Friends

Funny, isn't it?

Of course we meet all kinds of people in our lives. I'm still very good friends with Rusty. He and I were the two class longhairs at N.A.I.T. * while we took our machining apprenticeships together. I was living in Fort Mac and working at the GCOS (now Suncor) Oilsands project, while Rusty worked for Peacock Brothers in Edmonton. We probably spent more time playing badminton (I'll get it...') and gawking at girls, than we did machining. It was only our superior intellect and hands on approach, that got us both Interprovincial tickets after four years. Even after losing touch for the 10 years I lived on the East coast before meeting again a dozen years ago... we're still great buds.

*Northern Alberta Insitute of Technology

Then there's Judi and Dennett (the other Dr.N. PHD) I met those two when Dennet had a rather ornery Gus Kuhn, Druid supercharged Norton Commando in his garage. That rather unique, but tremendously unreliable bike was traded for a BMW R90/6 which, BTW... he still owns, even though it hasn't run in a hundred years. They recently moved to Victoria, bought a float home, and a custom trawler cabin cruiser. I think that they've gone into inshore pirating with that thing. Hope to get out there soon for a cruise up the coast. (Harrrr.... ye landlubbers!!)

I have several great friends still living (umm, I mean as opposed to having moved elsewhere) in PEI, Canada's smallest province. In the 10 years I spent there with my store Freedom Cycle, I made a heck of a lot of good friends. I can't possibly mention them all but here's a few that come right to mind. There's wingman Hance, Radiator doctor Donnie and his perennially cute and bubbly wife, Nora. The Smith's, Mike and Bel operating a newspaper biz out of Kensington... and of course there's Rob. Rob worked with me in all three of my stores. S'Side, C'Town and Moncton. There's even Rob's sister Heather who now lives in OZ... she kept us in line along with Mst Corp, Roger C. during our hectic scraps racing YSR's. If/when I move back to a simpler lifestyle (no laughing you guys, it's gonna happen!) I will easily be able to invite a Saturday complete BBQ's worth of friends.

Here in CowTown, I met Tommy G. as in Geeeee (computer) Whiz, while working at Bow. ('Yeah yeah, gotta get me one of those BMW's....... know anyone wanting to buy my BMW?!') Long time gal pal Kim, used to come into Pro-AM while I worked there, with an immaculate Honda CB 650 in candy red, a bike I eventually persauded her to part with. Holly rode it for several years. There's the Stanwyks, Clayton and Annette. I sold them several motorcycles in the day, and they are still great friends. Annette is an author now, and does speaking tours. Both just got Harley's again after a few years of being off bikes. Without devulging any secrets, they are both upwards of sixty and still living life. There's cat friends like Gracelet, old work friends like Darlene and Don and of course many (many) bike friends.

Kazue I met in the Kootenay's about a dozen years ago, when I spotted her grossly overloaded LS 650 Savage, at the Balfour Bay ferry terminal. She spoke very little English, somewhat better Japanese (she's from Miyazaki City) and now lives in Banff. I know... that sounds funny eh, a Japanese in Banff...

There's my L.A.* neice Liz, who is riding Kazue's old 650, and if she doesn't use it this year... I have threatened to take it back. We're great friends. I long got over her destroying my carefully set up toy armies in her living room. She was after all one year old, at the time.

*Leduc Alberta

Long time Fort Mac friends John M. and Jon D. I won't mention last names because they are both in witness protection programs or at least, should be.

While on the subject of Fort Mac... Unca Ronnie (CBX, FJR, Suzuki GS x 2) I met when he came to run the ad department for the Express. Ronnie and I still keep in touch, he lives straight West of me in Kamloops. (yeah yeah, weather is great, blah blah blah, ad nauseum)

I've even made a couple of new friends in Phoenix even though I only recently bought my condo there. Bob and Val, ex pat Brits who have been oh so kind, and the Ladensacks, Al Jean and Rob... they're the local Allstate guys and Al a Rock and Roller. Let's not forget Mike, a rider himself...

Then there are people that are your friends and you've never even met them... Hi marking, FJ riding,Yamaha diehard... keep them emails :) coming Danno, and there's Amy C. Folk singing, guitar playing Neil Young adoring, motorcycle riding, graphic designing and hard working :) and... beer drinking Amy. She turned me onto Rolling Rock and I brought her back a six pack in return, from Phx.

Course... I've drank it already.

We've never even met except over the wonders of the net... but we're pals anyway.

Of course there's the Hungarian family that are also my good friends. Who said family can't be friends eh... Princess Barbie, ummm... I meant Adri, who got me out from the passenger lounge at the Budapest airport, with some inane story, only to hug me and hand me a Barbie doll ( "anything to declare"? "Uhhh... Not that I'd want to sir..." ) and in the process, make me go thru that whole friggin' security gate thing again. (love you Adri!) Who could forget cousin Albert (Berti) Speaks English like a Londoner, "Yes, we'll be there in 10 minutes, we're just passing thru JaszBereny right now..." and without who's help I would not have had a Little Red Diversion to criss cross Europe with, and Agi... the gorgeous dark haired/eyed fiance...

So... here's a cold Rolling Rock to you all... my Friends.

Enjoy them, cherish them, nurture them, never ignore them and they will be there forever, thru thick and thin, good times and especially the Bad times.

It doesn't matter how much time passes (Rusty and I) or what the distance is (Rob and I) or what the past was, (Arlene and I)... I am proud to call them all...

MY Friends!