It'd been quite some time since that post and I'd sent emails and texts to Bob asking what was up....for he was a frequent poster of great content and pictures. Now we know, so long afterwards, that he was gone.
Martha and I will sorely miss Bob and extend our heartfelt condolences to Yvonne.
We first met Bob through the usual way of moto-bloggers, exchanging comments on each other's blog postings. After quite some time of this, we finally got a chance to meet Bob along with fellow moto-blogger Bluekat and her husband Ron during a road trip to Montana.
The trip was in July of 2011 and we all spent a few days in a rustic cabin site getting to know each other, doing some rides which culminated with a glorious day riding the "Going to the Sun" Highway in Glacier National Park. LINK
Bob, Ron and Kari in Montana
That trip was truly a memorable one, even more so for affording me the chance to meet fellow moto-bloggers like Kari and Bob. Bob turned out to be quite the character and his companionship made the trip so much more enjoyable.
Bob was in his element when talking motorcycle riding, photography, cameras of all types and function and of course, in his signature Pink Crocs! Generous almost to a fault, you only had to but hint that you needed something and he'd be right there offering to get it for you.
I would later go visit Bob in Vancouver, as I rode towards Alaska back in the Spring of 2013, he graciously let me stay at his home and we had a chance to get together with a fellow moto-blogger, SonjaM and her husband Roland for dinner:
Roland, Yvonne, Bob, Sonja and yours truly
We would next met up with Bob as my family was spending a family vacation in Wisconsin helping Martha's dad celebrate his 80th birthday. Bob was doing a cross-country ride from Vancouver to the East Coast of the USA and detoured out of this way to come spend some time with us in Wisconsin! LINK
We would once again have the pleasure of Bob's company the following month as Bob was making his way back towards his home in Vancouver, Canada. Again detouring away from of the optimal route, he came and visited us for a bit and I had a chance to ride with him once again.
Martha and I consider ourselves fortunate to have met and spent time with Bobskoot! The blogosphere and our lives are a sadder place without his presence. You will be missed Bob, you now ride where we can only wonder for now, you will be remembered fondly.
Hail Fellow well met!
16 comments:
Many have met him, and many have met through him. Bob was the essence that connected the moto-blogging community. He will be missed dearly.
Thanks Sonja for your comments, he will indeed be missed.
What a shock!!!!! RIP Bobskoot.
Dom, what a beautiful and touching tribute. That sums Bob up to a 'T'.
I feel that we have met, though of course we haven't. Steve Williams' accounts of his meeting with you when he had a course in Denver, and Bob's accounts of your adventures together make us half a degree of separation apart, I think.
All the best to you.
David
Regards,
David
Dom I like the idea you floated with Steve.
I would add that all these blog tributes, so ephemeral and so hidden from folks outside our little community, should be gathered up, printed, and made available to Yvonne, Ryan and Tammy.
I'm just heartsick to hear this news. Such a presence in the blogosphere. Always reaching out to other riders, arranging meetings and rides. A friend to everyone. I will miss him and regret that we didn't have another chance to ride together.
Heartfelt tribute, the friends truest expression of respect....may peace find each who feel Bob's loss. The ancient Greeks taught a man is never gone as long as his name is remembered.....and in this, may Bob live with us all forever!
David, thanks but my efforts were nothing....compared to the smiles Bobskoot brought into our lives. I really like your idea of the gathering of the various blog postings!
Bluekat, thanks for your comments about Bobskoot....he sure was a fun rider to ride with wasn't he?
GlennandSun, thanks Glenn for your words....and yes, Bobskoot will indeed live on in our collective memories.
I am happy I got to meet him and spend some time laughing and telling tales. What a great guy and I will miss him dearly. It is so great to read everyones' stories with him.
Thanks for your comments Katy did Gig....
Bob welcomed me into scootering when I first started blogging about my foray on two wheels in 2011. We became friends, met and rode together on a few occasions. I appreciated his wisdom and guidance, he was a good friend. Once I posted about my hands being cold during my winter commutes and soon thereafter my phone rang and he was checking whether I would like heated grips or heated gloves, shortly after that a parcel arrived in the mail and it was a set of heated grips for me. Others have been on the receiving end of his generosity. I am going to miss reading his blog, his beautiful pics, his comments on my blog, but most of all his friendship.
He was a light in ones life, that is for sure. A bright spot in a chaotic world. He will be missed.
Bob was unique. You don't often meet someone like him and I was glad to have the opportunity to spend a little time with him. As Tobaritz said, "He will be missed."
We have all been blessed to have him cross our paths. I know he enjoyed his time with you and your family.
Dom, you asked when Bob passed away, exactly. The answer I got from a very close friend who was there in Nashville, is September 1st.
Warm regards,
d.
Very nice writeup and very sad to see he's gone. I was wondering when his next post was gonna be. Godspeed dear Bob.
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