Florianopolis–Phil and his buddies–Tuesday – Sep 19, 2006
There is a sadness in the air, this last day together. I’ve now spent two solid weeks with my best friends of 50 years, and all without a cross word from anybody. Earl, ever the foil for Chris and Pete, has taken the abuse with his irrepressible good humor and energy. He at first bore the nickname “Curly” for his bald head, but this was later updated to “Dodgey”, a term used by the South African crew to mean squirrely or off plumb. Chris, the comic imitator of the other two, keeps the laughs coming. He is given the nickname “Grumpy” for his solemn demeanor, which serves as a shield for his natural hilarity. And Pete, nicknamed “Sleepy” for his marathon hours on the mattress, chimes in often with gems of his own. They are a well-practiced comic group and I’ll miss them when they depart this day.