If you can take a moment to comment on this post with your favorite memory of Bob, that would be wonderful! we are putting together a book for him with all of your thoughts!
Unfortunately I will not be able to make it as our girls Soccer season will be in full swing and we are a travel team. However, I want to get him something. Please email me me at work to discuss: michaelbern@earthlink.net
How can I possibly pick just one favorite memory about Bob when I have over 40 years worth to choose from? I’ll start with my first memory of Bob. I was in 3rd grade at Cortez elementary when in the middle of class my teacher called me to her desk and asked me to go up to the office to get our new student and show him back to our classroom. That’s when Bob and I first met. For the next couple of years there was a group of us that hung out together; I guess you could call it our “Posse”. It included Scott Johnson, Marcus Mitchell, Steve Sias, Butch Stocking, Bob and myself. Although we were all good friends Bob was the only one I ever considered a “Best” friend. I have memories of me spending the night at Bob’s house and getting into some wicked pillow fights with me and Bob against Rodney hardly fair I know, but hey that’s what happens to little brothers. I remember when it came to Rodney it was ok for Bob to pick on him or give him an “earnest” or two, but if anyone else was to pick on Rodney or give him a hard time for any reason, Bob was always right there to defend him (the ice skating rink comes to mind). I use to love going out to the desert with Bob and his family for the day to shoot and his dad would let us stand on the back bumper and hang on to the tailgate of his Toyota pickup while driving on the dirt roads. That was some good fun! I remember building bicycles from parts in Bob’s garage. We would paint the frames and literally build the bike from the ground up with all the parts we would collect and trade for. We had a bicycle grave yard out behind Bob’s garage. We use to ride our bikes all over West Covina. I remember we would cut through the back of Cortez Park on our way to Pronto Market, and then go dumpster diving behind all the stores in the shopping center. That was some great fun and you never knew what you would find, but I have to admit Rodney and Byron to took “trash picking” to a whole new level. Bob and I didn’t hang out together as much in high school as we did in elementary and middle school, but it wasn’t more than a year or two after we graduated from high school that we decided to get an apartment together. The next year and a half was known as the era of “Twenty Five Eighty Five”, and was truly “Legendary Times” And that’s all I’m going to say about that! Not long after we moved out of “2585” Bob decided to marry the girl of his dreams and start his family. We stayed close as “7” and I played adult softball in several leagues for several teams. There was one season I remember in particular where after every game we would go back to Bob & Lynn’s and watch the nighttime soap opera Dynasty, (who would have ever guessed). Over the next couple of decades and for no real reasons other than we were both just caught up in our own lives, we would go long periods of time without talking, but every time we did connect it was instantly as if it was just like “old times”. That’s what true friendship is all about. I could go on for hours, but I’m going to stop here. I’ve considered Bob my best friend since the 3rd grade and will for the rest of my life.
Amanda,
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I will not be able to make it as our girls Soccer season will be in full swing and we are a travel team. However, I want to get him something. Please email me me at work to discuss: michaelbern@earthlink.net
How can I possibly pick just one favorite memory about Bob when I have over 40 years worth to choose from? I’ll start with my first memory of Bob. I was in 3rd grade at Cortez elementary when in the middle of class my teacher called me to her desk and asked me to go up to the office to get our new student and show him back to our classroom. That’s when Bob and I first met. For the next couple of years there was a group of us that hung out together; I guess you could call it our “Posse”. It included Scott Johnson, Marcus Mitchell, Steve Sias, Butch Stocking, Bob and myself. Although we were all good friends Bob was the only one I ever considered a “Best” friend. I have memories of me spending the night at Bob’s house and getting into some wicked pillow fights with me and Bob against Rodney hardly fair I know, but hey that’s what happens to little brothers. I remember when it came to Rodney it was ok for Bob to pick on him or give him an “earnest” or two, but if anyone else was to pick on Rodney or give him a hard time for any reason, Bob was always right there to defend him (the ice skating rink comes to mind).
ReplyDeleteI use to love going out to the desert with Bob and his family for the day to shoot and his dad would let us stand on the back bumper and hang on to the tailgate of his Toyota pickup while driving on the dirt roads. That was some good fun!
I remember building bicycles from parts in Bob’s garage. We would paint the frames and literally build the bike from the ground up with all the parts we would collect and trade for. We had a bicycle grave yard out behind Bob’s garage.
We use to ride our bikes all over West Covina. I remember we would cut through the back of Cortez Park on our way to Pronto Market, and then go dumpster diving behind all the stores in the shopping center. That was some great fun and you never knew what you would find, but I have to admit Rodney and Byron to took “trash picking” to a whole new level.
Bob and I didn’t hang out together as much in high school as we did in elementary and middle school, but it wasn’t more than a year or two after we graduated from high school that we decided to get an apartment together. The next year and a half was known as the era of “Twenty Five Eighty Five”, and was truly “Legendary Times”
And that’s all I’m going to say about that!
Not long after we moved out of “2585” Bob decided to marry the girl of his dreams and start his family. We stayed close as “7” and I played adult softball in several leagues for several teams. There was one season I remember in particular where after every game we would go back to Bob & Lynn’s and watch the nighttime soap opera Dynasty, (who would have ever guessed). Over the next couple of decades and for no real reasons other than we were both just caught up in our own lives, we would go long periods of time without talking, but every time we did connect it was instantly as if it was just like “old times”. That’s what true friendship is all about. I could go on for hours, but I’m going to stop here. I’ve considered Bob my best friend since the 3rd grade and will for the rest of my life.
Congratulations buddy on turning 50!
Your “BFF”,
Dave aka “12”