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.