Old Friends

I've written about Rich's pal from past years. As life happens people lose touch only to get back in touch again years later.

Just before Christmas we got a call and then a visit from one of Rich's pals he hadn't seen in about 15 years. Our lives and interests had gone in different directions for a bit.

Then Steve showed up to visit. The 'boys' had an incredible time reminiscing about their days with their hound dogs and their crazy adventures while fishing together. 

Seriously, it seemed as if no time had passed and they wondered how their children grew up, got married and made them grandpas.

When Rich had his respiratory failure in February, Steve came as soon as he got the text. Steve is so kind hearted. He visited every day and spent time with him when I had to go home and do chores.

The two guys are like brothers that get along very well.

Steve called me Wednesday morning. The day was a rainy and he wanted to know what was on our schedule. 

Nothing of course.

"Well, let's go for a drive then! If we can't go fishing, we can go for a drive."

And that is what we did.

We headed over to the Mississippi River to check out sites for fishing that would accommodate a wheel chair.

We loaded up hubby and headed out with extra 02. We were going on an adventure.

Steve had thought of many things. He brought a Rollator for extra ease for Rich to get from one place to another if we were able to. He brought extra water for us [I'd packed some along with the meds] and off we went.

We spent a good part of the afternoon stopping at different boat ramps to see if they had places we could fish from. We did end up with a place that looked great with perfect wheel chair access.

Since we were in the small town of DeSoto, I suggested a stop at a place called The Bright Spot. It is a small bar with a separate room for eating. 

We were quite the sight. Steve and I walked along helping Rich manipulate the rollator up a little ramp to the dining area. 

We ordered burgers and fries and enjoyed light conversation. The waitress was fantastic. The restaurant is not fancy but well loved for its food. People come from the bordering states to eat here for this exact reason.

Steve was a great chauffer and pal.

On another odd note [seems I always have odd things happen to me]. Steve's wealthy neighbors who own second weekender homes have Steve mow their lawns and does other maintenance for them.

He helped one neighbor clean out a shed. Steve was having a large Garage Sale where one neighbor asked him to sell a bunch of 'crap' his daughter left behind when she moved away years ago.

Steve worked on helping the fellow clean out this huge shed so he could put his boats in there.

Anyway, I noticed these odd pieces in a photo that Steve showed me, I asked if I could purchase a couple. Steve brought a few of these items over to me. They were priced at $2 a piece at the garage sale.

When I got them, they were pretty dirty. So I washed them gently and found a name inside them.

Jason Christoble 1975 and Matchless Grove Tree with the their ID number and date carved inside. 

Apparently this fellow sculpted these items as candle holders with glass eyes that would light up when a light or candle was inserted. 

Jason Christoble created many 'Tree Ent' sculptures and sold them in the 1970's and 1980's. There is almost no info on this artist on the internet.

However I was intrigued by his work and recognized that some of his 'work' is now classified as Vintage Collectible.

I liked the 'Ents', they fit perfectly with one of my pretty but cheaply made 'face' pots I've had for a while.

Below is an example of one I ordered years ago. He stores my headphones and charger cords for a couple of my devices.

Imagine what I can do with these odd faces with eyes that will glow!

I found some on sale at different places like Etsy, eBay, and others. These items in very good condition and with a signature seem to hold a pretty good price. Below are my Tree Ents lined up in front of some sweet potatoes.

What a surprising and fun day we had. Rich hasn't been out to eat anywhere in more than 5 years. He hasn't left home except for his hospital stays and doctor appointments for about the same amount of time.

He was tired yesterday but happy.

Old friends can be the best.