Hi Bud

It was fun reading a few things you noted about our mutual interests and activities as well as our diversity over the past 20 plus years of friendship. As I read and chuckled at your thoughts I thought I would add a few of mine.

Do you remember those early days when we first were friends we did some serious cycling together. You had a Raleigh and I had a Trek touring bike and we'd hit the road after work every night. Contrast, if you will, the rides we took together just last summer. We both bought women's 'comfort bikes', hardly the look or feel of a serious cyclist, though sooooo much nicer than crunching over those low handlebars, and the seats, only about 5 inches wider than those skinny rails we were perched on. The only similarity for me between my touring bike and the new one--it's still a Trek. Yours is a great throw back to yester-year, complete with a basket and a bell. For sure I have a computer on mine, why I don't really know, since mileage and cycling times have become so irrelevant. We rode as fast as we wanted and as far as we wanted, and then stopped. Why didn't we do that years ago? I was still wearing cycling shorts, though my running shoes replaced the 'real' cycling shoes and you opted for capris. Funny thing though, 20 years later, different equipment, different abilities and, yet I still had a great time.

Now the other thing was the health club. We would go, swim, do the track and weight machines and swing through The Dog Stop on the way home. Really????? Hot Dogs! What were we thinking? I don't think a hot dog has passed my lips since those days, but I do remember them that with such fondness.

The one fun food treat of those early days that has stuck was the Marble Slab. I remember one of us would call and say, "let's meet at the Slab", and off we'd go. Didn't matter the temperature, warm summer nights or driving rain, it was always great. Nothing there has changed. Ice cream is still tops.

Everyone should have memories that span over 20 years.