Rudy was my daughter’s Godfather. I asked him to accept  that responsibility because I knew I could trust him to take care of her if any thing  happened to me.  He was that kind of guy. Rudy and I  have emptied many bottles of scotch while smoking cigars on his deck over the years.  We solved the problems of the world and told embellished stories and lied to each other.  We had fun and laughed out loud. Here at a few fun memories.

Shoes: Rudy must have been a shoe shine boy when he was young. He was obsessed  about his shoes.  He had the shiniest shoes in the room, every room, every where.  The man had shoe shine kits in his home, car, office, and golf bag. I'll bet there was a shoe shine kit waiting for him in heaven.

Golf:  Some where around my 30th birthday Rudy wanted to teach me golf....for about 20 minutes.   I was trying to hit the ball so hard I was digging holes. He was trying but frustration was setting in.  When we got to the 9th hole he drove to the car, took my golf bag and emptied it into the trunk and gave me the #7 iron and a putter and that's what I used for the rest of the day.  It worked.  I learned to use that 7 iron on all kinds of shots and to this day It's the club I have the most confidence in.

Running: Rudy, Not me !   Rudy liked to run and ran in some marathons.  I went along on my bicycle and carried water for Rudy.  When we got around the last mile or so he motioned for his secret elixir of instant carbs...Beer !    It always worked.  it gave him that finishing kick.

Cats:  Rudy lost Posh and Peach within weeks of each other. I had posted on FB that I need to adopt out some of our cats,  we had four.  Rudy wanted 2 of them.  I drove from San Antonio for four days with meowing cats in the back. Getting them back in the carriers in the morning got pretty hairy the last two days.  That was last May and that's the last time I was with Rudy.  My Daughter and Babs came over and we all went to diner.  After the girls left w got into the scotch bottle and for the first time in over 45 years we talked about our time in war.  I don't remember how it came up.  It was a long night and I had coffee and left in the morning for my place in Virginia.  Rudy was going to visit me there this coming June.  Man Plans: God laughs.