In the words of the esteemed, oft loquacious Mark Twain, "Rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated." Ok, I'm walking a delicate tightrope here, fully realizing that this post will likely throw my RV pal, Wandrin Lloyd, into super-grump mode. Fortunately, I'm safely out of reach. Unfortunately, it concerns a matter of Life and Death. I will try to dance around the "elephant in the room" and dwell on the former, knowing that, not just for Lloyd but for all of us, the latter always has the last word.
Bobbie and I are deeply saddened after reading Lloyd's "Last Post." Apparently, the Wandrin Man is losing his battle with cancer and has "a couple months" to live.
Lloyd's masthead mantra, "Enjoy the Journey," is suddenly inordinate… proverbial. Since retirement, he has always (and we pray gets to continue to) live by those words—that they become his epitaph somewhere further down the road, and that Mark Twain's quip becomes a sardonic footnote to his "My Way" life. It would be a fitting kick to the balls of "medicine."
"Tightrope" notwithstanding, I'm going to "poke the badger" some more by showering a little attention on our RV inspired friendship. Sometimes, as with my Dad, death just doesn't come knocking, rather, it kicks down the door. Sudden deaths leaves no time for goodbyes or reminisces or preparation. But there are second and third chances with cancer, and, serious as it is, I'm going to take advantage of the opportunity. I know you don't approve, Lloyd, that's why I didn't bother to ask permission :) Some tightropes are worth the risk.
Hang in, Lloyd, the whole Rv community is pulling for you and appreciates your long standing blog presence and inspiring Journey!
Love and support,
Mark and Bobbie
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| Blue Lakes Pass |
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| Senator Beck Mine Hike |
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| Madera Canyon Arizona Hike |
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| Story time in our living room… with Sandy looking and listening on :) |
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| Lloyd and Sandy in Yankee Boy Basin |
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| Bobbie and Lloyd below Blue Lakes Pass |
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| A visit to Telluride |
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| Sandy, Lloyd and John Q visit BCB in Lovely Ouray |
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| Lloyd at Blue Lakes |
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| Tex Mex and Margaritas in Lovely Ouray |
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| And just a couple of months ago at Sandy's birthday party in Green Valley, Arizona... |
A wonderful and meaningful tribute to Lloyd, Mark. Thanks for putting things in perspective. I'll bet Wanderin' Lloyd approves. Looks like he was enjoying a great time on this visit. Thanks, again.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful tribute to LLoyd, Mark:)
ReplyDeleteMark,
ReplyDeleteA fine tribute to Lloyd. I was hoping to see Lloyd again this July in Ouray. As you can see from your pictures, Lloyd always enjoyed wearing Hawaiian shirt as a way of expressing that life should be fun and balanced. I'll think of Lloyd next time I wear a Hawaiian shirt.
Thank you, Mark. You did Lloyd proud. Excellent photos from your vault. Lloyd, our thoughts are with you. (Oh, wow, that sounded like, "Let the force be with you.")
ReplyDeleteIt would appear, at least at a glance, that Lloyd "lived it". Hell, maybe he'll continue to live it. None of us knows. None of us. We're all just pass'n thru in any event. May you beat this Lloyd. Stranger things have happened. And if such is not in the cards, I would hope to have the honor of meeting you on the other side. God bless, my friend who I have never met.
ReplyDeleteGoodness, this hit me pretty hard despite never having followed your friends blog, His blog title says it all...Enjoy the journey. I've always believed in that mantra, but it's not always easy to follow. I wish your friend the best and wish I had something more profound to say. I hope his final journey and the journey to whatever is next is as full as his life. Very sad...
ReplyDeleteNina
Just tell Lloyd it's not over till it's over. My best wishes for him.
ReplyDeleteNice tribute to your friend. Enjoyed how you wrote about him. I concur - my best wishes for him.
ReplyDeletePersonal friendships, shared experiences and memories are what it's all about.
ReplyDeleteI catch up on my blogs in alphabetical order so this is the first I've heard about the outcome of Lloyd's battle with cancer. Lovely tribute, Mark.
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