Friends....and Family....

Been thinking a lot bout friends and family. Am I a good friend? Am I a good relative?....I want to spend more time with my friends and family! On or about July 25th 2013, my friend, Richard Draeger, died. He was the first person my age I met and went out with when I moved to Rockport. He lived in the front RV park, but we shared Christmas '12 here with friends. He didn't like brussel sprouts, but said he enjoyed my roasted brussel sprouts. I could take Richards personality for bout 20 minutes at a time....I divorced one like him. My son Marc worked for him for awhile, but I think they goofed off more than worked though....ha ha. They got along great and talked morning till night. My Brother In Law informed me of Richards death....got to thinking and I really felt bad. I was celebrating my birthday with Robin Pebsworth...CC Hooks game and next night was seeing Uncle Lucius at Brewster Street. When I came home from those events I mentally noted that I really needed to get by and see him. As I drove by his trailer his dining table light was on, as was every night, and I just imagined him sitting there drinking his liquor and smoking cigs. It wasn't till I met his sister when she came from Aptos CA to take care of his business and take his ashes back to CA, that I realized....when I was going out, Richard was laying in his home dead! He was not discovered for approximately 4 days, massive heart attack/stroke.....4 DAYS! Marc and I were both upset. Heck, I even still had his voice mail on my cell phone wanting to make sure Marc got back to SA okay and if I needed anything to call him. 4 days...I wasn't a good friend. This was a wakeup call as to what being a friend means to me.....my friends/relatives that live across the state and country...there is no reason I cannot pick up the phone once a week and holler at them. No excuse from now on, friends and family are everything to me. I have close relatives that I don't really know and want to. Marc, Me, Kenny and a few others will disperse some of his ashes his sister gave me at Rockport Beach. She will spread his remaining ashes on a few beaches in CA (@Santa Barbara for one). I will stop before I start rambling and leave you with....life is too short: Some people live with love, Some people live with hate, But live the way you want to today...for tomorrow may be to late.

R.I.P. Richard Draeger, Surfboard Artist
10/30/1955 to 7/25/2013