Goodtimes with Gary

My dear brother-in-law, Gary Sherwood, was called home on Saturday, January 26th, one day before his 70th birthday.  He will be sorely missed by Doris, his sons, grandchildren, extended family members and what you could call as "oodles" of friends.  Don and I were glad that we got to camp at Catalina State Park again last week with Doris, Gary and their all time favorite dog, Molly.

As you can see from some of the pictures below, Gary loved his beer.  He even proved that beer and chocolate cake DO go together!  He sometimes surprised us with his antics, other times amazed us with his history knowledge and all things that related to Arizona.  For years, Gary and Doris led tours in Tucson, and if you were one of the lucky ones, you got to go on their van.  He would amuse the tourists with Tucson trivia and anecdotes of people he knew and worked with.

 Jerry and Gary toast each other at Buckskin State Park in January, 2011.  I can't remember if Gary had any of the cake, but I do know for certain that he finished his beer!

Doris was the one who captured his heart, and she knew also how to keep a rein on him!  Here she demonstrates her famous technique of "What were you thinking of, Gary?"

 Obviously, he was a quick learner and it was all smiles after the demonstration.

 One of those demos was all that it took.  His "time out" included sitting outside their coach, sipping on a Margarita; one of the few times it was something other than a Bud.

Back in 2010, six of us traveled back to Illinois to meet up with other Bollmeier cousins.  Here we are with June, Dale and Mary at the restaurant in New Baden, Illinois.

 Can you see that all the rest of us are tasting wine.  Guess who is the only one with a beer mug?  Ten guesses and the first nine don't count!  I don't know what Gary said, but it sure put a surprised look on Doris' face.

For those of us who knew him well, Gary and Doris were the perfect match for each other.  She did the work and he supervised.  When they camped, it was Doris who set up and took down most of the stuff. She did the dumping of the RV tanks, much to the chagrin of Don and Jerry, who always wondered why they weren't as lucky as Gary when it came to that task.

Looks like Gary was in his supervisor stance as Doris did the hula hoops at New Belgium Brewery.

 Hmm....I wonder what Gary MacFarlane was telling Gary S?  Doris looked a bit concerned...

 Looks like it was all fine in the end.  After all, this was taken at a brewery in Ft. Collins.  That had to be one of Gary's favorite places to visit.  After all, the beer samples were free!

I just wonder if St. Peter was waiting for you at the pearly gates with a bucket of Bud in his hand.  Maybe  that brand is Bud Heavenly Light, especially made just for you.  Miss you and may you rest peacefully in the room that the Lord prepared just for you.

Lessons Learned

This post is dedicated today to Jerry White, my brother-in-law who turned "59" today for the umpteenth time!  He is quiet, soft spoken and has a slight southern drawl, but don't let that mislead you.  He can also be very sneaky at times!

If he ever asks you if he can borrow your camera, think TWICE about saying yes.  Let's just say he is very creative, focusing on items I would never think of in a million years.  I discover these little gems after I've downloaded the pictures off my camera.   It had me laughing when I saw some of the last bunch that he took while we were at Catalina State Park.  Don and I went for a bike ride and he said he wanted to take a picture of both of us on our bikes.  Somehow, that picture never showed up.  Hmm......wonder how that happened?

Here are a few that did:

 Trash.  I think he was fascinated by the colored clamps that held the line on the trash container.

                                                The back of Don's head, up nice and close.

Nice picture of the campsite, if you're a monkey hanging upside down from a tree limb!

I think this could be labeled as "pop art".  So much better than the bird poop picture that he took while we were traveling in Oregon a couple of years ago.   Maybe I've learned my lesson this time and will carefully guard the camera whenever he comes near.  On the other hand, I would miss out on some of his amazing pictures that give me a chuckle when I look at them!  At least I don't have to pay to have these developed.  Thank goodness for digital cameras!  And happy birthday to you, Jer.