Three of my best friends.

Charles, Dave, and Murphy.

Yes, you're right.  One of them is a dog.  Part of that is the old axiom "Man's best friend" and part of it is that Murphy is the stand-in for my other best friend, Bert.  Yes, Bert, you've been replaced by a dog.  It's not the worst thing I have done.

The downside of getting older of course is the declining health that inevitably leads to its final conclusion.  It is best to use that time wisely and spend it with the people you care about the most.  In case you weren't sure who that was, it is your family and close friends.  My buddies Charles and Dave are both retired, as am I, and we can spend more time visiting and doing important things like playing cards and razzing each other.  They both live in Alberta and I am in BC.  Bert, my other buddy who's been replaced by a dog in the photo (you've never looked so good), lives in Maple Ridge while I am in Kelowna.

The challenges before us are distance and health.  They both get in the way of allowing us the opportunity to spend time together but will not prevent it.  Bert is gainfully employed and not likely to slow down for a while.  However, since most card games require four players, we're rooting for him.  Murphy can't quite master manipulating the cards as we humans do; I wonder who the better card player is?

I just got back from spending a week with my friend, Charles.  We will be spending two weeks with my son in Leduc in the new year and are planning to do some travelling in the spring, summer, and fall with our new truck and trailer.  The goal, of course, will be to spend time with the people we love.  It's important, even if you occasionally mistake them for a dog.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com