Driving in Formation

As we all know, Bill was always taking off to do something. One year he booked himself into a golf camp in Carmel Valley, about an hour south of Santa Cruz. After the camp he was scheduled to come spend a few days with Mom and Dad. I was working construction in Monterey back then and somehow his visit coincided with my being assigned a company pickup. We decided the timing was perfect and when his camp ended, he would follow me up to Santa Cruz driving my Cherokee while I drove the pickup. So, Dad was always a stickler for keeping a full 5-6 car lengths between him and the car ahead on the highway. Imagine my surprise as we started out and Bill was a length and a half off my rear bumper. At first I thought he was just getting used to the Cherokee and would back off, but no . . . I made a couple lane changes, then a couple speed changes while keeping a close eye on my mirrors. The distance between us never varied by more than a few feet. It was kind of disconcerting until I remembered that both Bill and Dad were Navy fly boys. Bill was just driving the way he would have flown as my wing man. I started to relax a bit and realized it was a very efficient way to follow someone. Never too far back so if a light changed between us, I'd have to pull over and wait. Always right in view so I never had to worry about losing him. I think Dad had a martini ready to pour for him when we got to Santa Cruz.

Flying Around with a GPS and a double scoop of ice cream

One of my favorite memories of Bill and Bob was when Peg and I drove from Portland to Santa Cruz back when the GPS was first being introduced in rental cars. That talking GPS lady led us right to 891 Prospect Dr, Santa Cruz without a glitch. Bill had driven over from the car show in Nevada. When we pulled in the drive and Bill and Bob learned we had the talking lady GPS they about yanked me out of the car and they both jumped in the front seat and were dumbfounded by its capabilities. They sat in the front seat just staring at the box and listening to the lady give orders. Bob then immediately remembered that he had photo at the drug store ready to be picked up. I showed him how to enter the address and we were off to the races. I never saw 2 guys have so much fun running an errand. You would have thought we were on a trip to the moon the way they monitored the GPS controls. They were so different from each other but so alike. Bill never lost his childlike enthusiasm for adventure. ‘Wheels” was the perfect nickname for him. He tried to trade Peg for a wagon when she was born and he never lost his desire to stay in motion with wheels or wings. I seem to recall the high school outhouse escapade involved wheels too. Something about a homecoming prank that involved getting the outhouse from the farmer’s land to the bonfire. I am sketchy on the details but I am sure the statute of limitations has run. The other incident that sticks in my mind that also involved wheels was the Christmas dinner when Bill drove down the wrong (and steep) ice covered driveway and ended up within a few feet of crashing through the picture window and right into the Christmas tree in the living room. I remember the farm in Hinkley. He enjoyed showing John and I around but was most proud of his motorcycle and his trip around the great lakes. The last time I really saw him really laugh is when he refused to divulge Bob’s latest invention to us but enjoyed our wild guessing when he gave us a few clues. It seemed to be something clever that held up your pants but did not involve a belt or suspenders. We had some wild guesses.
He would laughed a lot when telling the story of when he came to Alaska and borrowed my car to go to a small fishing lodge across the inlet from Homer, Alaska. The lodge charged an outrageous amount for the privilege of crawling up to a crows nest in the top of a building up what sounded like a series of ropes and ladders and then having to climb down use an outhouse in the middle of the night (perhaps the old farmer’s revenge from the Home Coming prank). I have pictures of Bill and Bob wearing the spatula, ice tongues and screwdriver headgear that Peg and I found at the “Spoon Man” booth at the Portland Farmer’s Market on our trip to Santa Cruz. Spoon Man would take things and cut them in half and solder them to the ends of a headband so it would look like the object was impaled in your head. When he put on the spatula Bob howled. Then Bob but the spatula on and Bill howled. Within minutes we were all rolling on the floor. We all laughed till we had to beg each other not to try another one on because we hurt from laughing so hard. I hope tonight he is flying around the heavens, looking down with a smile and enjoying a double scoop of black walnut ice cream.

Happy and Bumpy

I think what I will always remember best about Bill is that indomitable spirit, always so irrepressible and upbeat. I recently lost my trusty Mazda in a rear-end accident. Had to buy a new car, and it made me think of Bill. Back when I first bought my Mazda, he happened to be in Santa Cruz, and he just made such a fuss over my new car. He really made me feel even happier with it than i already was. I was wishing I could once again show him my new car.

Another great memory is of the time he flew me from Santa Monica to Santa Cruz in his Beechcraft Bonanza. My first (and only) ride up the California coast in a small plane. Spectacularly scenic and bumpy too!

He will be missed....

Black Walnut Ice Cream

Last week when Bill and I spoke he was trying to scheme a way to get some black walnut ice cream in the hospital. Makes me want to go get some now but not sure I've seen that flavor here. We should all, as Marty said, try to live to the fullest as Uncle Bill did.

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