a-tion", our "pa-da-dals" and what ever else he asked for. Its like he couldn't remember he asked us for all those things just the day before. Just a few more Kayuta Lake memories and TJ was part of all that.

62 wood wrote: now there will always be a spotter in that seat...

I, too, have a lost friend...and I think just this way about him. Sorry for your loss.