UNFORGETTABLE CHARACTERS I'VE MET.

The Land of My Ancestors in 2010.

We Hunted and Fished This Area. I suppose everyone has an old friend they would like to see again. Mine was from 1950. His family moved across the street from me when we were in the 7th grade. His name was Richard but we all called him Rich. Many labeled him a misfit. He often didn't tie his shoes, buttoned his shirt crooked, and could never seem to get the last bit of shaving cream from behind his ear. Some folks even thought he was a bit slow mentally. I knew better. Especially now that I am 73 years old and have a number of those problems myself.

He Was Always Using Big Words. I didn't dare ask what they meant because I thought he would laugh at me. Because of him, I just about wore out a dictionary. He also had a quick wit that could coax a laugh out of the most rigid sourpuss. No.....Richard wasn't dumb. He just occasionally did dumb things. One incident I will never forget is when he asked his mom if he could drive the family car around the block. He drove clear to downtown Denver, a round trip of more than 15 miles. The next door neighbor, Gayle and I sat frozen in the passenger seats, sometimes frozen with laughter. When we came to a red light, he would start shifting into low gear 50 feet from the intersection. Still, we made it home. Quite a feat for a 13 year old who had never driven before. Of course, he had no license, let alone a a learners permit.

Me and Rich Had All The Answers. We both knew that Franklin Roosevelt was the first president of the country and the man who wrote the constitution. He could have been the heavyweight champ but he had to spend his time being president so he could save the country from depression. We thought it was possible for him to rise from the dead and throw the Republicans out of office so as to avoid another depression which we all knew was just around the corner.

The Most Noble Activity Was Fishin'. We went fishin' as often as we could talk my parents or his into giving us a ride to one of the local lakes. In order to fish, you needed a hook a a line, and bait, but most important, a bobber. Without a bobber, white with a red tip, you couldn't see the fish bite. Rich also followed other principles Fish close to the bank, put your bait anywhere you see bubbles, and if it's big enough to bite, it's big enough to eat.

Our Favorite Fishin' Spot was Near Clear Creek. It was a gravel pit near the creek pictured above. We almost drowned wading the creek to get to that spot. We were carrying our fishing gear in the fast moving water which was shoulder deep. It was much deeper then than it is now and, despite its name, was no where near clear. We only had a few minnows left but it was enough to catch a couple of large bass and three or four reasonable sized crappie. We swore each other to secrecy not to disclose to others the location and the fact that minnows were the preferred bait.

The Things We Didn't Understand Back Then, I Still Don't Understand. One of the biggest mysteries was women. They are still a mystery even though I've married three of them and helped raise three daughters. I can't understand why people harm other people, especially children. I don't know why they had to cut down all the apple orchards and raspberry fields in the valley where we grew up. I don't know why they ran a major interstate highway along the west side of our fishin' hole. And I don't know why the teachers in our school and the adults in our neighborhood wouldn't let Rich be the way he was. Finally, I don't understand death. Why do we go through all these stages from grandchild to child to adult to father to grandfather, only to disappear into eternity. Maybe Rich knew the answer but every time we started to talk about it, we got scared and quit.

Where Ever You Are, Rich, I hope you are still leaving your shoes untied and buttoning your shirt different. I hope you are still spontaneous and creative and possessed of great wit. The trials and tribulations of life have a way of breaking us all into formation. I pray that it didn't happen to you, Rich.

I Found This In an Old Notebook I Wrote In 20 Years Ago. With the help of the internet, I have found Rich. One of his two beautiful sisters is still alive and in her mid 80's and they live in California. It's unlikely that we will meet again. He doesn't see well and I don't hear well so we have a problem communicating. I'm glad he's still alive and I hope he gets a lot of enjoyment from the years he has remaining.