R.I.P. Dave

Today a friend died. Dave, or Big Dave as we affectionately called him, as he was, well, a big guy. The details are still a bit sketchy but it sounds like he went out last nite and got a bit drunk. Some friends drove him home and when they called him to go and pick up his car this morning, he never answered the phone. His friends got concerned and went to his home and found him. It appears that he died in his sleep. He was 56.

One of my favorite memories of him happened about 10-12 years ago. Hubby and I went with Dave and Debbie to the Franksville Kraut Festival. Sounds exciting eh?? It is nothing more than a festival whose theme is the sauerkraut that is made there. But they have beer and usually good music so we go. Some of the details have faded a bit so not sure about the exact order of events. We spend most of a Sunday afternoon there and when we were getting ready to leave Dave went to get in the car and tore his pants. From the waistband in back to the fly in front. It was hilarious. So we stop at my parents on the way home to say hi and grab a towel so Dave can cover up in it a bit. We make him get back outta the car and come into the house to visit for a bit. He was an ornery crank over that. We leave my folks house and head towards the bar to drop everyone off at their cars. Debbie, hubby and I decide to go into the bar to have a beverage and drag a very unwilling Dave into the bar and he has to sit there with a pool towel tied around his waist, drinking a beer.

Thinking about it today make me realize how lucky we are to have the amazing friends we do. They will do anything for you and are there for us whenever we need them. And always ready to help us drink a beer or two.