July 10th...

Today would be my brother's 62nd birthday. That is, if he had not passed away in February'08. Dick has the honor, like those passing before him, of being frozen in time; unlike those of us who live and continue to age year after year. We will all remember Dick as he looked at age 61, never getting grayer, never becoming a stooped over old man; but always as the salt & peppered haired, lean and tall, handsome man that he became.

Dick was the quintessential sportsman. Whatever he set his mind to doing, he did at a level above anyone else. Learn to golf? He had a hole in one under his belt. Learn to shoot bow and arrow? He was the Nebraska state champ. Hunt with bow and arrow? He bear hunted in that manner. So, while the above picture is a bit outdated (1985), this is how we will always remember Dick. Fly fishing in a stream in Alaska, or hunting elk in Colorado with Uncle Phil, or maybe making bookmarks out of snake skins (that he had caught and skinned, of course) when he was 10 years old. Most importantly, however, we will remember him and cherish our memories until the day when we are too, frozen in time.